He came to wish the graduates a bon voyage as they commence their life after formal education. He left them with a message that bastardizes everything the Catholic Church stands for. In the process, he attempted to paint the pro-life and pro-choice positions as moral equivalents and a mere "political" disagreement.
The mainstream media picked up the ball and ran with it:
"Obama calls for understanding in Notre Dame speech" The Associated Press
"Most Catholics support Obama's speech at Notre Dame" USA Today
"Obama's Notre Dame speech is right on target" Kansas City Star
"President calls for 'open hearts, open minds'..." The Washington Post
"Obama Calls for a Dialogue on Abortion" New York Times
No where in any of these articles does the subject come up to really underscore the issue: President Barack Obama fully supports the killing of unborn human beings.
Make no bones about it, he has supported it, he has championed it, he encourages the funding of it. He is the very first President of the United States to actively support abortion. He is the only President of the United States to support partial-birth abortion.
I keep coming back to something in the Constitution. Call me trivial, but here's the Preamble:
"We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility [emphasis mine], provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
Does trying to equate pro-life and pro-choice as moral equivalents "...insure domestic tranquility..."? Does supporting abortion "...promote the general welfare.."? Does the support of partial-birth abortion "secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity?"
President Barack Obama has indicated his willingness to "renege" on his oath of office by his actions and words. The University of Notre Dame has indicated its support of his actions by having him speak at their 2009 Commencement proceedings. I guess Notre Dame has found its hero.
I know I will never, ever support ANYTHING that Notre Dame does again. I am a Christian, born and raised as a Catholic, and still believe what I was taught, oh, so many years ago. To Hell with political correctness!
UPDATE:
Much has been made of the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, and it's apparent dismissal of U.S. Catholic bishops' disapproval of Notre Dame’s award of an honorary doctorate of law to President Obama. There is an interesting piece at National Review Online that suggests that the Vatican newspaper should NOT be taken as stating the official position of the Vatican. Read it here.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
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Well said.
ReplyDeleteExcellent! 100's of thousands of Catholics and Protestants feel exactly the same way!
ReplyDeleteRev Jenkins has scandalized the church and Christ's teachings. It seems that he & the board (UND) are self serving (as is POTUS)as well as aware of this BUT are in total denial of the scandalous sins that they have committed. Shame on them all. May God have mercy on their souls.
In Obama's case he will continue to allow the slaughter of our pre-born up to the last month of pregnancy & infanticide (Born Alive Act). He is a wolf in sheep's clothing. "…I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing’therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live." Deuteronomy 30:19
Paul wrote that we will all stand before God in judgment (Rom. 14:10). In verse 12, the apostle
describes what we do there: “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” It is plain that how we stand before God in judgment depends upon how we stand in life.
"For the first time in my life, I'm ashamed to be a Notre Dame fan" - Me
ReplyDeleteWell written and even though I’m not Catholic, I have always been a Notre Dame fan, no longer.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteObama is a wolf in sheep's clothing and the leadership (I use that loosely) at UND fell for his lies-hook,line and sinker. There is NO debate to be had about the scandal at UND and grave sin of awarding Obama a degree. Obama is financing abortion & infanticide (BO's-Born Alive Act)...he is financing the taking of innocent life and that is the TRUTH.
ReplyDeleteI removed a comment that accused me of filtering out comments, which I have not done. This is an open comment blog, for now. I welcome any and all comments, unless they are delusional and slurred.
ReplyDeleteI don't like Obama. Didn't vote for him and won't vote for him in 2012.
ReplyDeleteBut I was at the graduation this weekend and I heard (and read the transcript to make sure I was not hearing things) Fr. Jenkins state the Catholic position on life flat out in plain English, and he did not apologize for it.
I also heard Obama state his position, flat out and he did not apologize for it.
I heard two men, on opposite ends of the spectrum, state their opposing views. What I also heard was a message: by demonizing those who felt the opposite of the way we do, we forego any chance of dialog.
For the record, I am pro-life and Catholic and the proud mother of a "Double Domer" - my son was an undergrad and a graduate student.
Earlier this month, I wrote a blog post on my fear that Obama was recinding the Conscience Clause. I was blasted in the comments. I was then interviewed by and made the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle on the same topic about two weeks ago.
