While I'm sure teh smooth-talking Obama is attractive to some, his stubborn refusal to recognize the dignity of life is in direct opposition to Catholic teaching. Furthermore, his support of homosexuals' desire for "marriage" is also a contradiction to the Catholic faith. If that wasn't enough, Mr Obama supports fetal/embryonic stem cell research...the creation of a human being for spare parts and a research subject.

These are "non-negotiables"...and a Catholic who votes for Obama puts their souls at risk.

"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" (Evangelium Vitae, para 73). Abortion is the intentional and direct killing of an innocent human being, and therefore it is a form of homicide.'

While I am opposed to capital punishment, Catholics can in good conscience support the right of the state to defend itself from an agressor...abortion is a fundamentally different issue.

What's more, Mr Obama is so pro-abortion, he actually voted against the Infant Born Alive Act because it might place restrictions on abortion...remember the purpose of this legislation is protect a baby who is born alive after a botched abortion.

"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" (Pontifical Council for the Family, Charter of the Rights of the Family, 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."

"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" (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Considerations regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recognition to Unions between Homosexual Persons, 10)."

Regarding the dignity of life, you might add Catholic opposition to the death penalty to your list.

<link>

Are you for real Crusader?

This anti-abortion rhetoric is nonsense. Please forgive me, I thought it was 2008. We should not even be having this discussion. No one should have the right to tell someone else what to do with their body. If you disagree with abortion, don't have one.

And, please tell me how you are going to assist those individuals that are having unwanted children. Financially? Adoption?

Your sympathy only goes as far as birth, and then where's the concern? The hypocrisy is astounding and outright criminal. Spare me the piety. Have some goddam compassion for chrissakes

i'll repeat what i posted elsewhere:

"Even though abortion is supposed to be non-negotiable to the Catholic (hardly the practical norm), the war looks less and less like it meets Just War criteria every month, (to my thinking, it never did) positioning it more and more in the Catholic mind, as a non-negotiable.

furthermore, the Church's teaching on capital punishment comes as close to the language of "never" as possible, without stating absolutes:

The traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude, presupposing full ascertainment of the identity and responsibility of the offender, recourse to the death penalty, when this is the only practicable way to defend the lives of human beings effectively against the aggressor. ...Today, in fact, given the means at the State's disposal to effectively repress crime by rendering inoffensive the one who has committed it, without depriving him definitively of the possibility of redeeming himself, cases of absolute necessity for suppression of the offender 'today ... are very rare, if not practically non-existent.' (Catechism Catholic Church 2267) (emphasis mine) "

yes. Obama's views are repugnant to the orthodox Catholic. but McCain's suspicious pro-life inconsistencies, committment to the war and execution agreeability make him a close second in the race of repugnance.

my conclusion: there's no option for a consistent moral Catholic vote, only (as usual) a strategic vote, which has proven to be altogether impotent, as abortion is still legal and restrictions are shallow and ineffective.

I'm sure these issues are non-negotiable if one wants to lead a life in accordance with Catholic doctrine. But it's another matter entirely to vote so that one's own religious views will be imposed on all others, regardless of their religious beliefs.

For instance, so what if government allows same-sex marriage? There's no obligation for any religious organization to perform them or recognize them. What other people do is, frankly, no one else's legal business.

People of one faith or another are free to use their free speech rights to convince others that certain behavior leads to salvation or eternal punishment. But they should have no right to use the power of government to force everyone else to obey the dictates of their religion. The latter approach sounds more like the Taliban than a nation that believes in freedom of religion.

Separation of church and state has helped make us one of the freest religious societies on the planet. Let's vote for people who will keep it that way.

Lord help me. I honestly wonder if these supporting arguments for Catholics voting for Obama are written by Catholics. I am shocked. I truly did not know people like this existed. These arguments are the same that have been presented by Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden. I feel pity for anyone who would consider the multiple stings of false logic presented by Catholic Obama supporters. Instead I would recommend the Catholics follow their own leaders (Bishops) when considering what issues hold precedence and which candidate they should vote for.

