Dear Editor: This self-righteous moral stance and virtuous indignation of the letter titled “Life-Is-Cheap Culture” (Jan. 23) misses the larger picture.
Social disintegration, which the writer attributes to shallow, ignorant, yet sophisticated liberals, is extremely narrow in focus. Although accused of causing the world’s spiritual decay, liberals are the very people who prod our social conscience. They advocate for affordable housing, pay equity, decent education and proper medical care for the impoverished.
Their opposition to illegal gun ownership and wars, along with a deep concern for the future of the planet, places them on high moral ground.
Unlike those who obsess only on abortion as the great sin against humanity, while simultaneously wanting to reduce or cut off government assistance to needy families, the secular liberals manifest a remarkable sense of social commitment especially to the underprivileged in the “Year of Mercy.”
Let us try to accept all God’s people, even those “ignorant, liberal secularists.”
MARY GERAGHTY
Windsor Terrace
Couldn’t agree more. I suspect that Pope Francis would also.
We all answer to God for our actions. Pro-life ,liberals, secularists, ignorant people, all must answer to God.
God is good all the time. Catholics, bishops, priests and popes through the ages have not been good.
Jesus taught the golden rule, Love God and Love Neighbor, To me that means helping my neighbor and encouraging them not to kill their unborn children because it is a most terrible thing that rips the relationship between God, mother and child. We catholics have a support system for unwed mothers and that is a good thing.
Dear Editor:
Reading the letter from Mary Geraghty was bewildering as it was difficult to understand if she was a practicing Catholic. Liberals do not prod our social conscience, rather they seek to reshape and reform society. First they distort the dialogue and then the laws follow because surely when dialogue is intentionally bastardized people are then indoctrinated to accept the laws that reflect the change in rational thought.
Everyone wants affordable housing, pay equity and proper education as well as access to medical care but the thinking has been polluted by thinking that these issues are rectified by giving it freely to anyone who wishes to have and demands it. Certainly, we as a society and Catholics have an obligation to help the infirm, elderly and disabled. We do not have an obligation to provide to anyone who demands them but who can but won’t work or educate themselves. Surely, one realizes that there is ‘free’ education up to high school graduation but students are not even finishing high school at a sufficient rate. Why are we mandated by the liberals to support these individuals if they choose not to engage and learn?
When you take over the thinking and provide for people who are able but will not help themselves you rob them of their personhood, dignity and pride. You achieve nothing but ensure and perpetuate their future failure. Rather, they should be given a hand, counseling and short term help while they train up and secure meaningful employment. Yes, it doesn’t happen overnight, but many reading this have done it and many will in the future, but not without a high school diploma to start and the drive of a good work ethic. Each individual must be an active participant in their own life to succeed.
Shocking is Mary Geraghty’s talk of those who ‘obsess only on abortion’. Really? In excess of 55 Million lives aborted since Roe v Wade. We certainly should be obsessed with that staggering statistic! Most of these from the minority community – let’s all remember Margaret Sanger the founder of Planned Parenthood who likened black people to “weeds” – her intention was the extermination of them. Let’s also not forget that it is liberals who seek euthanasia, legalization of drugs, the classification of pedophilia as a disease instead of the horrific crime it is, taking God out or removed from the Pledge of Allegiance, currency, the Public Square and promote the bogus concept of separation of church and state being written in the Constitution (it is not).
There exists no pro-choice Catholic. For you cannot vote for a pro-abortion candidate if another right for life candidate is on the ballot and still be Catholic. Catholics should not waiver with the wind as times change. Do not pick and choose the commandments to suit your mood or the decade, they are not suggestions, they are the Ten Commandments.
Michele Talamo
Brooklyn, NY
Pope Francis has called for a “Year of Mercy.” Where is the mercy in Catholics who refuse to support gun control? If Mr. Talamo feels that a pro-choice candidate should not be supported then the same should hold true for candidates who support the NRA and its pro-gun agenda. Where was the mercy for the children of Sandy Hook?
Abortion cannot be equated with gun control in any respect, rather understanding that gun control laws will NEVER be adhered to by criminals is the first step to understanding the problem. Criminals never have and never will adhere to the law and thus people are killed. Seek to understand that many of the most recent ‘storming’ incidents – Paris, San Bernadino, etc. were in gun free zones. Criminals never have cared whether a sign designates a gun free zone and thus it makes no sense for the rest of those who are proficient and can actually equalize the unfettered assault of a criminal not to be able to defend themselves and perhaps other innocents – it’s about DEFENSE, not ASSAULT. That in addition recall that our Constitution provides that right.