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OPINION: Doug Kmiec’s ‘Can a Catholic Support Him?’ Asks the Wrong Question
Catholic Online ^
| 9/20/08
| Deacon Keith Fournier
Posted on 09/19/2008 3:46:33 PM PDT by tcg
On Wednesday I received a personal copy of my friend Doug Kmiecs latest book entitled Can a Catholic Support Him? The book is subtitled Asking the Big Question about Barrack Obama. I appreciate being mentioned in his Acknowledgement of the book with these words Deacon Keith Fourniers writing and editing of Catholic Online is courageous and wise. So, I write this review to be faithful, to a friendship I value, to the claim in the acknowledgment of this book and to the truth. Doug asks the wrong question. The proper question is not can but should. The word can addresses the issue of capacity and ability. Any Catholic can exercise their right to vote in any manner in which they choose. The Church to which Doug and I both belong does not tell people how to vote, in the sense of which candidate to choose. Should on the other hand examines the morality of that choice given our obligation to exercise our freedom with reference to the truth. Sadly, in his argumentation in this book, Doug confuses or conflates the two. It is on this that I completely disagree with Doug Kmiec and am compelled to make that disagreement widely known.
Our Catholic faith proclaims the existence of a profound body of Moral teaching, a subset of which is called Catholic Social Teaching. At its foundation is the insistence that every human life has an inviolable dignity and must be protected against unjust aggression from conception, through every age and stage of life, up to and including natural death. This is not a single issue but a framework through which all moral considerations and the positive law itself must be viewed.
(Excerpt) Read more at catholic.org ...
TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Philosophy; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: abortion; bookreview; catholic; catholicvote; dougkmiec; fournier; kmiec; obama; prolife; religiousleft
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Doug Kmiec asks the wrong question. The proper question is not can but should. The word can addresses the issue of capacity and ability. Should examines the morality of that choice.
1
posted on
09/19/2008 3:46:33 PM PDT
by
tcg
To: tcg
Kmiec drank the kool-aid, or I should say the COOL-aid. He abandoned all his principles because he finds Obama so cool.
So you have Kmiec, a conservative, supporting a 100% ADA voter, who has spent his short legislative career running as far as possible from the center, but Kmiec feels Obama can bring us together, and get us to “Stand As One” through use of the Teleprompter. Lord give me grace.
Why is “Standing As One” a good thing? Hitler, Stalin and Mao loved the concept, that’s for sure. I’d prefer a little messy snarkiness to “Standing As One.”
2
posted on
09/19/2008 3:54:26 PM PDT
by
cookcounty
("A ship in harbor is safe, but that's not why the ship is built." ---Governor Sarah Palin)
To: tcg
No. Next “hard” question? The concept that a Catholic could even consider voting for Senator Infanticide is ... inconceivable. Anyone who does must be considered either ignorant (which doesn’t apply to Mr. Kmiec), deranged, or evil.
3
posted on
09/19/2008 3:55:27 PM PDT
by
Tax-chick
("Even for a thin-skinned solipsistic narcissist, Obama seems a frightful po-faced pill." ~Mark Steyn)
To: tcg
A *real* Catholic would never...in a million years...think of voting for Osama.That doesn't mean that many individuals who *call* themselves Catholics won't vote for him.
To: tcg
At its foundation is the insistence that every human life has an inviolable dignity and must be protected against unjust aggression from conception, through every age and stage of life, up to and including natural death.Catholics have been voting for abortionists for years. Why would they quit now? How did they justify to themselves that abortion can be overlooked because they want to have a Democrat in office? They are being told that abortion is not a big issue; it is more important to vote for Obama because he will bring to them more bennies.
Frankly I do not know how Catholic Democrats justify in their brains that murder of infants is okay, as long as their District gets its pork as they do in southwestern Pennsylvania. Like Biden and Pelosi they have disordered minds. Pray for them.
5
posted on
09/19/2008 4:05:51 PM PDT
by
olezip
To: tcg
"And we charge you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother walking disorderly, and not according to the tradition which they have received of us." 2 Thessalonians 3:6
To: olezip
Catholics have been voting for abortionists for years. Correction: Some "Catholics" have been voting for abortionists for years.
To: tcg
Actually there is no question and what’s more Douglas Kmiec knows it. Catholic doctrine does not allow voting for a political candidate who opposes mandating care to babies who survive abortion attempts. He’s treading very close and perhaps over the line marked apostate.
8
posted on
09/19/2008 4:30:42 PM PDT
by
jwalsh07
(MSM Lied, Journalism Died. RIP 2008)
To: tcg
One other thing, as Catholics we are called to Defend Life, not to Defend Marxist Nuts who see abortion as a sacrament.