"In 2004 a group of United States Bishops, acting on behalf of the USCCB and requesting counsel about the responsibilities of Catholic politicians and voters, received a memo from the office of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI, which stated: ‘A Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil, and so unworthy to present himself for Holy Communion, if he were to deliberately vote for a candidate precisely because of the candidate¹s permissive stand on abortion and/or euthanasia. When a Catholic does not share a candidate¹s stand in favor of abortion and/or euthanasia, but votes for that candidate for other reasons, it is considered remote material cooperation, which can be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons.’ Could a Catholic in good conscience vote for a candidate who supports legalized abortion when there is a choice of another candidate who does not support abortion or any other intrinsically evil policy? Could a voter’s preference for the candidate¹s positions on the pursuit of peace, economic policies benefiting the poor, support for universal health care, a more just immigration policy, etc. overcome a candidate’s support for legalized abortion? In such a case, the Catholic voter must ask and answer the question: What could possibly be a proportionate reason for the more than 45 million children killed by abortion in the past 35 years? Personally, we cannot conceive of such a proportionate reason." <link>

Bishop Vasa responded referencing the document of the United States Catholic Conference titled "Faithful Citizenship", noting a pro-abortion stance disqualifies candidates from consideration by faithful Catholics. -<link>

Catholic bishops across the nation have rebuked Senator Joe Biden for claiming, during a September 7 appearance on NBC's Meet the Press, that his support for abortion is in keeping with his Catholic faith. To date at least 14 bishops have responded to Biden's erroneous statement about Catholic teaching and abortion.

1. Bishop Joseph Martino of Scranton
2. Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver, CO
3. Bishop James Conley, his auxiliary
4. Bishop Robeert Morlino of Madison
5. Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington, DC
6. Bishop Edward Slattery of Tulsa, OK
7. Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, PA
8. Bishop William Lori of Bridgeport, CT
9. Bishop Fran Malooly of Wilmington, DL
10. Bishop Samuel Aquila of Fargo, ND
11. Bishop Gregory Aymond of Austin, TX
12. Bishop R. Walker Nickless of Sioux City, IA
13. Bishop Paul Coakley of Salina, KS
14. Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston, MA <link>

Catholic Leadership Conference Releases Statement on Catholics and Voting: "No prudential judgment can justify certain acts, such as direct abortion, euthanasia, and the killing of unborn life for medical research. These acts are intrinsically evil and violate the Natural Law." <link>

Our Bishops have taken a courageous stand this election cycle. 'Catholics for Choice' is engaged in a campaign of lies and disinformation. The group formerly known as “Catholics for Free Choice” and now known as “Catholics for Choice” was regarded by Archbishop Charles Chaput as a “a tool to use against the Catholic Church, nothing more”. <link>

Kansas Bishops Address Voting as Faithful Catholics: "What could possibly be a proportionate reason for the more than 45 million children killed by abortion in the past 35 years? Personally, we cannot conceive of such a proportionate reason." <link>

The "Freedom of Choice Act" is in the forefront of the current Presidential race. Senator Barrack Obama has promised to sign it into law and Senator John McCain has unequivocally opposed it. Justin Cardinal Rigali, the Chairman of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops Pro-Life Committee, has written a clear, strongly worded letter to the United States Congress telling America's legislators what should be obvious, “We Can’t Reduce Abortions By Promoting Abortion”. <link>

"Abortion is a holocaust that has taken and continues to take more human lives than any holocaust in human history."– Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, along with Dr. Alveda King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Pastoral Associate of Priests for Life. <link>

The list goes on, not only about abortion but gay marriage and infanticide. A Catholic, following social Catholic teaching, CANNOT justify a vote for Obama. Catholic bishops have plainly stated that anyone voting in such a manner are participating in an evil act. I am sure that any questions regarding this topic are answered in Archbishop Caput's book, "Render Unto Caesar".

The Catholic Church is not America. I salute Obama for not attempting to force his faith on me.