Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

What kind of Catholic is Newt Gingrich?
Washington Post ^ | 12/14/2011 | Mathew N. Schmalz

Posted on 12/14/2011 10:41:59 AM PST by Alex Murphy

Amid the hubbub surrounding the Gingrich surge, this is one question that has perplexed commentators of all religious and political persuasions. There’s no consensus about where to find the Catholic in Newt.

At this point, the question is not where it is exactly, but where to begin looking.

So, let’s review speculation about the Catholicity of Newt Gingrich. I’ll also advance my own hypothesis and give it a professorial flourish by using a suitably big word.

Hypothesis number one: The new Catholic Newt is simply being American.

Playfully characterizing Gingrich as a “religious flip-flopper” draws attention to how Gingrich, like many other Americans, has seemingly changed his religion to suit prevailing fashion. Perhaps there’s also an ironic part to this interpretation in that Gingrich has supposedly made use of the religious market place to embrace a religion that would take umbrage if treated as a “commodity.”

It might be reasonable enough to see Gingrich’s Catholicity as a kind of epiphenomenon reflecting American cultural propensities--after all, Newt is indeed American. But conversion as “flip-flop” seems to preclude understanding conversion as a turn toward something; it’s not just a lurching back and forth from one view to another. It also makes the Catholic in Newt hard to locate.

Hypothesis number two: Professor Newton Leroy Gingrich has recognized Catholicism’s intellectual appeal.

Reading oneself into Catholicism has a long and venerable history. For some generations, it was Karl Adam’s The Spirit of Catholicism or Ronald Knox’s The Belief of Catholics that opened up a new intellectual vista. For later generations, it was Thomas Merton’s The Seven Storey Mountain or Malcolm Muggeridge’s Something Beautiful for God that made Catholic spirituality accessible and real.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Catholic; Moral Issues; Religion & Politics
KEYWORDS: catholic
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 81-100101-120121-140 ... 181-184 next last
To: Responsibility2nd; SoothingDave
Addendum -- your initial post called us bigots because you ascribed a certain belief to us which SoothingDave pointed out was incorrect

Then, your last post says "So Catholics have decided we’re NOT going to hell; ...You Catholics are religous bigots." -- huh?

a bigot is someone who wrongly says "you believe this" and even when shown that is wrong they still persist. Why do this, R2?

101 posted on 12/15/2011 2:59:02 AM PST by Cronos (Nuke Mecca and Medina now..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: Responsibility2nd; SoothingDave
if you want to read a bigotted statement, R2nd, read post 33 So what kind of a catholic is newt ?An unsaved one like most of the others going to church with him . -- isn't that bigotted?
102 posted on 12/15/2011 3:14:34 AM PST by Cronos (Nuke Mecca and Medina now..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: FryingPan101
well, technically according to the Church Newts previous marriages were not Sacraments (i.e. he was not sacramentally married in a Catholic/Orthodox sacrament of marriage -- I'm not sure about Lutherans etc)

As per orthodoxy, there are two kinds of marriage: natural marriage and sacramental marriage. Sacramental marriages exist only between baptized people, so marriages between two non-Catholics/Orthodox is not a sacramental marriage (I'm not sure if you believe in Sacraments or not, but to us a marriage is a sacrament, a divine union between GOD, woman and man -- God is in this, hence we do not believe in divorce.

now, if two non-Catholics get married as per their own or the country's laws, they are natural marriages

Now in the case of Newt's earlier marriages I understand that these were annulled after he petitioned that the prior marriages were not sacraments in the couple's eyes. Without this, he would be considered divorced and hence ineligible for a Church wedding (he could have gotten a civil marriage) -- as I understand the annulment was based on the fact that Marianne was reportedly previously married.

To sum up -- since they were judged annulled, the prior marriages do not count, but the children still "do" in the eyes of the Church.

If a Catholic gets a divorce but no annulment it is a civil ceremony (divorce is civl, annulment is religious), they cannot get married in Church -- can they receive communion? If they have not remarried of course they can receive communion as they would not be in a state of mortal sin (note that all are ABLE to receive communion -- but we believe that if one receives communion when in a state of mortal sin, it is a grave sin against God.) -- the "divorce" does not put one into mortal sin per se. Remarriage after divorce does.

so, if divorced and living celibately, then he may recieve. If he wants to marry again, then an annulment is necessary.

103 posted on 12/15/2011 4:54:26 AM PST by Cronos (Nuke Mecca and Medina now..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: Alex Murphy
pinging you... people being bigoted and judging the souls of others wholesale.
104 posted on 12/15/2011 4:55:21 AM PST by Cronos (Nuke Mecca and Medina now..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 44 | View Replies]

To: Salvation; Responsibility2nd; SoothingDave
the thing is that some folks believe that being Catholic is enough to damn a person. Responsibility2nd would stand against such a philosophy, right? So do all our sincere non-Catholic friends.

The few disgruntled biddies who want to curse everyone, well, they are few, sad people with no joy in their lives as it is sans God's love but they are consumed with their hate -- it gives them meaning

105 posted on 12/15/2011 4:59:15 AM PST by Cronos (Nuke Mecca and Medina now..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 42 | View Replies]

To: Religion Moderator; RnMomof7; SoothingDave

RNMomof7 “you just called me a bigot..” —> Rm, this is an example of trying to make something personal and about a poster when it is so definitely not.


