Campaign Soul Searching

Church, fraternity, religion have the audacity to use our GRAND ARCHITECT OF THE UNIVERSE to impose their feelings and opinions upon us people to vote according their religion. We as americans are living in a fast pace of life where we don't take time to think. The devil has infiltrated so deeply in the american society, we forget to realise it's because of capitalism where greed is at it's best. religions and politics are very different and should not be use for interest.

I have one simple question for the Bishops. Why is abortion the sole criteria for determining who can receive communion? What about stances on poverty, war, marriage part of this critereia? The Bishops say they are against abortion but when you say ou can eliminate 99% of all abortions by teaching people proper birth control methods they say that it prmotes promisuclity. So they really aren't looking for a viable solution to eliminate abortions except to pass a law saying you can't have one.

The fact is they are really against premarital sex but would prerfer to use abortion as a selling point.

As a Roman Catholic my question to the Bishops is simple. Why is abortion the sole criteria to determine who receives holy communion? Also are the Bishops against premarital sex or abortion? If they are aginst abortion then we can eliminate 99% of all abortions by teaching people proper birth control methods. But then they say that promotes promiscuity. The fact is they are really against premarital sex but use abortion as the selling point...

Didn't I hear someone mentioning that one cannot mix religion with politics?

Calling Rudy a Catholic is like calling Pat Robertson a Christian.

While the Bishops are at it, they can take a good look at Cris Dodd... He divorced his first wife, married a Mormon for his second, and is bringing the kids up saying that they can make up their own minds as to what they want to be, when they are old enough. This doesn't say much for Georgetown University , once run by the prestigious Jesuit Order..... I just wish Giuliani, and Dodd would quit telling everyone they are Catholic. I don't care what they do with their lives, but don't give people the impression that the Catholic Church allows these flagrant violations of the Faith. You cannot favor Abortion and not be ex-communicated. You have to make your Easter Duty , or be excommunicated. Confession and Communion at least, once a year, Rudi, and Cris ! Impossible for both of you under the circumstances, and you know it.... You cannot make a good confession , leave the confessional , and go home to an adulterous life....... Do what you both want, but please , set the record straight... YOU ARE NOT CATHOLIC.

Its not so much that a church has an opinion on public issues -- its that a foreign government, one that officially condemns freedom of speech, religion and conscience, along with the consent of the governed giving a state legitamacy; not to mention the one that invented waterboarding, the thrid degree,the ghetto and the yellow star, and is the only nation on earth where you are too old to vote but not to boink little boys, dares to interfere in our political affairs

Many political beliefs and religious beliefs coincide. It's unrealistic to say that religious beliefs don't affect the way people vote. Abortion is grounds for ex-communication from the catholic church, so I don't see why these rules should be any different for the politicians who uphold these despicable laws, which do contradict the teachings of the Catholic church. This issue has little to do with the seperation of church and state and everything to do with a church standing by it's beliefs.

Besides being hypocritic (after all the church opposes the War in Iraq) last I check there is no religious test for president. Did we all forget the Constitution?
History is consistent on this point, the involvement of religion (be it Islam or Christianity) in politics erodes the liberties of both.

to each his own. politicians should NEVER use religion as a base for any decisions, that is a violation of church and state, and a big one.

Ok this is rediculous, the church should NOT have ANY involvement in politcal affairs. Now the Bishops do have a right to their opinions as any other, but so what if Rudy doesnt go to church, blah blah blah. I dont support republicans, but if Rudy decides that he supports pro-choice, then thats his choice, and people should not select a candidate because they are a church goer. I mean we have Bush now, and he's commiting more evil than anyone, and he does everything in the name of religion. Political figures should never use a religious base for governing, it's a violation of separation of church and state.

Since when do we tax opinions of moral issues (abortion) as the good bishops are doing. It is their duty to opine of this repugate issue.

The word catholic means one. All are one transending thru human suffering to God. The all one catholic is in the end the Catholic.

If they're going to take a strong stance against abortion, they should also take a strong stance against wars of aggression and the death penalty. However, if they were to do that, most of the chicken-hawks running for president (including a draft-dodger like Giuliani) would suddenly find themselves on the wrong side of the Catholic Church. I think it's about time that happened, because if nothing else it would put an end to the frightening and nonsensical alliance between "social conservatives" and warmongers that we see today.

if the bishops urge parishioners to vote or not vote for someone and if they do it as representatives of the Roman Catholic Church, the church's tax exempt status should be suspended and the billions they own in real estate taxed at the appropriate level.