Catholics want more focus on poverty than abortion: survey
Tags
Related Posts
About the author
Most U.S. Catholics think the church should focus more on social justice and helping the poor, even if it means focusing less on issues like abortion, according to a poll released Monday by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute.
The 2012 American Values Survey finding on Catholics goes against the focus of many U.S. Catholic bishops, who have stressed the church’s ban on abortion and artificial contraception in their public policy statements.
The poll found that 60 percent of Catholics want a greater focus on social justice issues rather than abortion, while 31 percent support the opposite approach.
The divide was true even among Catholics who attend church once a week or more, a group often considered more socially conservative. A slim majority of this group, 51 percent, thought the church should focus more on social justice issues.
“The survey confirms that there is no such thing as the ‘Catholic vote,’” said Robert P. Jones, chief executive of the institute and co-author of the report. The survey included more than 3,000 respondents. “There are a number of critical divisions among Catholics, including an important divide between ‘social justice’ and `right to life’ Catholics.”
U.S. bishops strongly oppose same-sex marriage, abortion and contraception. They specifically oppose the mandate in the U.S. 2010 health care overhaul which requires hospitals, universities and other institutions to provide insurance that covers artificial birth control, which is against Catholic teachings. [more]
SOURCE
Leave a Comment
Photo Archive
-
Jun 19, 2013 5:55
Poll: Catholic Church view on same-sex marriage causing parishoners to flee
-
Jun 19, 2013 5:52
Man arrested in shooting during Catholic church service in Utah
-
Jun 19, 2013 5:45
Scituate parishioners taking dispute to highest Vatican court
-
Jun 19, 2013 5:41
Local clergy abuse survivor testifies before the United Nations
-
Jun 19, 2013 5:38
Alleged victim of clergy sexual abuse files lawsuit
-
Jun 18, 2013 10:28
Chaos as gunfire erupts at Utah Father’s day Mass
-
Jun 17, 2013 4:51
Obama names former CRS head ambassador to the Vatican
-
Jun 17, 2013 4:46
Addressing U.S., global child malnutrition a top priority for advocates
-
Jun 17, 2013 4:42
Female priests risk excommunication to be ordained
-
Jun 14, 2013 5:04
Catholic League president: ‘Nest of homosexual priests’ should be ‘rooted out’
31 Comments
In many ways the laity have excommunicated the bishops because they just don’t listen to them, in reality they shun them.
“Over the pope as the expression of the binding claim of ecclesiastical authority there still stands one’s own conscience, which must be obeyed before all else, if necessary even against the requirement of ecclesiastical authority.”
Joseph Ratzinger, 1968.
In reality if you want to vote for fewer abortions, vote democratic. If you wish to vote for the perfect theory against abortions vote Republican. Why? because poverty is major cause of abortions. More poverty, the more abortions. Compare Bush’s poverty producing record that incresed abortions with Cliton’s record of increased wealth and fewer abortions. Republican’s platform is against programs that help the poor. Prolife in theory: vote R. Prolife in less
actual abortions, vote Democratic.
What a bunch of nonsense, Robert. What I’ve said all along is that people can rationalize anything….the sky is green, the grass blue…..just take your crayon and color it all just as you want it to be. The only one that is being fooled is you and a few willing sheep.
and Elinnor you have proven your own point because you seem to rationalize whatever you want and don’t care to have any preconceived notions challenged. Robert is correct. It is a very nice platform for the republicans to always run on – but the truth is, they are doing nothing except increasing the problems.
There are certain things that are intrinsically evil. Abortion is one of them. Uruguay’s bishops are excommunicating lawmakers that supported legalizing abortion. The U.S. bishops must take a tougher stance with U.S. Catholic politicians. The Church in the U.S. has been far too lax on abortion for the past 50 years. This data regarding Uruguay is from the EWTN website.
Why stop there? Let’s excommunicate those who refuse to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick. Let’s excommunicate those who Miss Mass, do not receive the sacrament of Reconciliation. Let’s get rid of those who don’t contribute to the Church (as Germany is doing). Let’s turn away those who go to war. Let us purge the Church of those who hurt children. Let’s remove from the pews those who have affairs, those who steal, those who take God’s name in vain. Let’s free the church of those who are envious. Throw out those who lie and cover up crimes. Let’s get rid of everyone who views pornography and those who create it. Let’s excommunicate those who doubt, those who question their faith, would dare to get angry with God. Let’s remove from our sight those who drive too fast, those who put others at risk by talking on phones or texting. Let’s unsoil the church by getting rid of those who abuse the elderly, women, or the helpless. Let’s get rid of those who drive wrecklessly, don’t pay traffic tickets or speed. Let’s ignore Jesus’ message that he came not for the self-righteous but for sinners. Let’s ignore the fact that without the sinners the Churches will be more empty than they already are.
