Catholic/Religious Manifesto; "The Manhattan Declaration"

[amicus]

Today was an exceedingly beautiful autumn day which prompted me to put $20.00 worth of Spring Blooming Bulbs into the ground, being optimistic that Spring and I will know each other once again.

So, afterwards, I collapsed in the recliner and closed my eyes to Carol King singing her little heart out on Dish Channel 6033, Soft Rock, loud enough to hear through a partially opened window...it was that nice a day...

Of course I had to check the news to see if the world was as I left it; sighs...'Kennedy denied Communion', wafted to the kitchen and the coffee pot and off I went...

I fully expected to see the content of this thread previously posted, which would have relieved me of the self imposed obligation to present it, as it is gravid with import.

A little less than one in five American's are Catholic; that translates to about 20of the 100 who post here on a regular basis, thus I am curious as to the response.

I do not intend to 'nurse' this thread, nor engage in discussion, but I may drop in from time to time to see if it lives or dies.

Oh, and Trysail, thank you for the nefarious 'bumping' of HandPrints Atlas Shrugged thread. You reminded me of yet another project to copy, paste and edit the subject for further use.

~~~


http://www.*****************.com/article/2418478/kennedy_denied_communion_catholic_church.html?cat=9

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholicism_in_the_United_States

With about 70 million registered residents professing the faith in 2008, the United States has the fourth largest Catholic population in the world after Brazil, Mexico, and the Philippines, respectively.

http://www.aipnews.com/talk/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=10340&posts=19

Christian Leaders Unite on Political Issues
New York Times
November 20, 2009
Laurie Goodstein

Citing the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s call to civil disobedience, 145 evangelical, Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christian leaders have signed a declaration saying they will not cooperate with laws that they say could be used to compel their institutions to participate in abortions, or to bless or in any way recognize same-sex couples. “We pledge to each other, and to our fellow believers, that no power on earth, be it cultural or political, will intimidate us into silence or acquiescence,” it says.

We are Orthodox, Catholic, and evangelical Christians who have united at this hour to reaffirm fundamental truths about justice and the common good, and to call upon our fellow citizens, believers and non-believers alike, to join us in defending them. These truths are:

1. the sanctity of human life
2. the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife
3. the rights of conscience and religious liberty.

***

Human Life

The lives of the unborn, the disabled, and the elderly are ever more threatened. While public opinion has moved in a pro-life direction, powerful and determined forces are working to expand abortion, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide, and euthanasia. Although the protection of the weak and vulnerable is the first obligation of government, the power of government is today often enlisted in the cause of promoting what Pope John Paul II called “the culture of death.” We pledge to work unceasingly for the equal protection of every innocent human being at every stage of development and in every condition. We will refuse to permit ourselves or our institutions to be implicated in the taking of human life and we will support in every possible way those who, in conscience, take the same stand.


Marriage

The institution of marriage, already wounded by promiscuity, infidelity and divorce, is at risk of being redefined and thus subverted. Marriage is the original and most important institution for sustaining the health, education, and welfare of all. Where marriage erodes, social pathologies rise. The impulse to redefine marriage is a symptom, rather than the cause, of the erosion of the marriage culture. It reflects a loss of understanding of the meaning of marriage as embodied in our civil law as well as our religious traditions. Yet it is critical that the impulse be resisted, for yielding to it would mean abandoning the possibility of restoring a sound understanding of marriage and, with it, the hope of rebuilding a healthy marriage culture. It would lock into place the false and destructive belief that marriage is all about romance and other adult satisfactions, and not, in any intrinsic way, about the unique character and value of acts and relationships whose meaning is shaped by their aptness for the generation, promotion and protection of life. Marriage is not a “social construction,” but is rather an objective reality—the covenantal union of husband and wife—that it is the duty of the law to recognize, honor, and protect.

~~~

Damn, 10,000, was such a lovely number...(and ten of the now forbidden Federal Reserve Notes makes such a healthy feel to my $ sign money clip)



Amicus

 

[DearEmma]

Wow, hot topic and I'm sure I'll get burned, but here's my take. I grew up Catholic, went to Catholic school, didn't really question because as a good Catholic I was not supposed to question. I was given truths. There was nothing to question about the truth. Any doubts were challenges of faith.

Then I grew up and the truths I was taught and life didn't jive. I will willingly go to hell defending the rights of all to marry the person of their choice and to control their own bodies. In other words, just as the "145 evangelical, Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christian leaders" I too defend the
the rights of conscience and religious liberty, but unlike them, I include the rights of conscience and religious liberty that don't agree with me.

After my epiphany I couldn't in good conscience remain a Catholic. When my nephew was born and my sister wanted me to be his godmother, I agreed because she asked and wanted me to be, but when the priest found out I was a "lapsed" Catholic he wouldn't allow it. But he did allow someone who had never been Catholic to be godmother. His reason: I had been shown the way and had rejected it. And the only person it hurt was my sister who, God bless her, is the sweetest, most loving, religious Catholic on the planet and still loves me.

So yeah, Kennedy, no communion. It's mean in both the offensive and narrow-minded sense, and is in keeping with what I understand of the Catholic church. And if it is the truth then I'll be seeing lots of good people in hell.

 

[Pure]

love that phrase

We pledge to work unceasingly for the equal protection of every innocent human

talk about a carefully drawn line*. and how about innocent mammals?

---

*it IS reassuring that the proposed rule does NOT apply to amicus!

 

[dr_mabeuse]

You Can't Keep A Good Man Down

Amicus is back! As short a self-imposed exile as I've ever seen!

No, this Catholic nonsense comes down to this: are you going to let someone else decide for you how to think?

Take whatever position you want on abortion and marriage, but let me do the same. That's all I ask. It's a matter of individual liberty.

 

[Liar]

No, this Catholic nonsense comes down to this: are you going to let someone else decide for you how to think?

Show me the prescriptive ideology that doesn't.

 

[DesertPirate]

15 Bishops signed it and over 100 Protestant Evangelicals.
Amazing how it becomes a Catholic Document isn't it?

No sign of bias here is there?

 

[Dragonlipz]

Amicus has crawled from beneath his rock

(or bridge, if you will) and spewed forth more nonsense and unrelated crap. He's managed yet again to spin a convoluted and nonsensical premise to justify or propose a situation that makes no sense to anyone but himself.....
You forgot yer meds, dude...............best get back on em.............

 

[Stella_Omega]

15 Bishops signed it and over 100 Protestant Evangelicals.
Amazing how it becomes a Catholic Document isn't it?

No sign of bias here is there?

I call it your basic hate-filled Xtian document. The names of the various sects are meaningless to me. They all look alike.

 

[Boxlicker101]

Amicus has crawled from beneath his rock

(or bridge, if you will) and spewed forth more nonsense and unrelated crap. He's managed yet again to spin a convoluted and nonsensical premise to justify or propose a situation that makes no sense to anyone but himself.....
You forgot yer meds, dude...............best get back on em.............

In all honesty, all he has done is to toss a subject onto the table for discussion, such as many of use have frequently done. I think most of us know Ami's opinion on many subjects, including the ones that he has refrained from presenting here.

This is a current subject, so I see no reason why it should not be discussed, although anybody who wants is free to avoid the topic.