I was glad to see after the Vice Presidential debate last week that the USCCB had immediately come out with a statement on the total falsity of Joe Biden’s claims about the HHS mandate. Even if it didn’t even mention his name. It is not as if people reading the statement would not know the answer to that.
Still I would like to have seen another statement released regarding what was the “elephant in the room” or really the “infant in the womb.” Joe Biden pulled out the ole “personally opposed” Kennedy chestnut and added about not being able to impose his faith on others. This tortured reasoning has been pulled out again and again and it really should be answered by the USCCB when used in this circumstance before an audience of some fifty million people.
The bishops have spoken on this before both individually and via the USCCB such as in the document “Living the Gospel of Life”
Since the entry of Catholics into the U.S. political mainstream, believers have struggled to balance their faith with the perceived demands of democratic pluralism. As a result, some Catholic elected officials have adopted the argument that, while they personally oppose evils like abortion, they cannot force their religious views onto the wider society. This is seriously mistaken on several key counts. First, regarding abortion, the point when human life begins is not a religious belief but a scientific fact — a fact on which there is clear agreement even among leading abortion advocates. Second, the sanctity of human life is not merely Catholic doctrine but part of humanity’s global ethical heritage, and our nation’s founding principle. Finally, democracy is not served by silence. Most Americans would recognize the contradiction in the statement, “While I am personally opposed to slavery or racism or sexism I cannot force my personal view on the rest of society.” Real pluralism depends on people of conviction struggling vigorously to advance their beliefs by every ethical and legal means at their disposal.
Which is great for the 100 or so Catholics that might have actually seen this document.
Now fact-checking Catholic politicians who distort the Church’s teaching is not really their purview. Really you would need a full-time staff just for Rep. Nancy Pelosi. You also have to pick your battles. Issuing a statement every time some Catholic politician says something theologically stupid would be an easy way for the media to ignore you – or ignore you more than they already do. Still the USSCB statement after the debate certainly did get some coverage.
Archbishop Chaput did comment on this as the “latest outrageous example” of the phony divide between belief and action. At the same time he also said “I call you as a Catholic, to forget about the labels, be a liberal sometimes, a conservative sometimes, but a Catholic first.” This is of course exactly right. Really I think the USCCB should have corrected VP Joe Biden on the “impose my faith” aspect and corrected Rep. Paul Ryan on supporting the abortion exemptions.
Now if you were to try to take Biden’s argument seriously on not being able to impose one’s belief than his career has a legislature is rather odd. It is not as if he only voted on legislation that was supported by 100% of his constituents. Every act of the legislature imposes something on others that they don’t like. Plus you just can’t take the argument seriously at all while they are imposing the HHS mandate on Catholics and others and then bragging about it.
Possibly I am falling in the trap of wanting the USCCB to do things. Well actually I have fallen into that trap. When really what I should be wanting is individual bishops to be vocal when such outrageous statements are made. Some of them certainly have been vocal on this. Or really a both/and approach would be quite fine with me. The line that Biden used should be slapped down and as the media loves to say “slammed” so that the next pro-abortion politician might just think a little bit before using it.
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Seriously wish I’d had that quote on Sunday. More eloquent than my own emphasis on Catholic Social Teaching – that we ARE to “impose” our beliefs or have other beliefs imposed upon us. Like the HHS Mandate, for example.
I may email that quote out to the class anyway.
It amazes me that people of faith are painted as anti-science, and yet we seem to be the main ones defending the most basic biological truth: life begins at conception!
Rallies against the HHS mandate are scheduled for this Saturday, October 20 all around the country.
http://standupforreligiousfreedom.com/locations/
Let’s make our voices heard.
Jeff! As a Canadian and one who has gone for many years to support injustice I must say that the Rally Guidelines and Protocols listed below should go a long way into keeping “The Peace”.
The Nationwide Rally for Religious Freedom welcomes all participants, of whatever religious persuasion — and even those of no religious faith — who are united by support for and desire to protect the United States Constitution’s First Amendment right of religious liberty currently under attack by the HHS Mandate.
