The little item that bothered the political pundits back when JFK was running for president is beginning to surface with the election of Barack Obama. What exactly do I mean? Simply this, a priest in South Carolina has told all in his congregation who voted for Mr. Obama that they should refrain from Holy Communion because, "the Democratic president-elect supports abortion, and supporting him "constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil." He stated that, "in a letter distributed Sunday to parishioners at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenville that they are putting their souls at risk if they take Holy Communion before doing penance for their vote." This is an attempt to control the vote along the lines of what the church feels they have the right to do. It hearkens back to the Middle Ages and the way the church used threats of eternal damnation to control both the nobility and the peasants.
This kind of use of power makes me sick, but it is not exclusively the problem for the church, these days. What happened to voting your own conscience freely? This is an act where the parish priest seems to be using threats to get people to give up a basic right - the right to vote according their own principles and instead end up as a puppet for other's interpretation of faith.
Check out the article for yourself at:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081114/ap_on_re_us/obama_catholics;_ylt=AgR52po3fKDvgZ9WukhNz5Ss0NUE.
Showing posts with label elections. Show all posts
Showing posts with label elections. Show all posts
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Family Political Differences
I am an ardent Obama supporter this election season. I have done my research on the candidate and his record and am thoroughly impressed with his vision for America. That is unless I am with my younger brother. I tend to be in the non-committed camp when in his presence. I'm really not as divided over who I support as that might sound, you see I have an ardent Republican in my favorite, youngest sibling, and I walk a fine line to keep the rhetoric and angry words that often go with politics to a minimum.
He is in most ways a conservative, and I am most certainly a liberal in most of the issues I have voted for and supported over the past ten years. But I'll be honest with you...I value my brother and friend and have never been one who enjoys the political fights and those, "I'm right and you're wrong!" attitudes that often prevail with those I know during presidential election years. My brother can be as stubborn as I am in his hopes for our country and I have decided that I need to leave politics out of our relationship.
Who he is came from many things he's experienced in his life. He is retired Army, and I admire his loyalty to the things he feels strongly about and that stick-to-it-tiveness that makes him someone you really want in your corner in times of trouble. In other words, I consider him an honorable man, and though I disagree with his choice of candidates I need to honor him for who he is in my life.
In these times of political malice that seems to pervade our culture during the presidential elections I see a need for civility - especially with family! Our hard thought out choices for any office don't need to be sabotaged to make anyone feel comfortable.
There is an old proverb that we need to understand with greater clarity during these times of political strife. "A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still."
So this election season, (and probably many, many more!) I will honor the man who is my friend and brother. I can remain true to who I am without having to persuade him to think exactly as I do on anything, political or otherwise.
He is in most ways a conservative, and I am most certainly a liberal in most of the issues I have voted for and supported over the past ten years. But I'll be honest with you...I value my brother and friend and have never been one who enjoys the political fights and those, "I'm right and you're wrong!" attitudes that often prevail with those I know during presidential election years. My brother can be as stubborn as I am in his hopes for our country and I have decided that I need to leave politics out of our relationship.
Who he is came from many things he's experienced in his life. He is retired Army, and I admire his loyalty to the things he feels strongly about and that stick-to-it-tiveness that makes him someone you really want in your corner in times of trouble. In other words, I consider him an honorable man, and though I disagree with his choice of candidates I need to honor him for who he is in my life.
In these times of political malice that seems to pervade our culture during the presidential elections I see a need for civility - especially with family! Our hard thought out choices for any office don't need to be sabotaged to make anyone feel comfortable.
There is an old proverb that we need to understand with greater clarity during these times of political strife. "A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still."
So this election season, (and probably many, many more!) I will honor the man who is my friend and brother. I can remain true to who I am without having to persuade him to think exactly as I do on anything, political or otherwise.
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