Saturday, September 23, 2006

But Here's What I Don't Get

First of all, I'm Catholic, which makes me what you might call a conflicted Catholic. I'm down with the Church's stance on the value of life, yet, I object to the moral equivalency on the issue of life. The unborn are innocent; murderers on death row are not. That the Catholic Church fights for both lives bothers me. There is an obvious greater evil, and the resources of the Church should be marshaled against that evil. Once we're not killing babies, let's discuss capital punishment. But not until then. To do otherwise seems to betray a sense of moral confusion. Yes, we can chew gum and walk at the same time, as the argument goes, but this is different.

Furthermore, the Church's stance on "peace and social justice" issues really drives me nuts. Well-documented is the role the Church has played in the illegal immigration issue. Furthermore, the legal plunder that is taking my private property (in the form of taxes) against my will for ill-conceived programs is stealing, pure and simple. Because the federal government is doing it matters not in the least; that the Church supports Congress passing social legislation indicts the Church just the same with that charge. Experience and logic can show that the care of our fellow man is best performed as locally as possible, and forced charity is not charity at all. And again, although I admire the sentiment in my faith that drives people to be concerned about the quality of healthcare for the imprisoned, I beg you: don't speak to me of this until we have forever ended that peculiar "right" to exterminate an unborn baby. Or, "choice" as the left prefers to call them.

Lastly, at least in my Church, the silence has been deafening about the Pope's comments on Islam. Is not faith compatible with reason? Is not the House of the Lord a place where Truth is welcome? Do not the leaders of the Church have an obligation to educate their parishioners? Is it true that Islam is just as valid a religion as Christianity - and if not, why aren't the faithful instructed on the truth?

I suppose the appropriate thing to do is to take up my issues with our priests, and I may yet do so. In the meantime, inquiring minds want to know: regardless of your faith, has the topic of Islam come up in any of your churches, Dear Reader? If so, in what context? If not, am I alone in finding this troubling?

Lastly, come to think of it, I'm acknowledging a past error. I used to call John Kerry a "buffet Catholic" - taking a little of this, a little of that, but hold the pro-life, thankyouverymuch. I suppose upon a candid reflection of my rather inflexible opinions, I am much the same.

8 comments:

Edmund Schrag said...

We in the Anabaptist movement have been saving you a seat for ... a long time, my friend. Please, Mr. Hamilton, at your good leisure, come on in any time.

While we in my southern baptist church have focused almost exclusively on making ourselves better Christians (or, rather, cleaving to that which makes us better Christians), the topic of those of other faiths has come up from time to time. True to good American Federalist citizenship, our cadre of believers has always spoken of our neighbor's freedom to believe and worship as he wishes in the most favorable terms. Yet the necessity of exposing, when the time is right, to our neighbors the light of Truth, is not lost on us; neither is it lost on our congregation the evil that is spreading in our time. We have sent more than a handful of our sons into service for the country, and at least one of them has sacrificed all.

No, my friend, we have not kept silent. I pray God may keep your tongue loosed in your parish.

Michael Tams said...

Samuel,

You are too kind, dear friend.

I plan on taking the time in the next couple of weeks to discuss my concerns with one of our priests.

If there is any satisfaction from such a conversation, I'll be sure to share details.

-AH

Anonymous said...

I guess those URL's didnt work to good. To check out those articles go to:

www.chuckbaldwinlive.com

chucks columns

articles:

"We need to resurrect the black regiment". August 22, 2006.

"Religious right needs to defend all saints episcopal". September 12, 3006.

Michael Tams said...

J,

Good link, thanks for the heads up.

-AH

Anonymous said...

We attend an independent fundamentalist church. Our pastor was quick to address the questions you raised in Bible studies and sermons.

I would be interested to hear what your priest has to say.

Sebosmile said...

"That the Catholic Church fights for both lives bothers me. There is an obvious greater evil, and the resources of the Church should be marshaled against that evil. Once we're not killing babies, let's discuss capital punishment. But not until then. To do otherwise seems to betray a sense of moral confusion."

Well written! Exactly (well, one reason) why my two good friends (one of whom is on the road to ebcoming a nun) can't draw me into the Catholic church... Although Anglicans probably aren't that into capital punishment either.

This is one of those issues where I'm polical slightly before I'm religious, you know?

Thanks for commenting on my blog, glad you liked it!

Michael Tams said...

Hey Sebosmile,

That's a cool looking blog you've got there. And I'm a huge fan of Ann Coulter, so you're already my kind of person. Keep up the great work.

-AH

Anonymous said...

The word "kill" in "Thou shalt not kill" is the same word as the word translated "murderer" in NUM 35:17 "And if he smite him with throwing a stone, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death."

There are also provisions for those who kill someone accidentally.
NUM 35:12 "And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment."
NUM 35:30 "Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die."
NUM 35:33 "So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it."

There is, of course, the argument that that was the old testament and we live in the new testament therefore we shouldn't be killing anyone. I don't think it's doing them any favors to allow them to injure themselves and their souls further by giving them more time to indulge in criminal and violent behavior.