In the Spirit: Can a Catholic also be a liberal?

Wisconsin State Journal ^ | November 27, 2011 | DOUG ERICKSON

[Biggirl]

I see the Vatican doing a LOT of reining-in of a number of Catholics who claim to be Catholic and liberal as well.

[Biggirl]

“Well, I can’t speak for everyone who attends the TLM I attend, but of those I know personally (at least 100), NOT ONE is a liberal in any way. I wish I could say the same for all the N.O. Catholics I know. Still...even most N.O. Catholics of my acquaintance are quite conservative. Birds of a feather, I guess; I associate with those who think as I do.”

I sense also as well those who attend the NO mass, most I know, are center-right. The ones who are CINOS, are more often than not, those “C and E” Catholics.

[jacknhoo]

"... and the Pope's support of their doing so,.."

How do you read the Pope's support for the USCCB's Marxist acts into that linked article?

[jacknhoo]

"... and the Pope's support of their doing so,.."

How do you read the Pope's support for the USCCB's Marxist acts into that article?

[jtal]

That said, in November of 2008, my priest had this to say about Obama’s election: “Our country has suffered a catastrophe this week,” and then went on to give a homily that was truly astonishing in its intensity. I am only sorry I don’t have it on tape. It was both frightening and awe-inspiring.

Oh to have heard a sermon like that at my NO parish. My pastor made his feelings known about 0, but in a much more milquetoast, indirect, and subdued way. And this was at one of the more conservative parishes in the diocese.

By contrast, the weekend of September 11, my NO pastor gave a sermon on forgiving our enemies. Meanwhile, at the TLM I attendted that week, the priest gave a detailed history of the Battle of Vienna in 1683 and how Western Europe was saved from being overrun by Mohammedans by the saintly heroics of Jan III Sobieski.

[jacknhoo]

"Yet, in the US, there is freedom of religion."


Really?! Could have fooled me...I thought it was freedom from religion. /s

"Note, worship of God is a greater commandment than “thou shalt not kill”. Yet, in the US, there is freedom of religion. You can be one of those pagan wiccan types if you like here. Do you expect your Catholic political leaders to change the constitution to enforce worship of God? " I expect Catholic politicians to be Catholic...they should love God first. Does loving God first mean they should force others to love God first? No. But it in no way gives them authority to force Americans to participate in Satanic rituals of sacrificing innocent defenseless pre-born and just born little boys and girls. Nor does it give them authority to steal from all Americans who work. Nor does it give them authority to kill the elderly or the disabled or the too costly. Nor does it give them the authority to eliminate God from the public square. Your comment stinks of the illogical atheistic secularist humanist Paulbot mentality.

[jtal]

Given the USCCB's support of illegal immigration, universal healthcare, and union organizing, and the Pope's support of their doing so, I think the better question to ask is "Can a Catholic also be a conservative?"

Where in this article does the Pope explicitly endorse the positions you outline above? The point he was making was that bishops should not fear to use their voice in the public sphere. Whether they do that wisely is up to the bishops.

You are implying something that the Pope in fact did not say. This is at best a distortion.

[fatboy]

Donnafrflorida said: As a Catholic, I am firmly in the camp of NO ABORTIONS EVER. How can any Christian say that Jesus would support this mortal sin. He turned over tables at the temple. What would he have done or said at an abortion mill?

I bet you would be surprised to learn that in 1st century Israel there was child sacrifice, religious sexual immorality and other heathen worship committed by some, in fact in Caesarea Philippi was famous for worship of Pan. Jesus certainly visited this area, no record of his turning over tables there so it is hard to say what he would do at an abortion mill. My guess is that he would invite the owner of the mill to dinner and present the gospel to him same as he did with Zaccheus.

I certainly agree that abortion is a sin, a sin just like all the others and it is a scourge on the land. Like you I cannot understand anyone calling themselves a Christian and allowing this to continue. But keep in mind it is was practiced in Jesus day.

My point? Jesus took the sinner from at the point that he was when he encountered him and transformed the individual into a new creation. The old creation has no problem with abortion, the change has to be from within. The new creation in Christ, well, that is a different story.

[cloudmountain]

I remember ZELL MILLER'S introduction speech at the Republican National Convention. He said that he was going to vote for George Bush because of Bush's attitude about protecting American families.

Later someone asked Miller why he didn't change parties. He said that being a Democrat was like being in one's family house. The house may be old, run down and in need of repair. One tried to fix that old house but one just didn't move...it was home.

Perhaps one can be a Democrat like that, with the soul of a Republican. Perhaps.

My husband gave me a recording of that speech; I wonder if I still have it. It was ONE HECK OF A SPEECH. Miller would have been an OUTSTANDING preacher.

[choirboy]

Here’s Kreeft’s website: http://peterkreeft.com/audio.htm

That link take you to his audios. A treasure trove of sanity.

[jacknhoo]

That is a truly insightful comment - thanks!

[VermiciousKnid]

Ah! You got a sermon on Jan Sobieski and the Battle of Vienna, and we got one on the Battle of Lepanto! My (TLM) priest doesn’t mince words, and I suspect yours doesn’t, either.

Regards,

[Alex Murphy]

A church that endorses policies that will destroy my nation is not worthy of my devotion.

Amen! I don't think that can be said loudly enough!

A church that endorses policies that will destroy my nation is not worthy of my devotion.

[Salvation]

Dimocrats have as a plank of their platform the total support of abortion.

Thus, no dimocrat can be a Catholic.

They are CINOs.

[WPaCon]

Yes.

If you’re liberal because you are stupid, ignorant, or misinformed, I don’t see why you still can’t be considered Catholic.

[Grunthor]

“In the Spirit: Can a Catholic also be a liberal?”

I was under the impression that most are.

[windsorknot]

Liberalism is the first religion of cafeteria catholics.

[campaignPete R-CT]

anyone who never does anything for anybody and refuses to participate in civic matters could be guilty of sins of omission. Anyone who engages in foolish political activity on behalf of the prolife cause and fails to use sound judgment is guilty of inprudence. And Prudence is not one of the optional virtues.

[campaignPete R-CT]

To vote for anyone who is pro abortion (this includes pro-choice...no splitting hairs) is a mortal sin, an excommunicatable offense

This is often not true. Many "pro-choice" office holders are allies of the pro-family movement and have a pro-life voting record and support traditional marriage. To remove them from office so the radical left can replace them with "progressives" would be the height of folly.

Nobody is authorized to turn over more of the government to the left because they deem our allies in state legislatures to be in mortal sin. Any political movement that purges allies because they are not true believers can never succeed.

In fact, Catholics who participate in such folly are complicit in the crimes of our adversaries.

[campaignPete R-CT]

the 40% includes mostly minorities and urban whites.
White Catholics in the suburbs who are in church on Sunday morning are overwhelming Republican voters, despite whatever their registration may say.

They are not particularly active in politics, however.