I think it's completely messed up, and utterly disturbing, how we have such "political" divisions among Catholics in the US - that there are those who try to make the Faith appear to be directly aligned with any political party.
Now let's stop for a minute, before anyone gets mad.
Just do me a favor. Whatever you think this post is going to be about, read ALL of it, so you find out what it's actually about. Don't skip around. Puhleeeeaze. Just read it. OK?
OK. I'm Catholic. Maybe you are, too. What does Church teaching me for me in terms of "the issues"?
I am pro-life. Womb to tomb, no exceptions. Abortion is wrong. Euthanasia is wrong. And yes, capital punishment is wrong, too.
Being pro-life also means I support human rights for all people, regardless of their nationality, language, religious beliefs, or gender. I don't believe we do nearly enough to combat human trafficking, and we do a poor job of protecting those who are easily taken advantage of. And I believe in women's rights. (Let me note that abortion is NOT a right, women's or otherwise. Murder is never a right.) I am grateful not to suffer the oppression women face in countries like Afghanistan, and I support the rights of those women to pursue freedom and education in safety.
However, I also believe that gender divisions exist in some places for a reason. I will never support the ordination of women to the Catholic priesthood. I have friends who will disagree with me on many of these issues - and I respect them, though I do not share their views - because I respect their God-given dignity, and I appreciate that there are other things we hold in common.
I believe that healthcare is an important facet of caring for our brothers and sisters in Christ, and is important to protecting of the dignity of those who are sick, and those who are dying. Clearly, it is a mission the Church has always been vested in, and this is good, and should continue. I do not support government intervention into health insurance policies offered by Catholic institutions, nor do I think the government has any business telling the Catholic healthcare system how it should conduct its business.
Finally, I support protection of our environment. No, not radical environmentalism, but protection of the environment. God made the world, and entrusted it to us to use wisely - NOT to destroy it. The Church teaches that we are called to be stewards of God's creation, not its bulldozers. Yes, I recycle, and I support alternative energy sources. Yes, I think we need to conserve and protect the resources we have - because if we are going to continue to carry on the human race, if we are going to continue populating the world, we had damn well better leave the next generation the resources they will need to live.
The "liberals" who read this can say I'm too "conservative."
The "conservatives" who read this can say I'm too "liberal."
To be honest, I really don't care. I'm sick of the labels, and I think it's well past time for American Catholics to wake up and realize that THERE IS NOT A POLITICAL PARTY that really, truly meshes with, values or respects the teachings of the Church in their entirety. And realistically, I know there's probably no way we could reasonably expect that to happen.
I am not saying we shouldn't vote, or anything foolish like that - all I am saying is, be CATHOLIC first - not Republican, or Democrat, or Green, or Libertarian, or Independent, or whatever.
Let your faith inform your politics - don't blindly pledge allegiance to a political party. Don't be afraid to express your support for teachings of the Church that aren't part of a party platform, or that aren't part of the platform of the party you generally support. We have to be Catholic, first and foremost. Recall that the word "catholic" means "universal"!! That alone should remind us that Church teaching won't always align with the views of a political party.
Catholics, be Catholic.
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