Oh, how I get so tired of the political arena. I’ve had too many experiences of conversations gone bad when we all get a little excited about our own point of view and don’t actually try to listen to the other person’s beliefs. It just makes me scared to start any discussion on the topic.
The issue of faith and politics has catapulted the last couple of weeks as the Saddleback Church interviewed both candidates, as Obama selected a pro-choice Catholic as his running mate, and as we are right in between the two conventions.
We also have politicians starting to speak as if they are theologians, the US bishops responding (right on their front page, “above the fold”!) along with a whole slew of other bishops, and Pelosi even trying to counter-argue with the bishops (here’s a good review of her comments and an interpretation of them)
Obviously this abortion issue is a big one, and one that is not going to be solved easily or quickly. Although I don’t always agree with what Doug Kmiec has to say, he makes some good arguments in this article. I wish more Democrats would stand up for this point. What an interesting time it would be if that happened!
So, with all the politics and hoopla going on, what can we do to really make an informed decision? Here’s my 4 step plan:
- Read the Faithful Citizenship document from the bishops.
- Read McCain’s stance on the issues. From the source…not from any “news” outlet!
- Read Obama’s stance on the issues. Again, from the source.
- Re-read the Faithful Citizenship document, with this new info in mind.
And, during all of that, PRAY for God to guide your understand, and to truly form yourself to His Will.
Anyone want to join me in this? We have 2 months to get through all this reading!
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2 comments:
I dig your four steps and look forward to reading your thoughts. Many young catholics like myself have decided on Barack Obama for the reasons well articulated by Douglas Kmiec here and here. Love the blog.
Actually, Bernie, I think your comment is somewhat going against the point I was trying to make. If we are truly serious about applying our faith and the teachings of our Church to our voting practices, I believe that a document from our bishops (our teachers, our shepherds) is a much more reliable source than articles by Douglas Kmiec. Sometimes he has good things to say, but many times his words actually contradict what our bishops are teaching us.
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