I was called names, vilified and read the most hate filled comments you can imagine, all directed to me and at me by people who did not know me.
And all because I would not/could not morally participate in abortions, should it ever came up in my practice (which it does not; I'm an ER nurse).
So I know what it is like to be demonized for my beliefs.
Unfortunately, some Catholics will do the same for my post-graduations comments. (Seems I can't win with either end of the spectrum, but that's okay, I stand by my beliefs and statements.)
I still don't agree with Obama, but both he and Fr. Jenkins did an outstanding job on Sunday.
Obama may be a wolf in sheep's clothing and I agree with that. But we had better listen to that wolf because if we shut him out, we won't know where he is coming from.
Catholics need to know, and hear, the other side. It does not diminish us or our faith in any way. We can take what anyone dishes out and stand strong in our beliefs.
Some of the best and the brightest graduated Sunday. They are not stupid, and the "wool" (to carry on the sheep metaphor) was not pulled over anyone's eyes.
Obama said what he said and we know how he feels; there was nothing in that speech that surprised anyone in that audience.
Maybe, just maybe, it takes courage to hear out the "other side". Fr. Jenkins has been vilified. On a very, very small scale, I know what that is like. Maybe, just maybe it took courage to actually invite this President, this time.
And Obama did not have to accept. He could have dodged the entire thing. Maybe, just maybe, it took courage to stand before those who were ready to discount anything- and everything - he said (Including me!)
I do not agree with Obama. Not his policies, nor his beliefs. But between his speech and Fr. Jenkins' speech (can't take Obama's without hearing Jenkins first), there was an amazing message: to understand that we can have our beliefs, secure in the knowledge that there should be no fear in hearing the other side.
And as long as we demonize each other, there will be no hearing, no dialog, no understanding, and no chance for changing anyone's heart or mind.
I did not see press releases or sound bytes. I saw the President of Notre Dame and the President of the United States do an unbelievable job. Neither one backed down from what they believe.
This Catholic, Republican, Pro-Life Conservative was there.
And I'm glad I was.
Notre Dame has been the subject of controversy before. Thirty years ago, Cuomo spoke with a pro-choice message. Catholicism and Notre Dame survived. There was a time when Notre Dame invested in companies doing major business in South Africa - that was a huge controversy. Catholicism and Notre Dame survived.
It will weather this. And survive.
In the meantime, I'll be praying for President Obama, that he learns to understand and have respect for the sanctity of life at all stages.
And I will continue to say "Go Irish!"
Kim
Emergiblog
Kim, I certainly appreciate and applaud your comments. And I agree that there must be a dialogue between sides. I am also sure that Fr. Jenkins and Barack Obama have an unbelievable way with words. I just don't believe that a Catholic university was the proper forum to give the appearance of moral equivalency to the two sides of the debate. But that's just my opinion and I certainly respect yours. Thanks for responding.
ReplyDeleteEHVOGEL I applaud the fact you are willing to post opposing views. I enjoy your posts and believe our morals and political beliefs are very similar. However, I think Kim has a valid and intellectually stimulating point. “And as long as we demonize each other, there will be no hearing, no dialog, no understanding, and no chance for changing anyone's heart or mind.” I would plead with anyone that would listen, never close your ears or mind to an opposing view. If your house is built on solid ground, do not worry about the storm. Trying to silence the opposition is a sign of weakness and lends one to question the firmness and validity of your belief.
ReplyDeleteThe Catholic church, as a whole, is combating an increasingly widespread perception of weakness and fallibility due to internal skirmishes and scandals. It took TRUE courage and steadfast conviction to allow one of the strongest opposing voices to speak, with belief and faith his own message would prevail.
Keep up the good work, I will continue to look forward to your posts!
You only think you are opposed to so-called "partial birth abortion." If you or someone you knew presented a pregnancy wherein the baby's brain was growing outside of it's skull, or else some other fatal genetic anomoly was at issue, you would be insisting on access to late abortion procedures. Such procedures are a tiny, tiny fraction of a percentage of all abortions, and they are invariably tragedies afflicting mothers and parents who very much wanted to carry to term.
ReplyDeleteBTW, the famous medical procedures so reviled by opponents of PBA are necessary for two reasons: to avoid toxic shock in the mother, which would be fatal for her, and to assure her future reproductive viability.
Sometimes life is complicated.