Catholicism and the Kennedys
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Harrison
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abortion catholic corruption Democrats global warming hypocrites Liberals patrick kennedy pro-abortion socialism socialized medicine taxes
You cannot pick and choose which beliefs you will follow
The latest headlines regarding the Kennedy family have not been about the recently deceased Ted Kennedy but about his son, Patrick Kennedy, and his charge that he has been banned from receiving Communion in the Catholic Church because of his stance regarding abortion, which the Church opposes.
John Kerry, also a Catholic (and abortion supporter), wrestled with a similar issue when he ran for president in 1994. There have been protestations among many Democrats over the stance taken by the Catholic Church regarding abortion. Being a Democrat and being against abortion is a very uncommon position.
What role should religion play in a politician’s job and has the Catholic Church overstepped its authority?
Politicians are supposed to represent their voters’ wishes. The accepted practice is that the voters know best although their elected representatives are not obligated to follow the wishes of those who elected them, should they part ways often and significantly enough, they will not be re-elected. This being said, a politician should never go against their conscience. Thus, if they feel that abortion is wrong they should not vote for it in any way, even if this costs them their job.
The Catholic Church is not a buffet and one cannot claim to be a Catholic while, at the same time, picking and choosing which parts of the doctrine one would like to follow. In order to “be a Catholic” one must follow the doctrine from beginning to end or, if this is not possible, one should find a new religion. People today have been filled with all of these notions of independence, self-importance, and the “consumer is always right” and they do not like to be told what to do. By behaving in this manner these people miss the entire point of religion of which one of the goals is to surrender oneself to God. Patrick Kennedy being for abortion and claiming to be a Catholic is a paradox and one that is infuriating Liberals everywhere.
The irony here is that Liberals often make snarky comments about the Catholic Church and its doctrines (some of it justified such as the pedophilia scandals). Liberals bristle at the fact that not following Catholic doctrine is heresy and should lead to ex-Communication. And yet Liberals follow their own doctrine which is largely the same wherever they reside:
1. Government can solve man’s problems
2. Whatever feels good is right
3. Global warming
4. Showering the poor with money from the rich
5. Tax the highest paid group of people
6. Reduce profits to a point they think is “fair”
7. Governments must cede their authority to multi-national powers
8. Those groups designated as “disadvantaged” must be propped up and other groups suppressed
There are many other points in the Liberal doctrine but these are the main ones. If you are a Liberal and you go against these points you are treated as a simpleton and as being closed-minded. And yet when Catholic Liberals are called onto the carpet because their beliefs go against the Church’s doctrine, it is not they who are at fault it is the Church of which they claim to be a member of that’s to blame! After all, not being willing to follow Catholic Church dogma is why we have Protestantism.
Another irony is that Liberalism and Catholicism have much in common in many ways. Although things have changed over the years, the Catholic Church used to like to keep its followers ignorant, illiterate, uneducated, and dependent upon it for everything in their lives. Until very recently, a Catholic could not own a copy of the Bible, for example.
Liberals, on the other hand, don’t want people to learn any contrary ideas regarding things such as Global Warming or quotas (branding people as “deniers” or as “racists” to silence them) and they seek to raise taxes to the point where everybody will be dependent upon the State for everything which will sap peoples’ spirits and minds.
And so we will read in the “MSM” about how backward the Catholic Church is considering we are in the 21st Century and how pro-abortion Liberals are fighting against the Dark Ages to protect “the people” from this horrible, corrupt organization.
The funny thing is, both groups are so similar and, if Liberals don’t like it, nobody is forcing them to be Catholic so the real question becomes why do they continue to be a member of a group with whom they disagree?
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9:38 AM
Birth control (except for the rhythm method) is also forbidden by the Catholic Church. But if all of the Catholics who use birth control left the church, they would probably have to close down quite a few parishes!
I’m also not sure it is fair to compare liberal “dogma” with religious dogma. My experience is that if you get a hundred liberals in a room, you are going to get nearly 100 different opinions about almost any issue.
.-= Joe Markowitz´s last blog ..Distractions =-.
12:36 PM
Yes, birth control is one of the biggest sticking points in that religion. Monty Python covered that topic quite well in The Meaning of Life.
10:19 AM
Maybe they don’t want to leave the Catholic Church because they plan on taking the church over one of these days too? Yes, that must be it, and the first female pope will go by the name of………..wait for it……..
………..Pope Pelosi!! Hahaaahaaaaahaaaaaaaa!!!
Sorry, I couldn’t resist
5:44 AM
You know, barring communion from vocally pro-abortion politicians should go beyond just the catholic church, and points out the folly of denominations such as the Methodists not aggressively guarding this sacrament as well.
For instance, the last time I attended a Methodist worship (and I never will again) was that after the woman reverend(?) spoke, the elements of the Lord’s Supper were distributed, with the only caution of, “only take this if you are a believer, or are thinking of becoming a believer”(!). No warning was given from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, no caution was taken about examining one’s heart for sin, etc.
The eldership of Methodist denominations should guard this table as well from abortion-supporting politicians, because if they don’t, they are no better than the Roman Catholics.
10:03 AM
I think your view on this issue is ironic. Democrat doctrine tends to be on a larger ideological scale so there are many differing opinions in the Democrat party. Whereas, the Republicans pride themselves on being mainstream and follow strict doctrines. So to say Liberals don’t want differing opinions is untrue. Republicans want to teach their children God is unforgiving of men and women who find love in the same sex. Liberals are open to different lives and different opinions. Conservatives would rather see single mothers in the streets with their children than help with their welfare.
10:11 AM
Thanks for your comments. If we look at which members of the Democratic party rise to the top leadership posts I think you will find all of their beliefs to be pretty similar. When a Democrat gets out of line and says something on their own they are shamed by being “immoral” by their leadership. There are extremes on both sides and while there are probably many anti-gay marriage, pro-gun, anti-abortion, anti-Big Government Democrats out there where are those candidates?
You misunderstand Conservatives. I do not know of any Conservative who would prefer to see a single mother out on the street but, on the other hand, I know many who feel that the cycle of welfare is more destructive to families than anything else.
It was, after all, a Democrat (Bill Clinton), who ended “welfare as we know it” and he was brutally punished for it in the 1996 elections when Republicans swept into power.
2:40 PM
Harrison,
Could you please inform me of a few Conservatives who have stood on their own and voiced opinions which may not have been popular among their party? My statment of Conservatives may have been a bit extreme, however, I think you misunderstand Democrats.
3:21 PM
Sure! Former Republican presidential candidate John McCain is the one who immediately springs to mind. Probably a big reason why many Republicans didn’t vote in the 2008 election. In fact, he is called a “maverick” because of his stances within the Republican party. An example from the Democratic party would be Joe Lieberman however worse things were written about him than McCain.