GabrielRockman,

"I disagreed with his assertion that a whole string of Pro-Life Presidents & Congresses could not change the status of Abortion in this country, and I indicated how it could be changed."

One of the reasons that it has not changed, and probably will not change, is that pro-life republicans also sometimes need to have abortions.

Psolus - read Daniel's post, too.
Daniel said:
"A whole string or Republican pro-life Presidents, and Congresses dominated by the Republican Party could not roll back the Supreme Court's ruling on abortion. "

We've not had a whole string of Republican presidents and Republican congresses together, so i was explaining how such a goal could be achieved by a Republican congress & President combination that was in power for a long time in a row. I disagreed with his assertion that a whole string of Pro-Life Presidents & Congresses could not change the status of Abortion in this country, and I indicated how it could be changed.

Ms. Kissling, Catholics for Choice is not a Catholic organization. Regarding abortion, the Catholic teaching is clear. One does not have the choice to murder an innocent under any circumstances. And about voting being a spiritual experience for some and not for others, I can guarantee it is 100% spiritual for Christ. The truth is the truth even if you don't like it. And the truth is that you are not Catholic. Why expend so much effort trying to change Christ teaching to fit your needs? Just join another faith. I will pray for you - and the 3500 babies murdered everyday.

GiveMeThat
"Why doesn't the author become an Episcopalian if she doesn't believe in the precepts of the Catholic Church?"
----------------------------
Have you actually read the precepts of the catholic church? I am guessing not. So I will give them to you.
1. You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor.
2. You shall confess your sins at least once a year.
3. You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season.
4. You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church.
5. You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church.

Thats it. Taken straight from "CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, Second Edition"
http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s1c3a3.htm#II

With all the violations of the tax exampt law's rules, maybe it time that congress repeals the law so that these groups can have their total freedom of speech honestly.

GabrielRockman,

"So, how is the Catholic Church going to engineer such a thing?"

"There are a few ways. One is through a constitutional amendment."

Do you really believe that the pope can amend the U.S. Constitution?

"One is through the alteration of the makeup of the supreme court by nominating and approving of pro-life judges when existing judges retire."

Do you really believe that the pope can nominate and approve pro-life justices to the U.S. Supreme Court?

Danielinthelionsden:
"The Supreme Court legalized abortion. How is being a one-issue voter going to change that?
A whole string or Republican pro-life Presidents, and Congresses dominated by the Republican Party could not roll back the Supreme Court's ruling on abortion.
So, how is the Catholic Church going to engineer such a thing?"

There are a few ways. One is through a constitutional amendment. One is through the alteration of the makeup of the supreme court by nominating and approving of pro-life judges when existing judges retire.

And of course, there is the FDR way - try to change the number of justices on the supreme court if the constitution is an obstacle to your goals. Luckily, I don't think the Catholic church is foolish enough to try that.

GiveMeThat

"Why doesn't the author become an Episcopalian if she doesn't believe in the precepts of the Catholic Church?"

Oh the snobbishness of intolerance.

There is no way around; religious orthodoxy requires a pretty big dose of snobbery.

The Supreme Court legalized abortion. How is being a one-issue voter going to change that?

A whole string or Republican pro-life Presidents, and Congresses dominated by the Republican Party could not roll back the Supreme Court's ruling on abortion.

So, how is the Catholic Church going to engineer such a thing?

These catholic bishops and cardinals are nothing but the ayatollahs, imams, & muftis in robes. Ooops aren't thye also in the robes? So much for the difference in attire. That scoundrel in Rome Mr. Ratzinger, would love for the 600 - 700 years of enlightenment to be erased and would love to send in his gullible Christian knights to start marauding through the middle east and may be the rest of the world. The only thing that keeps these rascals form doing that is the rest of the christian population will thoroughly trash any such megalomaniacal adventures.

The gall of these morons to tell their congregants one way or another based on their theology and politics is nothing short of dictatorship of the pulpit. Not that I am a big fan of inerrancy of any scripture, this institution from one side of the mouth espouse it as dogma. Then from the other side blithely rewrites the so called ten commandments. Just mere 50 years ago a Catholic candidate for President of this country proclaimed that he would not look for dictates from Rome for his public policy decisions and then today the same scoundrels and rascals from Rome want to tell us how to vote!!! If you ask me Washington should sever all ties to that ex-nazi in Rome and issue warrants against him as an accessory after the fact for all the church related pedophilia cases outstanding not only in the US but rest of the world as well.

The Catholic Church rightly upholds the sanctity of life which is under nightmarish attack. They are making "hybrid" embryos in Britain between human and animals. Scientist and secularists prove time and again that they cannot be trusted to make ethical decisions (I say this as a scientist).

The author's charge that the Catholic Church is telling people "how to vote" is absolute rubbish. Tamany Hall? Pleeeze. That is ridiculous.

Why doesn't the author become an Episcopalian if she doesn't believe in the precepts of the Catholic Church?

Frances, your pride (not called a "deadly" sin for nothing) is showing. Your "I will not serve" sounds frighteningly familiar.
"I also think it would be a good thing if the bishops had a bit more spiritual and less political guidance to offer." They are inseparable. You can either sin or practice virtue in the voting booth, and we will all be accountable to God for what we do there.
"What people consider religious or spiritual is highly subjective." Most certainly true, "people" are all over the map. Catholic teaching, however is anything but.
Why do you continue to represent yourself as a Catholic but do everything you can to undermine that teaching? Please come back to the fold.

when religious types demand their sheep vote one way or the other, they're getting representation without taxation.

But hey, the more the catholics demand their fools vote catholic, and we see more and more catholics voting their own consciences, the less influence we have to deal with from this foreign power in our politics.