Should Catholics forbid death penalty supporters from communion?

[Skip Intro]

Poll question: Should Catholics forbid death penalty supporters from communion?

If they are going to forbid abortion-rights supporters from recieving sacrament, shouldn't they also forbid supporters of the death-penalty?

Obviously, I've oversimplified things for this poll. Or have I?

[Dookus]

1. sigh..

false comparison. The church does not forbid the death penalty.

[Skip Intro]

2. Un-sigh

I had no idea.

Just fighing this logic monster, ya know.

[Dookus]

3. heheh

I know, a lot of people think the church opposes the dealth penalty.

A better comparison would be divorce. The church is unambiguous that divorce is a no-no. And yet many, many Catholics are divorced. The church is also adamant about birth control - and yet, it doesn't deny communion to people using the pill.

The underlying point is still clear - the church is is hypocritical.

[AmyStrange]

6. Makes sense...

after all their number one guy was executed,

d

[Cheswick2.0]

15. uh , yes they do

the church is officially against the death penalty in exactly the same way they are against abortion.

[napi21]

4. I am a Catholic, and I think religion is getting way too involved

in politics. That means ALL religions. I was taught that you don't support the death penalty, abortion, divorce, birth control pills, and telling people "God made me do it" as an excuse for bad behavior.

I don't ever remember hearing don't vote for a political candidate whose views differ from yours, because politics is a public secular thing. Individuals will be judged by their behavior. If you don't have an abortion, you're not going to be penalized for the sins of someone else.

I don't know where this Bishop is going with this, other than trying to destroy Kerry. If that's the case, do I assume he is supporting Bush? If so, he is recommending the support of the death penalty, war, and I guess, since I haven't heard George speak against birth control and divorce, he must be supporting that too.

I think this Bishop is an extremist for the Catholics, the same as Pat Robertson and Jerry Faulwell is for the Christians.

[SoCalDem]

5. Should Catholics who are against child molestation cover ups

be against donating money to the church ?? :evilgrin:

[union_maid]

7. I thought it was against the death penalty

According to this, it almost always is:
"Today, in fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively preventing crime, by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm - without definitely taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself - the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity "are very rare, if not practically nonexistent."

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/42/story_4293_1.html

That's consistent with the Roman Catholic pro-lifers that I know. They tend to oppose the death penalty despite being quite conservative. That even extended to a district attorney here - a conservative Republican, but he refused to ask for the death penalty.

[Dookus]

8. well...

According to the Catechism (2266):

Preserving the common good of society requires rendering the aggressor unable to inflict harm. For this reason the traditional teaching of the Church has acknowledged as well-founded the right and duty of legitimate public authority to punish malefactors by means of penalties commensurate with the gravity of the crime, not excluding, in case of extreme gravity, the death penalty. For analogous reasons those holding authority have the right to repel by armed force aggressors against the community in their charge.


The church opposes the death penalty in SOME cases, but not all.

[Cheswick2.0]

16. No Dookus, it opposes the death penalty in MOST cases

in fact the cases in which the church approves of the death penalty are rare if not all but non-existant.

It't right there in writing.

[Dookus]

21. but the topic is not

an individual death penalty sentence. It's whether the church opposes the EXISTENCE of the death penalty. It clearly does not.

[Yupster]

9. Kind of up to the church

don't you think?

I don't think religions should base their beliefs on polls.

[Dookus]

10. that's not even close to the issue

the issue is the church selectively using its positions on various issues to favor one political party over another.

[Baltimoreboy]

17. More like

Enforcing what it wants and not what the posters here want.

[2Design]

11. I want to see them back up their commandments

IV Thou shalt not kill

Preemptive war killed a lot of people. Sounds like they rather have war mongers than allow people to think for themselves and deal with God on their own. They are losing control of people and want more sheep. They need lots and lots more of little catholics. That is why they are against birth control and abortion.

Where are they going to get more kids to abuse???? /sarcasm
Also, I am sure those priest who abuse children broke a whole bunch of commandments.

So probably noone should be giving out much less receiving communion.

[Ksec]

12. Good point.

This crap these Bishops are pulling is an abuse of their power. They are just playing politics. Why dont they target pro choice Republicans?

[napi21]

13. I've been always taught the Catholic Church was against

the death penalty. Although it was a long time ago, I remember being told in religion class if you were ever asked to be a juror, it was against your faith to vote for the death penalty. I know there have been a lot of changes in the Church, but I don't think they changed that one.

[cap]

14. actually the church is against the death penalty...

we are writing letters against it in my parish.

[mopaul]

18. to an atheist, this all looks silly

i see catholics being blackmailed by their own faith. a bishop threatens them with witholding communion, because of a political decision, on abortion or the death penalty or anything else.

it's like some of the bornagain southern baptists sect, with the preacher instructing them on how to vote. it ain't right, and it's a lousy mix of church and state

[napi21]

19. In part I agree with you Mopaul. Churches should NOT be in

politics. They have the right to teach the beliefs of their religion, and their membership has the right to follow those beliefs or not. You have the right not to pay any attention to any of them. I don't think it's blackmail. It is coersion, and that's the way most all governing bodies work. They state the rules, and you must abide by them or there are consequences.

I don't support the death penalty, abortion, or divorce, but not because I'm Catholic. To me, the death penalty is legalized State murder. Divorce is breaking a solomn oath. Abortion is murder too. I do NOT however feel I have the right to force you to believe the same. We do have "freedom" (or are supposed to) in this Country to be different within the civil laws.

[lanparty]

20. They must be consistent

If they are punishing non-adherents, they must also deny communion to those who:

* Are divorced
* Support Death Penalty
* Support in-vitro fertilization (according to the theory, creation of life is GOD'S domain)
* Use or advocate the use of birth control (for Catholics that is).

The church is going back down the wrong path. Before you know it, they'll be selling indulgences again.

I guess they're just getting jealous of the Babtists who are trying to take over the government. NO!!! THEY SAY!!!!! If any faith should control government, it should be the Catholics, just like they once did in Europe.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

22. As an ex-Cathollic

I sometimes wonder if all organized religions are just as inconsistent and contradictory.