For those Catholics out there who are putting the poor as their number one issue: There’s really only one socially just way you can vote and that’s for Romney/Ryan. Why? Simple: just look at how much poverty and despair have INCREASED under the Obama administration. Obamas policies against the coal, natural gas, oil and energy industry in our country have destroyed thousands of jobs in these industries and on the service industries that (used to) supply to these companies. Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia especially have been hit hard. The war on energy has caused the price of gas, food, and household goods to explode which has further increased poverty. Meanwhile, bogus “green energy” sham operations receive generous taxpayer funding only to go bankrupt (killing even more jobs). Please people, lets all join together and vote this evil man out of office.
Oh come now Andrew, those are all the lies of the campaign. Either you have simply bought them or you believe that everyone is dumb enough to believe it. Just about everything you have claimed in your little campaign speech has been disproved by the fact checkers. What is proven by the fact checkers is how many jobs Romney has outsourced. How many people he has put out of work. How much money he has made at the sacrifice of others. Romney does not value human life of the working people – they are just commodities to be bought and sold. Then he says what ever he has to in order to get votes. No one even knows where he really stands on the important issues – he has been for all of them and against all of them. What he has earned all on hi own is the nickname – etch-o-sketch.
So it’s a figment of my imagination that the price of gas I pay now had quadrupled from what it was before Obama? The price of food in the supermarket is really cheaper than than what i and the rest of the non-senile public is seeing? The increase of welfare recipients is a campaign lie? The high unemployment statics? Oh why am I bothering, CINOs like you are going to vote for every poverty generating liberal you can find.
Andrew Romney is an evil capitalist who flip flops on every issue has no idea of foreign policy, belongs to a cult is not a Christian in the conventional sence and believes we all become little GOds with our own little planets. Please I’d rather vote for Mickey Mouse
So you think that Obama needs to control the cost of gas, because he has no control on the price. The only way to change it is oversight, and I didn’t think the GOP liked those things. I fell for the ” I am anti abortion” once, and will not fall for it again. The GOP has had 20 years to do something about abortion and were not able to carry thru their promise. I don’t even go there with them now. It’s not going to happen. It has been a proven fact that morality cannot be legislated. There are too many beliefs in this melting pot. Other agendas to work for and agree with. Is abortion evil, in my eyes, yes. Will be waiting a very long time, if ever, for a repeal. The near collapse of the economy due to the previous presidency will take a long time to correct. Miraculous that it has done as well as it has. Just like anyone who is going bankrupt, the country has to take steps one at a times to climb back up the ladder. It is a great feat that the President has done as well as he has considering the “party of no” is of no help. We are required to pray for those in power and no one is there without God wanting him there.
Amen Sharon!
Flo respectfully declines your kind offer to vote in your “social justice” ticket of Romney-Ryan-Rand. Economic serfdom is not social justice, even for the megawealthy.
I think the point is…….. That even the dumbest Catholic in the universe at this point knows the Church’s position on abortion. There is more to our Church than this one issue.
It is so easy for us to condemn the Nazis, the Communists, the Taliban, and other such murderous groups for their homicidal madness, and yet our culture turns a willfully blind eye to our our own homicidal madness in aborting millions of babies. The US alone has probably killed more human souls than Hitler and Stalin together! And the social liberals whine about “social justice.” Blind guides! Where is the “justice” in murdering the unborn? Our modern culture has become very much like ancient Canaan: “They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan and the land was polluted with blood” (Psalm 106:37-38). May God have mercy upon us and forgive us our perversity!
I have a brand new grandchild….days old. Beautiful. The idea that if its mother didn’t really want this child, it would be acceptable to rip its parts out from her womb and reassemble them on a table to make sure “we got it all” is enough to make me literally sick to my stomach. It is an abhorrence and a real poverty that “we” seem to find no problem in “playing God” in such issues and then convince ourselves that it is okay to turn around and “really be charitable” to the poor and vulnerable. Do you hear yourselves? Do you hear how we have “dumbed down” in our moral values? And Please, spare me that “developed conscience thing”. There is no social justice in murdering the defenseless. What will be the next numbing of our consciences? I shudder to even imagine.
