Steve from Catholicism, Holiness and Spirituality contributes to another blog called Sollicitudo Rei Socialis Steve is a very thoughtful, humble, and articulate guy, always trying to be faithful and understanding at the same time. His blog is always a breath of fresh air when the blogosphere is polluted with rants masquarading as "opinion" (something of which I've been guilty at times).
Here's an excerpt:
It gets complicated sometimes, when a politician endorses views that promote the dignity of some while ignoring others. Hardly any American politician these days has a perfect track record on this issue, so as participants in the democratic process we have to make choices. We have to make choices that we feel maximize, or do the most to advance our society’s respect for the dignity of all people. We will come to different conclusions and reach different decisions, but if we are all working to advance the overall society’s stance on dignity then dignity will advance. It may not be in a straight and fast line, but how much of life and society is like that anyway? We all – individuals and society – move forward in crooked lines with stumbles and sprints along the way.
In practical terms, if we feel led to vote for a politician who is against the war in Iraq but is pro-abortion, then perhaps we could offset that a bit by donating to or volunteering at a pro-life pregnancy center? Or if we vote for the anti-abortion, pro-death penalty politician maybe we could lend some support to Sr Helen Prejean and her Sisters of St Joesph of Medaille?
Read the whole thing here.
9 comments:
Thanks for the kind words Kevin!
No problem. Glad to help out.
hi
i heard you are speaking in a conference for plan4succes, and im interested. what is your opinion on what this organization is doing, and how can you help? i appreciate very much your thoughts and work.
deearulz@yahoo.com
deearulz,
Sorry. Wrong Kevin Powell. I'm guessing you're looking for Kevin Powell the Hip Hop writer and cultural theorist.
Kevin, I think it's time for you to branch out and diversify. Surely you can rhyme some of your sermons, yes? Add a little audio to the blog. ;-)
Interesting post, but I can't get past thinking that the Church tried something similar to this before. I think they called it an 'Indulgence'?
markh
Saheli,
;)
Mark,
?
kgp
Sorry; this is why my high school math teacher didn't like me - I'd give my answer without showing my work for how I got there.
Where I think I was going was more to the purchase of Indulgences, and trying to justify an action (or a sin), by giving money to another organization (or the church).
The problem with my thinking was being blinded by my political leanings, and assuming that the 'left' was wrong and trying to atone for their sin, and ignoring that the 'right' does the same thing ...
I think it's almost impossible for either 'right' or 'left' Christians to find a perfect political position to agree with, so we choose our best option, and then fight over our politics and ignore our common faith.
Probably still confusing, but that's just me!,
markh
Mark,
Ah, yes. Now I see the Indulgences.
I tend to see everything the Right does as being Wrong. So, in perpective I'm the reverse, if not in practice.
Politics, like life, is a messy game. None is pure. That's why we're saved by grace and live by indulgences.
kgp
Post a Comment