The May 2010 Euthanasia Prevention Coalition Newsletter can now be found at: http://www.euthanasiaprevention.on.ca/Newsletters/Newsletter108(May2010)(RGB).pdf Bill C-384 was soundly defeated by a vote of 228 to 59. Check how the Members of Parliament voted at: http://www.euthanasiaprevention.on.ca/HowTheyVoted.pdf On June 5, 2010, we are co-hosting the US/Canda Push-Back Seminar at the Radisson Gateway Hotel at the Seattle/Tacoma Airport. The overwhelming defeat of Bill C-384 proved that we can Push-Back the euthanasia lobby in the US and Canada and convince people that euthanasia and assisted suicide are a dangerous public policy. Register for the Seminar at: http://www.euthanasiaprevention.on.ca/2010SeminarFlyer(RGB)(LetterFormat).pdf The Schindler family are being attacked by a Florida television station and Michael Schiavo. The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition is standing in solidarity with the Schindler family. My blog comments: http://alexschadenberg.blogspot.com/2010/05/att...
Reflections from the pastoral ministry of an Evangelical Catholic Priest.
You can have a reasoned conversation with someone who has not made up their mind on this issue.
ReplyDeleteOnce a person has definitively made a decision, one way or the other, they rarely if ever will change their minds. If you are actively pro life, conversation with the pro choice will quickly degenerate into you calling them a baby killer. After that they probably will not like you so much.
We should all take a lesson from the Quakers. They stand by their individual conscience. They will endure suffering and imprisonment to personally uphold it, even against the rest of society but will not criticize the conscience decisions of others.
Every time a George Tiller has his head blown off. Every time a clinic is bombed, Every time a young woman is verbally chastized or has a poster of a bloody fetus shoved in her face as she enters an abortion clinic, by a "prayer counselor', who leaps out at her from behind a bush, the pro life cause suffers irrepairable harm. Keep it up, guys. Good job. You help the other side every time it happens.
Anonymous: I really think that you are absolutely on the mark with your comment. The ONLY form of public demonstration that should be permitted are those who strive for the Quaker ideal. Silent, respectful (prayerful too I would add) witnessing to one's convictions must be the ONLY form of demonstration permitted in any civil society.
ReplyDeleteI believe that every example you include in your last paragraph should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. At least for assault and right up to murder and terrorism. NO ONE can claim to be a Christian and participate is such sinful acts - no matter how zealously they hold to the beliefs. The Church teaches that the 'ends do not justify the means'. Christians cannot take a 'mulligan' when we convince/delude ourselves into thinking we deserve one.
I'll be participating in the National Pro-Life demonstration on Parliament Hill this Thursday as I am bringing parishioners down with me to witness in this national celebration of our belief in life. I have stood in 'Life Chains' every year where I have been close enough to get their to attend. (In my part of the country, these things are organized on Sunday afternoons - making it often difficult to fulfill our parish responsibilities and drive the hour or two on the highway to get to the closest chain.) I have stood in silent, prayerful and respectful witness in front of abortion clinics without ever once approaching or attempting to speak to anyone who goes there, either for service or employment, as part of a 40 day campaign for life. These are the proper, moral and legal methods of presenting the pro-life argument. ANYTHING ELSE should not be permitted and despoils the reputation of the pro-life cause.
I'm certain you'd agree the same should be said for partisans of all sides in these debates. Yes?
Fr. Tim
Yes.
DeleteI thought so. Glad to hear it.
DeleteFr. Tim
I agree with the first poster about having a reasoned conversation with someone that hasn't made up their mind. From the rest of his post we can be assured he is not one of them.
ReplyDeleteWhat the first poster is proposing is that you worry about yourself and nobody else. March for life is critical of the conscious decisions of others to kill their offspring and pictures of fetus and slogans with world like murder and holocaust, though appropriate tend to offend and condemn the conscious decisions of others. He wants you to shut up, stay off the streets and worry about your own abortions.
I certainly wouldn't advocate for shooting an abortion doctor, blowing up a clinic or any form of violence or criminality to stop abortion but you'd get laughed out of the room if this were demanded of any other cause.
Imagine demanding Green Peace stop harassing whaling ship while it harpoons a dozen or so grey wales. Not to be allowed to show posters and videos of whales slaughtered for fear of offending the harpoon gunner.
Imagine telling tree huggers they couldn't lie in front of logging trucks or strap themselves to a pine tree. Just stand aside and pray while they drop that redwood tree and whatever you do don't offend the guy in the logging truck or holding the chainsaw.
Imagine demanding PETA not be able to show gory pictures of animal slaughter or fur traps. No seal pup videos or photos for fear of offending.
I've seen people exercising the very kind of peaceful protest you suggest which really doesn't comply with what the first poster is demanding, and even that is extremely offensive to abortion advocates and they certainly don't seem to concerned with acting like Quakers in response.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp0oMKGFTyk
I'm not asking you not to do your thing. Please do. It continues to mobilize public opinion against the pro life movement. If you think otherwise or just believe it's the right thing to do, more power to you. I'm not even concerned if you break the law. Civil disobedience is a tried and true strategy as long as you are wiling to face the consequences.
DeleteAs far as not supporting the assassination of abortion professionals or the bombing of clinics. That's very enlightened of you. Glad to hear it. I noticed that while you do not advocate these things you refrain from outright condemnation of those that do or even the perpetrators. This is typical of true believing fanatics.
Thats a far cry from your previous insistence on behaving like Quakers. Thanks for the correction. However, civil disobedience is not required nor breaking any laws.
ReplyDeleteEnlightened? Thanks. You should try it. The killing you boldly advocate is responsible for the death of 40-50 million unborn humans on this planet each year.
Since you've decided to twist my disapproval of murdering abortion doctors and blowing up clinics into some sort of secret approval, I'll be more specific for you so you don't carry on with your erroneous logic. While I think anyone that can cut a living human being to ribbons and suck them out with a shop vac is scum of the earth and gravely immoral, I CONDEMN the actions of anyone that engages in the evil we are fighting against, murder, to try to stop them. Prolife shooters should be prosecuted for the life they've taken as any other murderer should.
I hope that clears it up.