A Catholic Brief for Obama

How can the Catholic church and its membership promote Obama when he favors the very thing the Pope opposes. I can never understand how the human mind reasons thier action's as okay sometimes and wrong other times. Kind of sounds like a game show or question's on a poll. all the time, some of the time or never at all. Reminds me the only constant in all of this is the WORD OF GOD as written in THE BIBLE. I guess more catholics need to obtain one or at the least, start to read one. That's all I have to say,,,What does JESUS say

If you could only vote for someone who agreed with ALL the positions of the Catholic Church, you'd be in trouble. Virtually every pro-life candidate is also pro-death penalty - also opposed by the church! And good luck finding a candidate who wants to ban birth control and divorce,

It is sad and disheartening to me a good practicing Catholic that many Catholic bishops and some priests are opposed to Democrats and other that support the woman's right to abortion. This law in embedded in the law providing equal protection and rights to women, in jobs salaries hiring etc. Jesus lived an preached tolerance, helping the poor and many other virtues that the Democraraic party more than the other, envisions. So I beg the clergy to take a true Christ like view before jumping into this anto abortion frey. How many of you advi=ce rich catholic women against birth control pills? How many do you think have a d dozen children?

While you're worrying about the millions of abortions, which is probably not a true number, where are you in dealing with the millions of children that are physically abused by their parents, birth mothers, relatives or foster parents? Why is it that the pro-lifers protect the rights of the unborn but could care less about those who are born? Where is your compassion for those children?

Why didn't they make this a referrendum on election day? They did the gay marriage in California - it seems that everytime we have an election - it is then bought to light. Let's stop it now - do not make it a political issue - that is no reason for ANYONE to not vote for someone because of this one issue - there are TOO MANY more important issues that need to be addressed than abortion!

In response to joeydon's comments, you need to check your facts. President elect Obama only opposed that legislation because it was ALREADY a law, and it contained other add ons that he opposed. He did not oppose saving the life of babies, as the republicans would have you believe. Secondly, if you read this article in it's entirety, you would observe that this anti-abortion stance does nothing to reduce abortions, and there is nothing else in the republican plan to reduce the abortion rate. Obama has a plan for education, contraception and adoption assistance that will, in real terms, reduce abortions. While any abortions are too many, it is unrealistic to believe that we can stop them. What we need to do is give these women more options and easier access to other ways of dealing with an unwanted pregnancy. THAT is what Obama promotes.

Regardless of the political intellectualizing, abortion is still wrong, immoral and is murder. The life of the unborn is a gift from our creator and in no instance will it ever be a choice. Catholics cannot support a candidate who promotes abortion. Mr. Obama is the most liberal of the pro-abortion class. Do your homework. He refused to sign legislation that would provide health care to infants born alive after a botched abortion... amounting to infanticide. Nowhere in the catholic doctrine is murder of the unborn ever justified. Those who support legalized abortion should be excommunicated.

Let us not confuse Jesus' example with political messages. His crucifixion was to save our individual souls; it was not intended as a political statement against corporal punishment. So render unto Caesar, as it were . . . and vote as you will.
But do not pretend that being pro-life means anything other than observing the sanctity of human life from the point of conception. Our Christian moral responsibility includes helping the poor and needy, but being poor and needy does not justify or excuse abortion. So it is not enough, as a moral matter, to say that Obama's policies MAY lead to less abortions.
And let us also not confuse charity with government handouts. It is easy to be "compassionate" when you are spending other people's money. To say a man is moral or compassionate because he wants to spend taxpayer money to help people is to misconstrue the meaning of morality and compassion. People may favor Obama's policies and vote for him, but they should not confuse his political promises with his personal morality; for example, he has not seen fit to share any of his own wealth with an aunt and half-brother who are living in poverty. While I personally do not feel that he needs to do so, it is telling that his political philosophy does not encompass any personal responsibility to help those of his family less fortunate than himself.

In regards to being Catholic and abortion being the main issue, I couldn't disagree more. Being raised Catholic my entire life, by attending mass regularly with my family and attending Catholic education has brought me to the conclusion that the Catholic Church has lost sight of it's lack of attention on social justice issues. In terms of Jesus Christ, I've always had the perspective that during his life, he was considered a radical, focusing on those in need. To truly be a follower of Christ and mirror his actions, shouldn't we not emphasize the assistance needed for those suffering from the causes of poverty, war, homelessness, or lack of education? To say that abortion is the focus of being Catholic is loosing sight of the other needy concerns our religion should attend to.

