I disagree. What you are saying is the standard party line propaganda of the Liberals against the Republicans and it obviously works if 50+% of Catholics vote for them.
The GOP has a strong pro-life plank in the platform versus the DNC which is strongly pro-abortion. They strongly favor traditional marriage and family values while the Dems want to make homosexual marriage the law of the land - hardly what I would call "timidity" on the GOP's part. And let's not forget that it was the DNC this year at that convention that strongly objected to the word "God" even being mentioned in their platform! As far as "social justice" let's not forget that it was the Republican party that championed antislavery measures and the Civil Rights Act - something conveniently forgotten by those who have been brainwashed into thinking ONLY the Democrats "care" about minorities and the poor. Welfare reform was a good thing to happen in this country because it sought to phase out the generational dependency on the government for life's basic needs instead of personal responsibility - something Scripture heartily condones.
I do not see this "conundrum" you speak of for Catholics. Where ALL Christians should look is to how the Bible tells us to treat our neighbors and that entails each of us looking our for one another, not giving the sole responsibility to government to do it for us. There will never be a platform of a secular party that meets the requirements of singular religious dictates. We must look to those that are closest to our values and ensure those we send to serve share those values. At this time, I think the GOP far outshines the DNC on nearly every point.
You and differ on the definition of "strong". When language such as "rape, incest and the life of the mother" are used to excuse the inexcusable the defense is timid at best. It is an acceptance that the state has a right or duty to facilitate the murder of a baby when circumstances of conception are not politically correct. I know many Catholics who see no clear choice between a party that is pro-abortion and one who is pro-death penalty, or between one that is OK with "collateral damage" in undeclared wars and euthanasia. I have had very sincere Catholics tell me that a child killed in a drone strike is just as dead as a child killed by an abortionist and it is no less a sin to kill a child because its father is a terrorist than because its father was a rapist.
A vote for either party is a choice between the lesser of two evils. Most often a vote is against a candidate, not for a candidate, but very vote requires Catholics to violate some tenet of faith. Many put great stock in the Beatitudes and vote accordingly. Some do not prioritize properly, others simply do not vote, and many others are not really Catholic. I would have thought someone who already understands everything about Catholicism would know some of this.....
Boatbums: You stated exactly what I was thinking as I read the original post that prompted your response.
You phrased it better than I could! It is true, indeed that the argument that the Reps are tepid in support of the unborn life falls flat when juxtaposed against the Dem. philosophy. For them to reject Romney in favor of Obama who voted more than once to withold medical care of infants born alive during an attempted abortion is unreconcilable in my mind.
The Republican approach to poverty and those in need is much more charitable, indeed, as it relies on the individual, society as a whole, and the Churches to provide assistance. They do not promote governmental largess, thru confiscatory taxation and redistribution, which does nothing but perpetuate the poverty and hopelessness of the less fortunate. If anyone needs proof, I submit that all the vast amounts thrown at the WAR on POVERTY since LBJ’s not-so-Great society programs have left us with an increase in governmental dependency and destruction of the family unit among the poor, and foster’s generational dependency.
Equally disturbing is the slight reduction in the Mormon vote for Romney vs that received by GWB.. 78 vs 80%. They state it’s becasue Romney wasn’t in full compliance with the tenents of Mormonism when he was governor of Ma. as he did nothing to stop abortion or gay marriage — so they vote for OBAMA??? Get real, people.
Unfotunately “Catholics” come in many varieties... there are true Catholics, Pre-vatican II catholics, traditional catholics, and then there are the so-called Catholics-in-name-only like the Kennedy, Pelosi, Biden, Sibilius type of “catholic” who have rationalized any Catholicism on the altar of political expediency.