A New Dawn
Today is meant to be the day when a new dawn hits the United States of America.
Today is the Inaugration of President Obama and while many things will be said about him over the four years, there is one thing he needs and that is time.
America, and quite possibly the whole world, will need time to recover from the financial situation we all find ourselves in and from day one the man will have to hit the ground running.
We have always looked to America to lead, the ones that have been at the forefront of politics and major culture; however now they start on the backfoot and the decisions made will be very important as to the impact they have.
Hope is a word that has been overused by many in the media recently, but there seems to be a feeling that this is what President Obama can bring and restore pride and more importantly get people involved.
It is an exciting time because the alternative is barely worth thinking about.
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009 and is filed under Thoughts & Questions, Views on News.
Responses are currently closed
matthew Says:
less abortions is barely worth thinking about? What does that last statement mean?
January 21st, 2009 at 4:40 am
Ronan Says:
I think it means that the republican (’another 4 years’) option is barely worth thinking about.
January 21st, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Mike Says:
How many Americans would want another four years of what they have just gone through with the recent Republican administration?
Matthew, the comment was nothing to do with abortion.
January 21st, 2009 at 4:41 pm
matthew Says:
Mike,
Do you agree with the Churches teaching on abortion?
At this point, it seems to me that either of these few things are going on.
1)You know the Church’s teaching on abortion- and are blatantly flouting it or ignoring it.
2)You don’t know the churches teaching on abortion.
3)You know the Church’s teaching on abortion and obama’s policy but are ignorant of the facts politically.
Mike, I sincerely hope it is either 2 or 3. If it is then that is what I , as your brother in Christ am here to help you with. If you are too embarrassed to admit so, you can email me privately and ask me questions. I am more than willing to help you work through this.
However considering that Catholic in the US are being asked to consider going to confession for having voted for obama, and if it you are in option 1. Then I ask you very seriously to stop writing on this blog because you are misleading faithful Catholics, and it is my Christian obligation to do my best to stop this.
God bless,
Matthew
January 21st, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Mike Says:
Matthew, by all means take what you will from what I write.
If it comes to a stage where I am asked to stop writing this, by those who own and run the site, that is fair enough.
However, I do not force anyone to read or agree with my views. My points are put across and to be honest I do not go deeply into many religious topics because there are others that decide to do this and I try and offer something different.
There seems to be one issue you like to discuss and particularly when it involves President Obama. It is not my view on him.
Abortion has affected many people that I know, I have a view on it, but I do not feel the need to discuss it.
Maybe some day I will decide to write and talk about it at length.
What I do know and what I have found is that it is not black and white, it is not a simple issue because many things are not.
I’m sure you won’t agree with this. This is all that seems to be discussed here when you are responding to anything I have written.
If you want to take hidden meanings from everything I write, feel free.
I thank you for your offer of education, but it is something I will decline.
A request to you Matthew, change the beat of the drum occasionally or you find you alienate those whose support you seek.
January 21st, 2009 at 6:13 pm
matthew Says:
Mike,
This is a blog under Catholic auspices.
If you hold a view that is contrary to it’s teachings you have a grave obligation to declare it now.
It is highly suspicious that you refuse to reveal it.
I’m sorry mike but the morality of abortion IS black and white. The cirrcumstances are not, but neither were the circumstances around the rise of Adolf hitler to power.
This is a smokescreen anyway to distract from the real issue.
Abortion kills 1million babies every year in the US.
Obama supports Roe v Wade.
Roe V wade is the dam that is stopping ANY progress from being made on the issue.
Additional note. He ACTIVELY voted to allow babies to die who had survived abortion.
This is not a man who is just ambivalent about it. He is pro-actively pro abortion.
Your support from him if you are not ignorant of the facts and the morality around abortion, would be GRAVELY immoral.
We’re talking mortal sin here.
Your defensive tone is giving me more and more reason to believe that, but I am holding out hope and will give you the opportunity to respond adequately.
Please stop telling me to “stop beating the drum” . 46 million babies were killed every year. If 46 million 7 year olds were killed every year and people were going about as normal, you would talk about it a lot also.
January 22nd, 2009 at 1:23 am
Ann Says:
I don’t think it is unreasonable for a visitor coming to this blog – given its title – to expect a strong pro- life stance from at least some of the blog team.
Therefore I can understand Matthew’s dismay and I would indeed sympathise with him in this regard.
However I do think it unreasonable to get personal, to criticise an individual for not choosing to express an opinion on a certain subject, while at the same time giving him little or no credit for his admirable and unstinting approach to another very important issue, central to our faith, which is of course social justice.
January 22nd, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Ronan Says:
Matthew,
You know how I feel about the abortion issue at this stage.
We have discussed endlessly the pros and cons of an Obama presidency. I still feel that, with all their pro-life rhetoric, the republican camp – George W. Bush did little or nothing in reality. The truth though is that they couldn’t. It is the decision of the American people. Personally it saddens me that, at this moment, the majority of the American people support their abortion legislation. No politician could, or should, go against the will of the people who elected them. That is democracy.