And what would you feel toward your grandchild if the parents lost their jobs, they had no one to turn to, and your grandchild needed medical help? Woud it please you to hear Romney/Ryan say oh well, too bad? That is the situation many people have found themselves in – with Health Care they can at least know that a baby will get help – no matter what.
Dear Concerned. I cannot speak for other Catholics or for Elinor but I would hope that this grandmother and other grandparents would do their utmost to help financially and prayfully, their children and grandchildren even at the expense of their own financial security. I know I would and actually did only to receive blessings beyond compare..
And Dear Catholic Lady, what if you had absolutely no means to assist – what if you were already passed on to your eternal reward? And no one had any ability to help your grandchild. Would you want her to hear “too bad. You do not have insurance, you can not receive treatment.” Or if a job was found and they got insurance would you want her to hear, “Sorry, it’s a re-existing condition. It’s not covered.” Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes – you may just find out how hard the road is for so many people.
My dear Concerned; I have walked many miles beside the poor- I fostered a total of 40 children and have spent many years volunteering in a Cancer Care facility. I my dear, am not against universal health care or paying extra taxes to aid the poor. Nor do I think that doing so absolves me from the responsibility to come to the aid of my family, friends and neighbours. How far have you walked in someone else’s shoes? – I take it to be a very long distance since you have set yourself up as my judge.
And dear Catholic Lady the whole response was started by Elinors judgment of of those who profess social justice – you chimed in in suport of her – thereby lending your support to her judgment. So if I have this right, you are allowed to judge – but those who have an opposing view may not. Gee, isn’t that convenient.
What seems to be missing from this is the fact that taking care of the poor is not an option. Why did Jesus tell us that we MUST feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give shelter tot he homeless, visit the infirmed and prisoners? Because it’s a nice thing to do? NO, Jesus understood how those things are all tied to the other evils that run rampant in the world. Hungry people can become desperate people – willing to do anything to feed their children and themselves. If we spent more time following the advice of Jesus and less time, and money, on trying to enact civil laws, we just might be surprised at the results. Crime may go down. Abortions may be reduced – not all abortions are sought simply because someone is selfish, many are because women are scared about how they will provide for a baby and themself. I see no reason for the Catholic Church to continue to spend countless fortunes on lobbyists, demonstrations, advertising just to get a civil law. I still can not recall one event where Jesus told the disciples to organize for a march on Ceasar. This whole idea of legislating morality is so far removed from the message of Jesus Christ that it is not even funny. We should try to understand the connection to all of life that Jesus has given us in his teachings. Again, we just may be surprised that Jesus knows a little more than us.
There is no greater “poverty” than a truly vulnerable baby losing its life through abortion!
Abortion is really a medical issue and should be a decision between a woman and her doctor as should most other reproductive decisions. The decision of the woman should be guided by her religious convictions and Church but never legislated by the government.
I fully agree. This article also articulates my thoughts – less, not “no” emphasis on abortion, but more emphasis on social conerns which includes poverty, racism, immigrants, etc.
That argument makes about as much sense as “murder is a personal matter between the killer and his/her victim and should not warrant government intervention.” The ignorance of some alleged Catholics regarding the sanctity of life is astonishing. May God have mercy on our country!
Thanks, Andrew. You are one of the few who post here who post the truth! Keep up the good fight with these CINOs.
God has a plan for every soul (yes, God infuses the soul) He creates. Women do not have the right to deprive that soul of a lifetime determined by God. Also, think of all those aborted babies growing up and paying into Social security. It’s a thought.
Some of my American friends begrudge paying taxes to support the social systems already in effect in their country and complain about welfare bums etc. ..Would it be a stretch of the imagination to say that they would also begrudge supporting all those babies who have already died on the abortion table?.. There is a saying; “Put your money where your mouth is!”. Perhaps if you would come along side of just one mother who is contemplating abortion and offer incouragement and help her financially you could prevent at least one abortion.. It would certainly be a step in the right direction. Yes; Life is Sacred and God has a Plan for every soul..and we Catholics could help make that plan become reality if we would stop thinking only of ourselves and do the right thing by reaching out to others in love. “Murder is not a personal matter, it affects all society as does the loss of even one person, so lets stop judging others and do something to help them!
So agree Tony.