I only titled this post this way because it is in a way related to my previous posts
Why I Vote The Way I Do and
Son of Why I Vote This Way.In those posts I explained why I do not vote based on particular issues and what I do base my voting decisions on.
In particular I discussed why I do not base my
voting decisions, for example, on a candidates stance on abortion. I said that I feel that this is a moral issue and not a legislative or criminal issue.
So I have actually been doing a bit of reading lately on the abortion issue because I have been feeling a certain poking at my soul (so to speak) over it.
Anyway, I was reading
this article today and came across some interesting quotes that I wanted to share.
In the article, Charles
Caput (the current Archbishop of Denver Colorado) while talking to a congregation in Dublin, Ireland states to not:
"give in to those who say 'religion is divisive, or intellectually backward, or that it has no proper place in the public square.
This wrong thinking is now so common that any religiously grounded political action can be portrayed as crossing the border between Church and state affairs."
I can see where he is going with this line of thinking. There is this idea going around that if any time a person (with any religious background and in any sort of position of power) tries to use his own personal morals to decide on a particular issue, then he is crossing the line and they start screaming separation of Church and state.
The quote that really perked my interest in this article though was this one:
"In reality, our moral beliefs always shape social policy......the more pro-lifers tie themselves to a single political party, the less they can speak to society at large."
When I read this I thought two things:
1. I do find it interesting and somewhat strange that pro-lifers and pro-
choicers each flock to one specific political party and I wonder why there are not more people that break that tradition. Maybe they are out there but you don't hear much about them.
But most importantly,
2. In reality, I do let my moral beliefs guide my political "theory." I have said in past posts that I agree with the Democratic party based on their positions on social justice in helping the poor and less fortunate. This is based on my moral position that we need to help those in need.
But have I used my own moral judgement in announcing a position on the abortion issue? No, I have not. I have said repeatedly that it is a moral issue and not a criminal one. I am not voting with my heart on this issue. I am voting on the idea that I don't think the government has the right to tell a person whether or not they can or can not carry a baby in their body. However, I think it is high time that I vote with my heart and soul and not with just my brain.
It is unreasonable to think that we should allow our government to tell us what to do with our bodies, I understand that. But it is equally unreasonable to think that we are allowing people to kill babies. To me, it is more reasonable to think that with the way the abortion issue is turning and how much more it is acceptable, the more times we will see issues like the one I posted about a couple of days ago with the baby that was born alive and then allowed to die.
I can not in good moral conscience allow things like this to happen and to be honest with the way the abortion legislation is going these days, I can only see more of this kind of behavior and it hurts me. It pains me to know that there are babies out there that are dying for no good reason other than the fact that the parent did not want them.
I know there are those out there that will use the argument that making abortions illegals will just make things worse. And while there is a very small chance that they are right, I am willing to allow that to happen and simple just see how it works.
And the idea that bringing forth these ideas goes against the idea of separation of church and state is completely ridiculous. Does a person have to go to church to be a moral person? Does a person have to be religious to not want to allow babies to die? Absolutely not. So don't throw the 'we are a secular nation' card at me. I don't want to hear it.
Am I saying that I am from now on going to base my entire voting decision off whether or not a person is pro-life or pro-choice? I seriously doubt it. I do, however, think that it will become a major player for me.
I am simply saying that I can no longer stand idly by and not care about how a person feels on an issue that is a moral issue. I can no longer be a coward about this issue and hide behind the idea that it is a moral issue only. Of course it is a moral issue! Am I willing to let my own personal morals influence my political thinking? Yes I am. And I am willing to take on all people who say that they do not vote with their morals.
Yes, I am sure that with these statements I am losing big cool points with the liberal crowd and if the ACLU ever reads this they will certainly revoke my membership. That is a chance I am willing to take at this point.
I think that is all I have to say on this for now. Bring it on!
TITLE: Catholic Does Not Equal the Vatican
