RBWords - Volume 25 - Number 8: August 2012
Something to Think About
The national conventions of the two major political “parties” are taking place. The Republicans have just completed theirs and the Democrats will be starting theirs in a week. Much of it is now “staged” since the delegates have already been determined in a primary somewhere. I can remember when there was a genuine doubt as to who would be nominated. There was a dramatic roll call of the states and each delegation was urged to skip the customary “commercial” (“the great state of----------, home to ---------- casts -----votes for its ‘native son’--------a great American, etc.) That all seems to be gone now. I don’t watch the coverage anymore. The real drama will be on election day if the polls are any indication. Furthermore, the media themselves seem divided and “balkanized.” So, getting any facts about the truth of commercials and speeches is chancy at best. I hate to seem cynical, but I am appalled at the amount of money being raised and spent to fuel the current political polarization that has paralyzed our Congress and our nation in so many ways.
Since I believe strongly that a person’s faith should shape their politics rather than the other way around, I find the current choices abhorrent. Both Vice-president Biden and his opponent, Mr. Ryan, are Catholics! They are at opposite ends of the political spectrum! They both espouse political positions that would, if made law, cause the deaths or deny the human dignity of thousands of people! Bishop Richard Pate of Des Moines, IA, wrote a recent article in AMERICA magazine in which he noted that faithful Catholics may find themselves in a “political No Man’s Land” in this election! He is careful to respect conscience and notes the objectionable elements of proposals on both left and right in regard to the moral teachings of the church. When I told some close friends that I was considering not voting (for the record, I’m a registered “independent”), they were upset with me. What am I supposed to do? Hold the nose of my conscience and play “eeny, meeny, miney, mo?” My civic duty puts me in the possible position of enabling morally offensive policies no matter who I vote for!!!!!
The media say that Mr. Obama and Mr. Romney and their respective political parties and “super-PACS” are very interested in “independent” voters like me. All I can say is that they have a long way to go! IT’S SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.
It Has Been Said
”What faith teaches about the dignity of the human person and about the sacredness of every human life helps us see more clearly the same truths that also come to us through the gift of human reason. At the center of these truths is respect for the dignity of every person. This is the core of Catholic moral and social teaching. Because we are people of both faith and reason, it is appropriate and necessary for us to bring this essential truth about human life and dignity to the public square. We are called to practice Christ’s commandment to “love one another” (Jn 13:34). We are also called to promote the well-being of all, to share our blessings with those most in need, to defend marriage, and to protect the lives and dignity of all, especially the weak, the vulnerable, the voiceless. In his first encyclical letter, Deus Caritas Est, Pope Benedict XVI explained that “charity must animate the entire lives of the lay faithful and therefore also their political activity, lived as ‘social charity’” (no. 29).
From FAITHFUL CITIZENSHIP by the U.S.Conference of Catholic Bishops
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