Dr. Deal Hudson: 'A Gloss on an Unreliable Guide to Catholic Voters'

By Deal W. Hudson, Ph.D
9/2/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

The entire document is typical of the spin put on Catholic social teaching by groups that support pro-abortion Catholic politicians.

To anyone who knows Catholic social teaching, or the bishops' own document, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, can easily see through its shifty and disingenuous use of Catholic principles and moral concepts. I actually expected something much more clever than this from Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good -- they must have assigned this job to a summer intern. The entire document is typical of the spin put on Catholic social teaching by groups that support pro-abortion Catholic politicians.

Deal W. Hudson, Ph.D

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WASHINGTON,DC (Catholic Online) - The following is a section from the Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good voter guide published on its web site. I have offered some interlinear commentary in BOLD -- the entire document is typical of the spin put on Catholic social teaching by groups that support pro-abortion Catholic politicians.

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To begin with, this pro-life section follows, rather than precedes, a section on "The Economy"!

PRO-LIFE ISSUES
"To our fellow Catholics, we ask you to do even more for life. Reach out to women who are pregnant and in need of help, to families struggling with financial or emotional difficulties. Stand by those who wish to choose life with the witness of solidarity, hope, and service. Catholic families should be living symbols of our conviction that life is always, always a gift from God."
-USCCB Statement "Light and Shadows" on the 25th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

The inviolable dignity of each and every human person, especially those who are vulnerable, is a foundational concern for Catholics. That dignity becomes meaningless unless human life is protected, both in our laws and in our culture. Indeed, as Americans, we believe, as our Declaration of Independence states, that the very purpose of government is to secure "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." We at Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good stand four-square in defense of any and all threats to human life.

Today, human life is threatened by abortion, war, euthanasia, and poverty. We believe that these threats are related. Note the immediate shift away from abortion to a list of "threats" to life. A culture that considers abortion an acceptable response to a difficult and unwanted pregnancy is a culture that is unprepared to defend the rights of the elderly and the infirm to medical care. Again, the argument moves away from abortion to other issues, in the manner of the 'seamless garment' logic perpetuated by such organizations.

A government that ignores the cries of the poor is a government that will fail to consider the horrific human cost of war. A society that does not take steps to support women facing crisis pregnancies is a society that will fail to support children who are born into poverty. Their voter guide contains other sections for these issues yet uses the space under "pro-life" to enumerate them!

We at Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good understand that many of our fellow Americans do not recognize the dignity of unborn life. Consequently, they believe that legal efforts to protect the unborn represent an illegitimate form of coercion, limiting the rights of women who find themselves in very difficult circumstances. We believe that our political culture must address the needs of both mother and child, and we support programs that provide economic and other forms of assistance to women facing an unwanted pregnancy as well as the right of each and every child to be born. Note the use of a subordinate clause to mention "the right of each and every child to be born." Creating a "culture of life" as Blessed Pope John Paul II called us to do, will require Christian witness and we embrace that call. A culture of life cannot be built without the courage to say 'no' to the political correctness enforced by abortion advocates.

We believe that only by defending all threats to human life will Catholics be able to credibly make the case for a "culture of life." Fine! But doesn't "all threats" include the life of the unborn child? Then don't back away from that threat!

A person whom we persuade to respect the rights of immigrants is a person more likely to understand our concern for the unborn. This is such a preposterous stretch, it's laughable -- in other words, those who don't agree with them on immigration can't really be pro-life....what a howler!

Those who share our commitment to the unborn must be challenged to embrace programs that provide affordable health care to the elderly. If you actually had a "commitment to the unborn," I would say, 'Amen.' Those who rightly mourn the loss of life in war must come to extend their concern to those who live in poverty. I expected the end of this sentence to refer to the unborn, but I should have known better.

(Excerpted from the Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good voter guide. Comments in bold are my own.)

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I can't think of anymore that needs to be said about such a document. Anyone who knows Catholic social teaching, or the bishops' own document, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, can easily see through its shifty and disingenuous use of Catholic social principles and moral concepts.

I actually expected something much more clever than this from Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good -- they must have assigned this job to a summer intern.

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Deal W. Hudson is president of the Pennsylvania Catholics Network; founder and former president of Catholic Advocate; former publisher and editor Crisis Magazine; and author of Onward Christian Soldiers: The Growing Power of Catholics and Evangelicals in the United States (Simon & Schuster 2008).

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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Catholics in Alliance for the common good, pro-life, pro-choice, abortion, left, social justice, social teaching, voter guide, campaign 2012, Deal Hudson

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1 - 10 of 17 Comments

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9 months ago
This is a great article. This sheds the light of truth on the Liberal Deceivers who are thick as thieves in the church. Good work.
Judy Claar
9 months ago
Mike Malone, I also thank you for your clarity. Which guides the way a Catholic may vote with a clear conscience. CCS, This information given by the USCCB should help you. Also, the very same thing, is said in simple form by JoAnn. They are Both the same thing. DAN, Your input to ccs was good too. Rome wasn't built in a Day. Heartfelt Prayers...
Judy Claar
9 months ago
JoAnn, Thanks for the Clarity! And Yes, as Florin says, "Catholics indeed need Clarity"! Your simple and straightforward answer to this "Corruption" was utterly fantastic! Short and to the point! A True Catholic Church Truth, so simple to understand, that there really is no need for discussion...IF you are a True Catholic.

CO Readers: May I say, this is not JoAnn's opinion. Nor is it mine. It is your Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, that pleads with you to listen to a Simple Truth. In Reality, you know it in the deepest recesses of your heart that this is True: "If you hear His Voice, Harden Not Your Hearts".

And dear Rosalie,(you have my sweet mother's name, and Today's Saint of the Day.) Truer words were never spoken. There is a battle for the Love of Her Son. Happy Saint's Day!
Prayers and Blessings to All...
Dan
9 months ago
CCS, I think you raise a good point. My understanding is that the prevelant opinion among orthodox Catholic theologians, and in my opinion, the most logical, is that we should vote against the greater evil. It amounts to the same thing, practically, as voting for the lesser of two evils, but the reasoning is different. We vote against the worst case scenario. Think of it practically. Suppose the law was changed to only allow abortion in cases of rape and incest. The result is still horrible. Babies will still be murdered, but in far lesser number. The babies saved are real people created in God's image. We should work to save as many as we can until the time when we can save all.
Don-E
9 months ago
Dr. Hudson, Excellent analysis. Perhaps a bit indelicate, but sometimes a 2 x 4 is required to get the attention this issue deserves. The commenters on this site are also well versed in the issue. From your lips to God's ears. And may He bless you all. Now let's spread the word so on election day, we will all know for whom to vote. And let's bury our legislators in our letters and e-mails, just in case.
Bill Sr.
9 months ago
The many of us who love Holy Mother Church dearly will know the Bishops are truly serious about this and other moral values under attack by the anti-Christian regime in Washington and throughout the world when they back their words with action.
That would be the use of their Biblical and Hierarchical authority to excommunicate members of the flock, especially prominent public figures, who openly and actively support the destruction of innocent human life and/or advocate legislation for or participation in policies and procedures which attempts to achieve that end. This is not to seek the destruction of their souls, far from it, this is an effort to bring them back into full communion with the Church and give evidence both of the grievous errors and the desire to protect and preserve the holiness of the Church membership. Until then their letters and proclamations will be at best a formal confirmation or blessing of the voices crying in our corrupt societal desert of the still faithful and starving for bold leadership laity.
Mike Malone
9 months ago
The USCCB voting guide is a complete and utter disgrace. Once again the bishops have missed the opportunity to teach the faith in a clear and emphatic manner. Instead they parse their words so as not to offend anyones sensitivities. Compare the USSCB guide, 'Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship' to the Priests for Life guide, 'Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics'. The latter guide spells out 5 non-negotiable issues:

1. Abortion
2. Euthanasia
3. Embryonic Stem Cell Research
4. Human Cloning
5. Homosexual Marriage

They lay out Catholic teaching for each of these issues in clear unequivocal language. Take abortion the guide says, "1. Abortion

The Church teaches that, regarding a law permitting abortions, it is "never licit to obey it, or to take part in a propaganda campaign in favor of such a law, or to vote for it" (EV 73). Abortion is the intentional and direct killing of an innocent human being, and therefore it is a form of homicide.

The unborn child is always an innocent party, and no law may permit the taking of his life. Even when a child is conceived through rape or incest, the fault is not the child’s, who should not suffer death for others’ sins."

The guide then lays out the methodology for forming your conscience. I can definately say that if a faithful Catholic follows this guide they could not vote for Obama.

I cannot tell you the number of Catholics who argue that abortion is just one issue and we can't be a single Church. Really?

This whole thing is disgusting and shameful.
ccs
9 months ago
I do not believe that Catholics can vote for Obama. But the fact remains that the Romney-Ryan ticket supports the slaughter of unborn children conceived through rape or incest. Ryan had a principled abortion stance once-upon-a-time before joining the Romney ticket, but he quickly capitulated to Romney's stance. Consequently, there are no major party tickets in this election that Catholics can vote for without supporting intrinsic evil. The Bishops need to speak to what faithful Catholics can do in such a scenario. Cardinal O'Connor made statements that are repeated on the Priests for Life website about voting for the lesser-of-two-intrinsic-evils, but he stressed that these are his personal opinions and not an official stance of the Church. Has the Church ever officially addressed what to do when confronted with intrinsic evils on both sides of the partisan divide?
John Mainhart
9 months ago
Lovely Souls that concentrate on social justice and their role in pushing the government to assist the poor should read Matthew where he quotes the Lord as saying that when judgement time comes He will reward those who assisted Him while they were here on earth and punish those who did not help Him when they were on earth. Jesus was very personal in those statements as He stated if you fed me or visited me in prison or when I was ill etc. I don't think He will look kindly if you say to Him that you urged the govern,ment to assist those people especially if they are close relatives or friends of yours. It was not Jesus' intent to let you give that rsponsibility to some one else through a sytem.
God love you.
JoAnn
9 months ago
I prefer to call "cafeteria Catholics" for what they are. APOSTATES!! Let's stop being so "politically correct." Political correctness is killing this nation. You all want clarity? Here it is. It is a mortal (grave) sin, PERIOD, to vote for anyone who supports abortion - gay marriage - embryonic stem cell research - euthanasia - & cloning. This is what the Church teaches, AND, very emphatically, I might add. How's that for clarity? Are you all saying you never heard that before? OBAMA SUPPORTS ALL OF THESE THINGS. Where's the confusion? God bless.

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