Change needs to come from within society. Obama’s policies address the root causes for the majority of abortions in America. This is actually doing something about the issue.
I feel your pretentious attitude towards Mike is only going to do harm. First of all who are you to question his knowledge of the subject. If he wants to find out more I’m sure he can do so without being ‘taught’ by someone who was so quick to judge him for not speaking about a particular issue.
If you would like to discuss this topic you can write something in the ‘Your Questions’ section and see how it goes. As far as attacking a blogger for not writing what you think they should write, how you think it should be written.., well that’s not really an option on a forum built for open, honest and constructive dialogue.
January 22nd, 2009 at 11:41 pm
matthew Says:
Ronan
I know you have been fairer than mike on this and have at least heard me out.
You are however just factually wrong when you stated that George bush did nothing.
He did almost everything that a president could possibly do under his executive powers.
He was undoubtedly by any stretch of the imagination the most pro-life president ever.
Saying that I am being pretentious is I am afraid simply an emotional perception that you have. I can really do very little to change that except to say that I was being very serious in what I said and did so out of love. Let us remember that one of the spiritual works of mercy is to admonish the sinner. Now that is not to say that mike was sinning at all, but he was indeed sailing very close to the wind.
I like this blog and I like reading stuff on it. I think other Catholics do too.
It is precisely BECAUSE of that , that I felt the need to respond. If this was a blog of some careless hedonistic atheists, I would probably not bother responding because I know I wouldnt get through.
It should also be pointed out that it is the ESSENCE of charity that if you fear a brother or sister is possibly in a state of mortal sin to inform them of that possibility. One can of course never judge the soul of another ( that is what is meant by “judge not lest you be judged”)
It is precisely BECAUSE you love them that you point it out. The unloving person would simply let the sin be carried on. ( remember the quote that all it takes for evil to thrice is for one good man to do nothing? well that’s what that is about.)
I am fully aware that some of the things sound incredibly patronizing to some people. However I quite frankly don’t care. There are more important issues at stake than how I “sound”.
There are times when a person oversteps the line and is just not getting the message.
This is not about what healthcare plan is best for the country or what economic stimulus plan suits, this is about human lives. A politican who can’t tell the difference between protecting the citizen and killing them is simply not qualified for public office.
Catholics are being urged to consider going to confession if they voted for obama and for very sound moral reasons. If anyone would like to debate those reasons I am more than willing.
God bless and take care.
Matthew
January 25th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
matthew Says:
To expand further on how admonishg someone is true love:
It is because you want to see that person in Heaven that you love them and should warn them. especially if they are doing something out of ignorance. It is because you care about the souls of other people and not just your own soul that you do so, because as St John of the cross said :
” At the evening of life, we shall be judged on our love”
God bless,
Matthew
January 25th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
Ronan Says:
Matthew,
First, thank you for softening your approach somewhat. I feel that one can make a point in a way that doesn’t offend and still get the message across. Infact, I would say such a softer approach does more to aid the message.
Thank you for caring so much that you would become frustrated and so use a more robust approach.
The truth though is that we will not all always agree. All we can do is invite others into dialogue with the God who is Love: through our words, prayers and actions. Such an invitation comes to us like a tide, gentle. When we have planted a seed all we can do is leave that person to water the new life or not. It is not for us, it is not even in our power, to water it for them. This they must do and then they will cherish the new life they have created.
January 26th, 2009 at 1:52 am
matthew Says:
Ronan
I am not quite sure what you are talking about that we do not agree.
But I am going to presume you are talking about your support for obama.
The simple fact of the matter is that you are wrong on every aspect.
To address one thing you said earlier : There is no evidence to concretely show that Obama’s policies will seriously lower abortion rates. Sweden which has a massive social safety net has the same rates of abortion as the US.
There is every evidence to suggest that when you make something illegal you reduce it’s numbers.
Of course you are working on the assumption that obama’s policies are the best economically- which again is another faulty assumption.
I must also point out that it was not George bush running for re-election . It was John Mccain. Two different people.
You seem not to really understand how the executive powers of the president of the US work . If you did then you would understand that Bush did everything under his power to address the issue.
The fact of the matter is that the Supreme court is one justice away from a pro life majority.
So it is not about “agreeing to disagree” and “lets all get along ” You are both morally and factually wrong.
In earlier posts I addressed your concerns with copious links.
you also said how “change needs to come from within society” . Well of course it does. That’s what elections ARE. That’s what politicans DO. They make laws. If you are however referring to changing people’s hearts. You are wrong on that aspect. should we just make rape legal and wait for a change of heart on the rapists part? I mean let’s be serious here. You have to have laws FIRST, and THEN change peoples hearts.
January 28th, 2009 at 1:41 am
Lester Maher Says:
Abortion is not black and white? What is the relationship of this blog to the Catholic Church?
February 7th, 2009 at 4:13 pm