Posted on 12/29/2007 8:40:49 AM PST by tcg
Following our first interview with Governor Mike Huckabee there was an intimation of anti-catholicism by several pundits and commentators. We asked the Governor directly about this and about another issue of importance to our Catholic Online readers and viewers.
(Excerpt) Read more at catholic.org ...
There are a lot of ways to fight abortion — offering alternatives, educating people to what abortion really is, etc. But the MOST IMPORTANT thing one can do is to make abortion illegal — to shut down the abortion mills. Sure, there will still be some illegal abortion, but there is illegal prostitution and murder now.
Thank you very much for the personal story. That, to me, seems the best way to cope with a problem pregnancy. People should favor life and do everything reasonable to protect the lives of both mother and unborn. If, God forbid, a situation threatened the life of the triplets or mother where a choice needed to be made, I would prefer the choice be left to the parents (based on the available medical information) and not determined by law. I suspect my opinion is also the majority opinion in the US. Those who are adamantly in favor of or opposed to abortion in every circumstance are not in the mainstream of political thought, and as long as abortion foes continue to fight an all or nothing battle on abortion, they will likely be disappointed. Agree?
guitarist: “But the MOST IMPORTANT thing one can do is to make abortion illegal — to shut down the abortion mills.”
Perhaps, but that isn’t likely to happen, at least not nationally. I’ll go as far as to say it almost certainly won’t happen nationally. In my opinion, this issue needs to return to States. People, like Huckabee, who want to rewrite the US Constitution to fit their socially conservative agenda won’t succeed. They don’t have the numbers. That may not be a popular opinion, but I think it’s an accurate one.
I happen to be very socially conservative, btw, but where does individual morality and responsibility come into this? Do we conservatives actually think we can win simply by passing laws? Laws, for the most part, reflect society.
In the days before Roe v. Wade, when the size of the abortion holocaust was unthinkable, Ronald Reagan was persuaded as governor of California to sign a bill allowing abortion to protect the life or health of the mother.
He did so, I believe, because he had no idea how that would be twisted by the Culture of Death. When he saw what happened, that “health” would be twisted to mean any trivial excuse, he repented having signed the bill, and was reliably pro-life thereafter.
As others have indicated on this thread, the health clause became an excuse to kill for any and all reasons. Basically, it was interpreted as a convenience clause.
Catholic teaching says that if the life of the mother is genuinely at risk, then an abortion can be licit, not because an abortion is intended, but because it is an unfortunate side effect of saving the mother’s life.
Such instances are extremely rare. Tubal pregnancies are one case, where at least until recently it was impossible to save the baby’s life, and if nothing was done the mother would die too.
Another instance is if the mother has cancer, chemotherapy is necessary to save her life, but the side effects of it would abort the baby. There have, in fact, been several instances where mothers have voluntarily died in such circumstances in order to save the baby, but that is a voluntary decision on their part, not required by the Church’s teachings. Still, one such mother who died for her child has been named a saint. Which is to say that such a sacrifice amounts to extraordinary virtue and love, not something that can be required.
Campaign non-news hardly BREAKING.
Huckabee is not my candidate, but this has not been fair to him at all. It was posted last week that Huck spoke at Hagee’s church and Hagee has made anti-Catholic remarks. The intimation was that Huck agrees with anti-Catholicism. What a reach!! Alleging guilt by association is evil.
In addition, how true are the allegations re Hagee?
Jesus befriended a tax collector; did that make him an endorser of usury, etc.?
These kinds of smear “controversies” are for the brain-dead.
I don’t believe Catholic Online is an official Church source either, but an independent forum with its own take on the faith.
The allegations against Hagee come from Hagee’s own book, which is an ugly revisionist view of history that blames the Catholic Church and its theology for the Holocaust.
I’ve searched far and wide trying to find the full text of Huckabee’s sermon at Hagee’s church, but it’s not to be found. I would love to know if he said anything to Hagee’s flock about anti-Catholicism, since he’s so pro-Catholic and all. I would bet not, since he called the bigot Hagee “one of the great Christian leaders of our nation.”
Like Huckabee’s other sermons from his stint as a Baptist minister, this appears to be under lock and key. I wonder why? Shouldn’t we get to judge this man, who presents himself as a “Christian leader,” on his words about Christ?
As for Catholic Online, Keith Fournier is a well-known politically liberal Catholic who unfortunately grabbed the name catholic.org a long time ago. He does not speak with any authority other than his own, and I’m not a bit surprised to see that he has his lips firmly attached to Huckabee’s backside. Fournier, like Huckabee, is a liberal, pro-life populist.
I left one liberally political minefield (the Episcopal church) for another (the Catholic church). At least, in my parish, politics are kept out of the Mass and the Church bulletin. I’ve noticed that Catholic Online forum is very slow; Fournier is probably trying to build up traffic. But, it’s a shame that the unwary might go there to try to learn about doctrine and other spiritual values of the Church.
I appreciate your post. I just think any allegation against a candidate should be well-founded. I do not care for the fact that Hucklebuck is a pastor, nor do I care for him or any other candidate campaigning in a church.
Church leaders should have the integrity to stay away from political endorsements. Obviously, Hagee has a problem with integrity in that regard and, based on what you read in his book, he teaches religious bigotry.
Sounds like the kiss of death rather than an endorsement.
I am also a convert to Catholicism. I’ve been a Catholic for many years and have been a member of five parishes in as many states. I have not found the church to be liberal. Like you, I notice that politics is left out of the mass other than discussions about the right to life and general exhortations to help the poor and downtrodden, the latter not necessarily through government. I find both of these moral teachings fully in keeping with the New Testament.
Like all churches, Catholicism has its share of liberal nutjobs and no shortage of moderates who blow in the political wind, but I do believe that the church overall does a better than average job of keeping politics out of the pulpit. And no one can call the last two Popes anything other than staunch conservatives.
This man would be a disaster on the international stage. He can’t discuss policy because everytime he tries he shoots himself in the foot. He has to wrap himself in religion, it’s all he’s got.
I live in the Los Angeles Archdiocese and that should help to explain the situation here. I was basing my assessment on the publication of the local church, THE TIDINGS. I can’t read it. But, no, I don’t think the radicals run the Church.
Pope Benedict XVI is revealing himself as more lovely and courageous with every pronouncement. No problem with the Popes, thank God...:)
“I live in the Los Angeles Archdiocese...”
That does explain the situation. When you have the opportunity to travel, check out other Catholic churches. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised, especially in flyover country.
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