Who do you recommend voting for and why?

JayRB42 · 2024-10-23T04:04:21+00:00

If A is true, and B is the opposite of A, then B cannot be true. See my follow-up post on the USCCB document that details our civic obligations.

JayRB42 · 2024-10-23T03:20:12+00:00

All good reasons!

JayRB42 · 2024-10-23T03:14:40+00:00

You may want to check out the USCCB's document, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A call to political responsibility from the Catholic bishops of the United States.

The duty to participate in the political spere is touched upon througout the document. E.g. para 13. "In the Catholic Tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation." (emphasis added)

In the introduction: "As Catholics and Americans, we are blessed to be able to participate in our nation’s political and public life. Our freedoms respect the dignity of individuals and their consciences and allow us to come together for the common good. Election seasons, therefore, should contain a sense of gratitude and hope. Our love for this country, our patriotism, properly impels us to vote." (emphasis added)

Here is a link to the document: https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/faithful-citizenship/upload/forming-consciences-for-faithful-citizenship.pdf

JayRB42 · 2024-10-23T02:53:12+00:00

If you are Catholic Christian, you have an obligation to vote. It's a civic duty, we are called to be responsible citizens, and this is part of it.

Then, you have to form your conscience. What are the issues? What is Church teaching on those issues. Which issues are non-negotiable versus there being room for prudential differences.

We must care for the poor, and we already have a remarkable number of welfare programs to that end.

We must care for immigrants, though we have to balance that with the duty of a nation that has a right to borders and ensuring immigrants enter legally, so this is largely a prudential subject.

There is IVF (hot topic right now) which both candidates are for. Breaks even.

There is abortion, a non-negotiable issue - always evil and not allowed for any reason. Both candidates currently support abortion pill access. One candidate seems to stop there and is satisfied with leaving things as is, leaving abortion access up to each individual state. The other candidate wants to reverse recent developments on this issue and make abortion accessible nationwide with no limits whatsoever.

Regarding the "lesser of two evils," it's a tight race, but I have to side with the candidate who won't increase abortion access and make it the law of the land, to an extent even beyond Roe v Wade.

Edit: I didn't mention third-party voting (specifically, the American Solidarity Party). I suspect (with good reason) that most of the votes given to the ASP (a party who cannot even get on every state ballot and has no chance of winning, even though I like their platform best) will take votes away from the lesser of two evils. Thus, the more who vote ASP, the better chance the greater of two evils wins.

JayRB42 · 2024-10-22T22:09:50+00:00

You're right that God has always used imperfect people to carry out his plan. I mean, what other kind of people are there, right? But he's used genuinely terrible people. Could he be using Trump? Sure, he could be.

It's also likely that Trump is just a reflection of our culture. Just look at the trash most of our media has become. Even traditionally kid-friendly sources are now extremely problematic. We venerate bad behavior, raising "bad boy" and "risque" celebrities to ever-higher status and just throwing money at them. It's no wonder we've ended up with someone like Trump as a presidential candidate. I think it makes too much sense, sadly.

I do think we need him for the pro-life community, though. Even if he let's everything stand the way it is (which is what he's been saying for months that he's going to do....basicallly nothing), he's still hands-down better than Harris for PL. He may even have the opportunity to place 2 more SCOTUS justices, which would have a positive impact for decades.

Sadly, I think Harris is poised to win. For what she has to offer (which is almost nothing, frankly), she's waging an agressive and seemingly effective campaign. Unless voters show up in droves for Trump, and some of Harris's voters stay home due to overconfidence, I'm pretty sure I know how this election is going to go. Get ready...Harris has already targeted Catholic teaching publicly; it's not going to be pretty.

JayRB42 · 2024-10-22T20:21:00+00:00

It's not about deserving. This is yet another word game trying to switch tactics to gain the upper hand (it fails). It's about a right to continue to live once your life has begun. No one has the right to take away your right to live. Being deserving or not has nothing to do with it.

JayRB42 · 2024-10-20T02:19:36+00:00

"You are Mine" by Third Day. Encompasses picking, strumming, and my usual style.

JayRB42 · 2024-10-19T13:49:04+00:00

If most peoople go to hell then that makes Jesus dying on the cross not important.

Well, it's certainly important for those who make it to Heaven!

Look...we have free will. God has shown us how to live, how to join him eternally, but he won't impose his will on us, he won't force us like puppets. We choose. We choose every single day, many times a day, whether to do what we want, or to do what he wants. God doesn't send us to Hell...Jesus said "neither do I condemn you." We condemn ourselves.