106 posted on 12/15/2011 5:01:35 AM PST by Cronos (Nuke Mecca and Medina now..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 52 | View Replies]

To: D-fendr; RnMomof7
Rn's cult the OPC believes in covenant philosophy. that cult believes that the members are a Brahminical caste that are pre-saved. They also believe that their kids are automatically pre-saved by being born such Brahmins.

That cult also is moving towards rejecting the Trinity.

107 posted on 12/15/2011 5:03:46 AM PST by Cronos (Nuke Mecca and Medina now..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 73 | View Replies]

To: Cronos

The Catholic Church recognizes any Christian marriage, conducted in a Christian church, to be a sacramental marriage. Thus, an annulment would be required.


108 posted on 12/15/2011 5:06:44 AM PST by Solson (The Voters stole the election! And the establishment wants it back.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 103 | View Replies]

To: Cronos; RnMomof7
It is "taking it personally" which can cause a thread to become "about" an individual Freeper, i.e. "making it personal."

Discuss the issues all you want, but do not make it personal.

109 posted on 12/15/2011 5:24:15 AM PST by Religion Moderator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 106 | View Replies]

To: Religion Moderator

Exactly — and a poster trying to make a post out to be about her is trying to do just that.


110 posted on 12/15/2011 6:17:14 AM PST by Cronos (Nuke Mecca and Medina now..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 109 | View Replies]

To: Cronos

Do you normally post in the middle of the night?

Whatever. You are the THIRD Catholic on this thread to spout all your papal dogma, catechisms, Nicene Creeds and that sort of stuff to me in your lame attempt to show that the Catholic Church is the “ONE True Church” and if one is not a Catholic then we are “imperfectly linked” to that “true” church.

Are you getting a clue yet? You are a RELIGOUS BIGOT. (And yes - you can tattle on me to the RM if you want. I see you’ve already been there this morning.)

You can take your smug sanctimonious brand of religion and .... (You finish the thought)


111 posted on 12/15/2011 6:31:04 AM PST by Responsibility2nd (NO LIBS! This means liberals AND libertarians (same thing) NO LIBS!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 98 | View Replies]

To: Responsibility2nd
Wow -- you make a false statement saying "you believe in this", then you are proven wrong and you still persist.

interesting -- did you have a sad childhood and probably a sad life now without God's love of grace? that's the only thing that can explain such a sad personality.

112 posted on 12/15/2011 6:47:27 AM PST by Cronos (Nuke Mecca and Medina now..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 111 | View Replies]

To: Responsibility2nd
you made a false statement "us xxx are all going to hell, huh"

do you retract that? It has been shown to you that that is NOT our belief, yet you persist in repeating such a lie

So, why do you believe that Lutherans are not saved?

113 posted on 12/15/2011 6:49:23 AM PST by Cronos (Nuke Mecca and Medina now..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 111 | View Replies]

To: Responsibility2nd; SoothingDave
you made a false statement "us xxx are all going to hell, huh"

do you retract that? you have been proven wrong time and time again, yet use Dem tactics of accusing us of what YOU say we believe in, right? Why do you do this?

114 posted on 12/15/2011 6:51:31 AM PST by Cronos (Nuke Mecca and Medina now..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 111 | View Replies]

To: Responsibility2nd; SoothingDave

Why does the Church of Christ have teh belief that baptism is a necessary part of salvation when some Baptists hold that the Churches of Christ endorse the doctrine of baptismal regeneration?


115 posted on 12/15/2011 6:54:24 AM PST by Cronos (Nuke Mecca and Medina now..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 111 | View Replies]

To: Cronos
It's something between hopelessly sad and ludicrously amusing that so many here feel the need to tell Catholics what they believe, even when they are repeatedly corrected and told it is not true. How stupid are these people? DO they have any idea what religion is? If someone believes in something, they will admit it. If I were willing to make Mary into a goddess for example, if I felt her that important, why would I not admit that to some a$$clown on the interwebs?

It shows how weak their positions are - with out being propped up by lies, it all falls apart. Good luck with that...

116 posted on 12/15/2011 6:55:17 AM PST by Hegewisch Dupa
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 112 | View Replies]

To: Responsibility2nd; SoothingDave

On what basis does the Church of Christ believe one is saved? By faith alone? Doesn’t it believe in conversion as “obedience to the proclaimed facts of the gospel rather than as the result of an emotional, Spirit-initiated conversion”?


117 posted on 12/15/2011 6:55:52 AM PST by Cronos (Nuke Mecca and Medina now..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 111 | View Replies]

To: Cronos
Wow -- you make a false statement saying "you believe in this", then you are proven wrong and you still persist.
 

Link please. Please show me where I said "you believe in this" (whatever "this" means).

But be careful. I will trip you up. Because if you take the time to see what I've said - it will only be repeats of what Catholics have said ("One True Church... imperfectly linked...")

118 posted on 12/15/2011 6:56:16 AM PST by Responsibility2nd (NO LIBS! This means liberals AND libertarians (same thing) NO LIBS!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 112 | View Replies]

To: Responsibility2nd; SoothingDave

In fact, doesn’t the Church of Christ claim to be the only “True Body of Christ.”? Why is your denomination so bigotted?


119 posted on 12/15/2011 6:58:02 AM PST by Cronos (Nuke Mecca and Medina now..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 111 | View Replies]

To: Cronos

Thank you. Totally understand. He skips.


120 posted on 12/15/2011 6:58:24 AM PST by FryingPan101 (Perry 2012)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 103 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 81-100101-120121-140 ... 181-184 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson