Our Faith Begins At Life (link)

by Edward Morrissey and Elizabeth “The Anchoress” Scalia

Technorati Tags: Catholic,iowa,election,vote,christian,obama,mccain,bishop,faithful Citizenship,conscience,vatican,finn,embryo,morals,values,abortion,infanticide,freedom of choice act,FOCA

This is a good summary of things to consider this election day…

Bishop Finn (KC Bishop) frames Obama vote in terms of salvation (YouTube link – see embed video below)

American Papist Blog – headline summary of links to consider

U.S. Vatican official: vote pro-life and pray to Our Lady of Guadalupe – Catholic News Agency

Joe the Embryo (link) – The Westchester Institute for Ethics & The Human Person

New poll shows 13 point McCain lead among Catholics – Catholic News Agency

Election of Obama would be a disaster – Catholic Insight

Bishop Finn (KC Bishop) frames Obama vote in terms of salvation

See “Bamboozled.”

First:  When morals are relaxed, the boundaries are pushed farther and farther.  This is exactly the case in the matter of abortion – the clinics seem to have a practice that if babies are in fact born alive after botched abortions – medical care is not provided. The bar keep moving.  Where will it stop?  This is direct violation of the federal Born Alive Infant Protection Act that has been getting exposure recently because of Barack Obama votes against it as an Illinois State Senator.

Remember, Senator Obama has said that “the first thing I’d do as President is sign the Freedom of Choice Act.”  This strips all legal (and moral) restrictions on abortion such as informed consent, waiting period, ban on partial birth abortion techniques, and parental consent. See late breaking analysis on this from a Bishop in Kansas City (link) and this from Cardinal Rigali (link).

The moral boundaries are moving already – and we’d see an ever encroaching moving of those boundaries.

Second:  How can doctors, who have taken the Hippocratic oath, and other healthcare “professionals” allow these acts?  I would literally quiver, shake, go insane if I saw a baby grasping for life yet is not provided any medical – and no comforting care as a HUMAN BEING! How can it be done? How can a human perform abortion in the first place?

Third: My second daughter was born 13 weeks premature, nearly 23 weeks gestation. Same gestation as described in this video. We fought for her life as she was on the respirator for months, and in the hospital for five long months.  My wife and I didn’t miss a day visiting her in the hospital. For 142 days.

While I am not a medical doctor, I know that children at that gestation (and I would argue for months before that gestation) represent nothing short of human life. In God’s image.  I’m at a loss of words as to the practice of infanticide.

Fourth:  How can voters, especially Christian and Catholic, actually vote for Barack Obama?  Please tell me what proportionate intrinsic evil be equivalent to the horrors we face with abortion and the moving moral boundary?

Here is undercover footage at a Planned Parenthood clinic.  It’s not graphic, but exposes what appears to be practices within Planned Parenthood that do not follow the law of the Born Alive Infant Protection Act.  See:

Planned Parenthood Admits Current Infanticide acts, Obama Defends

You may or may not actually believe the video, but why does it take students to do investigative reporting to expose these practices?  Why don’t real journalists do this type of work to check organizations that *could* venture into horrific practices as what could be happening at abortion clinics?

We are killing our most innocent, our most vulnerable.  Pray that we have the courage to say “no more.”  Pray that we leave our own aspirations and political idolatry and come to Your Truth.

Pray that we will defend the right to life with maximum determination; for the right to life is the basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights and dignities.  Pray that we hear the calls that defense of innocent human life is our utmost moral responsibility. 

Pray that we hear God’s thunder “Thou Shalt Not Kill!”  Pray that we hear God’s thunder “This is a child!”

Pray that no Catholic, no Christian, will forgo their moral obligations and by their voting actions cause the holocaust of abortion to continue.

Pray in God’s name.  Amen.

Here is an unbelievably clear message by Cardinal Justin Rigali, October 28th, 2008:  Faithful Citizenship – Respect for Life.

Iowa Catholics:  Are you hearing this message?  Are you hearing the massive prayers occurring every day to defend life to the utmost determination?

Your vote matters and you must stand up for the innocent souls whose life is taken through abortion.

Now is the time.  As Cardinal Rigali clearly states – We must hear God’s thunder “Thou Shalt not Kill!” and God’s thunder “This is a child!”.

“What America needs is spiritual renewal and reconciliation — first, man with God, and then man with man.” ~ Ronald Reagan, 1976.

