Posted on 03/16/2015 4:21:19 PM PDT by NYer
The Democratic Party is facing a Catholic apocalypse, Patricia Miller warns at Salon.
Her article does a good job of marshaling statistics, but when she assesses the reasons for the apocalypse she makes a critical error.
White Catholics are now identifying as Republicans by historic margins, she says, and lists the evidence.
She cites Pew data showing that 53% of white Catholics favor the GOP, versus 39% who favor Democrats.
Catholics voted for John McCain over Barack Obama in 2008s presidential race by 5 percentage points, she says but chose Mitt Romney over Obama by 19 points four years later, she says.
The U.S. House has gone from a Catholic Democrat bastian in 2009 with 98 Catholic Democrats and 37 Catholic Republicans to having more Catholic Republicans than Catholic Democrats for the first time ever in 2015 though only barely; 69 to 68.
Between 2009 and 2014 the number of white Catholics who thought the White House was unfriendly to religious doubled from 17% to 36%, according to Pew, says Miller.
The article looks for blame for the sudden shift, and offers a few ideas. It could be the bishops who say you cant support Democrats because of abortion. It could be that left-leaning Catholics are leaving the Church, leaving only conservative Catholics in the fold. It could be that bishops (every bishop, by the way) are in her words demonizing the HHS mandate the federal mandate that says Catholic employers must violate their consciences or face crippling fines.
Last, she cites Pew data showing Catholics wanting more conservative spending and immigration policies to say it could be the Tea Party-ization of white Catholics.
She is right. It could be any of those outside influences changing the dynamic.
But the only group missing from her list of possible suspects is the most likely culprit: the Democratic Party itself.
First, on abortion, the Democratic Party has changed dramatically. Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Ted Kennedy and Jesse Jackson all started out supporting the right to life. Democrats for Life powerfully make the case that liberals should be pro-life. But the partys harsh stand against the right to life has left it hemorrhaging people of conscience for a long time.
Princetons Robbie George left the party over abortion decades ago. Jo Ann Nardelli, an important Democratic organizer who had close ties to the late Gov. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania over social issues. Bishop Thomas Tobin left in 2013, giving up all hope for reform in the party.
For years, the Clintonian formula allowed Democrats to believe they wanted abortion to be safe, legal and rare. Kermit Gosnell did away with the safe part . The 2012 Democratic platform did away with the rare part. Now all that is left is the legal part.
Just last week, Democrats killed a bill against human-trafficking because it didnt pay federal money to abortion businesses. It is hard to accept a party that would do that, and many people simply wont.
But Miller misses two other key factors in Catholic defections.
First: War.
Catholics dont only care about abortion. As the Financial Times wrote in 2008, Pennsylvania swung away from the Republicans over the Iraq war.
What did Catholics get for their votes? Under Obamas watch, U.S. kill teams in Afghanistan made international headlines. The administrations violence created chaos in Libya and our premature exit from Iraq created an opening for ISIS, and the Obama administration shamefully redefined civilian to justify his own drone policy.
Catholics who voted for Obama got more abortion, less religious liberty, and more violence worldwide.
Second: Latinos.
By stressing white Catholics, the article doesnt mention that Latino Catholics are also not a cinch for the Democratic Party.
When party-switcher New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez said, Ill be damned, were Republicans she was describing a feeling others may be having. Latinos were not the shoe-in they were supposed to be for Democrats last November.
Its no wonder: Latinos are more pro-life in polls than the general population.
But one thing Miller totally gets right is that the changing dynamic heralds more changes to come.
The shift in the Catholic vote should really be a wakeup call to the Democrats, she quotes Democratic activist Steve Krueger saying. White Catholics are 18 percent of the electorate and Catholics vote 1 to 2 percentage points above their representation in the overall population. This is a significant voting bloc that now perceives Republicans as being more welcoming to people of faith.
-— Protestants like the FREEDOM that comes from a Christ centered lifestyle. -—
The downside of the false freedom of “Scripture ALONE” is the proliferation of error, with each man interpreting the Bible as he sees fit.
This approach to divine revelation creates an enormous opportunity for rationalizing self-serving interpretations of Scripture.
The result is a wide and wild spectrum of beliefs, up to and including the rejection of the Trinity (Oneness Pentacostalism), and on issues of morality, “celebration” of homosexuality, birth control and remarriage after divorce.
But Jesus commanded us to “listen to the Church.” And Luther’s doctrine of “Scripture ALONE” is neither Scriptural, Traditional, historical, or Church Teaching.
Sure all of those might be viable reasons...but I do think the widely broadcast democrat denial of God in the party platform 2012 was the final straw.
It may or may not have had immediate influence on the vote of 2012, but I think many religious people have had a deep examination of conscience that isn’t going to fade very quickly going into 2016.
So you want to start shooting. Got it.
How many people do you need to kill to end abortion?
Still pushing your partial teachings I see.
Sigh...
The downside of the false freedom of Scripture ALONE is the proliferation of error, with each man interpreting editting the Bible as he sees fit.
15 But if thy brother shall offend against thee, go, and rebuke him between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou shalt gain thy brother.
16 And if he will not hear thee, take with thee one or two more: that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may stand.
17 And if he will not hear them: tell the church. And if he will not hear the church, let him be to thee as the heathen and publican.
Ask ISIS.
