Another Perspective on our Presidential Candidates
Introduction
The idea for this webpage came from a friend, who said she always voted for whoever best upholds the Word of God.
I'm
hesitant to call the Bible the Word of God
1 but such a criteria is a great idea. After all,
to quote the
Catechism of the Catholic Church,
The whole concern of doctrine and its teaching must be directed to the love that never ends. Whether
something is
proposed for belief, for hope or for action, the love of our Lord must always be made accessible, so that anyone can see that all
the works of perfect Christian virtue spring from love and have no other objective than to arrive at love.
For this reason I agree with her: Whichever candidate best upholds the principles of Jesus Christ will likely be the best
president. Bear also in mind the Old Testament idea that God blesses individuals and nations who obey his commandments, and
punishes those who do
not, coupled with their idea that rulers are especially judged by God: the greater the responsibility, the more you will be held
accountable.
However, the very fact that I've said that is alarming. The president is not the ruler of our nation and is not the Leader of
the Free World
, but that is what public opinion is being guided towards. On television today the public watches more about the
president than the Congress or Senate, as if the president is at the top of some chain, rather than one part of a web. I have edited
this page to attempt to place my thoughts in their proper context (which is hopefully something other than a trash bin).
From the United States Constitution,
Article II Section 2:
Section 2. The President shall be commander in chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the militia of the
several states, when called into the actual service of the United States; he may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal
officer in each of the executive departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices, and he shall
have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.
He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators
present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint ambassadors, other
public ministers and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States, whose appointments are not
herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by law: but the Congress may by law vest the appointment of such
inferior officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the courts of law, or in the heads of departments.
The President shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions
which shall expire at the end of their next session.
Section 3. He shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union, and recommend to their
consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary occasions, convene both Houses, or
either of them, and in case of disagreement between them, with respect to the time of adjournment, he may adjourn them to such
time as he shall think proper; he shall receive ambassadors and other public ministers; he shall take care that the laws be
faithfully executed, and shall commission all the officers of the United States.
Section 4. The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on
impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.
Except as relating to these issues, personal faith and opinion is meant to be irrelevant.
Monica Pair wrote in
response to the first draft of this webpage:
In the last several decades the role of the president has shifted further and further away from Commander-in-Chief of the United
States Military and ever closer to Leader of the Free World. The Leader of the Free World has quite a bit more power than just
military control and a veto. Also, this shift has occurred without check or regard from the American people. Article II Section 2
of The Constitution clearly states the role of the President.
As for either Obama or McCain's positions relative to Christian Doctrine, The Constitution, in Article VI, actually goes so far
as to explicitly exclude religious testing as a means to qualify any person to any United States office. Thus, making the
comparison moot. (In regard to political campaining, anyway)
My point is that a comparison of any presidential candidates positions to Christian doctrine is completely irrelevant. You might
as well have made this comparison using the political positions of Cher and Madonna. Equally as pointless.
I must question Monica's claim of pointless. This page is probably just futile; I think it has a point...
I quote the Vatican, the Bible and the presidential candidates; these quotations are by no means complete, but rather serve for a
working discussion representing the key tenets of the parties in question. (Each party is color-coded.) I have tried to let the
candidates speak for themselves. While researching for this page, I found a page entitled
Religious Intensity Predicts Support
for McCain
. I think my evidence here explains this trend. (That page is from
Religion and Politics 2008: John McCain; it has links to
several other pages that may be of interest.)
A Few Notes
There is disagreement among Christians whether this webpage
truly cites Christian doctrine. I have received quite a bit of condemnation, Who are you to say what's Christian and what's
not?
In quoting the Church I am effectively claiming that what the Church teaches is Christian, and ideas that disagree with it
are not Christian ideas. I have been called arrogant for this assertion, but it is one based upon faith and logic, not
arrogance, as far as I can tell. That being said, I want to be the first to admit that I am a student, still very ignorant of
Catholicism – I am learning piecemeal; my friends will tell you I've become rather fixated. My points of faith in writing this
webpage:
- Moral truth objectively exists, just as physical truth does. The nature of our physical existence has
strongly suggested that objective physical truth exists: your body feels a gravitational force regardless of what one thinks of it.
Simpler still: If mass exists, then gravity exists. Similarly, if the God of Abraham exists, then objective moral truth must
exist, regardless of whether one agrees with it.
- As the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) states,
105 God is
the author of Sacred Scripture. The divinely
revealed realities, which are contained and presented in the text of Sacred Scripture, have been written down under the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit.
- The Holy Spirit is responsible for correct interpretation of Sacred Scripture (the Bible) and opens minds to understand the
moral truths contained therein. (The CCC expounds on this idea.)
- The Holy Spirit guides the Church, its moral teachings and its interpretation of the Bible. (See the above point, as well as
this section of the CCC.)
It is this last point that is the most controversial, because from then on it's simple logic: If the Church's position is
Christian, and there exists an idea that is contrary to that position, then that contrary position is not Christian.
Exempli gratia, the Church says abortion is wrong and that the killing of the innocent is never acceptable, but
according to the Wisconsin
Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS),
In 1978 the Evangelical Lutheran Synod adopted a resolution calling abortion a grievous sin except in the rare instance of it
being used to save a mother’s life.
They are saying that the killing of the innocent is acceptable if it saves the life of another. But if the Holy Spirit guides the
Church, then the WELS is here not being guided by the Holy Spirit and is not holding a Christian belief. It's very challenging, and
likely offensive since they believe they're correct.
