Catholic Bishops: Voting for Kerry is a Sin requiring Confession

[dannubis]

Originally posted by Sprayber
everyone is entitlled to their opinion

but in this case he had to make clear that this was his opinion as a man and not as a bishop.

that crosses the line of separation between church and state.

[Kuciwalker]

No it doesn't. For one, it is his opinion as a bishop, and two, he's not by any stretch of imagination an agent of the state! Neither, obviously, is the Church.

[dannubis]

by appealing to the religeous convictions of the catholics in order to influence the outcome of the elections he is misusing his position.

[Ming]

Originally posted by dannubis
by appealing to the religeous convictions of the catholics in order to influence the outcome of the elections he is misusing his position.

Hmmm... union stewards do the same thing

[Kuciwalker]

No, he isn't - he's using it properly, in fact!

Seperation of church and state means the government does not support any particular religion, not that the government is not supported by any religions. If people aren't allowed to vote based on what they believe, what the hell SHOULD the vote based on?

[dannubis]

they are allowed to vote according to their believes. it's just when one of the religeous institutes tries to influence their followers vote that you get dangerously close to lose the separation between church and state. like i said, he is entitled to voice his opinion as a man, he can make the official stance of the church vis avis abortion clear, but he can not make political statements.

[Kuciwalker]

"Influence"?

There's no coercion; he providing an argument! There can't possibly be something wrong with "influencing" someone's vote by providing reasons why they ought to vote for that person! Otherwise all political discussion would be inherently illegal.

There's no violation of seperation of church and state here at all!

[dannubis]

he is using the institute of confession isn't he ?
that's one inch away from saying that if you vote for kerry you lost your place in heaven. and that is misusing his position in the church.

[Kuciwalker]

Even if he said the last one, it wouldn't be!

It's his religious belief!

Moreover, he's reminding those who believe in his faith of what that means.

[dannubis]

Originally posted by Ming


Hmmm... union stewards do the same thing

unions are not part of a religeous belief as far as i know. their sole purpose is to protect the social interests of a group within the society. and in this i agree, it is a pitty that they became 'politicized'.

[dannubis]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
Even if he said the last one, it wouldn't be!

It's his religious belief!

Moreover, he's reminding those who believe in his faith of what that means.

indeed, HIS religeous belief.

[Odin]

Most Catholics I know just ignore the pope.

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by dannubis
indeed, HIS religeous belief.

Yeah?

He's not imposing it on anybody. In fact, anyone who doesn't share his beliefs wouldn't care.

And, in case you didn't notice, he's talking to Catholics.

[dannubis]

by using the institute of confession he does implicitely so.

and if an iman decides that voting for bush is a major sin and that if they do so, his followers can kiss their seventy virgins in the afterlife goodbye, it should also be okay then ?

he is just talking to moslims.

[Heresson]

Originally posted by Sava
Shouldn't these bishops be out protecting child-molester priests?

GO **** YOURSELF BISHOPS...

the church should not involve itself in politics...

Why not?