So Dubuque Is Very Catholic, But What Does That Really Mean? (live in, residential)

[JBoughton]

I've lived in Dubuque for almost 30 years, and when I moved here, several people asked me what parish I'm in.

And a local joke about the first mixed marriage in Dubuque was when a German Catholic from the north side married an Irish Catholic from the south side.

[zz4guy]

Originally Posted by Chicago60614

^ that's crazy. I'm so glad my parents raised me with no religion!!

Uh. Yeah you sure are lucky.

[mrkool]

Dubuque has supported the Democrats in the last *13* presidential elections, and in the last 5 elections the Republicans lost by margins ranging from 13-18%.
So this mostly Catholic city sides with the party which believes in abortion, gay rights, and other issues which are against Catholic teaching. Catholics there must be rather weak in their allegiance to their religion, and therefore I doubt their "Catholicism" has much impact on the local culture, city, or people/families who relocate.

[Daniel01]

Jeez....makes me wonder how Jews like us would fare...

[Chicago60614]

Originally Posted by zz4guy

Uh. Yeah you sure are lucky.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by mrkool

Dubuque has supported the Democrats in the last *13* presidential elections, and in the last 5 elections the Republicans lost by margins ranging from 13-18%.
So this mostly Catholic city sides with the party which believes in abortion, gay rights, and other issues which are against Catholic teaching. Catholics there must be rather weak in their allegiance to their religion, and therefore I doubt their "Catholicism" has much impact on the local culture, city, or people/families who relocate.

Most people are not single issue voters. Also, churches should lose their tax exempt status when they get involved in political issues. Example #1 was Prop 8? in California. It seems like many people don't understand what separation of church and state really means.

[Ben Around]

Originally Posted by JBoughton

I've lived in Dubuque for almost 30 years, and when I moved here, several people asked me what parish I'm in.

And a local joke about the first mixed marriage in Dubuque was when a German Catholic from the north side married an Irish Catholic from the south side.

Here in St Paul, Catholic parishes are also generally used as landmarks (though less so than in the past as the churches close).

[Ben Around]

Originally Posted by mrkool

Dubuque has supported the Democrats in the last *13* presidential elections, and in the last 5 elections the Republicans lost by margins ranging from 13-18%.
So this mostly Catholic city sides with the party which believes in abortion, gay rights, and other issues which are against Catholic teaching. Catholics there must be rather weak in their allegiance to their religion, and therefore I doubt their "Catholicism" has much impact on the local culture, city, or people/families who relocate.

Unlike how American voters are carricatured by the right and the left these days, many (most?) Catholics aren't so polemic in their political preferneces. Catholicism is as much a cultural influence as it is a religious denomination. The Church teaches abortion is wrong. It also teaches the death penalty is wrong. It has a long history of promoting social justice and upwrd social mobility. The union movement in the US was encouraged and supported by the Catholic Church. Etc., etc. For the Catholic voter, it's not as simplistic as you would have it...

[dakota79]

I'm the OP who started this thread last week. It is great to hear all the insight everyone has provided.

It sounds like whether you are Catholic or not is really not as big of an issue as maybe it was at one time. Unlike my 92 year-old aunt, I personally have never experienced any shunning from someone of the Catholic faith. My aunt is good at telling stories that make others look bad. And at her age, she has her mind made up and insists she's right, so you just kinda let her say things and take them with a grain of salt.

I really had no intentions on making this a political discussion, but I guess its hard to avoid these days.

Like the above poster stated, voting should not be thought of as a simple choice, and if the Catholic Church looks at issues from an individual standpoint, than we could all learn from that. Not looking at issues individually has become a big problem for our country. Decisions are made solely by party lines. I hate how you can no longer vote or endorse a candidate without being accused of being super conservative or super liberal. Its like there is no middle ground anymore. It has evolved into the feeling that one cannot be both a Christian and a Democrat.

Politically, it seems like Dubuque and its large Catholic population have the right idea. It sounds like they are more middle of the road. They may vote Democrat a lot, but not for all the same extreme reasons as they do in other places like California. Dubuque seems more Conservative Democratic, rather than "super-liberal". Maybe we should start a new party called the Dubuque Party!

[WyoNewk]

I grew up a Catholic in western Iowa in the 50s and 60s in a town of mostly protestant Christians. I never once heard any Catholic say anything derogatory about protestants OTHER THAN the "mixed marriage" issue between Catholics and non-Catholics. I heard the same thing, only more often, from protestants not believing in marriages to Catholics. It makes a little sense, especially if organized religion is very important to those involved. Churches are often at the foundation of social life in rural America -- churches and schools.

My first wife was a Lutheran. Throughout our 27 years of marriage I attended Catholic services and she attended Lutheran services. Neither of us participated in church social events.

If you don't attend a church, no matter where you live, you're going to miss out on some social life. You could say the same thing about Rotary International or Jaycees. If you don't belong to the organizations, you'll be excluded from some social functions and not know as many people. It's not a matter of being shunned; you're just not there to be included.


Daniel01,
I never met a Jew until I was 21 and in the military. (We became close friends.) I don't think I'd ever known of an atheist or agnostic either, no Buddhists, and no Hindus. I never knew any African Americans until I went off to college and the military. It's not that Iowans were prejudiced in those days, they were just isolated from much of the world. The truth is, folks born and raised in NYC were/are often just as ignorant ***only moreso*** about midwesterners.