I wish to clarify that it is not an arrogant assertion on my part. Rather, it is a point of faith, and logic dictates the rest.
(The alternative is obviously that the Church is not always guided
by the Holy Spirit, that the Church does teach immorality on occasion, and that contrary positions may be
Christian after all.)
However, this webpage has been written with the points of faith mentioned; you are free to follow your own faith. So, here's
Christian doctrine, to the best of my knowledge.
List of Contents
Note: After clicking a link, use the 'back' button of your web browser to return to the previous page position.
A Summary
I think a side-by-side comparison would be effective, so
here's a table. Bob Barr doesn't seem to throw his personal beliefs out there like McCain and Obama; he instead talks like a
president should, from what the quoted Constitution excerpts suggest to me. Ironically, he does not strike me as president
material
: I suppose what I mean is he appears fundamentally different from McCain and Obama. Please, take the time to research
him.
Abortion
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
2270 Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first
moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person - among which is the inviolable right
of every innocent being to life.72
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.73
My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the
earth.74
2271 Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching
has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is
gravely contrary to the moral law:
You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish.75
God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and men must carry it out in a manner
worthy of themselves. Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion and infanticide are
abominable crimes.76
2272 Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty
of excommunication to this crime against human life. A person who procures a completed abortion incurs excommunication
latae sententiae,
77 by the very commission of the offense,
78 and subject
to the conditions provided by Canon Law.79 The Church does not thereby intend to restrict the scope of mercy. Rather,
she makes clear the gravity of the crime committed, the irreparable harm done to the innocent who is put to death, as well as to
the parents and the whole of society.
2273 The inalienable right to life of every innocent human individual is a constitutive element of a civil
society and its legislation:
The inalienable rights of the person must be recognized and respected by civil society and the political authority. These
human rights depend neither on single individuals nor on parents; nor do they represent a concession made by society and the
state; they belong to human nature and are inherent in the person by virtue of the creative act from which the person took his
origin. Among such fundamental rights one should mention in this regard every human being's right to life and physical
integrity from the moment of conception until death.
80
The moment a positive law deprives a category of human beings of the protection which civil legislation ought to accord
them, the state is denying the equality of all before the law. When the state does not place its power at the service of the
rights of each citizen, and in particular of the more vulnerable, the very foundations of a state based on law are undermined.
. . . As a consequence of the respect and protection which must be ensured for the unborn child from the moment of conception,
the law must provide appropriate penal sanctions for every deliberate violation of the child's rights.
81
2274 Since it must be treated from conception as a person, the embryo must be defended in its integrity, cared
for, and healed, as far as possible, like any other human being.
Prenatal diagnosis is morally licit, if it respects the life and integrity of the embryo and the human
fetus and is directed toward its safe guarding or healing as an individual. . . . It is gravely opposed to the moral law when
this is done with the thought of possibly inducing an abortion, depending upon the results: a diagnosis must not be the
equivalent of a death sentence.
82
2275
One must hold as licit procedures carried out on the human embryo which respect the life and integrity of the embryo and
do not involve disproportionate risks for it, but are directed toward its healing the improvement of its condition of health, or
its individual survival.
83
It is immoral to produce human embryos intended for exploitation as disposable biological material.
84
Certain attempts to influence chromosomic or genetic inheritance are not therapeutic but are aimed at producing human
beings selected according to sex or other predetermined qualities. Such manipulations are contrary to the personal dignity of
the human being and his integrity and identity
85 which are unique and unrepeatable.
Footnotes:
73 Jer 1:5; cf. Job 10:8-12; Ps 22:10-11.
74 Ps 139:15.
75 Didache 2,2: SCh 248,148; cf. Ep. Bárnabae 19,5:PG 2 777; Ad Diognetum 5,6: PG 2, 1173;
Tertullian, Apol. 9: PL 1, 319-320.
76 GS 51 § 3.
77 CIC, can. 1398.
78 CIC, can. 1314.
79 Cf. CIC, cann. 1323-1324.
80 CDF, Donum vitae III.
81 CDF, Donum vitae III.
82 CDF, Donum vitae I, 2.
83 CDF, Donum vitae I, 3.
84 CDF, Donum vitae I, 5.
85 CDF, Donum vitae I, 6.
From McCain's Human Dignity and
the Sanctity of Life
:
John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned, [...] returning the abortion question to the
individual states.
However, the reversal of Roe v. Wade represents only one step in the long path toward ending abortion. Once the question is
returned to the states, the fight for life will be one of courage and compassion - the courage of a pregnant mother to bring her
child into the world and the compassion of civil society to meet her needs and those of her newborn baby. [...] As John McCain has
publicly noted, At its core, abortion is a human tragedy. To effect meaningful change, we must engage the debate at a human
level.
From Obama's Women for Obama Issues
:
[H]e has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women’s rights under Roe v. Wade a priority
as President. He opposes any constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's decision in that case.
Abortion is a very big problem: Roughly seven thousand four hundred parents murder their children every day in
U.S.A.2 If you claim to care about genocide ... (that's more than 1300000 deaths every year.)
Contraceptives
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
2366 Fecundity is a gift, an end of marriage, for conjugal love naturally tends to be fruitful. A
child does not come from outside as something added on to the mutual love of the spouses, but springs from the very heart of that
mutual giving, as its fruit and fulfillment. So the Church, which is on the side of life
150 teaches that it
is necessary that each and every marriage act remain ordered per se to the procreation of human life.
151 This
particular doctrine, expounded on numerous occasions by the Magisterium, is based on the inseparable connection, established by
God, which man on his own initiative may not break, between the unitive significance and the procreative significance which are
both inherent to the marriage act.
152
2367 Called to give life, spouses share in the creative power and fatherhood of God.153 Married
couples should regard it as their proper mission to transmit human life and to educate their children; they should realize that
they are thereby cooperating with the love of God the Creator and are, in a certain sense, its interpreters. They will fulfill
this duty with a sense of human and Christian responsibility.
154
2369 By safeguarding both these essential aspects, the unitive and the procreative, the conjugal act
preserves in its fullness the sense of true mutual love and its orientation toward man's exalted vocation to
parenthood.
156
2370 Periodic continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based on self-observation and the use of
infertile periods, is in conformity with the objective criteria of morality.157 These methods respect the bodies of the
spouses, encourage tenderness between them, and favor the education of an authentic freedom. In contrast, every action which,
whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences,
proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible
is intrinsically evil:158
Thus the innate language that expresses the total reciprocal self-giving of husband and wife is overlaid, through
contraception, by an objectively contradictory language, namely, that of not giving oneself totally to the other. This leads not
only to a positive refusal to be open to life but also to a falsification of the inner truth of conjugal love, which is called
upon to give itself in personal totality. . . . The difference, both anthropological and moral, between contraception and
recourse to the rhythm of the cycle . . . involves in the final analysis two irreconcilable concepts of the human person and of
human sexuality.159
2371 Let all be convinced that human life and the duty of transmitting it are not limited by the horizons of
this life only: their true evaluation and full significance can be understood only in reference to man's eternal
destiny.
160
2372
The state has a responsibility for its citizens' well-being. In this capacity it is legitimate for it to intervene
to orient the demography of the population. This can be done by means of objective and respectful information, but certainly not
by authoritarian, coercive measures. The state may not legitimately usurp the initiative of spouses, who have the primary
responsibility for the procreation and education of their children.161 In this area, it is not authorized to employ
means contrary to the moral law.
2399 The regulation of births represents one of the aspects of responsible fatherhood and motherhood.
Legitimate intentions on the part of the spouses do not justify recourse to morally unacceptable means (for example, direct
sterilization or contraception).
Footnotes:
150 FC 30.
151 HV 11.
152 HV 12; cf. Pius XI, encyclical, Casti connubii.
153 Cf. Eph 3:14; Mt 23:9.
154 GS 50 # 2.
155 GS 51 # 3.
156 Cf. HV 12.
157 HV 16.
158 HV 14.
159 FC 32.
160 GS 51 # 4.
161 Cf. HV 23; PP 37.
From The Washington Independent's McCain's Birth Control
Dodge
:
Twice in the last decade -- in 2003 and 2005 -- the Arizona senator has voted against legislation requiring
insurance
plans that cover prescription drugs to also cover birth control. Confronted with Fiorina's sentiments, McCain was stuck: If he
replied that it is, indeed, unfair that contraceptives are not covered, then he flip-flops on his earlier votes; if he answered no,
then he risks alienating women voters. Instead, he punted.
I don't recall the vote,
McCain said. I've cast thousands of votes in the Senate.
Note: The article discusses questions posed to McCain about contraceptives, which he uncomfortably addressed and failed to
satisfactorily answer. It is not yet decided whether he will stand against contraceptives.
From Obama's Women for Obama Issues
:
Barack Obama is an original co-sponsor of legislation to expand access to contraception ... The Act will also end insurance
discrimination against contraception, improve awareness about emergency contraception ...
Embryonic Stem Cell Research
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
2273 The inalienable right to life of every innocent human individual is a constitutive element of a civil
society and its legislation:
The inalienable rights of the person must be recognized and respected by civil society and the political authority. These
human rights depend neither on single individuals nor on parents; nor do they represent a concession made by society and the
state; they belong to human nature and are inherent in the person by virtue of the creative act from which the person took his
origin. Among such fundamental rights one should mention in this regard every human being's right to life and physical
integrity from the moment of conception until death.
80
The moment a positive law deprives a category of human beings of the protection which civil legislation ought to accord
them, the state is denying the equality of all before the law. When the state does not place its power at the service of the
rights of each citizen, and in particular of the more vulnerable, the very foundations of a state based on law are undermined.
. . . As a consequence of the respect and protection which must be ensured for the unborn child from the moment of conception,
the law must provide appropriate penal sanctions for every deliberate violation of the child's rights.
81
2274 Since it must be treated from conception as a person, the embryo must be defended in its integrity, cared
for, and healed, as far as possible, like any other human being.
Prenatal diagnosis is morally licit, if it respects the life and integrity of the embryo and the human
fetus and is directed toward its safe guarding or healing as an individual. . . . It is gravely opposed to the moral law when
this is done with the thought of possibly inducing an abortion, depending upon the results: a diagnosis must not be the
equivalent of a death sentence.
82
2275
One must hold as licit procedures carried out on the human embryo which respect the life and integrity of the embryo and
do not involve disproportionate risks for it, but are directed toward its healing the improvement of its condition of health, or
its individual survival.
83
It is immoral to produce human embryos intended for exploitation as disposable biological material.
84
Certain attempts to influence chromosomic or genetic inheritance are not therapeutic but are aimed at producing human
beings selected according to sex or other predetermined qualities. Such manipulations are contrary to the personal dignity of
the human being and his integrity and identity
85 which are unique and unrepeatable.
2376 Techniques that entail the dissociation of husband and wife, by the intrusion of a person other than the
couple (donation of sperm or ovum, surrogate uterus), are gravely immoral. These techniques (heterologous artificial insemination
and fertilization) infringe the child's right to be born of a father and mother known to him and bound to each other by marriage.
They betray the spouses' right to become a father and a mother only through each other.
166
Footnotes:
80 CDF, Donum vitae III.
81 CDF, Donum vitae III.
82 CDF, Donum vitae I, 2.
83 CDF, Donum vitae I, 3.
84 CDF, Donum vitae I, 5.
85 CDF, Donum vitae I, 6.
166 CDF, Donum vitae II, 1.
From McCain's Human Dignity and the
Sanctity of Life:
Stem cell research offers tremendous hope for those suffering from a variety of deadly diseases - hope for both cures and
life-extending treatments. However, the compassion to relieve suffering and to cure deadly disease cannot erode moral and ethical
principles.
For this reason, John McCain opposes the intentional creation of human embryos for research purposes. To that end, Senator
McCain voted to ban the practice of "fetal farming," making it a federal crime for researchers to use cells or fetal tissue from
an embryo created for research purposes. Furthermore, he voted to ban attempts to use or obtain human cells gestated in animals.
Finally, John McCain strongly opposes human cloning and voted to ban the practice, and any related experimentation, under federal
law.
As president, John McCain will strongly support funding for promising research programs, including amniotic fluid and adult stem
cell research and other types of scientific study that do not involve the use of human embryos.
Where federal funds are used for stem cell research, Senator McCain believes clear lines should be drawn that reflect a refusal
to sacrifice moral values and ethical principles for the sake of scientific progress, and that any such research should be subject
to strict federal guidelines.
From Obama's Women for Obama Issues
:
Obama is a co-sponsor of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007, which would allow research of human embryonic stem
cells derived from embryos donated (with consent) from in vitro fertilization clinics. These embryos must be deemed in excess and
created based solely for the purpose of fertility treatment.
First Commandment
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
THE FIRST COMMANDMENT
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods
before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the
earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them.3
It is written: You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.
4
2084 God makes himself known by recalling his all-powerful loving, and liberating action in the history of the
one he addresses: I brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
The first word contains the first
commandment of the Law: You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve him.... You shall not go after other
gods.
5 God's first call and just demand is that man accept him and worship him.
Footnotes:
3 Ex 20:2-5; cf. Deut 5:6-9.
4 Mt 4:10.
5 Deut 6:13-14.
Note: There is more to be said, but we are all familiar with the general idea.
From Barack's Faith Principles:
We are a nation of many faiths and of those with no faith at all. The religious practices of all must be
respected. ... Whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim
nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers.
Note: There is a difference between tolerance and respect. As citizens of U.S.A. we are required to tolerate conflicting ideas; it
is another thing entirely to respect them. Also note that disrespect of an idea is not intolerance of a person or
encroachment of his freedom.
Gay Discrimination
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This
inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect,
compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to
fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties
they may encounter from their condition.
2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom,
at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and
resolutely approach Christian perfection.
2376 Techniques that entail the dissociation of husband and wife, by the intrusion of a person other than the
couple (donation of sperm or ovum, surrogate uterus), are gravely immoral. These techniques (heterologous artificial insemination
and fertilization) infringe the child's right to be born of a father and mother known to him and bound to each other by marriage.
They betray the spouses' right to become a father and a mother only through each other.
166
2378 A child is not something owed to one, but is a gift. The supreme gift of marriage
is a human
person. A child may not be considered a piece of property, an idea to which an alleged right to a child
would lead. In
this area, only the child possesses genuine rights: the right to be the fruit of the specific act of the conjugal love of his
parents,
and the right to be respected as a person from the moment of his conception.
169
2379 The Gospel shows that physical sterility is not an absolute evil. Spouses who still suffer from
infertility after exhausting legitimate medical procedures should unite themselves with the Lord's Cross, the source of all
spiritual fecundity. They can give expression to their generosity by adopting abandoned children or performing demanding services
for others.
2392 Love is the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being
(FC 11).
2393 By creating the human being man and woman, God gives personal dignity equally to the one and the other.
Each of them, man and woman, should acknowledge and accept his sexual identity.
2394 Christ is the model of chastity. Every baptized person is called to lead a chaste life, each according to
his particular state of life.
2395 Chastity means the integration of sexuality within the person. It includes an apprenticeship in
self-mastery.
2396 Among the sins gravely contrary to chastity are masturbation, fornication, pornography, and homosexual
practices.
Footnotes:
166 CDF, Donum vitae II, 1.
169 CDF, Donum vitae II, 8.
From an About.com article:
John McCain does not support a federal non-discrimination law that would outlaw job discrimination based on sexual orientation
and gender identity.
John McCain did not support the Local Law Enforcement Act of 2005.
John McCain's stance on gay and lesbian adoption is unknown[.]
John McCain does not support gays and lesbians serving in the military. According to
Earth Times in an April 16 letter to
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), McCain says Don't Ask, Don't Tell
Unambiguously maintains that open
homosexuality within the military services presents an intolerable risk to morale, cohesion and discipline.
From an About.com article:
Barack Obama co-sponsored legislation to expand federal hate crimes laws to include crimes perpetrated because of sexual
orientation and gender identity.
Barack Obama supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and believes it should be expanded to include sexual orientation and
gender identity.
Barack Obama believes we need to repeal the Don't Ask, Don't Tell
policy and allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in
the military. His campaign literature says, The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a
willingness to serve.
Barack Obama believes gays and lesbians should have the same rights to adopt children as heterosexuals.
[...] Barack Obama has said that he supports civil unions ... He said he would support civil unions between gay and lesbian
couples, as well as letting individual states determine if marriage between gay and lesbian couples should be legalized.
Giving them a set of basic rights would allow them to experience their relationship and live their lives in a way that
doesn't cause discrimination,
Obama said. I think it is the right balance to strike in this society.
See Obama's on LGBT rights
PDF. It speaks strongly
against all forms of discrimination.
Gun Ownership
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT
You shall not kill.54
You have heard that it was said to the men of old, You shall not kill: and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.
But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment.55
2258 Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains
for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until
its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human
being.
56
2261 Scripture specifies the prohibition contained in the fifth commandment: Do not slay the innocent and the
righteous.
61 The deliberate murder of an innocent person is gravely contrary to the dignity of the human being, to
the golden rule, and to the holiness of the Creator. the law forbidding it is universally valid: it obliges each and everyone,
always and everywhere.
2262 In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord recalls the commandment, You shall not kill,
62 and adds to it the
proscription of anger, hatred, and vengeance. Going further, Christ asks his disciples to turn the other cheek, to love their
enemies.63 He did not defend himself and told Peter to leave his sword in its sheath.64
Footnotes:
54 Ex 20:13; Cf. Deut 5:17.
55 Mt 5:21-22.
56 CDF, instruction, Donum vitae, intro. 5.
61 Ex 23:7.
62 Mt 5:21.
63 Cf. Mt 5:22-39; 5:44.
64 Cf. Mt 26:52.
Luke 12.22-25:
He said to (his) disciples, Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life and what you will eat, or about your body and
what you will wear.
For life is more than food and the body more than clothing.
Notice the ravens: they do not sow or reap; they have neither storehouse nor barn, yet God feeds them. How much more important are
you than birds!
Can any of you by worrying add a moment to your lifespan? ...
So don't worry about whether Cho comes to your campus. That's not a valid reason to have a gun.
Luke 6.27-31:
But to you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not
withhold even your tunic.
Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
Don't worry if a burglar breaks into your home. Attempt to make peace with him and give him whatever he wants.
Ghandi (correctly) inferred Jesus' teaching of pacifism. As the Catechism points
out, Matthew 26.52:
Then Jesus said to him, Put your sword back into its sheath, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. ...
So what reason do you have to own a gun – much less an assault rifle – at times of peace in your neighborhood?
Legitimate defense is a very good reason, and I daresay the only reason, but I think that's a matter of war; see
War. (We have a grave duty
to protect people from wickedness, as in the Holocaust or the
slaughter of the innocent in the Middle East today.)
From McCain's Protecting Second
Amendment Rights:
John McCain believes that the right of law abiding citizens to keep and bear arms is a ... Constitutional right that we have a
sacred duty to protect.
John McCain opposes restrictions on so-called assault rifles
and voted consistently against such bans. Most recently he
opposed an amendment to extend a ban on 19 specific firearms, and others with similar characteristics. John McCain opposes bans on
the importation of certain types of ammunition magazines and has voted against such limitations.
... He voted against an amendment that would have banned many of the most commonly used hunting cartridges on the spurious
grounds that they were armor-piercing.
[... H]e cosponsored legislation to lift a ban on the law abiding citizens of the District of Columbia from exercising their
Constitutional right to bear arms.
John McCain supports instant criminal background checks to help prohibit criminals from buying firearms ...
John McCain has opposed waiting periods
for law abiding citizen's purchase of firearms.
John McCain opposes the confiscation of firearms from private citizens, particularly during times of crisis or emergency. He
voted in favor of an amendment sponsored by Senator David Vitter prohibiting such confiscation.
John McCain believes in strict, mandatory penalties for criminals who use a firearm in the commission of a crime or illegally
possess a firearm. Enforcing the current laws on the books is the best way to deter crime.
McCain encourages gun ownership in the United States, tools that do nothing but destroy in a peaceful society. (If you are acting
as a police officer, then it might be legitimate defense; I can imagine no other scenario.)
From Obama's UrbanPolicy
:
As president, Barack Obama would repeal the Tiahrt Amendment, which restricts the ability of local law enforcement to access
important gun trace information, and give police officers across the nation the tools they need to solve gun crimes and fight the
illegal arms trade. ... He supports closing the gun show loophole and making guns in this country childproof. He also supports
making the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent, as such weapons belong on foreign battlefields and not on our
streets.
Marriage
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
1601 The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the
whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this
covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament.
84
1660 The marriage covenant, by which a man and a woman form with each other an intimate communion of life and
love, has been founded and endowed with its own special laws by the Creator. By its very nature it is ordered to the good of the
couple, as well as to the generation and education of children. Christ the Lord raised marriage between the baptized to the
dignity of a sacrament (cf. CIC, can. 1055 # 1; cf. GS 48 # 1).
Footnotes:
84 CIC, can. 1055 # 1; cf. GS 48 # 1.
From McCain's Human Dignity and the
Sanctity of Life:
Critical to Constitutional balance is ensuring that, where state and local governments do act to preserve the traditional
family, the Courts must not overstep their authority and thwart the Constitutional right of the people to decide this question.
The family represents the foundation of Western Civilization and civil society and John McCain believes the institution of
marriage is a union between one man and one woman.
From an About.com article:
[... M]y religious beliefs say that marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman.
From Bob Barr's Marriage
:
The federal government should neither regulate personal relationships nor discriminate against individuals for their personal
preferences.
Stewardship of the Planet
Genesis 1.27-31:
27 God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them.
28
God blessed them, saying: Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the
birds of the air, and all the living things that move on the earth.
29
God also said: "See, I give you every seed-bearing plant all over the earth and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be
your food;
30
and to all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air, and all the living creatures that crawl on the ground, I give all the
green plants for food." And so it happened.
31
God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good. Evening came, and morning followed--the sixth day.
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
338 Nothing exists that does not owe its existence to God the Creator. the world began when God's word drew it out of
nothingness; all existent beings, all of nature, and all human history are rooted in this primordial event, the very genesis by
which the world was constituted and time begun.207
339 Each creature possesses its own particular goodness and perfection. For each one of the works of the six days
it is
said: and God saw that it was good.
By the very nature of creation, material being is endowed with its own stability,
truth and excellence, its own order and laws.
208 Each of the various creatures, willed in its own being, reflects
in its own way a ray of God's infinite wisdom and goodness. Man must therefore respect the particular goodness of every creature,
to avoid any disordered use of things which would be in contempt of the Creator and would bring disastrous consequences for human
beings and their environment.
340 God wills the interdependence of creatures. the sun and the moon, the cedar and the little flower, the eagle and the
sparrow: the spectacle of their countless diversities and inequalities tells us that no creature is self-sufficient. Creatures
exist only in dependence on each other, to complete each other, in the service of each other.
341 The beauty of the universe: the order and harmony of the created world results from the diversity of beings and from the
relationships which exist among them. Man discovers them progressively as the laws of nature. They call forth the admiration of
scholars. the beauty of creation reflects the infinite beauty of the Creator and ought to inspire the respect and submission of
man's intellect and will.
354 Respect for laws inscribed in creation and the relations which derive from the nature of things is a principle of wisdom
and a foundation for morality.
Footnotes:
207 Cf. St. Augustine, De Genesi adv. Man 1, 2, 4: PL 34, 175.
208 GS 36 # 1.
McCain's Climate
Change
does not provide a clear answer. For example, John McCain Believes An Effective And Sustainable Climate
Policy Must Also Support Rapid Economic Growth,
and he continues to state random things that will reduce emissions at low
costs. It doesn't mean very much to me, and it's difficult to read due to poor formatting and lack of content. Both agree to a
Cap and Trade Policy
. McCain says,
A climate cap-and-trade mechanism would set a limit on greenhouse gas emissions and allow entities to buy and sell rights to
emit, similar to the successful acid rain trading program of the early 1990s. The key feature of this mechanism is that it allows
the market to decide and encourage the lowest-cost compliance options.
allow entities to buy and sell rights to emit
? To compare, see
Obama's statement. It is clear by contrast that McCain is refusing to give
details or make specific promises; in short, McCain is refusing to make a commitment to the planet like Obama:
Obama supports implementation of a market-based cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon emissions by the amount scientists say is
necessary: 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Obama's cap-and-trade system will require all pollution credits to be auctioned.
A 100 percent auction ensures that all polluters pay for every ton of emissions they release, rather than giving these emission
rights away to coal and oil companies. Some of the revenue generated by auctioning allowances will be used to support the
development of clean energy, to invest in energy efficiency improvements, and to address transition costs, including helping
American workers affected by this economic transition.
Obama's Energy & Environment
is far more clear and definite.
Among several other clear statements:
I don't believe that climate change is just an issue that's convenient to bring up during a campaign. I believe it's one of the
greatest moral challenges of our generation. That's why I've fought successfully in the Senate to increase our investment in
renewable fuels. That's why I reached across the aisle to come up with a plan to raise our fuel standards... And I didn't just
give a speech about it in front of some environmental audience in California. I went to Detroit, I stood in front of a group of
automakers, and I told them that when I am president, there will be no more excuses – we will help them retool their
factories, but they will have to make cars that use less oil.
Obama has called for repealing the oil and gas industry tax breaks that President Bush himself has said himself are unnecessary
given today’s strong market incentive for expanding exploration and production.
Obama will develop domestic incentives that reward forest owners, farmers, and ranchers when they plant trees, restore
grasslands, or undertake farming practices that capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Obama will double science and research funding for clean energy projects including those that make use of our biomass, solar and
wind resources.
Obama's plan will reduce oil consumption by at least 35 percent, or 10 million barrels per day, by 2030. This will more than
offset the equivalent of the oil we would import from OPEC nations in 2030.
Obama will double fuel economy standards within 18 years. His plan will provide retooling tax credits and loan guarantees for
domestic auto plants and parts manufacturers, so that they can build new fuel-efficient cars rather than overseas companies. Obama
will also invest in advanced vehicle technology such as advanced lightweight materials and new engines.
The page goes on and on.
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, immediately after that
used for the gun discussion:
Legitimate defense
2263 The legitimate defense of persons and societies is not an exception to the prohibition against the murder of the innocent
that constitutes intentional killing. The act of self-defense can have a double effect: the preservation of one's own life;
and the killing of the aggressor.... the one is intended, the other is not.
