Post-mortem on the Catholic vote
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TechnoratiThe Catholic swing vote appears to have gone to Obama yesterday, with most exit poling showing the Democrat make huge gains among Catholics over John Kerry's results in 2004. Beliefnet.com has some interesting numbers, along with commentary from Beliefnet editor Steven Waldman. Most interssting the mere 5-point spread between the candidates (47 percent to Obama and 52 to McCain) among Catholics who attend church weekly; Kerry lost that group in 2004 by 13 points (43 to 56). Among Catholics who don't attend weekly, Obama won by 18 points (58 to 40); Kerry barely squeaked by Bush (50 to 49).
It's always hard to know how much one can attribute a voter's choice to religion, of course. Andrew Greeley takes a stab at explaining why a majority of Catholics might have voted for Obama in his post-election column for the Chicago Sun-Times. Tom Reese, former editor of America magazine, also commented on the Catholic vote on Newsweek's website. Both addressed the question of abortion, an issue which evidently was less prominent in Catholic voters' minds this time around.
But it won't go away. Reese points out that if Congress passes the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), which will override several state restrictions and Supreme Court rulings against late-term abortions, and President Obama signs it, Catholics will have a hard time supporting them again. The proof will be in the pudding: If, as many pro-Obama Catholics have argued, the Democratic agenda will result in a reduction in the annual number of abortions, their moral logic may continue to prevail. If, however, abortion policy becomes more permissive, Catholics may quickly return to the GOP.
Comments (3)
Catholic Vote 2008
By KevinM (not verified) on Friday, December 26, 2008Catholics were right not to be harangued into being single-issue voters by any hysteric cleric, high or low. There are certainly "proportionate reasons" to vote based on other very serious issues. We cannot absolutize abortion or any single issue, without doing disservice to some other part of our being. Life is body, heart and mind, and we must also care for the whole of the body and the whole of the planet and all its populations. Obama is a reasonable, earnest, deep-thinking but also realistic man, as was Lincoln, who had no intention of freeing slaves until events made it unavoidable. Nature in its innocence aborts all the time. It will always be a difficult question for mankind, like the eating of animals and caring for the destitute. Don't fall for the liberal line that physical death is necessarily a tragedy, remember that we believe in another life and that no life, no matter how short, is ever wasted and no soul is ever lost to God. It is good to speak out and make a point about the abominable selfishness of convenience abortion, but the Church is in danger of being mindlessly myopic about this one issue. Abortion is a complicated cultural and medical issue over which many have little choice, and about which nature itself is unthinking and unmerciful. We have the rest of the country, planet and our beings to consider.
Robo you make good points
By pissed at the Catholic vote (not verified) on Wednesday, November 19, 2008Quite obviously, a majority of catholics decided that the trivial petitions of the living took priority over the slaughter of the unborn. I've never been so ashamed of my fellow church goers. Clearly the doctrine says Abortion is our number 1 fight, we fix that, other social issues of the living will start to fall in place.
Voting for a pro-abortion candidate is a grave sin according to our doctrine, to me someone who voted for this guy shouldn't take communion until they repent and ask for forgiveness.
How do you explain it to God I wonder????
Well God today I voted for the Anti-Christ who wants to help make it easier to kill even more babies (FOCA) but Geez-Willikeerz he has a good national health care plan.... typical over zealous leftists extremist Catholics, always putting the petitions of the living in front of the non-living.. you want to help society, help that woman not get that abortion which is murder.
I suspect most priests and bishops failed to raise their voice too much because as typical they're in a smokey room the months before the election, reviewing the sermon to make sure they don't offend anyone in fear of losing that collection plate contribution.... Jesus never worried about what people thought of him, he just spoke the truth and the way it is..
I'm sickened by the Catholic support of this candidate.
How many of these diseased Catholics as I call them have ever seen an abortion? Seen the evil take place? the videos themselves are near impossible to come by, you know why? because planned parenthood knows most people would turn on the pro-abortion movement in a second, I have seen the evil. A doctor watching the ultra-sound so he can pull the baby apart with a foreceps piece by piece, usually still alive. Likely their precious Obama will appoint a judge to try and over turn partial-birth abortions, as the doctor pulls out the legs, and the arms, the baby's kicking it's legs, grasping it's hands, only inches from being completely out of the mother, just to have it's spine cut and brains sucked out, yeah that's humane.
Catholics that voted for this guy should really look at their priorities. pick up your cross, this part of your life is short (on earth) you have the after life of eternity, how warm do you want it??????????????hypocrites!!!!
Robo you have good points, I wish more posts were like yours around this blog.
post mortem on Catholic vote
By robo (not verified) on Monday, November 17, 2008unfortunately there is a climate in the church to worry about what goverment thinks when speaking from the pulpit or losing parishoners in the pews.
When Jesus spoke to the Crowds and stated "Whoever eats my Body and drinks my blood will have eternal life and whoever does not eat my Body and drink My Blood will be in eternal darkness" Many of the followers dispersed and would no longer follow. Jesus even asked the Apostles if they to were going to leave? Jesus was not worried about modern social concerns nor the ones that left the pews.
The Catholic Church is Christ and all of us being a part of Him to make up the Body.
What rating do you believe Jesus would have given us, the Church and the leaders of the Church? What kind of message the flock was advised?
Was abortion #1 priority? Was it told a vote in the wrong direction involving being complacent as well as aiding and abetting to such an evil act?
The pulpit refused making it loud and clear that the cooperation to include voting for such a candidate could make them a contributor to such an extrinsically evil act.
Esspecially when there was a candidate, a fighter for pro life as the opposing candidate.
I think we did a poor job on such a crucial issue in being forth right and letting the sheep know about abortion and the killing of innocents.
The fear of seperation of Church and State along with taxes is a scape goat mentality. There is no such language in the constitution.
Give unto Ceasar that is Ceasars and give unto God that is Gods.
Believe me it would be a challenge for all local and State Goverment that if taxed would lead to more involvement in politics possibly free the priests and Bishops to run for public office.
They are more afraid of the Church more than you are of them. In over 2000 years not much has changed.