Socrates Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 (edited) This is kind of weird poll I cooked up, based on the posts of various people. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems that I recall a few on this site who said things like the American government is illegitimate and that Catholics should not participate in it in any way (including voting?) I'm just curious as to what people's opinions/beliefs are. Edited August 20, 2004 by Socrates Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iacobus Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 I was informed by my priest that for a Catholic to not vote was a mortal sin. I planned on voting anyhows so that didn't stop me at all. I think you can be a good Catholic and adhere to the ideas that make up America. But to be neatly inside one party, or too fully accpet all of "America" today would be wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorphRC Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 How about a Patriot Catholic American, that doesnt give up the country coz of evil actions, but fights for it, to do good actions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picchick Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 Agreed with MorphRC. Love for ones country would be wishing good for the country. Definition of love according to the Baltimore Catechism Love-to will good to another and to want to do only what is good for another; as we love our neighbor by helping him and wishing him well. Couldn't this be applied to our country? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorphRC Posted August 21, 2004 Share Posted August 21, 2004 Ditto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
track2004 Posted August 21, 2004 Share Posted August 21, 2004 I think that being a Catholic American is generally easy because America lets people do what they will. Not that I really agree with that policy, but being Catholic here is sure easier than it is in China. The rough times come when I have to decide which is more important to me. For instance, The Pope said the war in Iraq is wrong. Do I think it is wrong? That's a tough question to answer. I think that it is helping the Iraqi peoples, but I think we pulled an excuse out of our ____ to start it. I support the troops, but it's still hard to say whether I support the war. That is when being a Catholic American is hard because the two conflict each other. But generally I love being both and I couldn't imagine not being either one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thy Geekdom Come Posted August 21, 2004 Share Posted August 21, 2004 The economist and politician Alexis de Tocqueville, a Catholic, predicted the current religious themes of America over 100 years ago. He predicted that, given the American system of government, America would eventually tilt either toward pure Catholicism or New Age religion. Those were, according to him, the two religions most compatible with the federal system. You can see the struggle on the horizon. Catholicism is perfectly compatible with pure American government (not the secular stuff it's been corrupted into). Unfortunately, other religions are as well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Socrates Posted August 21, 2004 Author Share Posted August 21, 2004 I was actually kind of hoping Amarkich (did I spell his name right?) would get on this discussion and spark some debate, but he hasn't seemed to have been posting lately (is he kicked off the site?) He has repeatedly said things like it doesn't matter who one votes for because the American gov't is illegitimate, the Church is opposed to the American system of gov't, it is a mortal sin to make the pledge of allegiance, etc. Also, some other people (not on this site) had written an article claiming that it is wrong for Catholics to vote (for anybody!) because this supports an intrincally evil system of government (democracy). I have never been able to debate such people, but their position seems to me absurd (I realize they are a tiny minority). Also, I probably didn't make this very clear in the poll, but the poll is intended to ask about being an American in general, rather than whether one supports a particular president or party or an administration's current policy (such as Bush or the Iraq war). These topics have been debated in depth elsewhere on the debate forum. Raphael, could you quote what you are referring to in de Toqueville? I was curious as to what you meant by "New Age religion," as Toqueville wrote long before the start of the New Age movement. God bless, Socrates Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thy Geekdom Come Posted August 21, 2004 Share Posted August 21, 2004 [quote]Raphael, could you quote what you are referring to in de Toqueville? I was curious as to what you meant by "New Age religion," as Toqueville wrote long before the start of the New Age movement.[/quote] New Age religion has always been around, just under different names. Tocqueville referred to it as pantheism. I believe it was [u]Democracy in America[/u]. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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