9
posted on
09/19/2008 4:32:01 PM PDT
by
jwalsh07
(MSM Lied, Journalism Died. RIP 2008)
To: A.A. Cunningham
Just the title is so weird. Who loves a political party? I don’t love the Republican Party - I vote Republican (except for an occasional Democrat for Sheriff or Libertarian for Assessor of Weights and Measures) because they’re the closest thing we’ve got to what I believe. Sometimes I even agree with a Republican candidate on most major points, like my state representative and state senator.
But loving a party? That’s verging on idolatry.
10
posted on
09/19/2008 4:32:05 PM PDT
by
Tax-chick
("Even for a thin-skinned solipsistic narcissist, Obama seems a frightful po-faced pill." ~Mark Steyn)
To: tcg
The vile filth Kmiec is Snob-ama’s good servant, but Satan’s servant first.
11
posted on
09/19/2008 4:34:00 PM PDT
by
sitetest
(If Roe is not overturned, no unborn child will ever be protected in law.)
To: A.A. Cunningham
Catholics have been voting for abortionists for years.
Correction: Some “Catholics” have been voting for abortionists for years.
Correct Just the majority of registered Catholics will vote for Biden and Obama.
12
posted on
09/19/2008 4:50:08 PM PDT
by
NoLibZone
(Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac - are not facing any kind of financial crisis,'' Barney Frank 9-10-03)
To: NoLibZone
Dear NoLibZone,
“Correct Just the majority of registered Catholics will vote for Biden and Obama.”
Mr. Bush took a modest majority of all Catholics in 2004, and the last poll that I saw that addressed the question had Sen. McCain leading Snob-ama by double digits among all Catholic voters.
There is hope.
sitetest
13
posted on
09/19/2008 4:57:32 PM PDT
by
sitetest
(If Roe is not overturned, no unborn child will ever be protected in law.)
To: NoLibZone
the majority of registered Catholics will vote for Biden and Obama.That's quite the assumption you're making.
To: A.A. Cunningham
Correction: Some "Catholics" have been voting for abortionists for years. Yes. Hopefully that "some" will get smaller and smaller in size until it is zero. But do not hold your breath.
15
posted on
09/19/2008 5:31:47 PM PDT
by
olezip
To: tcg
As a Catholic, all I can say is this. Doug, what the hell are you thinking? What did they promise you, since it's not worth it.
You can stand with the guy who voted for infantcide, Doug. I'll stand with Gianna Jensen.
To: tcg; redgirlinabluestate
Kmiec has no teaching authority within the Catholic Church and is not in any position to advise Catholics how to vote. He is way out of line. That authority belongs to bishops and priests. If he was not in Mahony’s diocese maybe something could be done.
17
posted on
09/19/2008 5:54:11 PM PDT
by
Canticle_of_Deborah
(Repentance is a contract with God for a second life - St. John Climacus)
To: A.A. Cunningham
That’s quite the assumption you’re making.
I know.
Am I wrong in saying that Obama and Biden will carry the Catholic vote?
18
posted on
09/19/2008 6:43:55 PM PDT
by
NoLibZone
(Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac - are not facing any kind of financial crisis,'' Barney Frank 9-10-03)
To: tcg
Kmiec has excommunicated himself from the Catholic Church by supporting the dimocrat platform and its increased abortion plank.
19
posted on
09/19/2008 8:53:07 PM PDT
by
Salvation
( †With God all things are possible.†)
To: Gay State Conservative
If their bishop has spoken out on the subject they would be wise not to vote Democrat. They would be excommunicating themselves.
Updated: American Bishops who have spoken against Pelosi
Here is the complete list of American bishops who have responded to Nancy Pelosi's comments so far:
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... Bishop James Conley, his auxiliary, joined him
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... Bishop William Lori of Bridgeport, chairman of the Committee on Doctrine, joined him
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Bishop David Zubik of Pittsburgh and...
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... Bishop Oscar Cantu, his auxiliary bishop, has joined him
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Cardinal
Francis George of Chicago, President of the US Bishops,
has weighed-in
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{Last updated on September 10th.}
Notes:
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Previous #23 has been removed. Bishop Joseph Gossman of Raleigh, NC is actually the bishop emeritus, and the new bishop, Michael Burbidge has not, to my knowledge, made a personal statement.
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Previous #16 has also been removed, it was an erroneous duplication of current #13.
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#26 was added September 10th, although he published his column September 6th
20
posted on
09/19/2008 8:54:39 PM PDT
by
Salvation
( †With God all things are possible.†)
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