Despite the Catholic Church's strong stance on abortion and contraception, American Catholics are not all that different from other Americans regarding these issues. Polls tend to show that Catholics have a diversity of opinion on abortion and contraception that is not all that different from everyone else.
The clarity and absolutism of the official Church position prompts heated fights between a) those that see the Church teachings on the family and sexual behavior as organically linked to all other social justice issues and central to what it means to be Catholic, and b) those who appreciate many other aspects of Catholic doctrine (like its teachings on social justice) and wish there could be less of an emphasis on abortion and contraception.
Three recent news items illustrate this.
First, a poll just released by the Public Religion Research Institute reveals that a majority of Catholics would like to see the Church focus more of its attention on social justice and poverty issues, rather than right to life issues. This makes sense, given that Catholics are just not all that different from other Americans when it comes to assessing the morality of contraception and abortion, and in their behavior regarding contraceptive use.
Second, the Catholic Church and affiliated pro-life activists are pushing in the opposite direction. This is illustrated by a recent interview of Philadelphia archbishop Charles J. Chaput:
If you want to explore the differences between American Catholics and non-Catholics on contraception and abortion, the links below from the Guttmacher Institute, Gallup, and the Public Religion Research Institute provide a lot of great information.
Links:
Article in LifeNews.com about a Georgetown Church with a 'pro-Obamacare' article in the Sunday bulletin (October 22, 2012): Catholic Church Uses Bulletin to Promote Pro-Abortion Obamacare
Holy Trinity Catholic Church bulletin (October 21, 2012): Citizens of Faith-- Bringing Morality into the Voting Booth, Part One
Article from Reuters analyzing the 2012 American Values Survey (October 22, 2012): Catholics want more focus on poverty than abortion: survey
Public Religion Research Institute (October 22, 2012): The 2012 American Values Survey
National Review Online The Corner blog (October 23, 2012): The Issue of Abortion 'Requires Absolute Adherence on the Part of Catholics'
Guttmacher Institute Report (April 2011) comparing sexual behavior and contraceptive use among women of various faith backgrounds: Countering Conventional Wisdom: New Evidence on Religion and Contraceptive Use
Gallup poll (May 22, 2012): Americans, Including Catholics, Say Birth Control is Morally OK
Gallup poll (March 30, 2009): Catholics Similar to Mainstream on Abortion, Stem Cells
The clarity and absolutism of the official Church position prompts heated fights between a) those that see the Church teachings on the family and sexual behavior as organically linked to all other social justice issues and central to what it means to be Catholic, and b) those who appreciate many other aspects of Catholic doctrine (like its teachings on social justice) and wish there could be less of an emphasis on abortion and contraception.
Three recent news items illustrate this.
First, a poll just released by the Public Religion Research Institute reveals that a majority of Catholics would like to see the Church focus more of its attention on social justice and poverty issues, rather than right to life issues. This makes sense, given that Catholics are just not all that different from other Americans when it comes to assessing the morality of contraception and abortion, and in their behavior regarding contraceptive use.
Second, the Catholic Church and affiliated pro-life activists are pushing in the opposite direction. This is illustrated by a recent interview of Philadelphia archbishop Charles J. Chaput:
Abortion, Archbishop Chaput says, “is very serious issue that requires absolute adherence on the part of Catholics,” Chaput explains. “And if we don’t stand united on this issue, we’re bound to failure — not only in the area of protecting unborn human life but in maintaining our religious freedom,” he continues.The third recent news items is an example of how sparks fly when these divergent views clash. LifeNews.com reports that the Sunday bulletin of the Holy Trinity Catholic Church (in Washington, D.C.) contained the first part of an article that argued that universal health care trumps other considerations-- in essence, suggesting support for Obamacare despite concerns over the contraceptive mandate. As you might imagine, this was not received well.
If you want to explore the differences between American Catholics and non-Catholics on contraception and abortion, the links below from the Guttmacher Institute, Gallup, and the Public Religion Research Institute provide a lot of great information.
Links:
Article in LifeNews.com about a Georgetown Church with a 'pro-Obamacare' article in the Sunday bulletin (October 22, 2012): Catholic Church Uses Bulletin to Promote Pro-Abortion Obamacare
Holy Trinity Catholic Church bulletin (October 21, 2012): Citizens of Faith-- Bringing Morality into the Voting Booth, Part One
Article from Reuters analyzing the 2012 American Values Survey (October 22, 2012): Catholics want more focus on poverty than abortion: survey
Public Religion Research Institute (October 22, 2012): The 2012 American Values Survey
National Review Online The Corner blog (October 23, 2012): The Issue of Abortion 'Requires Absolute Adherence on the Part of Catholics'
Guttmacher Institute Report (April 2011) comparing sexual behavior and contraceptive use among women of various faith backgrounds: Countering Conventional Wisdom: New Evidence on Religion and Contraceptive Use
Gallup poll (May 22, 2012): Americans, Including Catholics, Say Birth Control is Morally OK
Gallup poll (March 30, 2009): Catholics Similar to Mainstream on Abortion, Stem Cells
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