Al Qaeda's favored presidential candidate speaks up against the little guys:
I know there are some Bishops who have suggested that as a public official I must cast votes or take public positions - on issues like a woman's right to choose and stem cell research - that carry out the tenets of the Catholic Church. I love my Church; I respect the Bishops; but I respectfully disagree.That's straw-man argument: the Church does not, has not, and will never teach that secular legislators are supposed to "write every doctrine into law." Either he's 1) misinformed; 2) stupid; or 3) setting up this straw man to mislead Catholics into voting for him.My task, as I see it, is not to write every doctrine into law. That is not possible or right in a pluralistic society. But my faith does give me values to live by and apply to the decisions I make.
Senator Kerry can't possibly be misinformed — he keeps telling us he was an altar boy, which means he knows every jot and tittle of Catholic doctrine, and has never forgotten any of it. We know he isn't stupid, because he's managed to become a senator and marry not one, but two mega-rich heiresses.
That leaves misleading. I have little doubt that Kerry knows what the Church teaches; I am less certain that he knows why she teaches it. His forays into Biblical exegesis, Catholic catechetics, and recent Church history (remember "Pope Pius XXIII in the Vatican II"?) leave one with the impression that he sees the doctrines of Holy Mother Church as obstacles to be avoided.
Kerry's public words and deeds indicate that his morality is guided by his own personal political advancement. In contrast to President Bush, who has shown that he can apply extra-political reasoning to moral issues (read his August 2001 stem cell speech), I defy anyone to show an example where he took a potentially unpopular view and stuck with it for any length of time.
Defending the unborn against direct assaults on their lives, is not (for the millionth time) a "Catholic" issue. It has nothing to do with the faith revealed by Jesus Christ and passed down through the apostles and their successors. Neither is embryonic stem cell research. Both involve the willful eradication of innocent human beings, and these truths are fully knowable to anyone with an adult. No divine revelation required.
When the Catholics of Massachusetts were busy betraying their faith by voting out pro-life Democrats in favor of pro-abortion Democrats, if John Kerry had stood up for the unborn, I'd respect the heck out of him. Instead, today not only will he ignore the Church and natural law, he promises to nominate only judges who are committed to allowing abortion under every circumstance. The hollow man lurches on, seemingly untroubled in his imitation of Judas (using Christ when it's convenient, then selling him out when it looks like fidelity might endanger your own fortune.)
Maybe someday in my lifetime, one of the major parties will nominate a good Catholic presidential candidate. Until then, I'm sticking with the good Protestant over the bad Catholic.
Come one, Eric, it's not a strawman argument, it's a strawPERSON argument. Get with the times!
You see though, if it was a strawbeing argument then we'd be getting some place, because we all know that the proper object of the intellect is being, or rather, ultimate being, God Himself. If they accepted God as He has revealed Himself then they wouldn't put forth this strawperson argument. Our laws regarding the protection of life at all stages would then follow natural law. Yeah. That would be great. And Rosie O'Donnell would be out of a job. Michael Moore, too, faithful Catholic that he is.
George W. Bush is the most catholic president this country has ever had.
seen in Walmart today
on the book rack
michael moore and ann coulter facing each other off!
I am bone sick of the hypocrisy of Senator Kerry.
I'd respect him more if he'd admit that he is a protestant - I always thought that to protest a doctrine and to dissent from a doctrine are essentially synonymous.
alicia,
Well, the word Protestant didn't come from protesting doctrines of the Catholic Church (though they did do that). It came from their protesting a ruling by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V; I believe it was his decision that each German state would retain its current religious affiliation (Catholic or Lutheran) until an ecumenical council could be called to hash everything out.
Here we are as catholics supporting an evangelical christian! We've come along way, baby!