tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post2623036337798864995..comments2023-08-21T03:51:17.425-06:00Comments on Enlightened Catholicism: The Fighting Irish Are Under Attackcolkochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432916690101599393noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-35902907682401798332009-03-29T11:51:00.000-06:002009-03-29T11:51:00.000-06:00studdunker, I don't know that Jesus keeps count be...studdunker, I don't know that Jesus keeps count because his energy is so personal.<BR/><BR/>I think he's more concerned about how our decisions effect us personally which is why He was pretty adamant about not judging each other.<BR/><BR/>Like you, I think we now have a moral responsibility to stay in Iraq until the Iraqi's can run their own government. It makes me sick though, but I also know, that this whole mess became all about Iraqi choice the minute we started this war.<BR/><BR/>So in short, I think life is about choice and how we exercise it and how we grow from it, both as individuals and as cultures. My prayer is that American society grows enough that the choice for an abortion becomes unthinkable. That's going to take more than condemning Notre Dame and President Obama. Condemnation is the lazy man's antidote for failure to walk the talk.colkochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03432916690101599393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-33504938306098762052009-03-25T10:32:00.000-06:002009-03-25T10:32:00.000-06:00Pro-Lifers do not have a One-issue litmus test, bu...Pro-Lifers do not have a One-issue litmus test, but in order to have issues you must have life. Therefore, life must be THE primary issue before any other issue can even begin to be discussed. How can we discuss the economy if the baby is aborted before it is ever born.<BR/>I think a discussion of the leadership by example our leaders show and what they give in their personal lives is also valid. I made 4 percent of what VP Biden made last year, I also gave more than 3 times as much as he did to charity. I don't think he or anyone else in our government has any room to talk about compassion for the poor or needy. <BR/>I was not for the Iraq war (from before it started when 90 percent of the people were clamoring for war) however, a few items of note are needed. 1.) We made a commitment to see this war through, thinking it had ended in a few months is silly, we are still years from ending this conflict and we are still responsible for how seeing it through to the end.<BR/>2.) Even if you believe this war does not qualify under the just war theory (which I am not sure that it does), you must allow others to have different opinions on that.<BR/>3.) Even granting worst case estimates of 1 million iraqi deaths over the nearly six years of the war that pales in comparison the 6 million abortions in the US or the 250 million abortions in the world during the same time period. Now which do you think that Jesus Christ would be more concerned with?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-52995535802991180442009-03-23T09:13:00.000-06:002009-03-23T09:13:00.000-06:00Patrick B, I once brought to Butte MT, one of the ...Patrick B, I once brought to Butte MT, one of the Irish Republican Armies financial strongholds, the Nobel Peace Prize winner Betty Williams, who activism in Northern Ireland was not appreciated by Irish Catholics.<BR/><BR/>It was a controversial move to say the least and I took my share of flack for this speaking engagemet. However, after Betty had finished speaking, this very militant crowd gave her a standing ovation. She had managed to bring home to them that war kills real people and it vastly harms the children who live through it. While Northern Ireland may have been a 'cultural Catholic war' for the Irish in Butte, it was devastating for the people who had to live through it.<BR/><BR/>You don't know that something in reverse might not happen for President Obama when he engages with the best Catholic minds in the country on this issue. Trust just a bit in Fr. Jenkins. God works in mysterious ways and we all know he lives under the Golden Dome. Good luck to your hockey team in the NCAA's. They have my support for what it's worth.colkochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03432916690101599393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-12836602332503605132009-03-23T09:01:00.000-06:002009-03-23T09:01:00.000-06:00Annonymous one, I believe Jesus respected Mary eno...Annonymous one, I believe Jesus respected Mary enough, that Mary was given a choice in His pregnancy. This to me says that Jesus respected the role of women and their attitudes towards their own pregnancies. He did not force Mary into carrying Him at all, much less to full term.<BR/><BR/>This says to me that choice is what we are all about, and that God endorsed this concept in the incarnation of His son. It seems to me that Jesus counseled people to rethink their choices, and in this sense I'm sure He would be pro life.<BR/><BR/>I don't agree with President Obama with regards to the totality of his abortion stance, but I also don't agree with the vehemence and rigidity of the extreme pro life position.<BR/><BR/>I don't know how the process of ensoulment into the biological being actually happens, much less when it happens. That gives me room for doubt and the last I checked the bishops don't have any definitive answers to these questions either. Nobody does.<BR/><BR/>What we do know is that the stress level and emotional state of the mother probably (and most certainly in animal studies), effects the neural and organic development of the fetus. A higher stress level influences the development of the hind brain at the expense of the fore brain as well as influencing other systemic differences. The following link is an overview study of this research. <BR/>http://arno.uvt.nl/show.cgi?fid=88295<BR/><BR/>The reason I bring this up is I firmly believe that abortion should be a legitimate option in the cases of incest, rape, and threat to the life of the mother. In an ideal world all children would be welcome by both parents as a result of the decision of both parents to bring new life in the world. That's not the world we have. Instead we have a world which too frequently brings children into the world in situations which compromise the ability of the child to deal with the world in which it is born into, and that includes the inter utero world. It's the way this world works, whether I like it or not. It's all entangled and it's not black and white.