Rabbi Lapin on why religious Americans must vote!!

Toward Tradition ^ | Oct. 2004 | Rabbi Daniel Lapin

[Babwa]

At least five million fervent Jews and Christians, most of whom are conservative politically, sat out the election of 2000. There are very disturbing indications that these same citizens of faith have no plans to vote this coming November.

Politics is nothing more than the practical application of our most deeply held religious convictions. Any passionately held belief must surely translate into some specifi c practical policy that would further that belief.

Why would so many otherwise patriotic and law-abiding citizens avoid the ballot box? It turns out that large numbers of fervent Christian and traditional Jewish conservatives plan not to vote because they can’t bring themselves to vote for an imperfect candidate.

It seems that these Americans, who take their commitment to Jewish and Christian values seriously, are forgetting one vitally important Biblical value: only God is perfect. One of the great gifts of faith is the ability to live an imperfect life in an imperfect world. When facing a choice between two candidates, religious Americans put themselves into an impossible predicament by seeking perfection. Perfection simply doesn’t exist among mere mortals so the perfection-seeking voter has little choice but to vote for nobody.

There is a far better way for the voter who takes Biblical values seriously to cast his vote. Perfection may not exist among men, but evil certainly does. Simply identify the candidate whose policies and affi liations are worse and then vote for his opponent.

[Babwa]

Rabbi Lapin makes a great argument for religious citizens, Jews and Chrisitans, to vote. I understand this brochure can be printed for your own use or ordered from Toward Tradition.

[beaversmom]

More ammo for voting ping

[aimhigh]

Americans, who take their commitment to Jewish and Christian values seriously

Perhaps Bush should have considered this before endorsing civil unions yesterday.

[NYer]

Simply identify the candidate whose policies and affi liations are worse and then vote for his opponent

Here is a simple, straightforward, scripturally-based guide that even the Rabbi would approve.

A CATHOLIC VOTER’S GUIDE -
THE FIVE NON-NEGOTIABLE ISSUES
These five current issues concern actions that are intrinsically evil and must never be promoted by the law. Intrinsically evil actions are those which fundamentally conflict with the moral law and can never be deliberately performed under any circumstances. It is a serious sin to deliberately endorse or promote any of these actions, and no candidate who really wants to advance the common good will support any action contrary to the non-negotiable principles involved in these issues.

1. Abortion

The Church teaches that, regarding a law permitting abortions, it is "never licit to obey it, or to take part in a propaganda campaign in favor of such a law, or to vote for it" (EV 73). Abortion is the intentional and direct killing of an innocent human being, and therefore it is a form of homicide.

The unborn child is always an innocent party, and no law may permit the taking of his life. Even when a child is conceived through rape or incest, the fault is not the child's, who should not suffer death for others' sins.

2. Euthanasia

Often disguised by the name "mercy killing," euthanasia also is a form of homicide. No person has a right to take his own life, and no one has the right to take the life of any innocent person.

In euthanasia, the ill or elderly are killed, by action or omission, out of a misplaced sense of compassion, but true compassion cannot include intentionally doing something intrinsically evil to another person (cf. EV 73).

3. Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Human embryos are human beings. "Respect for the dignity of the human being excludes all experimental manipulation or exploitation of the human embryo" (CRF 4b).

Recent scientific advances show that often medical treatments that researchers hope to develop from experimentation on embryonic stem cells can be developed by using adult stem cells instead. Adult stem cells can be obtained without doing harm to the adults from whom they come. Thus there is no valid medical argument in favor of using embryonic stem cells. And even if there were benefits to be had from such experiments, they would not justify destroying innocent embryonic humans.

4. Human Cloning

"Attempts . . . for obtaining a human being without any connection with sexuality through 'twin fission,' cloning, or parthenogenesis are to be considered contrary to the moral law, since they are in opposition to the dignity both of human procreation and of the conjugal union" (RHL I:6).

Human cloning also involves abortion because the "rejected" or "unsuccessful" embryonic clones are destroyed, yet each clone is a human being.

