re the excommunication discussion from the way-way-bb's
Posted by
Stephen (aka SCeire)
Mar 11 '09, 13:35
|
After reading the backboards i've been having this internal debate as to whether or not to even post my thoughts on this subject. Generally, at least lately, i've tried to avoid bringing up subjects that are so heated hours after they were first discussed. In the end I guess my desire to defend my faith in what I hope is a thoughtful manner, and not argumentative, won out. This isn't meant to start an argument with anyone, but rather it is simply me expressing my thoughts on the subject.
First, I believe that the Bishop in Brazil was absolutely right to excommunicate the mother of the child and the doctors who performed the abortion (Note, the child herself was not excommunicated). Just as any society has the right to exclude or deprive of certain rights those members of that society that have violated the laws that govern that society, the Catholic Church has the right, and the obligation, to do so as well. Without this right and obligation what is the purpose of any society, and how can any society sustain itself? The adults involved know the Church's teachings on abortion, and they chose to act in contradiction to those teachings.
So what is excommunication? I think many wrongly believe it to be a vindictive, and final, punishment imposed by the church. It is not. Excommunication is medicinal in nature, not vindictive. It is intended not as a punishment, but rather as a corrective action intended to bring the excommunicated back to a path of righteousness and church teachings. I believe that this is the intent of the Bishop. Someone who has been excommunicated does have the opportunity to rejoin the church, there is a process of absolution wherein a repentant person is brought back into the church.
It upsets me that the church's defense of life, all life, is somehow considered stone-aged. Is one life more valuable than another? Is the life of a child conceived by two loving parents more worthy of life itself than one conceived under horrific circumstances of rape or incest? Does the life of a mother have more value than that of her unborn child? How do we make that determination? What gives us that right? And if we claim that we do have that right to make that determination where does that right stop? It seems to me that those who don't hold the beliefs espoused by the church think that the belief that all life is sacred is held in some callous manner. I assure you, it is not. It is not that there is no care, respect or compassion (in this specific case for the poor 9 year old girl) for the mother, but that there is equal care, respect, and compassion for the unborn. How that can be considered �stone-aged� belief is beyond me.
Also, on the issue of compassion, or the accusation that there is a lack of compassion in the church, where is it said that the condemnation of an act equates to a lack of compassion towards the person who has committed that act? For those that think that the Catholic Church is short on compassion towards those who have had an abortion you can google Project Rachel, a Catholic ministry that provides counseling, both spiritual and psychological, for those that have had abortions. Perhaps this will help dispel the myth that there is no compassion in the church.
My heart goes out to that poor 9 year old and what she has endured, and I hope she receives the support and help she will so obviously need. But, my heart also goes out to those two unborn children who will never have the chance to experience life.
|
Responses:
|
Replies are disabled on threads older than 7 days.
|
|