<BR/><BR/>I guess my understanding makes me a bad cafeteria Catholic, but it also makes me hesitant to proclaim definitive truth when we don't have definitive truth. <BR/><BR/>Anonymous II, CNS does robotically generate campaigns against Catholic campuses. They have quite the apparatus in place to generate robotic campaigns. Although my use of the term 'robotic' was a pun, CNS does generate robotic computer campaigns.<BR/><BR/>The situation with CT senate bill 1098 disproves your assertion that the right doesn't have the capacity to generate 'armies of protestors' at a moments notice.<BR/><BR/>JPII disagreed with your assesment of the Iraq war, and so has Benedict. But I guess those were just papal opinions rather than authoritative teaching.<BR/><BR/>(password is 'mines') Seems to be a few mines in this post.colkochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03432916690101599393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-12617185978134888512009-03-22T23:35:00.000-06:002009-03-22T23:35:00.000-06:00Colleen, so true: "In essence they are desperately...Colleen, so true: "In essence they are desperately attempting to pit American Roman Catholics against their own president, over two issues, as if there are no other issues for Catholics. When you more or less control the conversation by owning and controlling the editorial content of one Catholic publication and website after another, I guess there isn't going to be any other issues."<BR/><BR/>Just what our country needs right now, more division from protesters in the Catholic Church that don't like Obama, because he doesn't agree with them 100%. The dissenters of democracy who claim they are the only ones with families and the only ones with responsibilities. <BR/><BR/>I am from a Catholic family and not everyone in our family is taking care of their own. A few of us are taking care of our own. <BR/><BR/>The antiabortionist would rather see our country totally decimated than get their acts together and work with people to try and create a better world!!<BR/><BR/>They are a bunch of whiney brats!butterflyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09684946870144030594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-17938423162210497002009-03-22T23:25:00.000-06:002009-03-22T23:25:00.000-06:00"That's because we have lives, responsibilities, a..."That's because we have lives, responsibilities, and families."<BR/><BR/>SO DO WE.<BR/><BR/>" We take care of our own, we reach out to those in need, and we try to make the world around us a bit better."<BR/><BR/>SO DO WE.<BR/><BR/>" And we don't do with with marches, signs, or media pats on the back. "<BR/><BR/>BULL SHIT YOU DON'T!!!butterflyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09684946870144030594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-18662241488688253522009-03-22T23:19:00.000-06:002009-03-22T23:19:00.000-06:00Obviously, some people really do believe that abor...Obviously, some people really do believe that abortion is the ONLY issue on the planet.<BR/><BR/>Absurd, ridiculous, narrow-minded idiocy is all I have to say right now about people who don't want Obama at a Catholic University. Honestly, the audacity to speak about LIFE and what the Bush Administration has allowed to happen in our country and how it has affected and infected the entire world and now the audacity to claim RIGHTEOUSNESS on top of the HORROR that has been created by these morons!!<BR/><BR/>Open your eyes people!! You are blind!! <BR/><BR/>Share with us 1st anonymous what Jesus Christ's stance is for Republicans now? Tell us please!!!!<BR/><BR/>The reason you see people marching is because we aren't dead!!!!!! We are AWAKE and ALIVE!!butterflyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09684946870144030594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-21236534411884644582009-03-22T20:47:00.000-06:002009-03-22T20:47:00.000-06:00As a current student at the Our Lady's University,...As a current student at the Our Lady's University, I can honestly say that many of us here are genuinely conflicted about Fr. Jenkins' decision to invite President Obama to speak at commencement this year. On the one hand, we must respect the office of President of the United States, and it is an honor for our beloved campus to host the leader of the free world. Of course, there is a substantial population, like myself, who can not and will not tolerate the Notre Dame imprimatur being given to someone whose views on the sanctity of life are so dramatically at odds with the position of the Church and the university. Myself and eight other students, with more co-signing literally by the hour, have submitted a letter to Fr. Jenkins, asking to make a public, vocal statement that the university strongly disapproves with the President's actions. I invite you to read it on our student Web site, http://www.nd.edu/~pbrown6/ObamaVisitLetter.html. God bless all of you who still wish the best for a university that was and hopefully will still remain one of the premier Catholic institutions in America.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-81318950672925467472009-03-22T17:24:00.000-06:002009-03-22T17:24:00.000-06:00This reaction is no surprise. It was expected. I...This reaction is no surprise. It was expected. It was also no surprise to see the same bishops put their names to this as well.