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Originally Posted by Preechr
Politics is the science or art of maintaining or attaining control. With the controversy that seems to stain every action taken by the Vatican these days, especially in America, is it really any wonder the Church is becoming more politically assertive? Do you think it's feeling at least a little bit of a sense of loss of control?
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I don't know that homosexuality within the clergy, molestation charges, etc. etc. would be solved by endorsing a candidate, or being louder and more "assertive."
The Church has always been quite assertive, but it has maintained a quiet non-partisan approach that I PERSONALLY think is the best route in America.
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Not to sound disrespectful, but there have been a LOT of bad news items focusing on the Catholic Church lately... and by lately, I mean for a long time. It's hard not to see this thing with the Communion, as an outsider, as anything but a defensive or reflexive action taken to reassert it's waning moral authority (at best) or just another tragic step along the same general downward path it's been heading (at worst.) I'm not speaking from my own personal opinion here, so please don't take my comments as such. I suppose there's a good reason why the obvious has yet to be mentioned in this thread, but you cannot talk about the Catholic Church's actions any more without discussing all of the bad press it can't seem to shake and the effect that has on public opinion.
I know you were posing an if...then question, but the audience is, for the most part, wondering by what right the Vatican can take ANY moral stand when it's own skeletons have been out of their closets, dancing in the streets for decades now. You seem to be discussing dinner plans when the cruise ship is sinking beneath you... though, of course, I'm not referring to anything having to do with faith... only the hierarchy of the Church.
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I don't know that the two really relate, and yes, it seems like a bit of a tangent from the initial topic at hand. I'll answer with this: For all the Chicken Little discussion about the "decline" of the Roman Church, and sexual abuse scandals, etc., the Church still commands great attention and power. Both parties are currently courting the Catholic vote, which is argued to be "up for grabs" this year. President Bush, just a couple of months ago, made a point to hold a big song and dance with the Pope in Rome. And once again, a large portion of our legislative branch happens to be Catholic. Further, the very fact that people attack the Catholic Church every chance they get shows that we remain relevant. It's funny that Conservative, non-Catholic Christians like to cry and bemoan a liberal bias in the media, but they are less vocal when that same media attacks what is arguably the oldest conservative institution in the world.
I didn't want to get into a discussion about sex charges and the potency of ones faith, because I would never personally question the religious choices made by others, nor would I determine their faith to be irrelevant in any way.
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As for the discussion you guys were having regarding the appropriateness of the Republican courtship of the Vatican, (again,as an outsider,) it only seems to fit. The Democrats long ago positioned themselves as the secular, too- intelligent-for-faith party. Any sort of Christian is better than a free-lovin', abortion-havin', dope-smokin' Hippie. Again, this seems obvious.
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This is absolutely untrue. First of all, your claim that the Dems. have "long ago" made themselves the hippie interest group party only dates back to the late 1960s--early 1970s. And despite that shift in the system (not entirely initiated by the Democrats, either), the Catholic vote has still gone reliably Democratic, with perhaps the exception of the Reagan campaigns. However, even then, Catholics tended to vote Democrat in state and local elections.
Secondly, a big reason the Church had traditionally taken a more non-partisan approach was because neither major party had provided them with a solid option. Catholics (such as my wonderful mother) have flirted with the Right to Life Party, but that seems to be more so in statewide elections. Neither major party has a national platform that appeals entirely to the economically liberal/socially conservative stance of the Church. This is where my primary gripe comes in, because it seems to me that those Catholic bishops who are screaming the lidest over Kerry and abortion have lost focus of the entire platform of faith.