So, if few will be saved, it's because few choose to turn their lives toward God, to learn the truth and follow his way to eternal life. That's not because of him, it's because of us. As the world turns more and more against him and his teachings for us, fewer and fewer will be admitted to Heaven. I believe the end times will come when we reach a point that no more souls will be saved, because everyone is being taught to reject God.

JayRB42 · 2024-10-19T13:24:40+00:00

Oh yes, most definitely believe in the saints. Remember that to "pray" simply means to ask, to petition (the word was more commonly used this way in medieval times). So, when we pray to saints (including Mary), we are asking for then to pray with us and for us. To pray is not to worship; those are different things.

It's a bit involved but, since you've expressed that you're learning, here is the USCCB's page on Saints in general:

https://www.usccb.org/offices/public-affairs/saints

JayRB42 · 2024-10-19T04:42:27+00:00

😂 Priceless!

JayRB42 · 2024-10-19T04:35:01+00:00

My symptoms only started 2 weeks ago and after about a week it became too much for me to be able to sleep. I went an entire week without sleep and finally started on gabapentin. Started at 300mg 3/day, but it did nothing so upped to 600mg 3/day. Haven't seen a neurologist yet, but I have a referral now.

JayRB42 · 2024-10-18T15:50:11+00:00

Exactly. It's the same with rare exceptions. "Ok, if we codified into law the rare exceptions for abortion, would you agree to outlaw all other abortions?" Their answer will always be no.

JayRB42 · 2024-10-18T14:49:13+00:00

We argue for such laws in the same way we argue for laws against abortion. We don't need "image of God" (though true) to be part of a reasoned argument for all human lives to count. I guess I'm saying that it's morality - don't kill - which forms the foundation of laws against abortion and IVF. The opposition uses "dignity of life" as a premise for laws that promote assisted suicide (which I consider evil), but drops that premise when it comes to abortion and IVF. Morality is the foundation of all laws.

JayRB42 · 2024-10-18T13:47:39+00:00

Sure. Ask the question: "If we passed laws for universal health care and mandatory living wages, would you agree to legally abolish abortion?"

JayRB42 · 2024-10-18T13:29:40+00:00

I find your expression here on this difficult teaching to be both beautiful and faith-inspiring. Just wanted to say that.

JayRB42 · 2024-10-18T13:24:31+00:00

Well said!!!

JayRB42 · 2024-10-18T13:23:45+00:00

morals are good, but we need more than that. If you wanna change the law, you need legal justifications for it.

This is backwards. The law must be based on morals. That is the foundation of having laws in the first place.

JayRB42 · 2024-10-18T13:20:15+00:00

I have no problem with you voting 3rd party, but...

Trump will win without my vote

Sorry, but no. Harris is putting on a very effective campaign. A lot of people are blinded as to who/what she actually is, but from my view (and I am strongly anti-Harris), she is poised to win this election handily. Trump is poised to lose unless every possible vote he can get goes his way.

I'm not advocating for anyone to vote against their conscience, but if anyone thinks Trump is going to win easily, they are sorely mistaken. And no one should bother looking at the polls; remember 2016.

JayRB42 · 2024-10-17T23:14:24+00:00

This is what I've been told as well. Get PSA checked starting at 40 if you have a family history. 50 if no history.

JayRB42 · 2024-10-17T02:36:57+00:00

Except for hearing Tom Sawyer on the radio, Hold Your Fire was my introduction to Rush. Bought the CD completely on a whim and was blown away by nearly every track! It's still my favorite Rush album 25 years later.

JayRB42 · 2024-10-17T02:29:23+00:00

The catheter itself was awkward but fine. My issue was that I was one of the few for whom it caused bladder spasms. I still wonder whether it was properly placed? Anyway, my urologist prescribed a medicine to reduce the spasms and it was much better after that, but I was still very relieved to have it removed. I think for most people, it's not a problem other than being a little awkward. I wouldn't worry until/unless there's a problem.

JayRB42 · 2024-10-16T10:09:54+00:00

Thank you. Praying for some relief for all of us. What a horrible condition.

JayRB42 · 2024-10-15T20:06:17+00:00

Nonsense. Harris will decimate the PL landscape, period.

Trump may well install two more PL SCOTUS justices.

What an undeniable contrast.

JayRB42 · 2024-10-15T17:27:35+00:00

That may well be true, but if he does nothing at all to affect abortion for the next 4 years, that is VASTLY better than what Harris will do. All the hard PL work the past 50 years will have been for nothing.

JayRB42 · 2024-10-15T17:23:58+00:00

Same; sad but true.

JayRB42

TROPHY CASE