Blogger "Now for...truth" continually and repeatedly tries the Party Smear Attack, attempting to tie Obama to anything and anyone.

Colin Powell recently expressed disappointment at the McCain smear robocall and mailing attacks across this country. McCain attempting to tie his colleagues in the United States Senate to "te....ists" is inadmissable and would seem to me, to be a National Security risk.

Colin Powell also said that connection between Obama and Ayers is "Very, very thin".
Both professors served on charity boards for education reform in the 1990's, along with lawyers, judges,
grad students, professors and faculty.
Ayers got into trouble when Obama was 8 years old and Obama has clearly denounced those acts as "despicable".

Whereas, McCain's VP pick has documented ties to the secessionist party (Alaska Independent Party),
for which she has given speeches this year, in 2008.
Her husband was a registered member of AIP for 7 years.

This would explain the McCain and his VP's harping on about "Country First" and voting American. As though no-one else was voting american. When you have been supporting AIP founder Vogler, a rabid, flag-burning, anti-American....your only defense is to go on the attack about it.
We get it.

The McDuo expects to get away with it. But should they?

Thank you!!!! This is precisely why I remain Catholic. Jesus promoted and modeled social justice and we are called to do the same. I am certainly anti-abortion but there is more than one way to go about it. We are also called to be pro-life from conception to a natural death. This includes everything from just wages, affordable health care and access to education. Supporting life also means not engaging in preemptive strikes and unjustifiable war. Supporting life also means that we take care of the environment and build respectful relationships with other countries. I am proud to be Catholic and proud to support Obama!!! God has gifted him with leadership qualities that we desperately need.

"We are called to act with justice, we are called to love tenderly, we are called to serve one another, to walk humbly with God."

We have been gifted with free will. With that is the responsibility to be informed and actively involved while realizing we "are" the government. No system is perfect and no one person can be expected to "fix" everything.

You grossly misrepresents a Catholic understanding of the issues. Abortion is not just any issue, it is the issue. Any time the killing of an innocent becomes an adequate solution to social problems like poverty, all other issues of life and social justice are built on a foundation of sand. Obama is not only pro-choice, but he is the MOST pro-abortion candidate to ever seek the political office of the presidency, and even supports infanticide. Legalized murder crosses a line of societal ethical standards that should never be crossed and no other economic concern comes anywhere near to the seriousness of that abuse of power. If Hitler was deemed to have good economic policies, it could no way out weigh the negative humanitarian policies he embarked.

I would also like to point out that the government handouts are far from the "social justice' that the Church teaches. First, because the government programs are lousy at solving the societal problems they seek to, as they remove love from the equation. Second, to claim that voting for the government to take someone else's money and give it to someone else is hardly a virtuous act. Willingly giving from your own pocket to a charity or tirelessly working in volunteer service to benefit the poor in need is absolutely a virtuous act. It is easy to vote to take someone else's money and put it towards a haphazard program that doesn't work, it is difficult to actually get out there and take care of people and meet their needs.

To argue that abortion is the only reason that a Catholic should not vote for obama is also incorrect. The Church believes in the principle of subsidiarity in which a larger, broader organizations support and encourage more local and intimate human relationships culminating in the human family. Obama is against most, if not all teachings of the Church on the human family and many of his policies stymie community building at the state, local, and community level. Also many in the Democratic party support a backward interpretation of freedom of religion, as the state needing to be protected from my religious practice as opposed to its true meaning which is supposed to protect me and my religious practice from intrusion by the state.

Lastly, how many dollars from our Catholic wallets in this grand effort of redistribution for government "social justice" get redistributed to major Abortion providers and planned parenthood. The answer is, a lot. We all are made guilty of the crimes against moral natural law through the collective action of our government.

Can a Catholic vote for Obama? Our Church endorses no politician or party, so of course. Can a Catholic who properly forms his conscience to the Truths of the teachings of the Church vote for Obama? The answer is undoubtably "NO". Suggestion of otherwise risks bringing scandal to the faithful.