Just Tell Us The Truth…

CatholicVote.com

Catholic Vote 2008

Rosary Films

Obama & The Genocide Of Americans / The Freedom of Choice Act / Video

Obama & The Genocide Of Americans / The Freedom of Choice Act / Video

The Catholic Vote – 5 Reasons Why The Church Forbids Catholics From Voting For Obama Video

The Catholic Vote – 5 Reasons Why The Church Forbids Catholics From Voting For Obama Video

Obama & Live Birth Abortion / Induced Labor Abortions / Infanticide Pro-Life Anti-Abortion Video

Obama & Live Birth Abortion / Induced Labor Abortions / Infanticide Pro-Life Anti-Abortion Video

The Catholic Vote – Obama And Abortion – Catholics Cannot Vote For “Pro-Choice” Politicians / Pro-Life Video

The Catholic Vote – Obama And Abortion – Catholics Cannot Vote For "Pro-Choice" Politicians / Pro-Life Video

Family Research Council Action PAC

Barack Obama, Planned Parenthood, and FOCA

Barack Obama, Planned Parenthood, and FOCA

Senator Barack Obama’s record on protecting life

Senator Barack Obama’s record on protecting life

Born Alive Truth

BornAliveTruth.org Gianna ad

Born Alive Truth

In light of this article, one must remember in these elections we have a choice. One choice for president leaves inevitabilities that will transpire against human beings like the one shown in this image. 

Senator Barack Obama stated on July 17, 2007 that “The first thing that I’ll do as president will sign the Freedom of Choice Act” (FOCA).  This legislation will strip all morally reasonable restrictions on abortion – waiting periods, parental consent, partial birth abortion ban, restriction of federal funds used for abortions, etc. 

There many articles by US Catholic Bishops on FOCA:

• “A Politician’s Promise: No Right to Life! No Freedom!”
• Freedom Of Choice Act (FOCA), It’s Supporters and Their Apologists
• USCCB Press Release – Urges Respect for Human Life, Opposition to ‘Freedom of Choice’ Act

In determining who you may get your vote in this election for president, please do not ignore Senator Obama’s clear stance and his own words that will set back the pro-life movement for literally decades.

A President Obama administration combined with a Democratic controlled congress will accelerate abortion rates (through immediate passage of FOCA) and continue it for 10-20 more years with impending supreme court justice appointments.  I predict that 500,000+ more lives per year, and a total of 1,500,000 lives per year for 20 years.

To put that into perspective, let’s assume a President MCain will support Pro-Life legislation and appoint constructionist judges.  Therefore could put policies into place to reduce abortion rates significantly, assume down to 250,000 per year twenty years from now (and could be even more) with supreme court justice appointments that would be more pro-life. 

Over a 20 year period (a generation), a President McCain administration here and now can help to save 25,000,000 unborn, living human beings as compared to the election of a President Obama on November 4, 2008.

If that’s not worth YOUR vote for McCain, potentially abandoning your previous political party affiliations, I don’t know what is.  I contend that is even worth working as hard as you can in support of the election of Senator John McCain for president.

Here is the reader’s response:

“I’m sorry, but I find your attitude more offensive than the jerks running around ripping off political signs. I must admit that a great deal of your post made little sense, but when you began your screed concerning Catholic voting it caught my eye. I did not go to your website nor do I intend to. I’m not only a Democrat but I am also a Catholic. The two can be and SHOULD be mutually exclusive and it upsets me when a Catholic, of all people, doesn’t understand that. Read the history of the Church and then tell me that religious involvement in government is still a good thing. Most importantly, remember what every 2nd grade Catholic child learns, that the definition of “catholic” is “universal”.”

And then my response to that:

<name omitted>, with all due respect, as you know our nation was founded by people of faith that were seeking freedom from religious persecution.

First of all, I highly recommend to go to the Faithful Citizenship discussion tomorrow night (Thursday, 10/23), 7pm at St. Pius here in Cedar Rapids. Tom Chapman with the Iowa Catholic Conference will be presenting how to create a well formed conscience in pursuit of Faithful Citizenship.

Excuse me for being long winded… Further, the constitution’s 1st amendment (Bill of Rights) reads:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Any “separation of church and state” ideology actually is that the state would not establish a religion of choice (ie. persecute or give less rights to others not of the state’s religion). It does not say that a people of religious faith cannot make their voices heard as to their morals and values to the public square – ie. in elections.

There is entirely every right, in fact a duty, of every Christian person to bring their values and proclaim these values as important to our elected officials.

The Catholic Church is providing extensive teaching on what the faithful should consider when making their decisions in elections. They help to prioritize issues that are expressly relevant to the Gospel and being a true follower of Jesus.

They say, and I entirely think rightfully so, not to following any specific party line because of tradition and such. Judge each party and candidate according to the teaching of the church.

And the church is frankly saying that some issues are more important – some are intrinsically evil and must ALWAYS be opposed. Abortion is one such issue.

They also say that voting for a pro-life candidate doesn’t give that candidate a pass – faithful should also challenge that candidate (and party) to better reflect Catholic and Christian social concerns overall.

You may not like what you hear – but your church is saying a lot about the values we should hold as Catholics.

Read my blog and you will get a glimpse of this analysis. I certainly welcome comments and discussion.

http://blog.iowacatholicvote.com