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.
It's about time this attitude, dare I say teaching, is changing. Good for the pope
ReplyDeleteIt is, unfortunately, too late for the generations that were taught that not only atheists, but non Catholics were be destined to the fires of hell for their failure to follow the Catholic faith. I'm just old enough to remember these teachings from the pulpit on a Sunday.
To be fair the Protestants said the same thing about the Catholics in those days My school was overrule with Chick Tracts and the anti-Catholic ones were frequently stuffed in my locker. Some Protestants still maintain that as well as some followers of other religions.
It's really only the non believers who didn't succumb to that condemnation. How unGodly of them. :-)
Michael: I agree with you on all your points, although the last one is actually ridiculous. Non-believers don't believe in a life after this one so it's not logically possible for them to have proffered such a condemnation of others. Still, it's just one more piece of evidence to support my contention that there will indeed be people of all faiths and convictions... even atheists... in heaven, something whose existence as a believer I hold to be true. God desires our religious convictions... yes. But Jesus made it sufficiently clear (at least to my satisfaction) that being 'good' is equally important. And if he has the power to redeem me for any sins I may have committed against goodness, then he surely can make up for any lack of belief on the part of other 'good' people.
DeleteYou see there are two schools of thought in Catholic theology about humanity's redemption. One holds that salvation is available or operational for many people. The other holds it's available to all. You can count me among this second camp. That's why I sincerely believe that I will most likely meet you in heaven Michael, even if you don't necessarily believe that such a place/state even exists... because it's easy to recognize the goodness you carry within you.
All the best to you and your little 'rationalist' too. He must be getting close to school age by now. Best of luck in drawing forth the innate goodness that no doubt exists within him. I envy you your task... but such is life. I'm fairly certain that there are elements of my life (lots of free hours of quiet time with few distractions to devote to my edification and education for one possible example) that you might envy as well.
Fr. Tim