Catholics, did you know that you have been given your voting orders?

Question

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071114/ap_on_re_us/catholic_bishops


Thankfully, I'm atheist, so I can just vote for the best candidate using my own brain. But good luck though.

Answer 1

The separation of church and state in your country is a sad joke. Good luck folks, you'll need it :(

*hugs from Canada*

Answer 2

Could you be any more deceptive about your question?

There are no voting orders. There is only one instruction at all: consider church teaching when voting for candidates and issues. Let's not forget the added caveat that abortion takes a special priority.

When I was a republican, they sent me a voting list of EXACTLY what to vote for. I left the republican party. In the short time i was a democrat following that, they ALSO made the mistake of sending me a list of exactly who/what to vote for. The catholic church has ONLY asked that people vote with THOUGHT towards their choices, rather than asking them to follow a party list and vote down the line like some automaton... and yet people are willing to freak out about it.

Check behind your ear to see if there's a hypocracy knob, you might want to turn that down a little bit.

Answer 3

Unfortunately no political party has a platform in line with Catholic social teaching.

The Catholic Church is pro-life in the widest sense. This is often called a "Consistent Ethic of Life."

This pro-life stance stresses the highest regard for dignity of human life including that of:

+ All people in objecting to unjust war and nuclear arms. (closer to Democratic platform)

+ The unborn in objecting to to abortion, in vitro fertilization, frozen embryos, embryonic stem cell research, and cloning (closer to Republican platform)

+ The elderly, sick and dying in objecting to assisted suicide and euthanasia (closer to Republican platform)

+ Prisoners in objecting to the death penalty (closer to Democratic platform)

+ The poor and minorities in supporting social justice issues (closer to Democratic platform)

Some Catholics are enthusiastically anti-abortion and align themselves with the Republican party.

When you look at the big picture, the Democratic party supports more "Catholic" issues so some Catholics are Democrats.

Neither party follows all Catholic teachings.

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sections 2259 and following: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt3sect2chpt2art5.htm#2259

With love in Christ.

Answer 4

Yeah. So? What part of morality do you have a problem with?

You will note that there were no candidates endorsed, just policy positions that the Church takes a stance on.

Answer 5

Seem more like guidelines than orders. It's not like they are promoting a particular candidate and with those guidelines I wonder exactly who they might have in mind. They obviously would lean toward the Democrats because they want the poor to be given every need, but almost all of the Democrats are pro-choice. Republicans don't want to give tons of freebies, so they can't support them because they don;t doo enough for the poor. Guess they will just have to write in the POPE!

Answer 6

The Bishops said to vote for people who agree with them, morally. They did not name any candidate or party.

If/when they name specific parties or candidates, there will be serious implications. Until then, this is advice from a learned friend who says to put people into power who are moral.


Next time, READ the ARTICLE, not just the HEADLINE.

Answer 7

Their voting orders? I wasn't aware they were given "orders". As far as I knew, (I am not a catholic) they may have been given suggestions, but voting is a very personal private privilege that no one can dictate. This is a little inflammatory...are you sure you're not a troll?

Answer 8

How can anyone possibly argue that churches should continue to be tax exempt? I don't care what they say to their followers they can even promote a candidate all they like but I don't want to subsidize them doing it.

And if they argue they're doing charitable work, fine do like we all have to do and show a receipt when you file your taxes and you write it off.

They know who they're talking about, their followers know who they're talking about so any pathetic and childish whining that "they're not endorsing a particular candidate" is semantic nonsense.

Answer 9

This announcement is a de facto endorsement of particular candidates. The IRS needs to revoke the tax-exempt status of the catholic church.

Answer 10

Oh, the orders have come early this year have they? I'd better run to the polls.