WHY DO CATHOLICS VOTE FOR THE CULTURE OF DEATH?
For 35 years many Catholics, who make up 27% of United States voters, have voted for candidates who support legalized murder of unborn children, many who call themselves good Catholics.
There is a strong correlation between the number of Catholics in a state and the election of pro-abortion U.S. legislators. Recent voting records show senators and representatives from the 5 states with most Catholics had only a 15% pro-life record, while U.S. legislators from the 5 least Catholic states had a respectable 71% pro-life record. Pro-abortion Catholic politicians in Congress make a public mockery of the Catholic teaching that abortion is a grave evil.
Perhaps it is because Jews and Christians no longer believe the "non-negotiable" commandment given to Moses -- "Thou shalt not kill"-- applies to unborn children.
Perhaps it is because Christians no longer accept, or perhaps don’t hear about the teaching of Jesus, that is to love our neighbor as ourselves as it applies to killing innocent babies, or that we will be judged on how we treat the least ones, because what we do to the least ones, we do to Jesus.
Perhaps it is because so many Catholics believe they should obey the laws of the country that allow killing unborn babies rather than obeying God’s law to love our neighbor by protecting the innocent helpless least ones, as the first shepherds Peter and John did when they were ordered by the Sanhedrin to stop teaching in the name of Jesus their response was "We must obey God rather than men…"
Perhaps it is because United States Catholic shepherds do not share the priority of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI or promote it as unequivocally and absolutely. Pope Benedict said, "As far as the Catholic Church is concerned, the principal focus of her interventions in the public arena is the protection and promotion of the dignity of the person, and she is thereby consciously drawing particular attention to principles which are not negotiable. "Among these is the protection of life in all its stages, from the first moment of conception until natural death."
Perhaps it is because Catholics believe they can dissent from Catholic teaching on issues like artificial contraception and still be good Catholics, since many Catholic theologians and clergy approved such dissent.
Perhaps it is because Catholic politicians who support and vote for legalized murder of unborn children continue to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus in Communion like other good Catholics.
Perhaps Catholics do not know that voting for pro-abortion candidates is a grave sin, and they vote for a pro-abortion candidate because the candidate has other positions which the voter agrees with.
Perhaps it is because Catholic Bishops have not made clear that Catholic pro-abortion Catholics who obstinately vote and promote legalized murder are no longer Catholics in good standing because they have excommunicated themselves as provided in Canon 1364 by the denial of Catholic doctrine that condemns abortion and other intrinsic evils, and "…no Catholic can take part in a propaganda campaign in favor of such a law, or vote for it." The Declaration on Procured Abortion. Sec.22.
Perhaps it is because some Bishops promote the death penalty of convicted criminals and war as co-equal evils of abortion and euthanasia, which are not intrinsic evils as abortion and euthanasia, as Cardinal Ratzinger informed Catholic Bishops in 2004. Catholics are confused because they don’t understand why the death penalty of convicted criminals is considered the same moral wrong as killing innocent defenseless babies, or why a country can’t protect it’s citizens from threatened, intended and imminent destruction.
Perhaps it is because Catholic voters are in a dilemma because they are told they have an obligation to vote and they would commit a moral evil to vote for a candidate who supports abortion or other intrinsic evils, but they don’t get the candidates pro-life positions at their church, and they can’t rely on public news to present the truth.
Perhaps Catholic shepherds believe they cannot preach any sermons with information that will help to correctly inform those who want to know what candidates are pro-life and what candidates are not pro-life or at the very least tell them where they can get the information, or maybe they allow some parishioners or the IRS to intimidate them.
Perhaps Catholics would not vote for pro-abortion candidates who call themselves "Catholic" if the Bishops would identify pro-abortion, pro-death Catholic politicians as wolves in sheep’s clothing and heretics (Canon 751) because by their denial of essential "non-negotiable" Catholic principles and doctrine they have excommunicated themselves from the Catholic Church (Canon 1364).
Perhaps United States Catholics are willing to obey the laws of men rather than the laws of God, and are willing to be silent for the price of having our charity deductible from income tax.
Perhaps Catholics have not been instructed well in their Christian and civic responsibility to vote only for candidates who will uphold their constitutional oath to protect the 5th and 14th amendment Constitutional requirement to protect the lives of all innocent humans, and voters who knowingly vote for candidates because they support legalized abortion makes the voter an accomplice to murder.
Perhaps Catholics have not been instructed that to vote for candidates who will not publicly acknowledge a responsibility to protect innocent human life disqualifies them for any public office, because they will not commit to obey the Constitutional requirement to protect the most vital human "Right to Life."
Perhaps some, or even one of the above reasons is enough to justify Catholic voters in their preference, and perhaps even in their misguided consciences, to vote for pro-death candidates. But the fact that Catholics vote for the culture of death must be corrected if Catholic teaching is to be the guiding light for the value and dignity of human life, and for all citizens the "inalienable right to life" of our Founding Fathers to continue as the guiding light of justice.
Cliff Zarsky JD
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