http://www.prime1-marco.blogspot.com

The truth is and always has been that the church grows as long as it is faithful (remember the story of Israel?) It will dissipate or be overrun as it conforms to the world and continues down an unfaithful path.

If there is no power in the church, then the church has forgotten the power in Jesus Christ. Where Jesus Christ is proclaimed, the power grows and the body of Christ flourishes.

Many say that there are now more Christians in communist China than in the U.S.. This is happening in the midst of persecution. Just in the small country of Mozambique there have been 5000 churches planted. How many churches are being planted in Europe and the U.S. and especially telling, how many are Catholic churches?

Conservative/Orthodox Catholics are actually full of love and actually have similar goals to progressive Catholics. I’ll use myself as an example. Just like progressive Catholics, I also want to feed the hungry, end poverty, give medical care to all. However, I truly feel the way Progressive Catholics try to reach these goals is counterproductive and actually harmful. Progressives want to simply “clean the outside of the bowl”, I want to “Clean the inside of the bowl so that the outside may also be clean.”

The simple truth is that if you want to know what a Conservative Catholic believes you can find it in the Catechism. It is the Progressives and extreme right-wing Catholics that fall outside the norm.

You believe “Conservative Catholics seem to share several common beliefs”. Let’s look at each example you give and I will explain why I disagree.

• You claim that Conservative Catholics believe the current free market is the best economic system.

The truth is that it is the best available and needs to be improved. Perhaps one day there will be a better system. Even Karl Marx believed that in order to get to his Utopian ideal of Communism, Capitalism had to run its course. In the mean time, we have no other choice, as communism, socialism, and Nazism, are proven failures.

• You claim that Conservative Catholics believe the death penalty is morally acceptable

This is just simply untrue. Check the Catechism.

• You claim that Conservative Catholics believe Catholicism should exclude individuals and groups who disagree with any one of the pope’s “infallible” teachings.

Here you are wrong again. A Catholic who embraces a position that contradicts any infallible Church teaching excommunicates themselves under canon 1364. In other words, they exclude themselves. We just don’t want people who have excommunicated themselves to act as if they are in full communion with the Church. This is harmful to themselves as well as to others. By the way, excommunication is not for punishment, but rather to help the person become a better Christian.

• You claim that Conservative Catholics believe sexual morality (i.e., use of contraception and marriage) is a crucial factor in determining one’s orthodoxy

Here you are partially correct. What you fail to understand is sexual morality violates the two “Greatest Commandments.” If you can’t understand this principle, then of course it will seem silly. We all fall short of the goal but we should never openly promote a sin as if it were acceptable behavior.

• You claim that Conservative Catholics believe abortion trumps all other issues, etc.

We do believe the other issues are also important. However, we have certain non-negotiable issues. If a political candidate is pro-abortion, racist, anti-religion or communist (for example), I am not interested in anything else he has to say.

You say: “Jesus did not advocate war, or lassie-faire economics that disregard the plight of the poor, or exclusion of any group, be they prostitutes, slaves and criminals.”

Me: Jesus did not advocate war but he did say that we would have wars. As for “lassie-faire economics that disregard the plight of the poor, or exclusion of any group, be they prostitutes, slaves and criminals” well this is an absurd argument for the simple reason that nobody wants lassie-faire economics and I am surprised you do not know this. Lassie-faire economics does not work. What is necessary is as little gov’t intervention as possible. Furthermore, nobody Conservative Catholic wants policies that “disregard the plight of the poor, or exclusion of any group, be they prostitutes, slaves and criminals.” In fact, our big problem with progressives is that they unwittingly promote policies that perpetuate the plight of these groups.

While I disagree with your opinions, I would never accuse you of wishing harm to others. I can tell you are sincere about helping others. However, I wish you would extend me the same courtesy. While my views may be different than yours, my motivation is also the well being of all people from all walks of life.

I think half the problem with the extreme right, and the extreme left, is that both sides construct characterizations of the other side in their own head, and write their blog posts, or whatnot, against this characterization (regardless as to whether that characterization exists, or whether we fail to notice that we are turning our subjective experience into a object form). But, that is off topic.