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Orthodoxy - right teachings for a right moral compassAnswering detractors of the Catholic faith and the Catholic view of today's headlines.
January 14 Don't forget next Tuesday's primary...With this election cycle's early primary/caucus season, something is getting lost in the jumble. We have already had the Iowa caucus (1/3/08), the Wyoming Republican caucus (1/5/08), and, last Tuesday, the New Hampshire primary (1/8/08). Coming up this Tuesday, Jan 15th, there is the Michigan primary. Saturday, Jan 19th is the South Carolina primary & the Nevada caucus. Tuesday, Jan 29th is the Florida (primary), and Feb 5 is "Super Tuesday", when 22 states will hold their primaries or caucuses. Looking at the above dates, we see a lot of Tuesday voting going on. However, there is a big gap between the S.C./Nevada vote and the Florida vote. 10 days is the biggest gap in the entire nomination season. There is a reason for this gap - next Tuesday is the "Prayer & Fasting Primary". Jan. 22 is a National Day of prayer and fasting, as called for by the American bishops, because it is the date of the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in this country. This year is the 35th anniversary of the event that sparked the deaths of nearly 49 million babies. To put that number into perspective, the total number of people eligible to vote in the primaries and caucuses before Super Tuesday (according to 2004 numbers) was just shy of 27 million - in other words, 81% more people have been aborted than will possibly choose the candidates for President. Another way of looking at it: In 2004, John Kerry got 59,028,548 votes (a fifth more votes than the number of aborted babies) and George W. Bush got 62,041,268 votes (about a quarter more votes than the number of aborted babies). We often hear complaints about the two-party system and how we need a 3rd party. 49 million people is enough to make up a very viable 3rd party in this country. Next Tuesday, when we fast as an act of "penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion" and we pray "for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life" (General Instruction of the Roman Missal, no. 373), let us make those 47 million voices be heard.
(State and total votes cast in 2004 election) Alabama 1,883,415 Alaska 312,598 Arizona 2,012,585 Arkansas 1,054,945 Colorado 2,129,630 Connecticut 1,578,769 Delaware 375,190 District of Columbia 227,586 Hawaii 429,013 Idaho 598,376 Indiana 2,468,002 Iowa 1,506,908 Kansas 1,187,756 Kentucky 1,795,860 Louisiana 1,943,106 Maine 740,752 Maryland 2,386,678 Massachusetts 2,912,388 Minnesota 2,828,387 Mississippi 1,152,365 Missouri 2,731,364 Montana 450,434 Nebraska 778,186 Nevada 829,587 New Hampshire 677,662 New Mexico 756,304 North Dakota 312,833 Oklahoma 1,463,758 Oregon 1,836,782 Rhode Island 437,134 South Carolina 1,617,730 South Dakota 388,215 Tennessee 2,437,319 Utah 927,844 Vermont 312,309 Washington 2,859,084 West Virginia 755,887 Wyoming 243,428 Tags: abortion, 2008 Election, pro-life, primaries, Roe v. Wade, voter turnout, prayer, fasting August 30 Chinese forced abortions and AmnestyThe Houston Chronicle has an article about Chinese victims of forced abortions fighting back.
My question is this: Where is Amnesty International on this? What are they doing to help the Chinese people from having their rights (and the rights of their unborn children) violated? (I mean aside from pushing for abortion to be a "universal right".) Quick quiz: who said, "Violence cannot be answered by further violence, murder by murder"? If you answered "Amnesty International", you're wrong. These are actually the words of Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, in response to Amnesty International saying that abortions are needed in Darfur because of the use of rape as a form of torture. It's the old "2 wrongs don't make a right", and abortion is not a right! [Note: although there has been some press about pro-life rockers and the "Instant Karma" "Relief for Darfur" CD, there is not yet any evidence, one way or the other, that specific artists (like Christina Aguilera or Avril Livigne) are in fact pro-life, offended, or possibly pulling out of the project.] Tags: abortion, Amnesty International, pro-life, China, Vatican, Christina Aguilera, Avril Livigne August 27 Twin dies in failed eugenics attemptAgain, I will refer you to G.K. Chesterton's eerily prescient Eugenics and Other Evils. If you honestly think abortion is a victimless process, read on. Botched abortion shocks ItalyTags: abortion, eugenics, pro-life, Italy June 28 another Terri Schiavo avertedTell me if you've heard this one before: A married couple has some difficulties in their marriage. One of them ends up in the hospital, diagnosed as "brain dead" (a very subjective term in the "science" of medicine). After being declared brain dead, but kept alive with a feeding tube and air tube, their spouse signs an order to have the tubes removed. The family of the "brain dead" person pleads with the spouse to no avail. They then go to the courts to get the feeding tube replaced. Am I talking about Terri Schiavo? No, because this person is still alive, because the courts allowed the family to feed him again. He is now awake and communicating. Injured man's awakening called 'miracle'
