The headline alone — "Voter’s Guide for Serious Catholics" — angered several readers of a full-page advertisement in Twin Cities newspapers this week and stirred complaints to the local archdiocese, which said it had nothing to do with its content.
"I go to daily Mass, I’m a serious Catholic, and I don’t feel at all in conjunction with those views,” said Carol Mulcahy of St. Paul.
And just what are those views this serious Catholic doesn’t feel in conjunction with? Abortion, Euthanasia, ESCR, Cloning, and Homosexual Marriage.
The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is making it clear the "church” didn’t pay for Tuesday’s ad. In fact, it discouraged parishes from distributing its contents in booklet form because it deemed it was partisan.
"We are nonpartisan, and we don’t want to send an unintended signal that implies we’re telling anyone who to vote for,” archdiocesan spokesman Dennis McGrath said. "For the same reason, we wouldn’t issue a disavowal of the ad either, not in this charged political environment.” [Source]
This sounds more like a statement from the Diocese of Laodicea.
Then again maybe it just wasn’t fair for Catholic Answers to single out serious Catholics. After all many Catholics who hold heterodox opinions are serious too – seriously wrong. So to remedy this oversight:
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Voter’s Guide for Cafeteria Catholics This voter’s guide helps you cast your vote in an manner consistent with the beliefs that you already hold. It helps you avoid choosing candidates who hold opinions opposite of your own and to avoid just voting with an alleged Catholic conscience as dictated by a male hierarchy. On most issues that come before voters or legislators, the task is selecting the most effective strategy that justifies your own opinion. The task can include selectively using magisterial teachings to comply with your personal magisterial teaching. But some issues concern “non-negotiable” moral selections that do not admit of exception or compromise. One’s position either accords with those principles or does not. No one endorsing the wrong side of these issues can be said to act in accord with your oral norms. This voter’s guide helps you to identify your five issues involving “non-negotiable” moral suggestions in current politics, and helps you narrow down the list of acceptable candidates, whether they are running for national, state, or local offices. You should avoid to the greatest extent possible voting for candidates who endorse or promote concepts against your view of things. As far as possible, you should vote for those who promote policies in line with your world view. THE FIVE NON-NEGOTIABLE ISSUES These five current issues below concern actions that are intrinsically evil and must never be promoted by the law. Intrinsically evil actions are those which fundamentally conflict with your own moral view.
Simply fill in the blanks. Suggestions are minimum wage, national healthcare, War for oil, etc. You might consider adding a traditional Catholic moral suggestion such as abortion. Remember your definition for reducing abortion is not limited to actually passing laws to restrict abortion but can easily include economic issues. THE ROLE OF YOUR CONSCIENCE Conscience is like an alarm and when it goes off do as most of us do and hit the snooze button and send your conscience back to sleep. WHEN YOU ARE DONE WITH THIS VOTER’S GUIDE Please do not keep this voter’s guide to yourself. Read it and fill out your five moral suggestions. Then give this voter’s guide to a friend, and ask your friend to read it and pass it on to others. The more people who vote in accord with your moral compass the better. After all who has the greater teaching authority – the Bishops in union with the Pope or yourself? |
5 comments
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
Brilliant, but oh so sad.
Too true 🙁
Yea, but then we are supposed to allow them to legislate their consciences over ours which is informed by the authority of the Church.
Taking innocent human life isn’t sinful enough, though. It is worse if you do it because of someone’s ethnicity, though it’s okay if it’s bacause He’s Jewish in some circles.
As if we can determine whether or not it was solely because of his ethnicity. After all, he must somehow be less dead if you like him as you kill him…
Jeff, for the next election you should have these printed up and distributed side-by-side in the pews with the Catholic Answers guide. When they compare the two it might be a wake-up call for some.
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