Give me an action list that you are proposing with specifics please. So far all I've got from you are vague accusations that Catholics aren't doing enough and an odd referral to ISIS that doesn't really make sense in any connotation I try to put it in.
I guess that CATHOLICS seem to be getting the brunt of my output here; mainly because some want to get so pious about carrying a sign.
Truth is; we are ALL equally guilty of ALLOWING this evil in our nation.
What part of Life, liberty and pursuit of happiness do we fail to understand?
I just saw a WWF commercial about TIGERS and the PLEA for money to STOP killing them.
Where are our PRIORITIES?
Men are DYING, trying to stop poachers from killing elephants for their ivory.
I guess that CATHOLICS seem to be getting the brunt of my output here; mainly because some want to get so pious about carrying a sign.
Truth is; we are ALL equally guilty of ALLOWING this evil in our nation.
What part of Life, liberty and pursuit of happiness do we fail to understand?
I just saw a WWF commercial about TIGERS and the PLEA for money to STOP killing them.
Where are our PRIORITIES?
Men are DYING, trying to stop poachers from killing elephants for their ivory.
I'm sure that many would like to see this.
They'll just have to suffer without it.
3,300 will die today.
I wonder...
...are there any 24 hours Service Centers in this country where a human life can be terminated at will?
Perhaps someday the folks who are against capital punishment against the guilty, will decide to get the Government to eliminate it for the INNOCENT.
Catholics got rid of “top down” management fifty years ago; that is why Dems win Catholic areas. Few Catholics are adhering to the teachings anymore; apparently they don’t want to be told what to do. In Europe it happened even longer ago...
So while the Catholics are only carrying signs, talking to women in personal crisis, housing young mothers, running orphanages, educating children about abortion, and other trivial actions...
What are YOU doing that has such greater impact? I’m open to better ideas. I infer a call to violence in your posts. John Brown wasn’t morally wrong, but I don’t remember him accomplishing anything, so you are going to need a better plan.
(Italics added by Joseph Smith. He claims that GOD told him to do so.)
They MUST have gotten that Idea from YOUR leader!
The Articles of Faith outline 13 basic points of belief of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Prophet Joseph Smith first wrote them in a letter to John Wentworth, a newspaper editor,
in response to Mr. Wentworth's request to know what members of the Church believed.
They were subsequently published in Church periodicals.
They are now regarded as scripture and included in the Pearl of Great Price.
THE ARTICLES OF FAITH
OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS History of the Church, Vol. 4, pp. 535541
Joseph Smith |
Why are you worried about me?
I have to stand before GOD and give account of my actions (or inactions) just like everyone else.
You DO?
Golly!!!
Where on EARTH would I get an idea like THAT??
The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.
Thomas Jefferson
I infer that you think I have some plan of 'plan'; an inadequate one at that.
“But Jesus commanded us to listen to the Church.
Do you have a Scriptural reference or is this just false teaching as usual?
“And Luthers doctrine of Scripture ALONE is neither Scriptural, Traditional, historical, or Church Teaching.”
Don’t know about Luther and don’t really care, but Scripture does say Scripture alone. Notice it says distort the Gospel, also look at Ephesians 4:14-15, 2 Corinthians 11:4
Galatians 1:6-7 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Perversion of the Gospel
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you [a]by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.
Footnotes:
Galatians 1:6 Lit in
“Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®,
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973,
1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission.” (www.Lockman.org)
IAW with OT Scripture teachings the only guidance was to be from Scripture. Every time the Jews got into trouble was not following Scripture and then following their man made Religious/Priestly rules and Jesus said so. Matthew 15:1-5 and Luke 11:37-54
Your denomination has changed tradition more than once so don’t lecture anyone on this big so called for ever tradition stuff it just don’t hold water.
“But the concept of a sacrament was insufficiently developed in the ancient Church, and there was dispute about which Christian rituals and practices should be called sacraments.”
Honestly, I’m not so much concerned about you, as I am irritated.
One of the first things I learned as an adult is that pointing out a problem, without offering up a solution is just whining. Rarely is it of any help to the overall cause. Castagating people in the ring from the sidelines, for not fighting harder, really isn’t helpful.
So, I’m providing you the opportunity to be more than whiney, and bless us all with a grand plan or at least a logical sequence of events. If its a good, workable plan, you might be surprised by people getting onboard with it.
But crying out for blood isn’t a plan. It can be helpful when you need to get people fired up, but sooner or later you will actually need a plan. So, what is your plan? Kill enought Leftists that they surrender, and then never allow them to vote or hold a positions of public trust again? I don’t see that being a workable plan at this stage.
I presume you are aware that although violence can be necessary, it can also be counterproductive to a cause. If the rebels at the Boston Tea Party had chosen to slit the crews’ throats and put the Captain’s head on a spike, I’m fairly certain that the net effect would have been to bolster the Crown. So simply screaming that people need to start shedding blood isn’t sufficient, nor is it responsible. If you start a revolution without a plan, you end up with a group like Bolsheviks taking over, because they’ve got a plan.
To repeat a sentiment I’ve heard, we are in that awkward stage when its too late to work within the system and too early to start shooting. I appreciate your frustration, but casting stones at people for not being able to solve a problem that you can’t solve doesn’t make you a genius or righteous.
Leftists took over by taking control of education and the news media. Perhaps we should start by taking them back.
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