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To: annalex; Kolokotronis
It is a scandal that a "Catholic" university would invite him to give him an honorary law degree, which only proves that abortion is not a dogma because, obviously, some Catholics do not agree with you.

Many, perhaps, see the Catechism more as an ideal goal than a dogma to faultlessly live by. That is made manifest also by the fact that many Catholic girls/women/boys/men practice extramarital sex, use contraceptives/condoms and some girls/women, obviously, abort.

I am sure that Pelosi and the rest would be excommunicated and worse without fail if they professed Christ to be a a lesser God, denied the Holy Trinity, or openly professed that Theotokos is Chritotokos. I imagine even the all-embracing Catholic Church with its cultural sensitivity would have no choice but tho declare these people non-Cahtolics and non-Christians. Obviously, the same is not true when it comes to abortion.

The consequence of embracing heresy is anathema, which naturally includes excommunication. Those Catholics who profess pro-abortion views are not even excommunicated across the board, let alone anathematized.

That in itself shows that anti-abortionism is not a dogma, and therefore cannot be the most important aspect of the faith needed for salvation; rather, it is merely a principle teaching of Christianity applied to a specific morally aberrant social issue.

As such, anti-abortionism cannot be the most important aspect of Catholic beliefs necessary for salvation, i.e. dogma, as the bishop in question suggested

Anathema means you are no longer part of the Church and therefore your salvation is in peril. Excommunication means the Church will not provide life-giving Mysteries to an unrepentant sinner, but does not anathematize that person, who remains within the Church.

If the Catholic Church truly believes, as you seem to think, that anti-abortionism is the most important belief required of all Catholics for salvation, then the Church should not only automatically excommunicate (deny communion), but anathematize across the board all publicly avowed pro-abortionists Catholics as if they were publicly denying the Holy Trinity and other dogmas of the Church.

The fact that this is nowhere even close to reality only proves Kolo's argument correct.

256 posted on 05/13/2009 9:15:52 AM PDT by kosta50 (Don't look up, the truth is all around you)
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To: kosta50; Kolokotronis
I think you should receive a honorary law degree for that post alone.

anti-abortionism is the most important belief required of all Catholics for salvation

It is not a belief at all, dogmatic or otherwise. I do not have a belief in the Ten Commandments; I have knowledge of natural law and hence obey them. Hence, I abhor abortion, euthanasia, etc. and despise people who work in the interest of death, like our president.

I agree that the pro-abort politicians have incurred an automatic excommunication and that their bishops should withhold communion form them for their own good.

What Kolokotronis argues is based on deliberate misrepresentation of the Catholic Pro-life teaching. The teaching is that among matters of social policy, pro-life issues are non-negotiable and so allow only one way to vote. He twists this into some imaginary comparision between dogmas. He is wrong on the facts of what is taught.

257 posted on 05/13/2009 9:31:44 AM PDT by annalex (http://www.catecheticsonline.com/CatenaAurea.php)
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