5. Homosexual "Marriage"

True marriage is the union of one man and one woman. Legal recognition of any other union as "marriage" undermines true marriage, and legal recognition of homosexual unions actually does homosexual persons a disfavor by encouraging them to persist in what is an objectively immoral arrangement.

"When legislation in favor of the recognition of homosexual unions is proposed for the first time in a legislative assembly, the Catholic lawmaker has a moral duty to express his opposition clearly and publicly and to vote against it. To vote in favor of a law so harmful to the common good is gravely immoral" (UHP 10).

ABBREVIATIONS

CCC Catechism of the Catholic Church

CPL Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, Doctrinal Notes on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life

CRF Pontifical Council for the Family, Charter of the Rights of the Family

EV John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life)

RHL Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction on Respect for Human Life in Its Origin and on the Dignity of Procreation

UHP Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Considerations regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recognition to Unions between Homosexual Persons

---

Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics

BUSH FOR CATHOLICS

Catholic Ping - let me know if you want on/off this list

[pie_eater]

I asked a non-orthodox Jewish customer of mine about this today. He has voted Democrat his entire life. He said, "first of all, we look at the orthodox Jews the same way everyone else does - we think they're weirdos. But that being said, there's only one friend of Israel in this election, and it's not Kerry. Kerry is all about coalitions and getting along with everyone, and everyone else hates Israel. How long would it take for Kerry to cave and pull support of Israel? As much as I can't believe I'm saying this, I'm voting for Bush."

If he's voting for Bush, that means a whole lot more typically Democrat Jews will be too. Look for this election to contain a lot of surprises in the pro-Bush direction.

[Bombardier]

"...first of all, we look at the orthodox Jews the same way everyone else does - we think they're weirdos."

I don't think they're weirdos.

[Slings and Arrows]

I asked a non-orthodox Jewish customer of mine ...[.]He said, "first of all, we look at the orthodox Jews the same way everyone else does - we think they're weirdos...

With Jews like this, who needs anti-Semites?

pie_eater, I'm glad your customer is voting for President Bush. Please don't take his comment, though, as being true for anyone except jerks and JINOs.

[Alouette]

we look at the orthodox Jews the same way everyone else does - we think they're weirdos...

Call me a weirdo to my face, and I'll shove it ** **** ****.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

"When facing a choice between two candidates, religious Americans put themselves into an impossible predicament by seeking perfection."

...and then sit around on their hands watching the more imperfect candidate take power and drive the country further from Biblical ideals.

If you haven't read "America's Real War" by Lapin, I highly recommend it.

[Slings and Arrows]

Call me a weirdo to my face, and I'll shove it ** **** ****.

Call an exorcist - she's channeling Ter-RAY-za!

[OPS4]

Niether do I. I think that Orhtodox Jewish values are much more pallatable than the rabid left.
Ops4 God Bless America!

[Alouette]

she's channeling Ter-RAY-za!

That reminds me--somebody go and soak the 72 white raisinsin a bottle of gin for the celebration!

Satan (greeting Arafat): Welcome to Gehinnom, Monsieur Arafat. I know that you are awaiting your 72 virgins. I regret to tell you that we are all out of the Helen Thomas model, but you may have your choice of Shulamit Aloni, Lynne Stewart or Michael Jackson.

[pie_eater]

Hey, I'm not saying that I agree with the guy about his opinion of the orthodox (with whom I have a whole lot more in common than I do with him), I'm just reporting what the guy said. I repeated the comment to (a) show how there is a great divide between the orthodox, who tend to vote Republican, and the reformed, who tend to vote Democrat and (b) show that, despite their differences, he's agreeing with them in this election.

[Slings and Arrows]

I wasn't suggesting that you agreed with him - just wanted to clear up any confusion.

[ladylib]

I don't know what he's thinking. If he's trying to look dumber than Teresa, he's doing a good job of it.

When I heard that statement from him, I wondered if he really wants to be the next President.

[Alouette]

I don't really care if he thinks Orthodox are "weirdos." What really matters is that we "weirdos" are being fruitful and multiplying while the "non-weirdos" are aborting, contracepting, and queering themselves into extinction.

[Salem]

'Ping!'





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[Salem]

LOL!!  

An excellent use of an excellent S&A graphic!

[SJackson]

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