Tag: Faithful Citizenship
Seek first the kingdom
Faithful citizenship requires transcending the ideologies and partisan divides of our time and working primarily for the salvation of souls, not for short-term political gain on high-profile issues.
Election guides and helping voters form conscience before casting ballot
Catholics are far from the only religion in the public-policy arena. One such Christian counterpart is the National Association of Evangelicals, which has published “For the Health of the Nation: An Evangelical Call to Civic Responsibility” since 2004 and issued a revised version this year.
No shortage of issues piquing voter interest in midterm elections
With the clock toward the Nov. 6 midterm elections ticking away, there are some parallels between the findings of a Sept. 26 Pew Research Center survey on issues of key concern to voters and issues outlined in the U.S. bishops’ “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” a document meant to provide a moral framework Catholic voters can use to analyze issues.
Mother Teresa and conscience formation
During election season, we hear a great deal about “following our consciences” and the need for conscience formation. The U.S. bishops offer their guide to faithful citizenship so that the principles of Catholic social teaching might inform our Election Day decisions, and a number of organizations similarly produce a range of voting guides.
Power politics vs. faithful citizenship
If a decline in the percentage of people who vote is any indication, people are disheartened with our political system. There seems to be a collective feeling that politics is nothing more than a partisan power struggle that serves special interests instead of the common good. People do not believe that their one voice makes a difference amidst a cacophony of competing voices.
Faithful citizens care about marriage because they care about poverty
I hear it a lot, from non-Catholics and even Catholics: “Why doesn’t the Church spend more time fighting poverty and less time telling people what kind of family is best? Quit spending time on an outdated ideal of marriage and feed the hungry, clothe the naked and take care of the sick.”
Tackling poverty and helping people to flourish
“The poor you will always have with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them,” Jesus says in Mark’s Gospel. This would, at face value, seem like a fairly open-ended statement.
Strengthening, defending marriage is a matter of justice
Being married in the church is important to Catholics. Delving into Catholic teaching itself, Scripture is filled with references to marriage, and the church presents it as a vocation and as one of the sacraments, a visible sign of God’s gift of grace.
Religious freedom and ugly assumptions
In “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” the bishops hold up six areas of concern for voting Catholics to weigh while forming their consciences.
Human life, dignity at center of church’s social teaching
A funny thing happened on the way to Mexico. As journalist John Allen reports, while speaking to the media aboard the papal plane at the start of his visit to Mexico, Pope Benedict XVI had some strong words for certain Catholics.
Conscience formation by the numbers
Numbers can be cold and impersonal. They lack the depth and nuance of words and ideas.
But numbers can also be uncompromising. They force us to confront realities that can be dizzying, unavoidable and downright unwelcome. Someone who’s seen the numbers no longer has plausible deniability.
‘You’re not the boss of me!
Resisting the temptation to tune out guidance in forming our consciences
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