What's wrong with Catholic voters? What's wrong with Catholics?

CatholicCulture.org ^ | November 5, 2008 | Phil Lawler

[ArrogantBustard]

They and the church are strong believers in socialism.

There's a HUGE difference between what the Church actually teaches (socialism in all its forms is pretty well condemned) and what much of the Church leadership in America preaches. Communists have made a Long March through the Church much as they made a Long March through the secular educational system.

Still, Rerum Novarum and all its sequel documents remain the true teaching of the Church. I suggest becoming acquainted with them ... as a good first step toward making their teachings better known.

[Jibaholic]

There is some truth to your point (although Catholics do not make it when counting the number of believers in different denominations worldwide. But if you look at the US map of most popular denominations by county you will find that blue states are generally Catholic. Church attendence is also lower in predominately Catholic states. That suggests that Catholics as a group are less devout.

Secondly, evangelicals are converting Catholics both in the US and abroad.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Mighty broad brush you’re painting with there.

You might try a qualifier. I am sure I can find some evangelicals who don’t also. I’ve known more than one or two in that category. And I’ve known Catholics who’s faith colors everything they do from waking to sleeping.

Won’t deny, though, there are too many people who are cultural catholics and choose which part of the walk they want to do. Else they would have put life issues at the top of determiners of who they voted for.

They are a scandal upon the rest of us.

[Welcome2thejungle]

When measuring the Catholic vote, I think it is important to distinguish between practicing Catholics who regularly attend Mass versus the non-observant. Without having access to any figures before me, I would be willing to bet that John McCain won the observant Catholic vote. Does anyone seriously consider people like Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden, and Ted Kennedy to be genuine Catholics?

[Fast Ed97]

I am actually saddened that McCain won among weekly mass attendees by only 10 points. For the past 40+ years the Church has been severely weakened as a force in the world to a nearly all time low level in a number of areas. Catholic Europe (Spain, France, Italy ect) has lost the faith for decades. Moreover, Mexico City recently legalized abortion.

However, it will get stronger albeit probably with a smaller contingent. The fact that so many Bishops are now speaking out against these pro-abortion polititians after so many years of indifference is a good sign of hope.

[mdmathis6]

Conscience bothering them most likely the reason. You are better off not dealing with these friends any-more. The great falling away that Paul spoke of has begun, many will no longer endure listening to the truth.

[Alex Murphy]

When measuring the Catholic vote, I think it is important to distinguish between practicing Catholics who regularly attend Mass versus the non-observant. Without having access to any figures before me, I would be willing to bet that John McCain won the observant Catholic vote.

You'd win your bet. You can find a detailed breakdown of the polling numbers on my profile page; here are the relevant ones for Catholics of all stripes:

55% McCain, 43% Obama - Weekly mass-attending Catholics ^6,9
52% McCain, 47% Obama - White "regular-mass-attending" Catholics¹²
51% McCain, 49% Obama - White Catholics^1,7,11
45% McCain, 54% Obama - Catholics^{1,4,6,8,9,10,11,12}
37% McCain, 61% Obama - Non-weekly-mass-attending Catholics^6,12
xx% McCain, 67% Obama - Hispanic Catholics^8,11**,***, ****

** No source provided voting percentages for the other party.
*** Associated Press (citation #11) reports this number as 72%, instead of the 67% other media gave it.
**** Note that some media are reporting the same numbers for the Hispanic and Black vote in general, as well as for those same groups with Catholic or Protestant affiliation.

Citations:
¹ The Awesome Blue God -- How Obama Forged A New Faith Coalition
² Exit polls: 78% of Jews voted for Obama
³ Utah's red loses some of its luster
⁴ Obama's Religious Appeal: Still Missing Evangelicals - which TIME renamed as Obama: Bringing (Some) Evangelicals In
⁵ The Evangelical Electoral Map
⁶ What's wrong with Catholic voters? What's wrong with Catholics?
⁷ Evangelical Voters Favor McCain by Wide Margins
⁸ Catholic voters heavily favored Obama, analysis shows
⁹ What Happened to the Catholic Vote?
¹⁰ Loyal to the End: Evangelicals Stay the Course
¹¹ Obama results show gains in key religious voters
¹² How the faithful voted
¹³ Exit polls: How Obama won

All numbers cited above are the earliest ones reported in the press. In cases of multiple reports, some percentages cited were not exact. However, the numbers above are within 2% of all sources cited, lending credence to the general number & placement overall.