65
2264 Love toward oneself remains a fundamental principle of morality. Therefore it is legitimate to insist on respect for one's
own right to life. Someone who defends his life is not guilty of murder even if he is forced to deal his aggressor a lethal
blow:
If a man in self-defense uses more than necessary violence, it will be unlawful: whereas if he repels force with
moderation, his defense will be lawful.... Nor is it necessary for salvation that a man omit the act of moderate self-defense to
avoid killing the other man, since one is bound to take more care of one's own life than of another's.
2265 Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for someone responsible for another's life. Preserving the
common good requires rendering the unjust aggressor unable to inflict harm. To this end, those holding legitimate authority have
the right to repel by armed force aggressors against the civil community entrusted to their charge.66
Footnotes:
65 St. Thomas Aquinas, STh II-II, 64, 7, corp. art.
66 St. Thomas Aquinas, STh II-II, 64, 7, corp. art.
(I think 2263 refers to the tendency of soldiers to slaughter civilians in occupied territory, as in Vietnam and allegations in
Iraq, as well as Guerrillas who attack civilians.)
From McCain's Strategy for
Victory in Iraq
:
John McCain believes it is strategically and morally essential for the United States to support the Government of Iraq to
become capable of governing itself and safeguarding its people. He strongly disagrees with those who advocate withdrawing
American troops before that has occurred.
It would be a grave mistake to leave before Al Qaeda in Iraq is defeated and before a competent, trained, and capable Iraqi
security force is in place and operating effectively. We must help the Government of Iraq battle those who provoke sectarian
tensions and promote a civil war that could destabilize the Middle East. Iraq must not become a failed state, a haven for
terrorists, or a pawn of Iran. These likely consequences of America's failure in Iraq almost certainly would either require us to
return or draw us into a wider and far costlier war.
The best way to secure long-term peace and security is to establish a stable, prosperous, and democratic state in Iraq that
poses no threat to its neighbors and contributes to the defeat of terrorists. When Iraqi forces can safeguard their own country,
American troops can return home.
From Obama's Foreign Policy
:
[M]y opponent will not be able to say that I voted for the war in Iraq; or that I gave George Bush the benefit of the doubt on
Iran ... I will finish the fight against Al Qaeda. And I will lead the world to combat the common threats of the 21st century:
nuclear weapons and terrorism; climate change and poverty; genocide and disease.
Obama believes that we have not exhausted our non-military options in confronting [Iran's threat of obtaining nuclear
weapons]; in many ways, we have yet to try them. That's why Obama stood up to the Bush administration's warnings of war, just
like he stood up to the war in Iraq.
Obama opposed the Kyl-Lieberman amendment, which says we should use our military presence in Iraq to counter the threat from
Iran. Obama believes that it was reckless for Congress to give George Bush any justification to extend the Iraq War or to attack
Iran. Obama also introduced a resolution in the Senate declaring that no act of Congress – including Kyl-Lieberman –
gives the Bush administration authorization to attack Iran.
It is wrong to say that he will lead the world to combat genocide
if he continues to support abortion (which he has
promised.)
From Obama's War in Iraq:
Here is the truth: fighting a war without end will not force the Iraqis to take responsibility for their own future. And
fighting in a war without end will not make the American people safer.
Obama argues that our jobs in Iraq has hurt our jobs in Afghanistan, and that in focusing on Al Qaeda we have let
the Taliban regroup and become more violent in Afghanistan.
Immediately upon taking office, Obama will give his Secretary of Defense and military commanders a new mission in Iraq:
[withdrawing.] The removal of our troops will be responsible and phased, directed by military commanders on the ground and done
in consultation with the Iraqi government. Military experts believe we can safely redeploy combat brigades from Iraq at a pace of
1 to 2 brigades a month that would remove them in 16 months. That would be the summer of 2010[.]
... a residual force will remain in Iraq and in the region to conduct targeted counter-terrorism missions against al Qaeda in
Iraq and to protect American diplomatic and civilian personnel. He ... will continue efforts to train and support the Iraqi
security forces as long as Iraqi leaders move toward political reconciliation and away from sectarianism.
Barack Obama believes that the U.S. must apply pressure on the Iraqi government to work toward real political accommodation.
There is no military solution to Iraq’s political differences[.]
If we are needed in Iraq, McCain's solution is better. If we are not needed, withdrawing is obviously better. The news I have
read
suggests that we are needed. Note that there are troops in the Middle East – and particularly Iraq – from several
countries throughout the world. The popular opinion, then, appears to be that we are needed there. It is also not clear how Obama
plans to withdraw troops from Iraq but continue operating there with his residual force
. Does he imagine that
all the troops over there are protecting, fighting and dying for nothing?
I shall refrain from judgment because I do not have or understand all the affairs in the Middle East.
Conclusion (and thoughts about the last days
)
Both candidates are poor choices for president. While McCain fights abortion, he fails to fight pollution, and Obama vice
versa, just as an example. The deaths of millions of potential people every year is certainly worse than the deaths of animals, but
there is no
guarantee God will bail us out of a broken home as soon as we would like (i.e. as soon as we break it): every
action has its consequence, and no one will know when Jesus will return.
Unfortunately I have seen Christians disregard climate change, saying God will save us, no problem.
