Martha Raddatz: How much of a role does your religion play in your life as a politician?
Joe Biden: To answer your question, Martha…
The Church’s social doctrine has influenced my political decision making THIS MUCH!
Alright, this much…
This much?
Would you believe, this much?
How much does Catholic social teaching actually inform Joe Biden’s political judgment?
We saw yesterday that his administration’s policies do not exactly square with the principle of subsidiarity. Now, what about the other core principles of Catholic social doctrine?
The answer should be clear. By forcing Catholic institutions into a position where they may have to shut down rather than violate their consciences over the HHS mandate, the The Obama/Biden administration blatantly mocks Catholic social justice.
First and foremost, by expanding coverage for surgical abortion and abortifacient drugs, and by ordering conscientious objectors to pay for that coverage, they show no respect for the dignity of the human person, which is the focal point of all human justice.
Biden says he accepts the Church’s teaching on abortion as a “de fide” doctrine. Yet if this is what he believes, then he also believes what the Church teaches when it says that we should oppose abortion in all instances because it simply is murder. In effect, Biden says, I believe murder is wrong, because my faith tells me that, but I don’t want to impose that view on the rest of society.
He also believes, as the informed Catholic that he says he is, that Catholic charitable institutions should be required to pay for acts of murder by abortion. How does this square with social justice that he says informs his political views?
Furthermore, the administration’s HHS mandate violates the principle of the common good. Every individual member of society has the duty to contribute to the welfare of society and the right to benefit from that welfare. I suppose it could be argued that universal health coverage aims to do just that. However, by forcing Catholic institutions to pay for abortion and abortifacient drugs, they leave these institutions with little option but to drop their insurance policies or to just shut down. Several institutions have already dropped their coverage and many have said they would have to discontinue their operation if the the mandate were not reversed.
By alienating these institutions in this way, the government assumes the control of public welfare, and dispenses with the citizen’s right and duty to participate effectively in the common good. In doing so, they do away with the social justice principles of subsidiarity and solidarity; basically, they completely disregard every principle of Catholic social teaching through their own policies, which they say are informed by Catholic social doctrine.
It is utterly dishonest for the dissenting Catholic to say he’s pro-choice and yet still accepts and upholds Catholic social teaching. These Catholic politicians need to stop deceiving their fellow Catholics and other people in this way and either get with the full program or just stop promoting themselves as good Catholics. They are not.
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Biltrix 
Excellent follow-up to your previous post.
“These Catholic politicians need to stop deceiving their fellow Catholics and other people in this way and either get with the full program or just stop promoting themselves as good Catholics.
They are not.”
Perfect.
Religious ingenuousness seems to be the theme for the day, James. As I said earlier today, I should have just linked to your post, rather than doing mine!
😉
These people are snakes, willing to distort everything & anything to cast themselves in the proper light.
Sad & infuriating.
Thanks, JTR. I really liked your post today too. It’s good to see others taking advantage of the opportunity to point out the error and spell out what the Church actually teaches in the face of these baseless lies. ‘Tis indeed sad and infuriating.
LOVE the picture captions, too, by the way….
True story. They are pretty much great
😉 Thanks Nate!
I hear he’s on ‘wafer watch’? I saw that term in an article in the NYT; not that I would listen to their disdain for religion. Great article, nice photo essay 🙂
Thank you, Rev. Marple.
“Wafer watch” would be slang for informal excommunication (which does not really exist). The NYT shouldn’t take the liberty to make that pronouncement in such informal terms, unless they also want to clarify what they mean with more appropriate language, such as latae sententia and ipso facto, which refers to the fact that certain people, whom I will not name, have already separated themselves from the Church by their very own public actions and statements that are tantamount to denouncing Church teaching. But I suppose the Grey Lady has done us the favor of making it known, if it was not known already, that Mr. Biden is not on our favorite person list.
What gets me is how some “Catholics” are letting themselves be “deceived.” When I think about it, I think the word “ignore” is a better term.
There is not one Catholic who does not know where the Church stands on abortion, nor do they not know what her teachings are on it.
To me, actually what is happening is they are “ignoring” this, and “voting” their own beliefs. 52% of Catholics in the last election proved it. All of us knew Obama was going to make legal, partial birth abortion. That was the very first thing he did. This was not a “hidden fact.”
I do not know, to me “deceived” is actaully too kind of a word, in my books. “Dishonest” is a great word also. Those who vote for this administration are being “dishonest” about everything.
Good thought provoking post! Thanks for sharing and God Bless, SR
Good points, SR. I suppose what I meant by the “deceiving” other people remark is that their words and actions are a cause of scandal. That is a gave sin in and of itself. Instead of educating people on the true principles of social justice, they mockingly use this term this term in a way that encourages others to follow their corrupt behavior, which is sinful.
“Cause of scandal.” Very true and “very sinful.” God Bless, SR