Can a catholic support him?
I had been eyeing this book at Kinokuniya for about a month. It was still before his election time. The whole world was for him, and yet, like many other catholics, I felt as though I was betraying my own religion by supporting Barrack, which honsestly didn't make sense to be honest.
My good friend Atlasya depicted my thoughts well in her recent entry. To be ostracized as being pro-death and not following the catholic faith just because one supports Obama is preposterous. Although it might be seem as cowardice , I've been careful not to be to pro-Obama when it comes to openly discussing such pertinent matters with my Catholic circle. I've heard the arguments from both camps.
And so that's why I bought this book. If anything, I guess me purchasing this book is an epitome of how serious I am taking my religion and political beliefs. Growing up I was not that strong of a catholic myself. Sure, I'd never skip Sunday Mass, I had a bible by my bedside, I carried my rosary as often as I could and go about my daily endevours (I still do carry it around with me till this day). But I was out of vogue when it came to the Church's teaching. Perhaps that's why I supported Kerry blindly, without really scrutinizing his stance on abortion.
With the help of the young adult's ministry, through their programs and monthly talks, I grew closer in my faith, and I started seeing how wrong my thoughts were, and how the catholic church had gotten it right all along. Pope John Paul II 's writings on Theology of the body opened my eyes on how the world had gotten it's views on sex and abortion wrong.
And so like most of my catholic friends, I began to renounce abortion, and all the other corrupted evils of this world. I began to view those who were impregnated before marriage as being inmoral and having no faith in them. I began viewing such people as living the ways of the world and not being responsible and abstaining from pre-maritial sex.
But I found that thought to be judgemental and very "pharaisee-like". I wondered whether people who thought that way of others who were involved in a pre-marital sex relationship would think that same way if that person was his younger sister or brother. Too often times we - the "righteous ones who have never been in a compromising situation" sit on a pedestal and judge others. I used to sit on that pedestal and yes I used to be quite judgemental. Like I said before, I naively presumed those who were in a pre-marital sexual union to be irresonspible and not following God's law.
But I have to admit, my thoughts have changed. Personally while I am still against abortion, I have to learn to accept the choices of others. It's extremely painful and difficult for me to say this, but I guess I have perhaps come to a point in my life where I can only share with you my own personal views. It's up to you on what you do next.
It's funny, many months before Obama nominated Joe Biden to be his running mate, as I was reading Audacity Of Hope on a train ride back home, I paused to reflect on how I would address the whole abortion issue if I were president-elect. And my thoughts were exactly what Joe Biden would go on to say down the road : I can't force my belief unto others.
Many people have disagreed with me on that thought of line. Some, have rebuked me by wondering whether I'm a real catholic. I've also been questioned by others on how I can be catholic and yet support a pro-death president.
I feel people are mislead. Supporting Obama does not mean you're necessarily endorsing a murderer (and that's what the Republicans and fundamentalist christians (including Catholics!) want you to believe). On the contary, I took great relief when I found this being quoted by our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI (He was then Cardinal) :
A catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil... if he were to deliberately vote on a candidate precisely because of the candidate's permissive stance on abortion/euthannasia. When a catholic does not share a candidate's stand in favour of abortion/euthannasia, but votes for him for other reasons, it is considered remote material cooperation, which can be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons
I got that quote from just reading a few pages from the book.
Can it be any clearer than that?
So can a catholic support him? ... I'm about to find out
If I were an american
My introduction to America, specifically American politics began in a classroom. I had taken up US History as an arts elective in college. I took it up, not out of knowledge sake, but simply because my friend had the textbook and class notes all prepared and ready to be handed over to me. She had taken the course a year before and so I could save money on buying another textbook, and the class notes; well that was one sweet bonus!
However soon into the semester, I was drawn to the course. I began learning alot about contemporary American history, and how the US played an important and influential role in world affairs, from it's involvement in the Latin and Central America, World War II, the Cold War and the Cuban Missle Crisis, The Iran Contra Affair and the fall of communism. In journeying the nation's history during the whole semester, I had come to admire and learn more about some of the great men that the US had, and I noticed these men were Democrats! For some reason I believed what they championed and stood for. I believed in their policies even though some of them were highly controversial.
My favouarble inkling towards the Democrats was widely seen when I followed closely John Kerry's campaign back in 2004. Even though he was "on the fence" on one particular issue, which I'll talk about later, I still loved the ideas and principles the man stood for. I supported his vision for the nation, even though I wasn't a yankee.
You can imagine my horror when I heard that Bush had won the 2004 elections and got himself re-elected into the White House. Were people blind to see how he handled the country over the last 4 years? Thousands of soldiers were sent to Iraq because Congress believed that Iraq was a dangerous nation which housed WMDs. Despite the UN's findings which claimed that there were no traces of WMDs, the US still went ahead, and they accused Saddam of having ties to Al-Queda, only to find that too wasn't true. Saddam did face execution, but at what cost? And there was enough problems at home ground which wasn't been seen to and handled properly. Can't remember them on top of my head right now, but there were quite a handful!
And now, when I look again at both parties, I gotta admit whenever the Republicans try to throw some crap at the Democrats, I tend to scrutinize the crap, and I find that it's just pathetic. McCain picking an unknown Alaska Mayor as his running mate? Nice move to assure the public mate! McCain suspending his campaign to concerntrate on the economic crises? Umm, that really doesn't give a favourable image.
Now to say the the Democrats are Gods would be wayy too much. I respect the fact they're fighting the rights and providing a better quality of living for the middle class, the class that has sorta been "ignored" and neglected over the last couple of years. But their stand on abortion is something I can't stomach. It didn't bug as much a couple of years ago when I was supporting Kerry. To say that they're being pro-choice by allowing women to have an abortion makes it look as though that babies are commodities.
If you don't want it, you can always cancel your order
If you don't want it, just return with a receipt
Babies are not commodities! Campaigning in support for abortion sounds more pro-death to me than pro-choice. Deciding to terminate your baby isn't the same as deciding to terminate your TV subscription! It isn't the same as cancelling your credit card. We've gotten so brainwashed by this secular world of consumerism till we're taking it further to other people's lives.I mean how can people support this and yet go to church and sit by the pews on Sunday morning? What conscience do these people even have to begin with? Free will has it's limits, and that does not include terminating unwanted pregnencies.
This is only the 1 thing that I can agree with the Republicans.
Having said above, now which side would I pick? Whether it's unfortunate or not, I have to still say that the Democrats are still the lesser evil of the two. Their policies (except the one on pro-choice!) favour the working and middle class more than the other party. Better to have a democrat in the White House than a Republican, so my vote would be for the D. I just wished Ds were pro-life as well.