It is not the purpose of these Rallies to promote or advocate for any political party or political movement. Thus Rally participants are asked to not bring political party or candidate signage to the rallies or distribute such literature. However, voter guides on issues of concern to people of faith are acceptable.
All those who attend are expected to comport themselves peacefully at all times while asserting their Constitutional right to freedom of assembly.
Families, even those with small children, should feel at home and comfortable attending this Rally.
If opposition protests are conducted, Rally participants will not engage counter demonstrators or hecklers with loud verbal argumentation, name-calling or derogatory remarks, nor will such opponents be physically engaged in any way.
Any interference with Rally participants’ rights to freedom of speech and assembly will be referred to police authorities by local Rally leaders.
If Rally participants are approached by media for comment, they should refer reporters and journalists to local rally coordinators for an interview.
Good Luck to all who are concerned in keeping “The Peace” while doing what they truly believe to be “Right”.
Here’s the trouble with our Catholic stance on abortion: we keep complaining about the problem, but we haven’t proposed a rational solution. And don’t tell me “outlawing abortion” is a rational solution. That is not a rational solution; that is a quixotic ideal.
Why? Because, as Pope John Paul II stated, we now live in a “culture of death.” That means a woman’s right to choose is now considered a freedom, an actual value deeply embedded in our culture. The ONLY way to change this culture of death now will be through coordinated, influential, inspirational and courageous leadership and education, NOT mandate.
If we really want to change the culture and get people like Biden on board to support us, why aren’t us “lay people ” with leadership and change skills not putting together a rational solution in the form of a phased plan whose aim is to ultimately change people’s MINDS about abortion? If we can change people’s MINDS, we won’t need to change laws.
Don’t believe it’s possible ? Jesus did it. He changed the world’s kind through influence and education. The laws followed.
Time for rational solutions, not mandates
Sorry typo.. Last line should have read: Don’t believe it’s possible ? Jesus did it. He changed the world’s mind through influence and education. The laws followed.
So true Mark!
A great start when we humans recognize the problem and all work together to solve “IT”. 🙂
Peace
[…] I’m Personally Opposed to “Personally Opposed” – Jeffrey Miller, The Curt Jester […]
No doubt that minds must be changed, but abortion is evil and like slavery we should not wait until minds are changed. If government has ANY legitimacy it certainly should stop the destruction of innocent life. The law should be changed. I don’t think most5 people would agree that, for instance, slavery shgould be tolerated until minds are changed. Something so fundamentally wrong and evil as abortiuon should be stopped by any means available.
I am very frustrated by the way the Bishops pick and choose which aspects of Catholicism to get upset about when it comes to politicians. Our catechism doesn’t
change, however, it gets interpreted differently depending on the political views of the Bishops when it comes to reprimands for those in political office. Consistency from the Bishops would end the confusion.
The Bishops have to be more consistent in how they call out people who fail to adhere to the teachings of Catholicism. Our faith doesn’t change. The Catechism is clear. Depending on the political leanings of the Bishops, some Catholics in the political sphere are blasted when they go against the Church’s teachings and others are given a pass. No wonder the people are confused.
Abortion is not a religious issue. It is a moral issue. It is based on the natural law and one doesn’t have to be religious to oppose abortion. Biden says he can’t impose his religion on anyone, as if he was forcing Americans to go to Mass on Sunday. Opposing abortion has nothing to do with imposing religion. Biden supports laws against murder, rape, and theft, yet he doesn’t make a fuss about imposing his religion in those moral cases. It is only with the moral issue of abortion that he plays the religion card.
P(ersonally)
O(opposed to)
O(Obama &)
H(HS Mandate)
Mark, I volunteer weekly at one of the “rational solutions” you ask for. It’s called St. Gerard’s. It ministers to physical and spiritual needs. We need more of them, and with a less pathetic (at least in comparison to fat cat Planned Parenthood) budget. There’s your rational solution, for starters.