Scott –

Any Catholic that subscribes to the Democratic party line of abortion, gay marriage, euthanasia and the creation of embryos for scientific research cannot call themselves a Catholic. They are “cafeteria Catholics”.

Agreed. But I think folks at VN who have discerned that they should vote Democrat would say that there is a big distinction to be made between voting for a Democratic candidate and “subscribing to the Democrat party line.”

Worship pleasing to God can never be a purely private matter, without consequences for our relationships with others: it demands a public witness to our faith. Evidently, this is true for all the baptized, yet it is especially incumbent upon those who, by virtue of their social or political position, must make decisions regarding fundamental values, such as respect for human life, its defence from conception to natural death, the family built upon marriage between a man and a woman, the freedom to educate one’s children and the promotion of the common good in all its forms (230). These values are not negotiable. Consequently, Catholic politicians and legislators, conscious of their grave responsibility before society, must feel particularly bound, on the basis of a properly formed conscience, to introduce and support laws inspired by values grounded in human nature (231).

Oh wait: * * * Pope Benedict Alert!!! * * *

This talk about polls is sad,,, first of all our country has become lazy, Catholics and everyone else. I’m sure if there was a poll taken on how many people spend time reading each day the number would be very low.

If the population out there doesn’t take time for God why would they take time to study issues. The liberal media on television is where the majority of folks get their opinions and they are not even their own opinions, people go by what the talking heads say.

Great example of this was yesterday (Saturday June 28th) CNN covers McCain speech and breaks away after hecklers get on McCain and didn’t show the open forum dialogue McCain had with people. I had to switch over to Cspan to finish talks… By far the most informative talks by any candidate so far.

Catholic religious and clergy in this country are not doing what needs to be done at the pulpit.

There is so much they need to say to direct Catholics down the right road but it’s not being said.

I guess if we just look at the recent USCCB conference in Florida we can tell some bishops have no desire in teaching anymore. Erie, PA bishop Trautman doesn’t want to use certain words during mass because people will not understand… so lets dumb down the church because Trautman doesn’t want to teach.

Bottom line is Catholic’s that are in line at the cafeteria need to grab some vitamin filled vegetables not just desserts.

Remember if you are truly a Catholic there are 5 non negotiable issues we must follow as we decide our future leaders.

1. Abortion
The Church teaches that, regarding a law permitting abortions, it is “never licit to obey it, or to take part in a propaganda campaign in favor of such a law, or to vote for it” (EV 73). Abortion is the intentional and direct killing of an innocent human being, and therefore it is a form of homicide.
The child is always an innocent party, and no law may permit the taking of his life. Even when a child is conceived through rape or incest, the fault is not the child’s, who should not suffer death for others’ sins.

2. Euthanasia
Often disguised by the name “mercy killing,” euthanasia also is a form of homicide. No one has a right to take his own life (suicide), and no one has the right to take the life of any innocent person.
In euthanasia, the ill or elderly are killed out of a misplaced sense of compassion, but true compassion cannot include doing something intrinsically evil to another person (cf. EV 73).

3. Fetal Stem Cell Research
Human embryos are human beings. “Respect for the dignity of the human being excludes all experimental manipulation or exploitation of the human embryo” (CRF 4b).
Recent scientific advances show that any medical cure that might arise from experimentation on fetal stem cells can be developed by using adult stem cells instead. Adult stem cells can be obtained without doing harm to the adults from whom they come. Thus there no longer is a medical argument in favor of using fetal stem cells.

4. Human Cloning
“Attempts . . . for obtaining a human being without any connection with sexuality through ‘twin fission,’ cloning, or parthenogenesis are to be considered contrary to the moral law, since they are in opposition to the dignity both of human procreation and of the conjugal union” (RHL I:6).
Human cloning also ends up being a form of homicide because the “rejected” or “unsuccessful” clones are destroyed, yet each clone is a human being.

5. Homosexual “Marriage”
True marriage is the union of one man and one woman. Legal recognition of any other form of “marriage” undermines true marriage, and legal recognition of homosexual unions actually does homosexual persons a disfavor by encouraging them to persist in what is an objectively immoral arrangement.
“When legislation in favor of the recognition of homosexual unions is proposed for the first time in a legislative assembly, the Catholic lawmaker has a moral duty to express his opposition clearly and publicly and to vote against it. To vote in favor of a law so harmful to the common good is gravely immoral” (UHP 10).

Kind of depends upon what you mean by that – that the whole of God’s truth revealed to man for his salvation subsists within the Catholic Church? Then yes.

That only those who belong to the visible Catholic Church on earth make it to heaven? then not necessarily (although it is the ordinary means leading to salvation, not to say there are not extra-ordinary means).

Indifferentism is the new Orthodoxy.

Of course, the orthodox Catholic view is NOT that Roman Catholicism is “the one, true faith leading to eternal life.” Nor does the fact that 84% of Catholics disagree with that statement mean that they necessarily hold a position of “indifferentism.”

Indifferentism is the new Orthodoxy.
http://www.calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=b904d27b-9dae-4ad2-9d51-35ab393c560b

Can we admit that both on the right and the left that the Universe of people that do that here in the UNited States is insignifcant. I would love to know among that sample what they actually did as to that.

I think I belong a pretty average Parish. I suspect the munber of people that have read for instance ” Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” I could fit in phone booth.

THe latest Statement on Iraq by AMerican Bishops is rarely quoted on the net even.

Even Turd blossom has has his advocates/willing martyrs.