| |
| |
|
Religion Information |
|
|
|
Catholics Need To Take a Second Look at Morality
According to CNN, Catholics voted for President Bush over Senator John Kerry by a 51 to 48 percent margin. Hence, Catholics voted for a Born Again Methodist over a Catholic candidate. Many Catholic Bishops have declared abortion a "non-negotiable issue." In the diocese of Brooklyn, which encompasses Brooklyn and Queens, there is not a single memorial to those who have been put to death by our government. Nonetheless, I know of at least one parish in Brooklyn that has a three-thousand dollar memorial dedicated to the aborted. Meanwhile, 36 million people in the United States live in poverty. If the Bishops are not silent, they most certainly speak in a whisper when it comes to issues of social justice and the death penalty. The Catholic Bishop's candidate, George W. Bush, executed nearly 30 individuals in 1999 alone. Exit polls indicated that voters named Bush's moral values as the number one reason they chose to cast their vote for him. Religion was the key determinant of voting in the 2004 presidential race, according to an exit poll conducted by the Associated Press news agency. According to exit polls, 22% of the electorate said "moral values" was the issue that mattered most in how they voted - compared to 20% who cited the economy, 19% who cited terrorism, and just 15% who said Iraq was the key issue. However, this type of exit polling is quite flawed. Moral values encompass stem cell research, gay marriage and opposition to abortion. Therefore, while the other exit poll questions were specific and pinpointed one issue, the moral question encompassed a slew of issues, all of which Catholics are taught to believe are essential issues. For Catholics to support abortion or a pro-abortion candidate, is considered a mortal sin. Certain conditions must apply for a mortal sin to be committed. First and foremost, the sin must be deliberate, with full knowledge that it is wrong. A mortal sin prevents the sinner from entrance into heaven after death. Therefore, for too many Catholics, a vote for Kerry ensures an eternity in the fires of hell - see Jonathan Edwards, "Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God." To be fair, not all Catholic Bishops have expressed such dire consequences if a Catholic chose to vote for Kerry. In particular, the 400 member US Conference of Catholic Bishops, who published an extensive election year publication, discussed a variety of social justice issues and did not threaten any religious consequence of a vote for Bush or Kerry. The problem is that few Catholics are aware of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, but they do hear the messages of their local Bishops and parish priests. Abortion receives an inordinate amount play during Sunday homilies; unfortunately, this is at the expense of social justice or liberation theology. Liberation theology is a movement that came to fruition in Latin America during the early seventies. The movement embraces the idea that it is the responsibility of the Catholic Church to actively fight against the oppression of the poor. This is a change from the Catholic theology that reigned for centuries, where the poor were taught that the greater their suffering in this world, the greater their reward in the next life. This policy, in large part, was due to the church's support of right-wing dictators in Latin America. My fear is that the many Catholic Bishops that professed that a vote for Kerry is a mortal sin are returning to the time prior to liberation theology. Sister Maura Clark, a Mary Knoll nun, and Archbishop Oscar Romero died for speaking out for the poor and oppressed in Central America. Too many of our Bishops and priests are dishonoring the work of these martyrs by making it apparent that the poor are of little consequence. Furthermore, they're doing this in support of a President who probably believes that if you are not "saved" you will not go to heaven. Catholics believe in one baptism for the forgiveness of sins; and therefore, are not saved in the "born-again" sense. Democrats were criticized this past presidential election for not embracing morality. Morality is caring for the poor and providing national healthcare for the 45 million without health insurance According to Congressman Pete Stark, "Our lack of a guaranteed health care safety net indirectly plunges millions into bankruptcy and financial ruin who, once sick, cannot afford to pay for their high medical treatment costs out-of-pocket." Conservatives should be as concerned for the living as they are for the unborn. If they choose to condemn politicians that are pro-choice, they should do justice to the Sanctity of Life movement and criticize those leaders who support capital punishment. The Catholic Church cannot afford to lose its Hispanic members, who are now an integral part of Catholic schools and churches, to the Pentecostal churches both here and abroad. According to a Columbia University study "Hispanics report the fewest assets (two thirds report zero or negative net worth) than any other ethnic group in NYC." It's a bit hard to explain to this group that a president that believes in tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans is in their best interest, or is economically just. It should be just as hard to justify it to you. About The Author Peter Mennona, Jr. holds a BA from the New School University. He's been published @ Contactscafe.cafe, Bharatbhasha.com and meadvillenews.