It is a terrible
assumption, and one that may be unfounded:
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
672 Before his Ascension Christ affirmed that the hour had not yet come for the glorious establishment of the messianic kingdom
awaited by Israel561 which, according to the prophets, was to bring all men the definitive order of justice, love and
peace.562 According to the Lord, the present time is the time of the Spirit and of witness, but also a time still
marked by distress
and the trial of evil which does not spare the Church563 and ushers in the struggles of the
last days. It is a time of waiting and watching.564
The Church's ultimate trial
675 Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many
believers.573 The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth574 will unveil the mystery of
iniquity
in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy
from the truth. the supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist, a pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in
place of God and of his Messiah come in the flesh.575
676 The Antichrist's deception already begins to take shape in the world every time the claim is made to realize within history
that messianic hope which can only be realized beyond history through the eschatological judgement. the Church has rejected even
modified forms of this falsification of the kingdom to come under the name of millenarianism,576 especially the
intrinsically perverse
political form of a secular messianism.577
677 The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only through this final Passover, when she will follow her Lord in his death
and Resurrection.578 The kingdom will be fulfilled, then, not by a historic triumph of the Church through a progressive
ascendancy, but only by God's victory over the final unleashing of evil, which will cause his Bride to come down from
heaven.579 God's triumph over the revolt of evil will take the form of the Last Judgement after the final cosmic
upheaval of this passing world.580
Footnotes:
- 561 Cf. Acts 1:6-7.
- 562 Cf. Is 11:1-9.
- 563 Cf. Acts 1:8; I Cor 7:26; Eph 5:16; I Pt 4:17.
- 564 Cf. Mt 25:1, 13; Mk 13:33-37; I I Jn 2:18; 4:3; I Tim 4:1.
- 565 Cf. Rev 22:20.
- 566 Acts 1:7; Cf. Mk 13:32.
- 567 Cf. Mt 24:44; I Th 5:2; 2 Th 2:3-12.
- 568 Rom I 1:20-26; cf. Mt 23:39.
- 569 Acts 3:19-21.
- 570 Rom 11:15.
- 571 Rom 11:12, 25; cf. Lk 21:24.
- 572 Eph 4:13; I Cor 15:28.
- 573 Cf. Lk 18:8; Mt 24:12.
- 574 Cf. Lk 21:12; Jn 15:19-20.
- 575 Cf. 2 Th 2:4-12; I Th 5:2-3; 2 Jn 7; I Jn 2:1 8, 22.
- 576 Cf. DS 3839.
- 577 Pius XI, Divini Redemptoris, condemning the "false mysticism" of this
counterfeit of the redemption of the lowly
;
cf. GS 20-21.
- 578 Cf. Rev 19:1-9.
- 579 Cf Rev 13:8; 20:7-10; 21:2-4.
- 580 Cf. Rev 20:12 2 Pt 3:12-13.
These Christians I have seen seem to have the impression that once the planet is in turmoil, yay, game over! rapture!
and
they avoid any unpleasantries or suffering. We seem to have been promised precisely the opposite, Before
Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers.
The fact is
actually quite simple: everything in our lives matters. It is true that we could be dead tomorrow, or be taken up tomorrow (and
perhaps that's the same thing.) But it is clear that pollution, wantonness and wastefulness are sinful, and everyone will stand
before God.
The most important issues to me – embryonic care, the planet, war – are diametrically split and scattered between the
parties; it appears we must choose one and forsake the other. I'd rather go to Baskin Robbins, where I have more choice and I can
actually get what I want.3
I suppose I'll vote for McCain, because embryonic abuse is more insidious and less noticeable than the abuse of our planet. That,
and as Eddie Izzard points out, we care more about genocide when it's closer to home. (Other nations will inevitably force USA to
act, since our hurting the planet affects them, too, but our murdering of our children doesn't affect them nearly as much.)
Please, contact me with your thoughts. (I'm hoping to eventually install a commenting system like
youtube's.)
Footnotes
(You may click the Back
button of your browser to return to your page position before clicking the footnote link.)
- Christians call the Bible
the Word of God
because the Holy Spirit inspired the human authors to write
what they wrote; thus, God is responsible for what's in the Bible, so it's God's message, i.e. word.
Thus,
the Catholic Church instructs, God is the author of Sacred
Scripture.
However, I think we must be careful with this idea: too many do not
correctly intepret parts of the Bible, and misattribute bad teachings
to God, and in defense, say it is God's word, not mine.
- From these Abortion Statistics. You may tell
me that it is simply the disposal of an unwanted growth, but you'll have to explain that to me. I was taught that pregnancies meant
babies, babies meant children, children meant you and me. Were you a wanted growth, then? At what point did you cease
being a growth and become a person? And if you believe in the God of Abraham, please explain to me why he would bless you with
garbage; popular sentiment for at least two thousand years has been that God is the source of children (e.g.
Psalm 139.13.) And if you're Christian, you have the
Catholic Church to deal with as well.
From Burning Questions: George
Carlin:
Yes, you can change presidents, but you don't get much choice in this country about important things. They have all the guns.
They have all the tools. They have all the power. We call it freedom of choice. There is an illusion of choice. Americans are
led to feel free through the exercise of meaningless choices. There are only two political parties. There is a reduction of the
number of media companies. Banking has been reduced to only a handful of banks. Oil companies. These are important, and you're
given very little choice.
Oh, but the flavor of jellybeans? The flavor of muffins? A bagel? You can get a Pina Colada bagel. We're given the illusion of
choice by the meaningless of choices of trivial things. You know what your freedom of choice in America is? Paper or plastic,
buddy? That's it. After you've said cash or charge, maybe it's Pepsi or Coke? Window or Aisle? Smoking or No?. Everything else
you're kinda guided towards by focus groups and marketing research.
See also George Carlin on Voting; it is extremely vulgar but true.
This page was last modified Thursday, 23-Oct-2008 23:58:05 EDT.