PHOENIX — Eighteen days after his wife instructed doctors to disconnect food and water tubes, a Chandler, Ariz. man is sitting up in his hospice bed, giving the thumbs-up sign and communicating with visitors. Jesse Ramirez Jr.'s awakening, which friends called "a miracle," occurred after his sister, parents and other relatives went to court and obtained an emergency order for feeding and hydration tubes to be reinserted, reversing a directive given by his wife, Rebecca Ramirez. Judge Paul Katz announced the news Tuesday during a Maricopa County Superior Court hearing. Relatives had been in a three-week battle over the 36-year-old postal worker's fate, and who should control it. Ramirez suffered brain injuries in a May 30 automobile accident. He regained consciousness on Sunday. "He is awake," confirmed Judith Morse, an attorney appointed by Katz to investigate legal, ethical and medical issues. "He is able to respond to verbal commands. He is aware of who he is and who his family members are." No further information about Ramirez's condition was available. Morse also announced that Rebecca Ramirez and
her in-laws had reached a settlement in the dispute over Ramirez's
care. An independent guardian will be appointed to make medical
decisions. Let's hope that we, as a society and a culture, learn from the Terri Schaivo mistake and err on the side of life. June 18 great way to limit abortionsThis is a great (and creative) way to limit the number of abortions taking place in our country - regulate them into non-existence! Abortion Bill Could Force Changes at Planned Parenthood Jefferson City, Mo. - Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri is studying how it could comply with new abortion requirements. At issue is a measure that Governor Blunt is expected to sign into law. It would require any facility that performs more than five first-trimester abortions a month, or any second- or third-trimester abortions, to meet licensure requirements for an "ambulatory surgical center." That means doors and hallways would have to be wider. Ambulatory surgical centers also must meet requirements for emergency equipment, infection control, medical staffing and numerous other things. A Planned Parenthood official says it will cost substantially more than one million dollars at each of its abortion clinics to comply. Tags: abortion Planned Parenthood pro-choice pro-life Missouri June 06 Finally, a true authority speaks...In the abortion "debate", so much of the argument boils down to emotions, which then degrades to ad hominem attacks, while straying from any facts and figures. It is because of this type of downward spiral that it is always refreshing to have someone with intelligence, a calm demeanor, and all the facts available who is able to guide us to a logical conclusion. May I present to you: Gisele Bundchen, Brazilian supermodel, ex-girlfriend of noted environmental expert, Leondardo diCaprio, and now moral theologian and Bishop of Brazil. According to this Reuters article, Gisele believes that, "Church opposition to condom use was ridiculous and women should have the right to choose on abortion." Her basis for this radical new position on the abortion issue? The facts - specifically: when the Church
made its laws centuries ago, women were expected to be virgins.
"Today no one is a virgin when they get married ... show me someone who's a virgin!" This reminds me of a conversation that I had with my in-laws a few years after my wife and I got married. They knew that we were waiting until marriage, before we had sex, but they thought we were in a very small minority. My father-in-law said, "Boy, I bet there's not many people like you two." We replied, "As a matter of fact, we've been to 4 weddings this year, and 3 of them were of virgins marrying virgins, while the 4th one was a virgin marrying a girl who reformed her life and had remained celibate for over 5 years prior to marriage." There is a common misconception that everybody out there is having sex before marriage. This used to be known as peer pressure, but now, it is no longer just your peers applying the pressure - it appears to be the entire society. In reality, over half of all teenagers are choosing abstinence and virginity, and that number is on the rise (53% in 2003, compared to 46% in 1990). Furthermore, those virginity pledges are starting to have positive returns. Gisele, maybe the reason you don't know any virgins is because of the sexually over-charged industry you are in. Part of the reason so many celebrity marriages fail is because of the lack of true intimacy built up over time during a celibate dating relationship. Maybe models, actors, and other performers should just stick to what they do best (i.e., "look pretty and sound good"), and leave the morality to the experts (i.e., the Church). Tags: abortion virgin Gisele Bundchen pro-choice pro-life abstinence supermodel May 03 More unvitations from Archbishop BurkeLooks like Archbishop Burke is laying down the law regarding anti-Catholic views in his archdiocese. Now pro-choice, pro-ESCR Senator Claire McCaskill has been un-invited to speak at her daughter's high school graduation. Apparently, she was slated to speak at the high school graduation, but since the school gets the right to call itself "Catholic" from the archdiocese, the diocesan policies regarding public speakers must be followed, and that policy forbids granting a public forum at a Catholic institution to speakers who diverge from church teaching (in this case, being a pro-choice lawmaker and advocating embryonic stem cell research). These politicians and celebrities need to realize that, even if they don't agree with the Church about the eternal consequences of their advocacy, there are still earthly consequences as well. Sen. McCaskill (D-MO) sold her right to speak at her daughter's graduation for votes when she had Michael J. Fox make that commercial advocating embryonic stem cell research. Tags: abortion bishop McCaskill pro-choice pro-life stem cell St. Louis April 26 All she wants to do...... is be sexually irresponsible, but environmentally conscious. ... is promote abortion. ... is trade babies for Michael J. Fox. ... is use one square. (Well, maybe not, but that's what she wants all of us to do.) Sheryl Crow is best known for being an adequate, folksy singer (think of a less talented, female version of John Cougar Mellancamp), but she is also a very vocal advocate for abortion and embryonic stem cell research, as well as being an advocate for protecting the environment. She has recently proposed that, in order to fight global warming, we should all use just 1 square of toilet paper per bathroom visit. Never mind the fact that her concert contract has riders in it that are far more ecologically wasteful than mere t.p. What does this have to do with a religion-based blog? Not much, but it does show a pattern of misguided thought when coupled with another recent news story concerning Ms. Crow. You see, Archbishop Raymond Burke recently resigned from the board of a Catholic charitable organization over news that Sheryl Crow was going to be the headline act at a fund raising event. Specifically, the Archbishop rebuked the organization for sending mixed messages, which is not only within his rights as an American, but is his ecclesial responsibility as a member of the Church Magisterium. The good Archbishop said, "It's very painful for me, but I have to answer to God for the responsibility I have as archbishop." Kudos to the Archbishop of St. Louis for doing what so many other U.S. bishops (and U.S. Catholics, in general) are afraid to do: stand up for The Faith. Back to Sheryl Crow, the link between these 2 news stories is hypocrisy. It is bad enough that she as a recording artist (note: not the same thing as a scientist, moral theologian, or anything else that requires study and thought) has decided to push her causes of abortion and global warming - what's worse is the lack of logic to see the hypocrisy of her own ideas. She believes that we should not waste toilet paper, for the sake of the planet, yet "unwanted" babies for whatever reason should be destroyed at the whim of the mother. Let me make this more clear: she believes that we should not waste toilet paper, but innocent life can be sliced apart, sucked out, and thrown away. In other words, toilet paper is more valuable than a human being. Toilet paper - which was invented for the purpose of cleanliness - should not be thrown out haphazardly and irresponsibly, but babies - who are created in the image and likeness of God - can be disposed of to the tune of (no pun intended!) 1.2 million per year in the U.S. alone, for any reason if an irresponsible woman wants to get rid of it. Personally, I'd much rather see college students abusing toilet paper (e.g., TP-ing a friend's house or car) than abusing God's gift of life by aborting it. Hopefully, the People's Republic of Sheryl Crow will never come to pass. As long as Catholics pray and use their dollar votes, as well as their electoral votes, to promote Catholic values, we will be able to spare a square. Tags: abortion bishop Sheryl Crow pro-choice pro-life toilet paper concert March 01 Pro-abort politicians and Church bishopsThere's an interesting debate going on in the combox at Jimmy Akin's site, under the heading "Why Doesn't the Church Bar Pro-Abort Politicians". Many people are trying to figure out the strategy of relative silence on the issue being employed by the U. S. bishops. Many believe it's a pragmatic approach of balancing short-term gains versus long-term losses. Others believe that the bishops have lost their moral standing. Finally, there are those that believe the bishops are taking a protectivist approach, shielding their dioceses from potential attack from political opponents. My take on it is this: I think we're talking too much about "practical actions" and "pragmatic solutions" without taking into account a very real fact of our Church - it has NEVER been popular! It would have been easier to say that Jesus was just another god, rather than raise the ire of the Roman emperors. That didn't happen. It would have been easier, once Christianity was accepted as a religion, to have gone along with Arianism. After all, that was what some of the Roman emperors preferred as a good interpretation of Christianity, and also would have been acceptable to many Jews. That didn't happen. It would have been easier to have just gone along with King Henry VIII, than to lose Church property and the lives of many religious. If that had happened, than Sir Thomas More would not be known as St Thomas More. But that didn't happen. So why, then, is it acceptable now to take the easier, more logical, more pragmatic approach of NOT speaking out against our politicians? Maybe if we had 30 or 40 years ago, abortion on demand would not be the law of the land. But that didn't happen. February 20 Ash Wednesday is tomorrowDon't forget to figure out what you are doing for Lent this year (e.g., giving up doing/eating something; doing some extra praying or Christian reading; donating more time/talent/treasure to someone less fortunate; etc.). Also, please pray today for all those who are going to use today (Mardi Gras, a.k.a., "Fat Tuesday") as an excuse to sin all the more.
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