Hello friends,
May God bless each and every pair of eyes that is reading this page. Here is the prayer for today, from my favorite website, Word Among Us,“Jesus, take my hand, and lead me today. Open my eyes to the miracles you are working around me, and free me to rejoice at them.” In Jesus' Name, Amen.
"What a strange, long, road it has been," to quote the only lyrics I know from the Grateful Dead.
Two more definitions, and then I'm done 'defining' things.
Definition #1. What is a Liberal? This was taken from wiki, and yes, I know wiki isn't the best site to quote from, but I agree with this particular definition from them: "Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but most liberals support such fundamental ideas as constitutions, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights, capitalism, free trade, and the freedom of religion."
Please note the importance of this phrase: ‘depending on their understanding of these principles,’ because this is the crux of my argument about being ‘pro choice.'
Definition #2. What does a person mean when they say they are pro-choice? This comes from a website “Sexual Health Centre,” in Lunenburg County, Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, Canada: "To be pro-choice is to believe that a woman has the right to decide for herself when and whether to have a child. Pro-choice does not mean pro-abortion (the assumption being that pro-abortion means preferring that option to others). The pro-choice position does not advocate abortion over parenting or adoption. Pro-choice is a philosophy that believes each individual has the right to make decisions about their sexual and reproductive life. Self-determination is key, and regardless of a person’s decision (to use contraception, practice safer sex, abstain, become sexually active, utilize fertility interventions), each person has the right to make choices for their lives and circumstances.
In addition, the philosophy of choice means supporting comprehensive sexuality education and access to all reproductive options that are legal and safe. It means defending the right of individuals to make decisions for themselves based on their own beliefs, health, and situation, and without external interference, coercion, violence, inaccurate information, or judgment." Perfect. I wholeheartedly agree with this...or do I?...
"I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world." Mother Theresa
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Tideous, but worth it
Hello friends,
May you be Open to God as He blesses each of you. Lord bless me as I write this blog, to connect to the HS' will, and thus Your Will. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
To continue with my thoughts from my previous blog, more definitions and thoughts:
I am still quoting Bruce Sabalasky, and his website, www.ourladyswarriors.org, regarding “Freedom of Conscience”…that no one can be forced against his/her will to believe one thing or another. Only the individual person has the right to choose his/her beliefs. Yes, that means that even the 100% Truth of Catholic beliefs cannot be forced onto a person. Canon Law confirms this:
Can. 748 ß2 "It is never lawful for anyone to force others to embrace the Catholic faith against their conscience."
"However," continues Mr. Sabalasky, "this does not imply that one can believe anything and act accordingly, especially if one claims to be Catholic. As clearly stated previously, Vatican II Dignitatis Humanae tells us "In the formation of their consciences, the Christian faithful ought carefully to attend to the sacred and certain doctrine of the Church."
"Jesus' teachings as transmitted through His Church provide us the real freedom - the freedom from sin and eternal death (i.e. loss of salvation)."
I am certainly attempting to carefully attend to the “sacred and certain doctrine” of the Church.
Another site that was helpful to me in my search for truth in scrutinizing being pro-choice was Douglas McManaman’s site, www.catholiceducation.org; Douglas is a high school religion teacher. Here he is speaking of In Vitro Fertilization, and 'erroneous conscience.'
“If, for example, a Catholic claims to be able to choose In Vitro Fertilization in good conscience while knowing that the Church teaches that such an option is morally wrong, it must mean that he or she is convinced that it would be sinful not to choose that option. That would certainly constitute an erroneous conscience; nevertheless, he or she would be obliged to obey it.”
McManaman continues saying, that most people do not claim ‘erroneous conscience’ when acting contrary to Catholic teaching.
“But conscience does not mean that Catholics are free to act on the basis of what they personally judge is morally right in spite of Church teaching. Catholic conversion, as the etymology of “conversion” indicates, means a complete turn around (vertere), implying movement in a new direction in conjunction with (con) the community of Christ’s Mystical Body. As St. Paul says: “We all were among them too in the past, living sensual lives, ruled entirely by our own physical desires and our own ideas” (Eph 2, 3).
What I take from this is the fact that I can claim 'erroneous conscience' for being pro-choice, but that Christ calls us to something greater; I need to be 'unguarded', as it were, to what Christ is delivering to me, through His Church. The Church is pro-life. No exceptions, either. The Catholic Church opposes War, the Death Penalty, and Euthanasia. I like that...
Okay, reader, just a little more, and then I'll wrap things up...
"I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world." Mother Theresa
May you be Open to God as He blesses each of you. Lord bless me as I write this blog, to connect to the HS' will, and thus Your Will. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
To continue with my thoughts from my previous blog, more definitions and thoughts:
I am still quoting Bruce Sabalasky, and his website, www.ourladyswarriors.org, regarding “Freedom of Conscience”…that no one can be forced against his/her will to believe one thing or another. Only the individual person has the right to choose his/her beliefs. Yes, that means that even the 100% Truth of Catholic beliefs cannot be forced onto a person. Canon Law confirms this:
Can. 748 ß2 "It is never lawful for anyone to force others to embrace the Catholic faith against their conscience."
"However," continues Mr. Sabalasky, "this does not imply that one can believe anything and act accordingly, especially if one claims to be Catholic. As clearly stated previously, Vatican II Dignitatis Humanae tells us "In the formation of their consciences, the Christian faithful ought carefully to attend to the sacred and certain doctrine of the Church."
"Jesus' teachings as transmitted through His Church provide us the real freedom - the freedom from sin and eternal death (i.e. loss of salvation)."
I am certainly attempting to carefully attend to the “sacred and certain doctrine” of the Church.
Another site that was helpful to me in my search for truth in scrutinizing being pro-choice was Douglas McManaman’s site, www.catholiceducation.org; Douglas is a high school religion teacher. Here he is speaking of In Vitro Fertilization, and 'erroneous conscience.'
“If, for example, a Catholic claims to be able to choose In Vitro Fertilization in good conscience while knowing that the Church teaches that such an option is morally wrong, it must mean that he or she is convinced that it would be sinful not to choose that option. That would certainly constitute an erroneous conscience; nevertheless, he or she would be obliged to obey it.”
McManaman continues saying, that most people do not claim ‘erroneous conscience’ when acting contrary to Catholic teaching.
“But conscience does not mean that Catholics are free to act on the basis of what they personally judge is morally right in spite of Church teaching. Catholic conversion, as the etymology of “conversion” indicates, means a complete turn around (vertere), implying movement in a new direction in conjunction with (con) the community of Christ’s Mystical Body. As St. Paul says: “We all were among them too in the past, living sensual lives, ruled entirely by our own physical desires and our own ideas” (Eph 2, 3).
What I take from this is the fact that I can claim 'erroneous conscience' for being pro-choice, but that Christ calls us to something greater; I need to be 'unguarded', as it were, to what Christ is delivering to me, through His Church. The Church is pro-life. No exceptions, either. The Catholic Church opposes War, the Death Penalty, and Euthanasia. I like that...
Okay, reader, just a little more, and then I'll wrap things up...
"I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world." Mother Theresa
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Subscribe To
Posts
All Comments
About Me
