Catholicism and Politics

alright, there has been much ado lately with Kerry and his catholic background. So...can you be catholic and support abortion/gay marriage? I dont think you can. Thats like being a vegan who eats meat. There are certain guidelines that one must adhere to be called a catholic/vegan/whatever....and unless you adhere to them you arent.

whats your opinion?

 

In the long run it doesn't matter-just vote Bush out no matter what!!!! Anyone, absolutely ANYONE, is a better choice than George W. A liar, a crook, a hypocrite, so what? HE"S ALL OF THOSE THINGS. So I'm voting for Kerry as our best hope for getting rid of that asshole.

 

I don't think you can even call yourself a Christian AND a Liberal either. Make no sense at all.

 

if your part of a religion and it is against abortion and same-sex marriage, then i believe, if you truly are part of that religion you should not support it. but that only goes for religious matters. on civil matters, i believe that even if your part of that religion then you still have to supoort personal choice, because who says your religion is the true religion. what makes that religion part of civil law or other parts of the country when there is a freedom to choose your own religion?

but then again, there are a lot of practicing catholics and other practicing christians that believe in and support abortion and same-sex marriage. So now there are a whole bunch of people beign "false" to there religion.

that is why i have my own beliefs and am not conformed to believe in a particular belief, such as catholicism.

 

Eh religion changes over time, it's natural for people to begin doubting the dogma they've been taught. It's where all the schisms in the past came from. For me Kerry's religiosity is a non-issue.

 

I am catholic, at least babtized catholic, and I totally support gay marriage, and the right to for every women to choose whether to have abortion or not (although I believe it's a bad thing) I mean these guys are just not christian in a true sense at all! they would be a lot nicer to everybody, and care instead of making war!

 

What does is religion doing for our country except separating one from another. Bush spreads his own dogma
Kerry will spread his.
They both suck as far I am concerned but I will stick with Bush for now.
He at least will bring the end if nuthing else.

 

I agree with this point. This is not about religion, this is about money

 

LiberalsLikeChrist.Org/about/kingdream.html This site offers a different perspective.

 

I agree that religion should be a non issue in this campaign.

However, doesnt the vatican set the beliefs for catholics? How can you be a catholic and go against those beliefs?

 

yes, the vatican does set the believes. A good thing for example is, that the pope said something against the war in Iraq. A bad thing is he's against homosexual. But as a thinking human being you have the choice. It is the people that mostly make up a church, and I know a lot of liberal catholics here in Europe. So what the vatican should make you think, but you don't have to follow everything, because that would just make a dummy out of you.
Religion, as well as Politics and advertisement, it's all about critical thinking and not just commiting your soul totally to the system.

 

i dont think thats true for a religion. If you dont follow their beliefs(be they anti war, anti gay marriage, anti abortion).....then you arent a member of that religion. Could i be a muslim that believes jesus is the messiah?

 

I even know priests that think that way! and a while ago the church here in germany was allowed to do the abortion counseling required to get an abortion here. So you see, at least here in Europe, it is true for religion.

 

Religion can be really flexible if you allow it to. If you're someone who craves to follow the teachings of the Vatican word for word, then you'll probably think anyone who doesn't isn't a Catholic. Not all Catholics are so rigid though, many start thinking for themselves and don't follow the Vatican rigidly. For instance there are even the Catholic traditionalists that condemn the later Vatican creeds for Church reform. If you think you're doing adequately enough to be a legit member of your faith, than that's good nuff. Religion's a personal thing. But what would an agnostic-humanist know.

 

I totally agree with you LuciferSam!

 

wouldnt that make you a protestant and not a catholic? I mean, there are certain guidelines one must adhere to when joining anything. I mean, i cant eat meat and call myself a vegan(well i can, but it would be a lie).....i cant call myself a muslim and worship jesus as the messiah....Religion is one of the things that i think there is no budge on. To be a catholic you have to follow their precepts or else you're not a catholic and something else. While i know that several priests do what they arent told(i.e. give sacraments to those who dont follow their beliefs), they are in violation of what the vatican is saying and thus not really part of hte church.

 

the differnce with christianity is that people will forever disagree on what christianity entails, and whether or not our faith has any place in government. i for one and a christian, and believe christ forgave EVERYTHING, that christ was an extremely liberal person who believed in harming no one, and that if religion infiltrates government, then government will infiltrate religion. people who hate christians are just as bad as people who hate muslims. it's EXACTLY the same thing. it's hate, and it's stupid.

 

Well, you see, that's where the difference is - your opinion and mine. For you, the pre-requisites that you stated are what makes you a legit Catholic. But not everyone has that same criteria, it's not so absolute, and even in the Catholic church there are variations. What matters to people is whether they are legit as Catholics or whatever else by their own criteria. Otherwise, religions would never have gone through change, without some people with different ideas who make reforms to suit the times. Religion, in my view, is one of the easiest and best areas to "budge" on, if you let yourself, and is best individualized.

 

And the most important thing is, if you don't have a personal relationship to god, you're not religious at all. And a personal relationship to god makes religion a personal thing.

Jesus himself wanted a lot of changes. He chased the guys that wanted to trade out of the temples, because temples are god's houses and they are not for money things.

And now look at those who call themselves so super religious and conservative, it's just about money what they are doing, and they use religion as a cover.

 

I would say that is true for religions where there is not an official head that dictates what beliefs make up a religion. Protestantism for instance. But catholics have a head of church and to ignore what he says means you arent practicing catholicism.