[riverdawg]

“I'd be willing to bet that John McCain won the observant catholic vote.”

I'm not so sure. We know many observant Catholics who attend mass regularly, send their children to Catholic school with princess riverdawg, etc. but have Obama bumper stickers on their vehicles.

[oldbill]

You don’t have the slightest idea of what you are talking about, and claims like “Catholic Charaties USA gets over $1,000,000,000 of taxpayer loot annually in grants” are outright falsehoods.

[riverdawg]

I defer to your data, and my post #28 is merely anecdotal, but there are certainly many left-leaning, observant Catholics here for whom “spreading the wealth around” trumps feticide.

[wideawake]

That 55-43 advantage among practicing Catholics might rise to 60-40 when calculated for white practicing Catholics.

The amount of lies told in the Spanish-language and Kreyol-language media about Obama's abortion stance were criminal.

And almost no Catholic bishops in the US speak either language fluently enough to make an impact in those quarters.

[Bosco]

This goes for everyone:

Theology matters.

[oldbill]

Catholics who do not attend church are not Catholics - they are former Catholics, or more accurately, secularists.

Real Catholics supported McCain, 54-45%, although he didn’t give them (or anyone else for that matter) much reason to.

That number would have been even higher if the bishops were willing to condemn pro-abortion, pro-stem cell liberals. Instead they go to dinners with them.

[Dionysius]

There are two distinct Catholic Churches in this country whether we like it or not. One is true, the other heretical.

[exhaustedmomma]

St. Jude hospital... named after their saint of “lost causes.” Like the rest of us, they have their good and bad moments.

[gakrak]

Those 54% of the Catholics that voted for evil should be baned from the Catholic faith. By casting a vote for B Husein Obama they agree and condone: Abortion, Euthanasia, Embryonic Stem Cell research, Human Cloning, and Homosexual Marriage. All of which are strictly forbidden by the Catholic Church and the Word of our Lord.

[mikemoose]

Just my opinion, but I don't think you will find the answers looking at the voters...better focus on why the Democrats are more attractive than the Republicans to all (ok at least 1/2) of the people of the US.

Religion, unfortunately, is taking a back seat to most Americans, they have been told (over and over and over) that there need to be a separation, and are buying into it.

As for the abortion issue, I don't think there is a Catholic alive that doesn't think its a sin...the problem is that most Catholics don't think it should be regulated, i.e. its a moral issue. The Republicans better find a way to make this a societal issue, or drop it from the platform. (I prefer the former.)

[marshmallow]

You mean to tell me that if Catholics are badly catechized, liturgically confused, constantly brow-beaten about the "social gospel" and seldom hear a homily about Humanae Vitae or indeed any basic Catholic dogma, they turn around and vote for a pro-abortionist?

Wow....who'd a thunk it..........???

[Kevmo]

In the 35 years since Roe v. Wade, Catholics have watched their Church leaders handle pro-abortion Catholic politicians with kid gloves, treating their moral treason as a minor annoyance rather than a public scandal. Yes, the bishops routinely denounced abortion; but at the same time they treated the public supporters of taxpayer-funded abortion with jovial deference. Puzzled lay Catholics concluded that the bishops didn’t really take the issue too seriously, and the laity in turn stopped taking their bishops seriously.
***Sounds a little bit like some chickens coming home to roost, unfortunately. The leadership of the church should not be sending messages that generate the result of “puzzled lay catholics”. This is very sad. But I doubt anything will really change.

[bmwcyle]

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