Letters to the Editor
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Pro-war isn't pro-life...
How much simpler can someone say it.
Perhaps someone needs to target ads to that Bush hugging demographic this time, this election...
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His message...
Pope John Paul II and top Vatican officials are unleashing a barrage of condemnations of a possible U.S. military strike on Iraq, calling it immoral, risky and a "crime against peace."
His message was drowned out by the drums of war (and 'big' thoughts hitting hollow heads).
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individuals, not group, human decency, not religion
First: Glenn's comments are about Kathryn Jean Lopez and others expressing similar ideas, not about catholics or religious people in general.
Second: This post is about how people treat other people, not about religion.
There is no need for a religion war today.
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"If you do it unto the least of these, my brethern, you do it unto me"
was the way I remember it. As a agnostic, I apparently hold myself to a higher standard than some of these alleged Christians.
And what about Hagee? Embraced by McCain - he is not a big supporter of Catholic causes.
Things that make you go -WTF?
Pax
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not only that
what about the church's teachings about helping the poor and disadvantaged? are they not as "important" as the teachings about other things like abortion?
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Tell the Archbishop of Denver
Well, here's the thing: right-wing US Catholics have already found a work around on this one. Several years ago, the Archbishop of Denver (at the time) made several fine distinctions about the Iraq war. The first was that it was, arguably, theologically defensible as a 'just war'. Second, that although the Pope was against it, he had not made this opposition into a formal doctrine, but rather had expressed an opinion. Thus, while Church dogma on abortion was binding, Church opinion about US policy was not.
I don't think I err here, though to be honest I don't have time this morning to fact check. I had a rather heated exchange with his Holiness (the Archbishop) by e-mail at the time. The upshot of it was, however, the war was deplored by the Pope, but we are theologically allowed to be fine with it; abortion, however, is another matter.
The sort of reasoning that gave the scholastic tradition a bad name, I'm afraid.
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Giving Prominence to a Hack
I have mixed feeling about this piece, Glenn. Not important as a subject. KLo is a hack, a shallow creature and is editor of the Irrational Review. Her readership in minimal: mostly folks with stunted minds and no growth potential. Those who contribute to the mag (rag?) say the same things over and over again. It is the last place for fertile ideas and vibrant journalism. I admired Bill Buckley even though I thought his success was due more to style than to substance. His was a good show. I disagreed with almost ll he had to say. But his Review never quite made the cut.
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the definition of "innocent"
Glenn, you forget that already born "innocent" life in Iraq is not by its very existence innocent in the eyes of these cretins because it is very probably Muslim. However, life still yet to be born has the potential to be Christian when born so is deserving of protection. Once a child is born and given a Muslim name (as the child in the photo) it is too late; the innocence is gone. Let the bombs fly.
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Plus...
Plus it's not 'macho' or very iconic 'Texan' to second think your macho posturing and admit that kicking the dog is wrong. It makes you look like a failure and a screaming joke. Although usually following through makes you look like a failure and a screaming joke with the blood on innocent people on your hands...
I've talked to a few 'religious' people who were (and perhaps maybe still are) pro-war.
When pointed out that their own bible that they hold to close as the word of 'god' points out that war isn't a good thing and that judgment is 'his', they thought about it and agreed. But I have a catholic friend who said that it is true that 'god' reserves the right to judge people but that happens after the person reaches those 'pearly gates' when it's decided which fork in the road they take. I thought that a very crass and unbelievable statement.
So 'god' does triage on the dead that these 'religious' psychopaths send to 'heaven'? How ignorant and just totally devoid of any 'religious construct' is a thought and statement like that? I still have a hard time thinking of meeting that person today. Obviously they feel that their vengeance over 9/11/2001 gives then Carte Blanche to wreck havoc across the planet and they feel that 'their god' is on their side. (Especially considering the degree that the loyal Bushies have cloaked the entire government in black over what happened before, during and after 9/11. To defend the party that is covering up their culpability in the largest attack on US soil is interesting to say the least. To think that John McCain has a chance at being the next president is astounding and horrifying)
How interesting that 'god' is always on the side of those that cause the most death and destruction. Not being here incarnate makes it easy to 'interpret' the will of this mean and vengeful 'god' entity. It kinds blurs the distinction between heaven and hell, doesn't it...
Who was it that said that 'religion is powerful' and the rich find it 'useful. A very smart man. Very smart man...
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The Pro-Life Debate
As a Catholic I can tell you that almost everyone I know in the church embraces war and the death penalty while voting almost exclusively for the "pro-life" candidate.
There is an assumption that someone on death row or facing off against America in a war must "have it coming" somehow. If you bring up collateral damage they tell you that it was the fault of their government for picking a fight with the US, we bear no responsibility. If you bring up inmates freed on DNA they shrug it off. The fetus, meanwhile, is viewed as an innocent person.
Upon reflection of K-HS Catholic education, the efforts to brainwash me on this topic have no parallels in my life. I sat in HS classrooms with pictures of aborted fetuses on the walls. We saw videos of bloody operations, we saw dramas where women who had abortions lived out lives of depression and worthlessness, their guilt was overwhelming. We were told that if we ever got a girl pregnant we had a 'right' to father the baby - even if the mother did not want the baby we should force her to have it through legal means if she did not see the light. It seems amazing, but it was commonplace.
And this happened in Philadelphia, PA - so you can imagine what goes on in red state America.
And here we come back to Obama's comments about poeople 'clinging' to things they can change. The average Amercian does not think they can stop a war, and that doing so is an unpatriotic act. They don't concern themselves with death row inmates, who tend to be unlike them demographically. But they see that fight against abortion as winnable, and thus worthy of the effort. It is change they can make reality.
The Vatican is realistic about what it can get from American Catholics, and we do pay a lot of the bills. So they've been pretty hands-off on the war and death penalty when push comes to shove.