Posted on 08/27/2008 9:54:05 AM PDT by NYer
"It's like 'Thanks, madam speaker, you've done quite enough. Please move along,'" says one Obama adviser. "She got us stuck on three different issues that we wanted no part of. She's no master strategist, no matter what she may believe. You may see more of her, but if her mouth is open, what comes out won't be anything that our campaign wants anything to do with."
In other words, human life begins at conception.That is not a religious posture, but a scientific fact that the lowest paid laborer on the planet can assert without qualm. What we do with that understanding is another matter, but no one should pretend not to know when human life begins. On this matter at least, the church and science are in agreement.
In local DC reporting, surprise that the Church heirarchy has been so vocal:
... the bishops' emphatic response to Pelosi's statements this week shows that they are willing to speak out when the church's teachings are challenged publicly by high-profile Catholics, according to the very Rev. David M. O'Connell, president of Catholic University of America.
For conservative Catholic groups, the fact that Wuerl weighed in on the controversy was welcome news. (WaPo)
Over at American Thinker, C. Edmund Wright applauds Cardinal Egan for changing the abortion debate:
... not a single word of scripture in the statement. No threats about God's retribution. No mention of anything religious really. It was simply a man of God using reason wisely. Much like the Apostle Paul, who used logic and reason to debate the Athenians (Acts 17) about Biblical truth, Cardinal Egan was aware of his audience and his stage and he was indeed "all things to all people, so that by all means (he) might win some" (1 Corinthians 9).
If much of the evangelical pro-life movement would take His Emminence's lead, some real traction can be made on this issue.
Wright raises an interesting point that deserves comment: Cardinal Egan was not necessarily teaching Church Doctrine, rather, he was witnessing to common sense. Pelosi's comments in fact violated both.
Of course, over at the Los Angeles Times, Tim Rutten brings out the old claim that the reaction of the bishops is simply politics. In his words: "All this conservative crosier waving is about a simple set of numbers." He means registered Catholic voter statistics.
But even Rutten has to admit that Pelosi was out to lunch:
On other points, Rutten clearly hasn't gotten the memo:"Pelosi, who described herself as an "ardent practicing Catholic," gave a response that was not only incoherent but managed to get wrong virtually every fact that might have buttressed her pro-choice position."
If Pelosi had half a wit about her, she might have done what most U.S. Catholics instinctively do, which is to rely on a tradition of moral reasoning that stands athwart Chaput's novel reductionism.
Remember when I predicted that some would try to marginalize Chaput's statement as his personal opinion, and that was why it was so welcome to see so many American bishops issue statements of their own?
Here's why exactly: Rutten now has to claim that "Chaput's novel reductionism" is a fault shared by the majority of the prominent American bishops, not just one lone prelate with a political program to push.
Plus Tim Rutten is just plain wrong: all traditions of moral reasoning are not equal, and certainly the 20th century Jesuit theologian John Courtney Murray (whom Rutten cites) is not a magisterium unto himself.
Geez Tim ... way to "pull a Pelosi."
Day 4 ping!
not sure why if we can determine when life ceases (by brain wave activity) and use that to declare someone medically dead, the same standard can’t be used to say when life begins.
sounds like Egan is a common sense guy.
>>way to “pull a Pelosi.”<<
Do we have another term to rival “Borked” or Nifonged”?
May I be the first to offer a definition: “pull a Pelosi” - to do or say something that offends everybody. Likely followed by “(the person) has become nuclear”.
Huh? Either Rutten or I don't know what "reductionism" means, and my money's on Rutten! ;-)
I love it! New term for doing anything stupid. "Pulled a pelosi" LOL!
Unfortunately, like some here, they won't bother getting involved because it involves Catholics. Aside from that, the Evangelical ministers are afraid that if they make a statement people will quit tithing. That's what has happened with support for the Life Chain in our community.
I woke up in bed sweating in a dream I had that this women could be our president if food for Barrack passes thru Hillary’s hands and Biden has another aneurysm.....
Scary thoughtr......
I have a feeling that a lot of Catholic politicians are not happy with Pelosit right now, because this is going to backfire on all of them.
The Kennedy’s, Dodd, Pelosi, and many more, to include Giuliani and other Republicans. The Protestants should be leaping on this too...and calling out their brothers and sisters who are of all Christian denominations and violating Life and the Truth.
Oh, we can only hope! :)
One would think Kennedy would be especially ripe for "conversion" -- impending death is said to concentrate the mind . . .
Egan said, What the Speaker had to say about theologians and their positions regarding abortion was not only misinformed; it was also, and especially, utterly incredible in this day and age. ... Anyone who dares to defend that they may be legitimately killed because another human being chooses to do so or for any other equally ridiculous reason should not be providing leadership in a civilized democracy worthy of the name.
Archbishop Wuerl? When did he have an epiphany?
Let's face it: talk is cheap. The apostates will continue in their apostasy as long as there are no penalties, and as long as they receive the "Jesus pill" no matter what they believe and profess in public, they will consider their soul saved. How Protestant have the Catholics become!
When excommunications begin, that's when they will begin to take a hard long look at their conscience. Then they will know this is serious. But, not to worry, guys, by all accounts this won't happen; the bishops will contue their "dialogue" with the lost sheep. That way the bishops can say "we did our part," and the apostates will happily create their own personal Catholic faith. Why not just join the Anglican Club?
Kosta, a lot of us are wondering the same thing. I hear some Catholics say “she excommunicated herself.”
Not good enough. She is causing terrible terrible scandal, and the Church is implicated in her scandal if it does nothing. She needs to be sat in front of her bishop, she needs to repent in sackcloth and ashes, and if she still spits in the face of Mother Church, then it’s time for:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y75OwTuQpqI
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