DeoOmnisGloria.com

Those familiar with my previous postings may see the following as an about face (let us thank God for his patience with me).

One reason why abortion and euthanasia ranks as a worse crime than capital punishment or unjust warfare is that in abortion and euthanasia human lives are stripped of their legal protection and rights. On death row and on the battlefield, the accused and the soldiers have legal rights. If these legal rights are not respected, those who violate these legal rights can be charged with crimes and brought before the courts.

With abortion, this is not the case. Not only are innocents being put to death, but these innocents have first been denied their legal protection and so those who murder them cannot be convicted by the courts. This is the essence of genocide - to deny people the right to legal protection and to execute them en masse without need for justification.

Already the death toll from abortion exceeds that of Hitler's Holocaust and Stalin's purges put together. On the day of judgment, will the SS and the KGB rise up and condemn us because they would have voted Hitler and Stalin out of power if they could? On this occasion of the slaughter of innocents, it is not Pharoah, Herod, Hitler, or Stalin ordering the deaths - it is doctors and parents.

Another non-negotiable issue which is becoming increasingly relevant: the right of parents to have final say over the education of their children. Both Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II have reaffirmed this fundamental and non-negotiable right of parents.

In Canada, two homosexual activists have taken the province of British Columbia to court on the grounds that its schools did not sufficiently promote homosexual lifestyles thus causing unconstitutional discrimination. They won their case and now these two people have been given the power to review all educational materials to ensure they contain sufficient promotion of homosexual lifestyle. Parents of course have no similar powers and can not opt out.

So what we have Supreme Pontiff of the Church, a man who has been promised infallibility by Christ on matters of faith and morals saying that when it comes to educating children, I am the one with the authority to make decisions. Meanwhile, the government which is supposedly democratic and supposedly promotes individual freedoms knows no bounds to its arrogance in extending its authority over my children.

My advice to everyone is not to peruse the voter guide "For Serious Catholics" that Jay suggests since it clearly projects a particular ideological bent...as do most (if not all) materials related to "Catholic Answers."

I suggest that since it is time to vote again, that we "not-so-serious Catholics" - like our Bishops (as Catholic Answers implies) - peruse the US Conference of Catholic Bishops website under the following tabs: "Family & Laity Issues," "Life Issues," and "Social Justice Issues."

http://www.usccb.org/index.shtml

Also, the "not-so-serious-Catholic" will want to read Joseph Cardinal Bernadin about the "seamless garment" - the consistent ethic of life. Two documents: "A Consistent Ethic of Life: An American-Catholic Dialogue," and "A Consistent Ethic of Life: Continuing the Dialogue." Both documents are available at this URL.

http://www.clevelandcatholiccharities.org/prolife/Consistent.htm

You see, the problem with this particular Blog's perspective it that it's authors and many contributors fail to realize that one cannot, should not take "Life" and split it up into disparate, self-contained topics as Jay attempts to do. This is a good way to eventually tell people how to vote, but it does nothing to instill in Catholic voters "a systemic vision of life (that) seeks to expand the moral imagination of a society" (Bernardin).

The issue of "Life" is much more nuanced than Deo Omnis wants to suggest. And our responsibility as Catholic voters demands much more work than simply saying..."this issue is non-negotiable" and then checking off candidates without thought. The USCCB does a good job of offering tools that do not cut "Life" up into black & white as does this Blog and Catholic Answers etc.

Peace.

Jack,

The only problem I have with the Voter's Guide is that it claims that capital punishment and unjust warfare are negotiable issues. The Seamless Garment approach you promote would suggest that Republicans and Democrats are BOTH unworthy of a Catholic's vote. If this is your position, I have no issue with it.

But if you suggest that a pro-choice candidate merits the vote over a pro-life candidate, I would have to ask why a "social justice" person rend the Seamless garment but a "anti-abortion" person cannot. Nevermind that contraception and abortion form the two foundational social injustices in this land...

Hey Burnt,

I'm inclined to say that neither Republicans nor Democrats are worthy of a vote - nor of course, worthy vis-a-vis a consistent ethic. But then, if a Catholic does not vote, the folks at Deo suggest that a non-vote bears the same responisbility as voting pro-choice, if a pro-choice candidate is elected. A sin of omission??

I think the consisten ethic demands reaching an understanding of all the relevant issues to come to a decision on voting, not just the "hot button" issues - you know, abortion, those gays (we love to beat up gay people, eh?), stem cells etc. etc. Focusing on only the hot buttons (or reducing a vote down to one issue) reflects a deep, cultural positioning that I am not naive enough to think that anything I can say, might change. Ultimately, single issue voting, I believe, betrays fearful and desperate attempts to hang on to a lifestyle (of conspicuous consumption and waste) that costs the rest of the world so much, and that kills so many children.

Peace

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