Voting, and Why Marriage Matters

The November election here in America is almost impossible to miss. With less than a month to go, political ads litter our publications and television channels.

Like I've said before, I can't ignore elections. As a practicing Catholic, I'm expected to:

• Support religious freedom
  (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2104-2109)
  • For everybody
    (Catechism, 2106)
• Take an active part in public life
  (Catechism, 1915)
• Contribute to the good of society
  • In a spirit of
    • Truth
    • Justice
    • Solidarity
    • Freedom
  (Catechism, 2239)
• Submit to legitimate authorities
  • Refuse obedience to civil authorities
    • When their demands are contrary to those of an upright conscience
    (Catechism, 2242)
  (Catechism, 2239)
  (June 1, 2012)

Informed Voting

Just showing up at the polls and marking a ballot isn't good enough.

That bit about contributing to the good of society means that I've got to know what issues are at stake: and which candidates are least likely to make a bigger mess than the one America already has.

Voting a straight party ticket, or choosing a candidate based on appearance won't cut it.

I've collected resources before, and found a new one today. "Made For Life" is mostly a resource for priests, deacons, catechists, and teachers: but I think it's useful for lay Catholics, too.

For that matter, it's a pretty good discussion of why the Catholic Church insists that marriage is for people of the same species, but opposite sex. In a way, I'm surprised that there isn't a referendum to give folks the right to marry their pets. Maybe there is: and that's another topic or two.

Resources

• "Made For Life" (pdf)
  * A catechetical and educational aid on the gift of children and the indispensable place of fathers and mothers in marriage and society
  United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (2011) ISBN 978-1-60137-161-4
  (from http://old.usccb.org/marriageuniqueforareason/documents/made-for-life-resource-booklet-print.pdf (October 7, 2012))
• "Conversations Over Coffee*" (pdf)
  * Your guide for great conversation about Faithful Citizenship over lattes and chai tea.
  (from www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/faithful-citizenship/upload/Conversations-Over-Coffee-Discussion-Guide.pdf (August 4, 2012))
• "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship" (pdf)
  * A Call to Political Responsibility...
  (from www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/faithful-citizenship/upload/forming-consciences-for-faithful-citizenship.pdf (August 4, 2012))

Related posts:

• Elections and ethics
  • "Treating Human Beings Like People, and an Impending Election"
    (October 5, 2012)
  • " 'Religion...has Social Implications' "
    (August 5, 2012)
  • "Religious Freedom: Resources; Backgrounders"
    (July 3, 2012)
    Particularly
    • Background: Why Ethics Matter
      • HHS Mandate, and Why Catholic Hospitals Won't Kill
      • Why Catholic bishops in America are concerned
    • Fact sheets
  • "Evil is Not Nice, Religious Freedom, and Other Radical Ideas"
    (May 4, 2012)
  • "Conservative? Liberal? Democrat? Republican? No, I'm Catholic"
    (November 3, 2008)
• Tolerance, real and imagined
  • "9/11, Religion, and Assumptions"
    (September 11, 2012)
  • "Diversity in Unity: Two Millennia and Counting"
    (April 18, 2012)
  • " 'The Jesus-Eating Cult of Rick Santorum' and
    'America - Love It or Leave It' "
    (February 29, 2012)
  • "Hating People? Not an Option"
    (December 9, 2010)
  • "The Catholic Church and Homosexuals: Harsh and Soft, Judgmental and Understanding"
    (March 13, 2009)