why is the priest standing up for what he beleives so strange? And insisting his members repent for openly going against the church teachings?
This is no stranger than a minister sitting down someone off the platform who violates the church beliefs and refuses to make them right.
I say good for him for standing up for what he believes
Whatever happened to the concept, "Whosoever will, let them come?"
Doesn't this Priests stand cross the line of respect for the individual parishoners?
Doesn't even the law prohibit Pastors and such from endorsing one candidate over the other? Wouldn't that by default apply to political party lines?
He is taking a manmade institution (politics) and incorparating religion into it, going as far as to attach the very salvation of the souls men to a man made institution.
Does anyone have a problem with that? Why or why not?
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"The choices we make reveal the true nature of our character."
You may be missing the significance of this if you don't know a lot about Roman Catholicism. The "sacrament" of holy communion, to them, is an extremely holy occasion. They believe in "transubstantiation," meaning that they believe that the bread and wine are LITERALLY, MYSTICALLY changed in substance from simple bread and wine into the actual body and blood of Jesus. When they take communion, they are "accepting the Lord" or "receiving the Lord" in a sense very similar to how evangelicals view these terms.
The fact that RCC bishops and priests are telling their parishioners that they should not partake of communion is, in essence, telling them that because of their views and behavior, they are not worthy of Christ's salvation.
I can respect this guy for taking a stand for what he believes in, but I certainly can't agree with anything beyond that. The whole RCC faith system is total darkness so it basically becomes a zero-sum game anyway.
By the way... I was raised RCC and recently discussed the election with my parents, who are still RCC. They had already voted (absentee) but were very open about having voted for BO. I challenged them on this very principle, but they didn't seem to care too much. My mom at times has been very dogmatic about things she believes, but when it comes right down to it, she's no zealot. I'm very certain that if her priest or the bishop of her diocese were to make a similar stand, she'd continue to take communion and just lie about who she voted for.
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Re: No Communion for Obama Supporters
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1399
I applaud taking a stand, as long as what you are standing for is worthy.
His stand would be akin to a Pentecostal Pastor saying, "Well don't come to the altar for prayer and if you do, I won't pray with you as long as you support Obama."
How is the "Church" an appropriate place for that stand?
What could be more worthy than standing against the murder of innocent babies?
What could be more worthy than standing against the murder of innocent babies?
Again, politics is a man made institution.
Attaching "salvation" to politics is beyond legalism and control.
He is playing the role of "god" in his church members' lives.
If he is so "right" why don't all the Pastors make that stand and then deny "salvation" to all of their church members too, solely based off of who they voted for President!
Who has better grasp of Bible truth-- the Roman Catholic Church or the Holy Ghost filled and lead Pentecostal Pastors of our country?
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Re: No Communion for Obama Supporters
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1399
COLUMBIA, S.C. – A South Carolina Roman Catholic priest has told his parishioners that they should refrain from receiving Holy Communion if they voted for Barack Obama because the Democratic president-elect supports abortion, and supporting him "constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil."
The Rev. Jay Scott Newman said in a letter distributed Sunday to parishioners at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenville that they are putting their souls at risk if they take Holy Communion before doing penance for their vote.
"Our nation has chosen for its chief executive the most radical pro-abortion politician ever to serve in the United States Senate or to run for president," Newman wrote, referring to Obama by his full name, including his middle name of Hussein.
"Voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exists constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil, and those Catholics who do so place themselves outside of the full communion of Christ's Church and under the judgment of divine law. Persons in this condition should not receive Holy Communion until and unless they are reconciled to God in the Sacrament of Penance, lest they eat and drink their own condemnation."
During the 2008 presidential campaign, many bishops spoke out on abortion more boldly than four years earlier, telling Catholic politicians and voters that the issue should be the most important consideration in setting policy and deciding which candidate to back. A few church leaders said parishioners risked their immortal soul by voting for candidates who support abortion rights.
Whatever happened to the concept, "Whosoever will, let them come?"
Doesn't this Priests stand cross the line of respect for the individual parishoners?
I'm sure the priest would tell you that whosoever wants to come and repent for voting for Obama would be accepted. Do you have much familiarity with the Catholic church?
Quote:
Doesn't even the law prohibit Pastors and such from endorsing one candidate over the other? Wouldn't that by default apply to political party lines?
You are quite right that there could be some issues here that jeopardize this local parish's tax-exempt status.
Quote:
He is taking a manmade institution (politics) and incorparating religion into it, going as far as to attach the very salvation of the souls men to a man made institution.
Does anyone have a problem with that? Why or why not?
There is a verse in the bible that says anybody who takes communion unworthily condemns their soul. Giving the priest the benefit of the doubt would lead one to conclude that his stand is done to prevent people from doing themselves eternal spiritual harm. One might call it 'tough love.' Catholics don't assign salvific significance to communion. Taking communion doesn't "save" a Catholic. It is a ritual of belonging for them. While communion doesn't save, if done with an unworthy heart, in this particular instance defined as unrepentent for supporting an abortion proponent, communion becomes spiritual poison.
When Catholics want to be truly severe with a person, they ex-communicate them. They believe when this is done, the person is not saved. The little bit about Christ being our mediator isn't such a hit with the Catholics. They give their priest the mediator position in their lives, and the power to make declarations about the state of their souls. It's a completely different religion from ours. Thus far this story makes no mention of ex-communication rituals, or threats of them.
As far as whether I have a problem with it - not really. Somebody who isn't saved was given an opportunity to think about their salvation, and how their conduct on this earth might affect it. I think that's a good thing. The only problem I have is for the people who take this proclamation to heart. They will repent, go to their priest, receive communion again, and believe that they are saved when we know they are not. That is the negative aspect of this story for me.
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