Detroit Free Press: Do ends justify the deceitful means for state's Catholics? (anti-stem cell ads)

[marmar]

Do ends justify the deceitful means for state's Catholics?
BY BRIAN DICKERSON • FREE PRESS COLUMNIST • November 2, 2008



I confess that it has been some time since I was a regular at Sunday mass.

But if my church attendance has lapsed since I made my First Communion at Holy Ghost Catholic Church, I have nevertheless clung to my stubborn belief that the church I grew up in remains a bastion of decency in a corrupt world.

And if I were sitting in a pew at my local parish this morning, I would be burning to ask my pastor how that church can justify spending $5.5 million of its parishioners' hard-earned money to bankroll one of the most cynical and deceptive political campaigns in our state's history.

Raising sincere objections

Let me be clear: The Lansing-based Catholic Conference, which describes itself as the official voice of Catholics in Michigan's seven dioceses, has as much right to express its views on matters of public policy as anyone else.

And I am neither surprised nor offended that the conference has used its considerable resources to oppose Proposal 2, the proposed constitutional amendment designed to facilitate expanded embryonic stem cell research here.

While I disagree with the church's contention that it's immoral to conduct research on embryos that would otherwise be discarded as medical waste, I understand its position that any use of embryos violates church teachings about the sanctity of life. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.freep.com/article/20081102/COL04/811020400/1215/NEWS15

[Bozita]

1. $5.5 million of its parishioners' hard-earned money to bankroll one of the most cynical and deceptiv

That says it all.

We're voting "Yes" on both Michigan proposals.

[Democrats_win]

2. God does not lie. God would never ask you to lie. God expects the truth from his followers.

In fact, the Bible says that a sin is a sin. This is in contrast to the Catholic Church which has a list of sins that are worse than others. This allows politicians to follow the lie that the "ends justify the means." People may say that murder is worse than lying, but the truth is both are bad. Bush proves that a lie can cause murders.

[rurallib]

3. it has amazed me that the US Catholic Church has back benched its

social justice doctrine in favor of the abortion and stem cell right wing crapola.
I too have missed a couple Sundays. Since 1968.

[knitter4democracy]

4. The anti stem cell ads are really stupid, too.

We're voting for both proposals, and we're for stem cell research. Those people who are against it just annoy me to no end. All those blastocysts would get destroyed anyway, so why not try to save lives with them?