The left's anti-Catholic bigotry rears its ugly head again

*
The left is mocking and condemning Christine McDonnell for being... a Catholic. We're reminded of Martha Coakley's "No Catholics Need Apply" moment in Massachusetts with her statement that perhaps Catholics shouldn't be working in emergency rooms. Apparently the left considers Catholics to be deserving of the same scorn as those they derisively describe as "fundies." This is interesting because Sarah Palin, whose endorsement helped lift O'Donnell to victory in Delaware, is one of those "fundies" secular leftists love to beat up on. The Governor and O'Donnell agree on many issues, not the least of which are social issues. Although as a young girl Gov. Palin was baptised in the Catholic faith, her mother changed denominations and took her children with her. Still, the bond between Catholics and charismatics is made stronger by the attacks made on all bible-believing Christians by nonbelievers and cafeteria "Christians."

Joe Hargrave at The American Catholic comments:

Of all the stupid memes the media has tried to feed me about Christine O’Donnell in the last 24 hours, I finally came across one I found blog-worthy: Christine O’Donnell opposes masturbation. Of course in the eyes of the same media, this is bizarre, “kooky” behavior that can be used against the candidate in the general election. The geniuses at Yahoo News, for instance, write,

“O’Donnell, a perennial candidate who once argued against masturbation on a MTV special, is not likely to move toward the middle…”

Because nothing could be more partisan, right? [A] video clip was dug up by Rachel Maddow, as part of a 1996 MTV special in which O’Donnell appears with a number of other Christian youth leaders offering some pretty basic Christian arguments against masturbation. The TMP article linked in the quote quips that she “considers looking at pornography akin to adultery.”

Correction, TMP. It is Jesus Christ who considers lust in one’s heart a form of adultery, a teaching to which O’Donnell, myself, and every other Christian ought to simply be faithful.

[...]

And no, morons, she is not calling for the outlawing of masturbation, as if such a thing were even possible. The stupidity of those who cannot imagine arguing that something is wrong without calling for it to be outlawed never ceases to amaze me.

Additional insight is provided by Deacon Keith Fournier, who writes at Catholic Online:

As a Catholic I contend Christine's win was not only about the tea party. Do not get me wrong, I truly admire the movement. However, Christine O'Donnell is simply trying to be a faithful Catholic Christian. She may not remember me, but I met her many years ago. I was involved in one of several efforts I have undertaken in my life (none of which have "succeeded".. yet) of attempting to organize Catholics to inform their political participation in fidelity to the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church and a hierarchy of values - NOT based upon Partisan political labels. She espoused then what she espouses today.

That is why I am still spending time calling attention to her Senatorial race. She is the "real deal". Oh, I know some have brought up her frailties in the past. That is backfiring with the electorate. We all know public service is not reserved to the perfect, but to the willing. I for one am sick of the hypocritical effort to bring up mistakes of the past in our candidates. The past is either a tutor or a millstone. After all, we are here to learn, to grow and to love. We are also here to stand courageously for truth. I think Christine is trying to do just that.

[...]

On the predominant human rights issue of our age the leadership of the Democratic Party has lost its soul. Like many of my fellow Catholic Americans, I grew up equating being Catholic with being a Democrat because I thought Democrats cared more about the poor, the working class, the marginalized and those with no voice. I was wrong. The elite of the Democratic Party have embraced a notion of "freedom" as a power over others and "choice" as a right to do whatever one wants.

[...]

However, there is a "political dualism" emerging in Republican circles which MUST be exposed and rejected. The argument is that there are "social" and "economic" issues and they must be kept "separate". Proponents claim we can "only win if we stay focused on the economic issues". Mitch Daniel and Haley Barbour are the most recent examples. WE MUST SAY NO!

For example, the reason we care about expanding economic opportunity is because we respect the dignity of every human person. The reason we want to ensure the application of the principle of subsidiarity and keep government at the lowest level is because we respect the primacy of the first government, the family. Social and political issue cannot be separated, just as the soul and the body cannot be separated.

Catholics must reject the efforts to divide the "economic" and "social" spheres. Like the earliest heresies in the Church which separated body and soul, the separation of economic and social issues is a political heresy. I encourage Christine O'Donnell to run based upon this important truth. I will be watching her race with great interest.

Christine O'Donnell's political victory shines a light on the great spiritual war which is currently raging in this land. This comes as not surprise to bible-believing Christians, for we were told to expect it many times in the ancient scriptures. To cite just one example:

"Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." - 2 Timothy 3:12

Of course the nature of our persecution is mild compared to that suffered by Christians in many parts of the world who are tortured and killed for their beliefs. But here in the good old USA, far too many of the same nonbelievers who keep calling for "the separation of church and state" ultimately would love to see the church burned to the ground with us inside it. Hmmm. Wasn't something like that attempted in Wasilla, Alaska at the same church which Sarah Palin and her family attended? But we digress...

The point is, again, that the more that attack us, the stronger our shared bonds will grow. Despite the best ecumenical efforts of clergy and laity to bring the far flung denominations of Christendom together, the real irony is that it may very well be the political left, through its attacks on all "Christianists," as they scornfully refer to us, who will ultimately be more successful in uniting the extended family of Christ.

- JP