June 12, 2004
The error in the Catholic Anti-abortion Principle
We are at a very important point in the history of our nation. We have come to basically two choices regarding the direcion that our society will take. One one side we have the promise of continued military superiority, endless profits for the corporations, a higly class stratified society, and continued disdain from the other inhabitants of our planet. On the other side we have a promise of moderation; the continued existence democracy, openness to the idea that we are not alone on this planet, the idea that the rich are no more entitled to american dream than any other individual, and the continued existence of government as a benefit for the people, not a government that exists soley for corporations, and the wealthy.
There is but one principle that seperates these two ideals that Catholics make their central idealogy, the anti-abortion principle. This is where there is an error of most catholics, not of catholicism, but of catholics themselves. Catholics have allowed this one issue to polorize them to such an extreme that they would be unrecognizable as catholics otherwise. One national party lists the support for the abolition of abortion on their national platform, the other national party lists continued access to abortion on their national platform. This one issue is what seperates catholics from their historic voting patterns and value systems.
There was an error of a central idealogy in the last century; the opposition to communism. It is not argued that opposition to communism is not a good thing nor is it argued that one should embrace communism. Where there is an error is when this one issue or idealogy trumps that of any other principle, idealogy, or value. The results of this error in maintaining a central ideology that catholics had in opposition to communism, was that catholics became complacent; all their energy and focus was directed in that one direction. As a result, fascism and totalarianism were ignored and allowed to rise and gain power. That complacency did not turn into anger and intervention early enough and as a result between 6 and 20 million people perished at the hands of the fascists.
The central ideology of opposition to abortion has caused catholics to align themselves with a party that only a generation ago was convinced that catholics were proxies of the pope. How history shows what memory forgets. This one issue has trumped all other issues in the mainline catholic mind. Earlier there was a greater emphasis on peace, the war on poverty, and the value of life in all its natural stages. Now, many catholics find themselves on the same side as those who advocate war first, war against the poor, and those who do not value life, shown by their willingness for war, support for capital punishment and their long opposition to a historical catholic demand for a living wage.
The side that advocates war and capital punishment yet is only on the surface in opposition to abortion. Their lip service to the cause is apparent if one looks deeper. If the cause meant that much to them, they would constantly try to outlaw abortion in any case. Instead, we are faced with the champion of the anti-abortion cause, Rick Santorum of PA, toeing the national party line instead of his own cause. He did this when he publicly supported pro-abortion Arlen Specter over pro-life Patrick Toomey in the Republican primary in Pennsylvania. It is hypocritical of Santorum to publicly voice his disdain for those who support abortion, yet, when his idealogical counterpart tells him to support someone is opposition to what he believes, he does what he is told, abortion issue or not.
Abortion is an evil that we will have to conquer in our time. Should we conquer this evil now, at the expense of all our other principles we hold dear, or, should we continue to fight for what is right and just in our society? Should we not include all principles we hold dear, not maintaining any central idealogy at the expense of other important idealogies? Being complacent and uniformed is no excuse to continue down the suicidal path our society is currently in. There is a better way and the world is not so black and white. Communicate to the ages and to all people in their own language is what we were taught, not to turn our back on society and allow those with totalaritarian aspirations to continue to wreak havoc in our name.
My piece of Cyberspace for the day
The error in the Catholic Anti-abortion Principle
We are at a very important point in the history of our nation. We have come to basically two choices regarding the direcion that our society will take. One one side we have the promise of continued military superiority, endless profits for the corporations, a higly class stratified society, and continued disdain from the other inhabitants of our planet. On the other side we have a promise of moderation; the continued existence democracy, openness to the idea that we are not alone on this planet, the idea that the rich are no more entitled to american dream than any other individual, and the continued existence of government as a benefit for the people, not a government that exists soley for corporations, and the wealthy.
There is but one principle that seperates these two ideals that Catholics make their central idealogy, the anti-abortion principle. This is where there is an error of most catholics, not of catholicism, but of catholics themselves. Catholics have allowed this one issue to polorize them to such an extreme that they would be unrecognizable as catholics otherwise. One national party lists the support for the abolition of abortion on their national platform, the other national party lists continued access to abortion on their national platform. This one issue is what seperates catholics from their historic voting patterns and value systems.
There was an error of a central idealogy in the last century; the opposition to communism. It is not argued that opposition to communism is not a good thing nor is it argued that one should embrace communism. Where there is an error is when this one issue or idealogy trumps that of any other principle, idealogy, or value. The results of this error in maintaining a central ideology that catholics had in opposition to communism, was that catholics became complacent; all their energy and focus was directed in that one direction. As a result, fascism and totalarianism were ignored and allowed to rise and gain power. That complacency did not turn into anger and intervention early enough and as a result between 6 and 20 million people perished at the hands of the fascists.
The central ideology of opposition to abortion has caused catholics to align themselves with a party that only a generation ago was convinced that catholics were proxies of the pope. How history shows what memory forgets. This one issue has trumped all other issues in the mainline catholic mind. Earlier there was a greater emphasis on peace, the war on poverty, and the value of life in all its natural stages. Now, many catholics find themselves on the same side as those who advocate war first, war against the poor, and those who do not value life, shown by their willingness for war, support for capital punishment and their long opposition to a historical catholic demand for a living wage.
The side that advocates war and capital punishment yet is only on the surface in opposition to abortion. Their lip service to the cause is apparent if one looks deeper. If the cause meant that much to them, they would constantly try to outlaw abortion in any case. Instead, we are faced with the champion of the anti-abortion cause, Rick Santorum of PA, toeing the national party line instead of his own cause. He did this when he publicly supported pro-abortion Arlen Specter over pro-life Patrick Toomey in the Republican primary in Pennsylvania. It is hypocritical of Santorum to publicly voice his disdain for those who support abortion, yet, when his idealogical counterpart tells him to support someone is opposition to what he believes, he does what he is told, abortion issue or not.
Abortion is an evil that we will have to conquer in our time. Should we conquer this evil now, at the expense of all our other principles we hold dear, or, should we continue to fight for what is right and just in our society? Should we not include all principles we hold dear, not maintaining any central idealogy at the expense of other important idealogies? Being complacent and uniformed is no excuse to continue down the suicidal path our society is currently in. There is a better way and the world is not so black and white. Communicate to the ages and to all people in their own language is what we were taught, not to turn our back on society and allow those with totalaritarian aspirations to continue to wreak havoc in our name.
My piece of Cyberspace for the day
posted by Mark at 4:52 PM
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