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BALTIMORE - Roman Catholics voting in the 2008 elections must heed church teaching when deciding which candidates and policies to support, U.S. bishops said Wednesday.
And while the church recognizes the importance of a wide range of issues — from war to immigration to poverty — fighting abortion should be a priority, the bishops said.
"But, the bishops urged Catholics to only use voter resources approved by the Church." Can we say, "wrong", boys and girls? I don't care if it's the Catholics, or any of the Protestants,(and they've done the same thing, namely the conservative ones), or any other religious group, it is flat-out wrong to demand that people follow any chuch's dictates or teachings, when voting. What should be leading our voting choices are our consciences, coupled with as much knowledge about the issues and candidates as possible, (and a huge chunk of horse sense never hurts, either). My choice in the voting booth is between myself and my God, not myself and my church, (even if I did still attend).
People formulate opinions by hearing the thoughts of others. We call that campaigning. Every person, group, or institution has that constitutional right. Voting requires listening and deciding. Certainly any church can illustrate their convictions, via a Biblical lens, and be valid as any secular think tank. I applaud the Catholic Church for their convictions for demonstrating morality as a basis for evaluating candidates.
I do not support picking and choosing of candidates or political sermons from the pulpit.
"But, the bishops urged Catholics to only use voter resources approved by the Church." Can we say, "wrong", boys and girls? I don't care if it's the Catholics, or any of the Protestants,(and they've done the same thing, namely the conservative ones), or any other religious group, it is flat-out wrong to demand that people follow any chuch's dictates or teachings, when voting. What should be leading our voting choices are our consciences, coupled with as much knowledge about the issues and candidates as possible, (and a huge chunk of horse sense never hurts, either). My choice in the voting booth is between myself and my God, not myself and my church, (even if I did still attend).
Why is this wrong? Churches can (and do) kick out members for a variety of reasons. A lot impose conduct and dress restrictions on their members. Why shouldn't they demand their members to vote a certain way?
Why is this wrong? Churches can (and do) kick out members for a variety of reasons. A lot impose conduct and dress restrictions on their members. Why shouldn't they demand their members to vote a certain way?
What makes voting special?
I believe I already stated why I think it's wrong. The church, (be it Catholic, Protestant, or otherwise), has no business telling people how they should vote. That is a private decision, and one that should be between myself and my God, as I said before, not myself and the church. The church is supposed to lead, not dictate or demand. The church is not God, and I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions. I do not allow the church to dictate what I should read, watch, listen to, or a myriad of other things. Why should I allow them to tell me how to vote, which is one of our most basic rights and responsibilities?
I recall a church a couple of years ago, that my husband and I had attended one Sunday, (our granddaughter was being dedicated by her parents there, that morning), whose pastor was telling his people, from the pulpit, how they should vote, concerning a wet/dry issue, in our county. The county was having it's seventh or so vote, in a 70-year period, about whether or not to allow the county to go wet. Needless to say, as our county is strongly Bible-belt oriented, this argument became quite heated. Now, for the pastor to have said that he, himself, was going to vote against it, as his conscience dictated, was perfectly acceptable and appropriate. For him to tell the rest of the congregation how they should vote, was not, plain and simple.
I believe I already stated why I think it's wrong. The church, (be it Catholic, Protestant, or otherwise), has no business telling people how they should vote. That is a private decision, and one that should be between myself and my God, as I said before, not myself and the church. The church is supposed to lead, not dictate or demand. The church is not God, and I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions. I do not allow the church to dictate what I should read, watch, listen to, or a myriad of other things. Why should I allow them to tell me how to vote, which is one of our most basic rights and responsibilities?
I recall a church a couple of years ago, that my husband and I had attended one Sunday, (our granddaughter was being dedicated by her parents there, that morning), whose pastor was telling his people, from the pulpit, how they should vote, concerning a wet/dry issue, in our county. The county was having it's seventh or so vote, in a 70-year period, about whether or not to allow the county to go wet. Needless to say, as our county is strongly Bible-belt oriented, this argument became quite heated. Now, for the pastor to have said that he, himself, was going to vote against it, as his conscience dictated, was perfectly acceptable and appropriate. For him to tell the rest of the congregation how they should vote, was not, plain and simple.
Isn't it when churches cross this line that their tax-exempt status comes into question? I thought I had heard about a bunch of churches that were being investigated because they were campaigning for a specific candidate a few years ago. Not sure, it's been awhile since I heard it, but I thought this was the case.
Isn't it when churches cross this line that their tax-exempt status comes into question? I thought I had heard about a bunch of churches that were being investigated because they were campaigning for a specific candidate a few years ago. Not sure, it's been awhile since I heard it, but I thought this was the case.
That may well be correct. However, when you're "preaching to the choir", as the saying goes, not too many folks are likely to say much about it. Here in the South/Bible Belt, there are many churches and pastors who probably cross that line, push come to shove. You would be hard-put to track them all down, so to speak, nor am I particularly interested in doing so, insofar as the legalities of it all. I believe that there are more important things to drag someone into court about. I just simply feel that the church has no business telling folks how to vote, and I am not under any obligation to follow the dictates of the church, or the church leaders, whomever they may be.
There are dollar amounts and percentages that regulate the amount of lobbying a tax-exempt charity or church organization can do without risking their tax-exempt status.
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I don't care if it's the Catholics, or any of the Protestants,(and they've done the same thing, namely the conservative ones), or any other religious group, it is flat-out wrong to demand that people follow any chuch's dictates or teachings, when voting. What should be leading our voting choices are our consciences, coupled with as much knowledge about the issues and candidates as possible, (and a huge chunk of horse sense never hurts, either). My choice in the voting booth is between myself and my God, not myself and my church, (even if I did still attend
).
High five for the Bishop!
nor am I particularly interested in doing so, insofar as the legalities of it all. I believe that there are more important things to drag someone into court about. I just simply feel that the church has no business telling folks how to vote, and I am not under any obligation to follow the dictates of the church, or the church leaders, whomever they may be.
