It is the disgusting language that is causing the most outrage. I'm not covering it here.
I'll just post a bit more of the relatively substantial views on Roman Catholicism posted by the hand-picked official blogger of the John Edwards campaign. She's angry at the Church and I hope someday someone can listen to her and explain to her well.
There’s a pragmatic reason that the Vatican might be a little hesitant to come right out and say that there’s no limbo is because the concept is wielded by everyday Catholics to explain where the souls of unborn babies go, which is just an extra way to guilt trip women who have abortions. But it’s sort of a balancing act, as far as I can tell, because as most people understand it, unbaptized children go to limbo but when Jesus returns, they all get to go to heaven. So it’s a way to guilt trip women who have abortions without casting god as such an uncruel monster as to throw souls into hell that never even had a shot at sinning. So that’s limbo: it sucks enough to make women feel guilty about abortion, but it doesn’t suck so much as to run people off.I think Ms. Marcotte is in some need of a proper explanation of what Roman Catholics teach about limbo, salvation, openness to life. She may have a lot of time on her hands now that the Edwards campaign has fired her according to early reports.
I suspect Pope Ratz will give into the urge eventually to come out and say there’s no limbo and unbaptized babies go straight to hell. He can’t help it; he’s just a dictator like that. Hey, fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly, the Pope’s gotta tell women who give birth to stillborns that their babies are cast into Satan’s maw. The alternative is to let Catholic women who get abortions feel that it’ll all work out in the end, which is just not doable, due to that Jesus-like compassion the Pope is so fond of. Still, it’s going to be bad PR for the church, so you can sort of see why the Pope is dragging ass.
Which all brings me to recommending this great post by Austin Cline at Jesus’ General about why authoritarian types are so damn interested in cobbling people’s sex lives and meddling around in people’s private sexual decisions, like in this case why the Catholic church is so interested in making sure that people can’t make the perfectly sound decision to limit their family size while enjoying a healthy sex life—either you’re going to have to forgo birth control or you’re going to have to feel guilty to the point where you fear you’re casting babies into hellfire, by their standards. It’s a way to disrupt people’s lives so the church can get more control.
I feel the need to do some quick explanatory apologetics:
Forgoing birth control gives Roman Catholics more control over their lives not less. The women are not fat and cancer ridden from pills. They have their children young which studies show has some very positive health benefits for women. By having many children we are excercising control over society by populating it. Those committed to no or few children are being controlled by a society that hates children and hates families. Ha, ha, ha I haven't paid a dime in federal taxes in two years due to the enormous tax write offs for having kids. Now that's freedom!
Fundamentally, sexual decisions are not private because God can see everything we do. He knows the number of hairs on our heads. There is no hiding from God. The Pope is responsible for communicating the teaching of God as he knows it and as the Church has always taught it.
Ms. Marcotte seems nervous about the concept of Limbo, a place that is neither Hell nor Heaven. It is a peaceful place but one does not get to be with the Lord. Recently, mothers who have been murdering their babies in the womb have been declaring their children in Heaven. Sorry, Murdering Mommy, it doesn't work like that. St Peter holds the keys to Heaven not you.
Church teaching on Limbo is not a harsh teaching and it very long held. The Pope is being pressed hard on it but, of course, he cannot deny this teaching.
Friends, let us be frank. Most people are going to Hell. Jesus says so in Mathew 7 verse 13-14 Enter ye at the narroe gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there are who go in thereat. How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life: and few there are that find it!
In hell, there will be plenty of Roman Catholics, don't you worry. St. John Chrysostom said that the floor of Hell is paved with the skull of priests and the skulls of Bishops serve as its lamposts. Being Catholic is no guarantee. Murdering your baby or supporting baby murder won't get you into Heaven either.
4 comments:
Thomas, I don't think the Church has formally defined Limbo as a dogma. Limbo is the fruit of theological speculation about the fate of unbaptized babies; the reality is, we don't know for certain what happens to them. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that we entrust them to the mercy of God.
Since we don't know the eternal fate of unbaptized babies, the stakes are far too high for us to be presumptuous. Our duty to baptize them is very grave.
I think you are right and I refrained from the "d" word for a reason. All the same, the Pope is not going to trash Limbo.
We Catholics are retaining a bit of mystery about who is taking the up elevator and who is taking the down. Presumption is a sin, too.
Recently, a relative desperately wanted to know my position on my own salvation and quite honestly I shrugged my shoulders to her. I think, that made her think.
Those committed to no or few children are being controlled by a society that hates children and hates families. Ha, ha, ha I haven't paid a dime in federal taxes in two years due to the enormous tax write offs for having kids.
Um, I do believe that I've identified a gaping hole in your position.
And what would that be? The handwringing about "not enough money to have kids" gets a little old at the surburban BBQs especially when uttered by guys who I know make at least twice what I make.
This society hates kids despite federal efforts to encourage having them. Bush pushed the $1000 tax credit for kids, Kerry voted against it, this was 3 years ago.
The tax credit cuts out somewhere around $70,000 per annum. It's a working man's tax credit no thanks to Sen. John Kerry.
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