All social issues are not equal
by Carder
The political left tried in vain to convince faithful Catholics that other issues rose to the level of abortion, same-sex “marriage” and the rest of the non-negotiables. We were told economic issues rose that high; the minimum wage, the social safety net, universal government health care and all the rest. They argued that the death penalty rose that high. They argued the GOP was not really concerned with abortion after all because decades had passed and the GOP had not overturned Roe v. Wade.
So, we were told to leave the GOP and join the Democrats even though they fight to the death any restrictions on abortion, never saw a gay “marriage” they didn’t love, fought tooth and nail for embryo-destructive research, are enthusiastic about euthanasia, but still want to raise the minimum wage….
Then came the Obama campaign and along with it huge money from George Soros and gay billionaires to create lefty Catholic groups that mirrored those on the right. Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good and Catholics United were two of them. Their purposes were to convince Catholics that doctrinal issues were really prudential and that prudential issues were really doctrinal. They strove to convince faithful Catholics that the GOP really didn’t care about the non-negotiables and that we were suckers for ever thinking they did….
Has the GOP overturned Roe v. Wade just yet? No. Does the GOP desert this issue on a fairly regular basis? Sure. Are there anti-lifers all over the GOP elite? You bet. Even so, the GOP remains the only viable political vessel for stopping what Pope St. John Paul the Great called the most important human rights issue of our time. He did not say that about torture, or the minimum wage, or universal government-run health care.
~ Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute President Austin Ruse on the folly of supporting the policies of the pro-abortion Left, Crisis Magazine, January 30
[HT: Fr. Z]
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
I live close to Fr. Z and see him often enough. I said “Good morning, Father” to him on Sunday morning. In his characteristically dour and persistently irritated manner, he responded, “Good morning” — with an air of finality like Bilbo dismissing Gandalf from the door of Bag End.
I love Fr. Z!
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The article on Crisis is excellent.
Faithful Catholics should form solid opinions about our social programs concerning healthcare, jobs and wages, immigration, etc. Our bishops have provided resources and wisdom to help our formation. Pope Francis’s first and only official teaching Evangelii gaudium encourages us to live these principles in our own lives of generosity — and that may mean lobbying our legislators as well.
And yet, these important concerns must take second place to injustices which are intrinsically evil. Abortion, euthanasia, diverting our culture into pretending genders and pretending marriages. We cannot have “opinions” about these things…. we must oppose them.
In our political participation, we cannot support or vote for candidates or parties who advocate for the killing of children. We have to reject the pro-death candidate. We have to vote for the pro-life candidate, even if she is lukewarm in her support for life. Then we need to continue working and lobbying the representative toward more justice concerning life – first – and then share our opinions about economic justice.
Catholics need to understand our own hierarchy of evil and good works. It is not difficult.
“what Pope St. John Paul the Great called the most important human rights issue of our time”
Amen.
Economic justice will roll in when people stop stealing. Capitalism will approach perfection to the extent that people make honest and understandable employment agreements, investment agreements, and totally avoid stealing.
When people act as though they truly believe that stealing and killing are wrong, a whole lot of problems will be solved.
Try to choose 100 percent pro-life charities. The shortfall of money will really get the attention of the U.S. Catholic Bishops.
Why speak, when freedom is so limited?