The 2016 Catholic Vote for POTUS

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/can-a-catholic-in-good-conscience-vote-for-t
rump-76894/
http://www.uscatholic.org/blog/201603/can-catholic-vote-democrat-moral-consideratio
ns-30587
http://americamagazine.org/content/all-things/gop-ticket-set-catholic-never-trump-cam
p-remains-deant
https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/blog/catholic-vote-big-changes-four-years
http://americamagazine.org/content/dispatches/pew-reports-catholics-gravitating-towa
rd-clinton
http://www.catholicdemocrats.org/news/2008/10/abortion_questions_and_answers.ph
p
https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/faith-and-justice/religion-playing-large-part-2016-electi
on
The above is provided for information purposes, only, and do not necessarily reect the
views of this droid's management.
Of course, people who share the same values and even exactly the same moral stances
can reasonably disagree about the best way to advance the actual, practical realization
of those values and moral realities.
This is to recognize while people can agree THAT this or that constitutes a laudable,
desirable GOAL (e.g. regarding social, economic, military or criminal justice), they can in
good faith disagree regarding HOW to advance it and thereby choose a different
STRATEGY (e.g. candidate or policy response).
Some of the above articles treat these distinctions but most political and religious
rhetoric does not.
Those who thrive on polarization and divisiveness, who sanctimoniously demonize those
who don't share their own practical, strategic and political approaches (especially when

their coreligionist sisters and brothers share precisely the same moral stances, social &
economic goals and religious approaches!) are engaging their persona and/or false self
via identity politics. To quote Kris Kristofferson: Everybody's got to have somebody to
look down on: someone doing something dirty (that) decent folks can frown on. Or one
may recall the story of the Pharisee and Publican.
Neither should we demonize those who don't share our moral stances, religious
approaches and socioeconomic goals. Rather, we might take a personal inventory of
how we have failed to make a compelling case, either by example or by appeal to reason
with clear and convincing argumentation, either by failures in our evangelical witness or
weaknesses in our metaphysical logic.
In any case, when we encounter others' clear failures to cooperate with the grace that
we've discerned and celebrated in community, we remember it is clear only to God which
such failures have come about from exculpable inabilities (e.g. ignorance, deformative
inuences) and which from culpable refusals (known to God, alone).
The most common (not the only) formative pathway begins with right belonging which
then inspires right desiring which fosters right behaving, all which later get more fully
appropriated by right believing. (Infant baptism as a practice very much reects this).
People are more likely to behave as we do, therefore, when they share the common
desires that are birthed in out Eucharistic communities. Only a few will be moved by our
rationalistic appeals and argumentative polemics, although it happens.
Hospitality, civility, spiritual works of mercy, humility and welcoming, all in the context of
providing corporal works of mercy and compassion, will best initiate others into our
community of desiring --- desiring His will.
Other people of both large intelligence and profound goodwill will make political
judgments different from our own in every election cycle. There's no warrant for
angelizing our political stances and demonizing theirs. Let's celebrate our freedom to
enjoy spirited debate and exercise our responsibilities to participate, each according to
our unique gifts and particular perspectives!

"For every poet it is always morning in the world; history a forgotten, insomniac night.
The fate of poetry is to fall in love with the world in spite of history." ~ Derek Wallcott
catholic vote, donald trump, hillary clinton, prudential judgment, faithful citizenship,
catholic bishops, catholic republicans, catholic democrats, catholic independents,
catholic swing voters, catholic conscience, catholic politics, catholic morality