Faith and Politics II
Posted By Russ Emerson on May 2, 2004 at 8:53 pm
In my previous post on this topic, I had a few choice words for Senator Kerry. I suggested that he is a hypocrite. I’ll stand by that.
What I could/should have done, however, was shine a brighter light on the alleged “keepers” of the faith: those who are charged with maintaining the concrete fundamentals of their faith.
All too often, we hear of bishops, et al., who act contrary to the tenets of their faith, and worse, who fail to stand up for what are supposed to be core principles. The recent example of the Episcopal Church USA (ECUSA) — the consecration — making a bishop — of a man who openly flouts the teachings of his church regarding homosexuality was just the most recent instance of this sad trend towards spinelessness.
[For ongoing bloggish examination of the state of the ECUSA, as well as a whole variety of other topics, I highly recommend Christopher S. Johnson’s blog, Midwest Conservative Journal.]
Imagine, then, my surprise at reading of a church leader who actually acts on the tenets of his church: N.J. Governor Denied Communion:
CAMDEN, N.J. – The incoming leader of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden has decided that Gov. James E. McGreevey cannot receive communion.
The Most Rev. Joseph Galante said Thursday that he was taking the stance primarily because the divorced governor, who is Catholic, remarried without receiving a church annulment. He also cited McGreevey’s support of abortion rights, stem-cell research and other positions that contradict church views.
Note to John Kerry: not every bishop or other church leader is going to roll over or give you a big thumbs-up just because you’re running for President.
“Go along to get along” may play well in Senate offices, but when confronted by men of conscience like soon-to-be-Bishop Joseph Galante, it won’t work.
My dad served in a MASH as a service detail in Korea, and he did NOT like the Monsoons either. Fortunately, there was an antenna he hid under not unlike yours when it thundered.
Fortunately, he hid in the vehicle for the night and survived the storm (as I hadn’t been born yet, it was a good thing).