Wealthy Republican Catholics.

Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon? Of the last dozen or so Catholics that I've met in this county, at least 11 of them consider themselves Republicans and fit all the negative qualities that we've all come to know so well.

When I was a child, the Catholic church was criticized for pushing communist policies because they believed in the redistribution of wealth through charitable donations. Because of their focus on helping the poor, the church generally voted for Democrats. But, something has changed. The church seems to have become a vehicle for networking, and the ultimate purpose is personal business. Thus, could these parishioners have an ulterior reason to back Republican policies because it brings more government money into the church, and that's less money that they actually have to shell out themselves?

Are Catholic churches selling out?

The Vatican was a major corporation.

I always thought that the Catholic church would back the Republicans out of their beliefs that gays and abortion are wrong. But money? That's interesting...

BTW, Christianity seems inherently Communist. Read the parables of Jesus. There's one where a rich man burns in Hell for not helping a beggar named Lazarus. A lot of times, the teachings of Jesus seem to emphasize economic parity and riches as evil.

The church takes advantage of their faith by pressuring them for volunteer work. It's funny how these abused people open up to you when you tell them you're a recovering Catholic.

Crusades, Inquisition, Calvinists, Puritians, etc.

Until people develop an increased appreciation for the crimes of history I have no trust in the ability of religion or people in general. I don't consider people inherrently any better than they were during the Spanish American war or Vietnam but still we make the same mistakes.

up the sins of its leaders, and takes care of its own (the hierarchy, not the rabble). Sound like any political party that you know?

Did I get that word right?

Too tired to open the dictionary.

Catholicism should have a socialst bent to it. Instead, it's been hijacked by the conservative wing over gays and abortion and the money stuff is just following along. I no longer consider the people you are talking about catholics. Of course, the majority wouldn't consider me RC either. There's an article in the Boston Globe I think about conservatives in this country pressuring RC bishops to be more conservtaive. This is massive. Lots of RC demographics (Irish) were hardcore dem supporters. Abortion and gay rights is forcing ALL of them to the GOP. If the latinos go too we're supremely fucked and there is no cure because it rests on people's ignorance and fear.

...have taken their toll. Lots of those who previously made up the "progressive Catholic" base have left the Church, while much more of the new membership is in the form of immigrants from Mexico and other Latino (but not Central American) countries, where Catholicism tends to be both morally conservative and "anti-Communist." Futhermore, certain elements in the conservative wing of American Roman Catholicism have found a virtue out of making common cause with the Religious Right, which was previously made up of hard-line fundamentalists who would likely consider the Pope to be the anti-Christ. According to this new "arrangement," both sides have agreed to disagre on theological matters, and to realize instead that they must fight together against the real enemy...i.e. liberalism. This means that we are now seeing a lot of Religious-Right attention (and dollars?) going to outreach toward Roman Catholics, not to convert them but to get them to join forces toward fighting the "secularist liberal elite." :eyes:

The recent report from the Pew Trust says it all, unfortunately. Until recently, the majority of Roman Catholics who attended Mass on a daily basis (i.e. the ultra-devout) were Democrats. Now, they're Republicans. Sad.

"the majority of Roman Catholics who attended Mass on a daily basis (i.e. the ultra-devout) were Democrats. Now, they're Republicans. Sad."

Sadder still that I stopped going to church because I recognized the hypocrites in the pews and knew their politics. So how do we left-leaning Catholics find a Catholic or Catholic-like church where we'll feel welcomed?

the shrub was wrong....the Pope sent his ambassador to speak directly to shrub and tell him something like....'if you go to Iraq, you go without God'.....the Vatican is a country, as well as the Pope's home, so unlike most Churches, the Pope leads a country and has ambassadors like other countries....

at my Church (only a few miles from the Pentagoon), there are more and more feelings against the war and for the Pope...most feel strongly now that shrub should have followed the Pope's advice...even those who previously supported shrub now say they would NOT vote for shrub again, that shrub misled them, lied to them...

IMO, the Catholic Church is very much against shrub, expecially as the KILLING continues unabated and the Catholic homeless shelters and soup kitchens are overwhelmed due to shrub's policies...the 'no child left behind' and shrub's faith-based initiatives have all failed spectacularly....even school vouchers (which Catholics want) have stalled and failed under shrub...failed in everything...fooled us once, but never again....

there was only one incredibly stupid reason why a few Catholics voted for shrub...he pretented to be an anti-abortion candidate...but that has now been blown out of the water, and most Catholics are very aware that shrub actually paid for an abortion for an underaged girl that he impregnated as an adult....that has been written about in most of the Catholic papers...there is simply that horror of realization that shrub 'fooled us'....and the abortion issue has faded....in American Catholic Churches, it's real clear that birth control is practiced (including abortions) as shown by one boy and one girl for every Catholic couple....when I was young, there were large large families of all girls or all boys, sometimes up to 10 children per family....but now, Catholics have abortions and practice birth control....

shrub will never get the Catholic vote now....


The Soldiers at My Front Door by Father John Dear
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/1129-07.htm

Network...a National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
http://www.networklobby.org/

they've closed the Catholic gap that used to exist and favor democrats.

Just look at fox, O'Reilly and Hannity are there flagship blowhards

are more likely to be repukes. They own the businesses the Dems slave away at, and
are primarily interested in the bottom line and in their own comfort.

The Catholic parish near me organizes a "giving tree" for the "less fortunate" at Christmas. The presents are loaded onto a truck and driven to some far away neighborhood most of the parishoners couldn't find on a map. The rest of the year they concern themselves with fundraisers like $100.00 a plate dinners and golf tournaments to make improvements to the 3-year-old multi-million dollar church property.

If Jesus showed up at that church, someone would immediately call the police.