Your column once again demonstrates no knowledge of Catholic Faith or any other. In Exodus of the Old Testament, God gave the 10 Commandents to Moses.Thou shou no kill includes our preborn and post born. Practicing Catholics who are true to the teachings cannot approve abortion at any stage. To stand by and allow a child to be born and then kill the baby in the next room because the baby was a mistake may be allowed by society under the so called women's abortion rights but it is violation of all human rights.This is exactly the same as murder, If you journalists claim you know Catholicism then you need to go repent and go back to faith formation.Someone forgot to tell you the Truth. You do not represent Catholic thought. Obama is as radical as they come. He shows little respect for life when he approved a bacy who survived an abortion to be murdered after birth. Babies are not woodchucks but the US seems to think they are. I as a practicing Catholic and others of my faith cannot consciously ever approve of an extremeist approving abortion. Thou thou not kill is God's law. You journalists need to study Catholicism before yoy try to telel us how we feel. You lie! You cannot speak for us. You show your total ignorance. Go to You Tube and watch Silent Scream- I dare you watch the abortion take place and then comment on your beliefs, Abortion is against the Hippocratic oath that all doctors take. OK so we Americans can't get doctors to kill the unborn- let's get a secretary to do it.That is our American thinking.If the person dies, who will protect the person or her remaining family? Oh- they had no rights under the upcoming laws Nancy Pelosi and friends are endorsing.

The problem with Obama is a simple one. One association does not a radical make. But in Obama's case, the list of left-wing radical mentors and associates is seemingly endless, (Davis, Ayers, Wright, Khalidi , etc., etc.) with a new revelation practically every day. With that trend, a picture begins to emerge, and that picture is that Obama is as steeped, not in just left-wing political thought, but in radical left-wing economic and race ideology, to the same extent that Pat Robertson was steeped in the ideology of the radical Religious Right. I would not have voted for Pat Robertson for dog catcher, and for similar reasons, I will not vote for Obama.

In the exchange with "Joe the plumber" Obama unintentionally revealed that he really is as radical as his early political mentors and acquaintances, Davis, Ayers, Wright, Khalidi etc., (gee, there sure seem to be a lot of them) and that he is into the failed economic policy of wealth redistribution. Now there is absolute proof. In 2001, Obama, the "community organizer" turned legislator, said in an interview:

"And I think one of the tragedies of the civil rights movement was that the civil rights movement became so court-focused, I think there was a tendency to lose track of the political and organizing activities on the ground that are able to bring about the coalitions of power through which you bring about redistributive change, and in some ways we still suffer from that,"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iivL4c_3pck

2001 Chicago Public Radio Interview.

Obama's tax and spending plans alone would be bad enough, but add Reid and Pelosi to the mix, with the three of them controlling both houses of Congress and the executive branch without any effective restraint, and you have something that should causes concern even among moderate Democrats.
See Wall Street Journal: A Liberal Supermajority:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122420205889842989.html

Indeed, some democrats are publically saying as much. See Barney Franks comments on the news, including face the nation last week, stating essentially that Democrats in Congress intend to greatly raise taxes and go on a spending spree.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1Mazjm_A5k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJGnSAlqjoU

See http://www.taxfoundation.org/blog/show/23617.html

Obama's ill-conceived programs will require him to tax, and his health care plan alone is a substantial hidden tax on all business, large an small. In reality, it does not really matter who he taxes, those taxes are going to be passed through the economy. He has to tax, because it is they only way he can pay for his massive social engineering experiments. Any first year economics student knows that taxation is a tool used to contract an economy experiencing inflation, because it reduces demand by reducing the amount of money individuals and businesses have to spend. It is contractionary, which is exactly what you do not want to do when the problem is that the economy is contracting already into recession. Like Hoover and FDR, Obama's plans will only make it worse for longer.

See e.g. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/03/opinion/main4499465.shtml
And
http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/FDR-s-Policies-Prolonged-Depression-5409.aspx


The democrats failed social engineering policies in the housing market are what brought us to ruin. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr1M1T2Y314&feature=related
Even Bill Clinton says so. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsynspIqAoE
Obama and a supermajority of Democrats simply is not the change we need, nor is it change we can afford.

Alaska Personal Board report out today finds no violation by Governor Palin.

http://www.cnn.com/video/live/live_asx.html?stream=stream3

Obama's plan for jobs on Pennsylvania, Virginia , West Virginia , Kentucky, Tennessee, and other states, and Obama's plan for dealing with the high cost of energy, including electricity generation.

An audiotape of an interview Barack Obama did in January 2008 with The San Francisco Chronicle has surfaced in the final days of the presidential campaign. On the tape Obama tells the interviewer, . " so if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can. . . It's just that it will bankrupt them because they're going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that's being emitted."

Now, why would Obama say that in San Francisco and not Pennsylvania? We have seen this before, yes? Something about guns and religion.

And why did Newsweek take their story on the Pennsylvania campaign down yesterday after this story broke?

Ummm...didn't Barry say that a women should not be punished with a baby??? Catholics will have a hard time swallowing that one!!