GUIDANCE FOR THIS ELECTION BY PRIESTS FOR LIFE

GUIDANCE FOR THIS ELECTION BY PRIESTS FOR LIFE

In pursuit of the truth - http://www.cinopsbegone.blogspot.com - Friday, August 19, 2016

 

    "The following may be useful as guidance for those who are unsure of how to vote - or even whether to vote.

    Unless Jesus and the Blessed Mother are on the ballot, we are always going to be choosing imperfect candidates. In this life, everything - including politics - is a messy mixture of good and evil, virtue and sin, of truth and falsehood.

 

    At the same time, there are always differences that can be found between the candidates. When we feel that one is just as bad as the other, that must not become an occasion to lose interest in the process but rather can occasion for focusing even more effort on learning the positions of the candidates.

    These candidates need to focus on distinguishing themselves from their opponent. You can be sure there are things they have said and done to highlight the differences, and so one can is always going to be closer to our values and viewpoints than the other.

 

    In evaluating this, we look also at the differences between parties that those candidates represent. Each party is an entire universe of philosophies, ideologies, causes, positions and people. Each party is a whole army of people who are going to surround and advise the candidates, and fill many positions of influence if that candidate is elected.

    For instance, in case of the presidential race, we have to ask what kind of people this President would nominate on the Supreme Court and other federal courts. We have to ask what direction they lean towards on the most fundamental issues of life, religious freedom, marriage and family - and again what direction their party leans on those issues.

 

    Remember, it is not just that the candidates shapes the office; the office also shapes the candidates, so does the party and its prevailing positions. What kind of people would this President, furthermore, appoint as Surgeon General, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, and so many more. ...

    As the US Bishops stated again at the end of last year in the document "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship":  "Decisions about political life are complex and require the exercise of a well-formed conscience aided by prudence. This exercise of conscience begins with outright opposition to laws and other policies that violate human life or weaken its protection. Those who knowingly, willingly. and directly support public policies or legislation that undermines fundamental moral principles cooperate with evil." (n.31) ...

 

    Even when we conclude that whichever candidates wins will do damage, the analogy of the runaway train may help us. Imagine that you are at the controls of a runaway train and you cannot stop it. But imagine, too, that what you can do is to change the track that is on. At the end of one track you know that it will kill a large number people, and at the end of the other track, a small number of people. What do you do?

    Obviously, you do not want to kill anyone. But you cannot stop the train. In this case, you would obviously change the train to the track where it is going to do the least damage. You are not choosing to kill anyone - the death and destruction are beyond your intentions and beyond your ability to stop. But you are able to decrease the damage ...

 

    Very often elections present us with the choice between a candidate we know we don't want and an alternative about whom we are not sure...

    So the bottom line is that we should not skip an election; we should vote. Sometimes we may think that we are doing wrong by voting for either candidate. But we have to consider the fact that we influence the election whether we like it or not. Skipping a vote also influences the election, because it takes a vote away from the better of the two candidate. So don't sit out the election. Go and vote, and help change the train to the best available track. ..."

 

GEORGE H. KUBECK,

REF. FATHER FR. PAVONE'S "PRIESTS FOR LIFE GOSPEL OF LIFE MINISTERIES" JUL-AUG 2016 #4 WWW.PRIESTFORLIFE.ORG