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Choosing the Christian Path - 147.5 million Americans claim affiliation with a religious group- 94% of those who claim affiliation are members of Christian or quasi-Christian denominationsEvery culture offers every opportunity for evaluation on the part of the individual as to whether the spiritual beliefs which that culture encompasses are spiritual beliefs that are comfortable for the individual living within it; it is a matter of conscious choice on the part of every individual in every lifetime to decide for themselves whether the doctrine that is being taught - the doctrine that is predominant throughout the culture - is a doctrine that 'rings true' for their inner self. Josephs Life-a Series of Coincidences One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Joseph. If you read and really understand this story, you will see that nothing is coincidental and that all things work according to God's plan. Discipled by the Kingdom of Heaven -- Becoming a KingdomScribe! Jesus tells a story - a powerful story - that illustrates how God's Truth for today is always a new Word for today. And it also helps us understand that if all we're holding onto are "old truths", we're really holding onto no truths!(By the way -- if you want to read a summary of this teaching, just read the words in bold. Cut Off Your Hand! Cut off your Hand!Arguably the most bizarre command of Christ is found in Matthew 5:29-30, where he tells us to pluck out our eyes or cut off our hands if they cause us to sin. "It is better to enter heaven blind and lame," he says, "than to have a healthy body and be cast into hell. A Strong Anchor Stories have been told about the only thing that saved the lives of the people aboard a ship in a storm was a strong anchor. But, there are also stories of those who perished when their anchor did not hold. Sex, Lies, & Videotape; Part 2 Acts 5:1-5:10 Sex, Lies and Videotape Part 2. Lies. Jesus in Wales The next few days were as hectic and exciting as any days Jesus could remember. The never-ending stream of people who wanted to meet him actually increased each day. The Emmaus Journal ~ The Standards Of This World Are Not Our Standards The Emmaus JournalThe Standards Of This World Are Not Our StandardsHow often do we hear this righteous phrase and how often do we really heed this righteous phrase? "The standards of this World are not our standards." As Believers these few words should mold our very existence from day to day. Smith Wigglesworth on the Power of the Word You have all heard me talk about Smith Wigglesworth. He had a major healing ministry in the early to mid 1900's. Jesus Was a Hippie Actually he was more appropriately called a Cynic, but that kind of free-thinking humanist is indeed kin to being a Hippie. The Cynics were a school of thought or religious approach to intellectual understanding which many more modern hippies seem to emulate. The Need for Biblically Minded Engineers There is a great need in the world today for engineers who think and work from a Christian worldview. These engineers are needed to design, prototype, develop, and manufacture goods that support family economies, as opposed to city-corporate-paper economies, which strain the traditional family. Rudraksha Beads - For Health, Wealth & Spirituality The Tears of Lord Shiva that are Rudraksha, are the original Vedic Beads of Power worn by the Yogis of India and the Himalayas for thousands of years to maintain health and to gain self empowerment and fearless life on their path to Enlightenment and Liberation.The Electromagnetic Properties of the Rudraksha Beads improve concentration, focus and mental stamina. Resurrection Faith (Part 3) During His ministry, Jesus often made references to His impending death but the disciples, apparently so consumed with their own agenda for Jesus, missed the meaning of Jesus' words. Thus, when He was crucified, it caught them totally off guard. What is God? Does Proof Exist? Apology:I don't for a minute profess to know what God is. Frankly, I think God is beyond the grasp of mind because God is beyond the senses and beyond limited words and images. Of Snakes and Terrorism With the passing of Arafat, the Middle East will take on a slightly different face, allowing the possibilities for prophetic fulfillment to speed up. The pathway is now open for renewed efforts to procure peace in the Middle East, using the avenue of the formation of the promised Palestinian State. Should Professional Athletes Be Glorifying God And Jesus On Their Public Platforms? Recently I have run across quite a few Christians who seem to be offended whenever any of the professional athletes get on TV or the radio and publicly give God and Jesus all the praise, honor and glory for all of their accomplishments in their personal lives as well as all of their success on the athletic field.I have heard that many Christians state that a person's spiritual beliefs should be considered a personal matter and that these athletes should not be talking about God and Jesus on their "public platforms. What Is Perfect Love? Today, sitting in my pink armchair, reading about how a world-famous medium was able to communicate with the spirit world and our physical world and end the grief of those who had been left behind, I became even more aware of how love is the central theme of the universe itself. This was what the departed passed on to those who remained on earth. Development of Liberal Theology: An Overview (Part 3) As senior pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of New York, Fosdick preached a sermon one Sunday in 1922 that aroused the righteous indignation of fundamentalists and he suddenly found himself at the center of a heated theological controversy. In order to understand the tension that existed between fundamentalism and modernism, it is necessary that I briefly delineate the fundamentalist position at that time. Top Ten Religion Quotations Review your religious beliefs with these revealing quotations all about religion.. The Holy Spirit is our Teacher Now that we know God and Jesus want to release Their knowledge direct to us from Their throne room in heaven - how is this knowledge actually transmitted to us? This will now bring us into the next set of Scripture verses.These next three verses will tell us that this knowledge is given to the Holy Spirit - and then the Holy Spirit, who is already living on the inside of us, will be the one to transmit all of this knowledge to us! The Holy Spirit will thus become your personal guide and personal teacher in this life.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