<BR/><BR/>The really sad part is that Notre Dame and those who are sincere, such as anonymous, are being used as pawns by these bishops. <BR/><BR/>The issue here is not abortion, it is the obvious intent of a few bishops to exploit the emotional nature of this issue to forward their own personal agendas, most likely earning brownie points for promotion to Cardinal or to maintain their personal power base. <BR/><BR/>Those who believe "abortion is the only issue" must be totally oblivious to what is going on within the economy, or perhaps they simply do not care.<BR/><BR/>Unemployment rates are in the double digits in many places now. Foreclosures are at staggering levels. Elderly are being evicted from their homes with no place to go. Families are being devastated economically. Millions of adults and children are without health care, and suffering. Millions are on the verge of destitution, with no hope. Desperate women are turning to prostitution to survive. Increasing numbers of children are going hungry and starving. <BR/><BR/>Meanwhile, those who benefited most from the Bush legacy are receiving Billions in bonuses while their companies are going under. Billions in bonuses while they are laying off thousands. Billions in bonuses while children are starving. <BR/><BR/>All of this and more is the Bush legacy, the Republican legacy of deregulation and partisanship, their legacy of drafting laws to benefit the rich at the expense of the rest of society. <BR/><BR/>If we remember the bishop’s rhetoric during the election, this is what they were demanding we support and vote into office for another 4 years. The question I asked is "why"?<BR/><BR/>The answer always comes up the same. The bishops are more concerned with maintaining their power base, their opulent lifestyle, and their esteemed position at high-level social events. In order to do that, they need a republican administration. Abortion is nothing more than a pawn they are using to maintain a their power base and opulence. Those who sincerely oppose abortion are their pawns, to be used and discarded as it suits them.<BR/><BR/>If it were different, they would have told us that under democratic administrations, abortion rates decrease significantly. Decrease because democratic administrations typically address the core issues the cause women to seek abortions. They failed to tell us that. Instead, they villified the democratic party as a "party of death". Why? Simple: it serves their personal interest to have republican administrations in office. <BR/><BR/>I abhor abortion. I abhor even more those who use the abortion as a tool to forward their personal agenda. <BR/><BR/>Let us put it to the test. Ask all of the bishops give up their mansions, their Mercedes, their opulent lifestyle and take a vow of poverty. They can move into the rectories to live. Most rectories are comfortable. Ask them to discard their gold mitres, their silk cappa magmas, and donate the money they had been spending on themselves to various organizations and services that work with expectant mothers to offer them viable options to abortion. This strategy alone could easily cut the abortion rate in this country in half.<BR/><BR/>It will never happen. Why? Because abortion is not the issue. Personnel wealth, opulence and power are the real issues. Abortion is nothing more than a convenient tool to keep them in power, a convenient a tool to keep them in opulence. Nothing more. <BR/><BR/>For those who want to argue the point, first suggest to your bishop that he do what I have suggested. Watch his face; watch his body language, listen to his response. Listen to him sputter all of the reasons he can’t. Listen to the reasons. Most likely, what you see and hear will turn your stomach.COL55https://www.blogger.com/profile/07057765287988790129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-6378500019781679602009-03-22T16:34:00.000-06:002009-03-22T16:34:00.000-06:00"...Robotically"?The fact that you would character..."...Robotically"?<BR/><BR/>The fact that you would characterize the heartbreak millions of members of the Notre Dame family are experiencing today is a perfect indicator that you have absolutely no idea what this is about. There were some very real tears in my household over this. This abomination strikes at the very heart of what Notre Dame, as a Catholic college, is supposed to stand for. <BR/><BR/>Robotically?<BR/><BR/>You know what, the people who are deeply wounded by this invitation aren't like the left. We don't have armies of protesters who can organize at a moment's notice. We don't do rent-a-mob over the perceived injustice of the day. That's because we have lives, responsibilities, and families. We take care of our own, we reach out to those in need, and we try to make the world around us a bit better. And we don't do with with marches, signs, or media pats on the back. <BR/><BR/>But sometimes, when we see our most core principles spat on, we swing back. No, not roboticly. With righteous anger. This fight was provoked by pro-Obama forces. We weren't affixing an enormous "WE HEART SARAH PALIN!!" flag to the top of the Dome. But we draw a line here. We do not want this abortion proponent honored by the most famous Catholic university in the world. Period. <BR/><BR/>And we're going to say so.<BR/><BR/>Oh, and nice try on the Bush "war crimes" equivalency. The Church has a just war doctrine, and many Catholics and Catholic theologians do believe that Iraq and other actions fulfilled it. Either way, it's under debate and interpretation. There's no way to debate or interpret President Obama's stance on abortion. He has no problem with dismembering a near-term child in the womb, he thinks of an unplanned child as a "punishment," and he supports legislation which would force Catholic hospitals to perform these actions. He has no business being honored by the University of Notre Dame.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383701632927065467.post-53038410819277985542009-03-22T15:41:00.000-06:002009-03-22T15:41:00.000-06:00"...but it's heretical in the sense that the core ..."...but it's heretical in the sense that the core issue for Catholics should not be abortion, but Jesus Christ."<BR/><BR/>Could you please share what you believe Jesus Christ's stance is on the issue of abortion?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com