Monday, September 8, 2008

Joe Biden is a Theological Idiot

Well I’m trying really, really hard to not be political – but the problem is that idiots like Joe Biden keep talking. But wait, there’s hope! I’m not mad at Joe Biden for any political reason!

I’m ticked because he’s a bad Catholic! Phew.. I feel so much better now.

On Sunday morning Joe Biden went on Meet the Press and decided to continue the Pelosi abortion controversy. Of course, he had to add a few of his own idiotic points to it to make it worse. Oh yeah, and the press decided to cover the story as: “Joe Biden believes that life begins at conception – alright Catholics, vote Obama-Biden!”

I have three problems with what Biden said as a Catholic. Let’s look:


Problem 1: Biden says that the statement “Human life begins at conception” is a matter of faith

“I’m prepared as a matter of faith to accept that life begins at the moment of conception..."

And I know you get the pushback: ‘Well what about fascism…?’ Fascism isn’t a matter of faith! No decent religious person thinks fascism is [tolerable].”

“I voted against telling everyone else in the country that they have to accept my religiously based view that [life begins] at the moment of conception.”

“How am I going out and telling you, if you, or anyone else that you must insist upon my view as based on a matter of faith.”

What’s wrong with this? Well I certainly hope there aren’t any Pro-Life atheists out there because Biden is telling us that you have to have some sort of faith to believe that abortion is wrong. Once again we see a Democrat shooting off his mouth about theology when he’s totally clueless. Abortion is not de fide, or “a matter of faith”. So what is a matter of faith? Hmmm… how about: the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Immaculate Conception, the Real Presence, and the Communion of Saints. All are dogmas about God or his relationship to us.

You won’t see any moral principles under the title description “Believed De Fide” by the Faithful.

In Catholicism (how long have Pelosi and Biden been Catholic again?) we believe that morality is based on human nature. It’s called the natural moral law. What’s so cool about that? It is objective and discoverable by human reason apart from God’s revelation. Thus any moral principle Catholics believe in is provable without recourse to the Bible or Sacred Tradition – or even Church authority! Of course, all three of the aforementioned sources can also support (as they should!) the protection of innocent human life. Okay, that’s proof number one that Biden’s a theological idiot.


Problem 2: Even if he claims to believe something by faith, does he really?

Okay, personal preference is one thing. I wouldn’t impose my tastes about colors or cars upon you. I know, even though I have a beautiful red Mustang, I wouldn’t tell you that you just have to own one for yourself. If you want a yellow Smart Car that’s between you and total lack of an ego.

But now let’s assume that I thought the choice you were making murdered an innocent human being. Shouldn’t I do something to say no? What if I were in Hitler’s death camps and “personally felt the Jews were people” but “didn’t want to impose my morality”? Give me a break. If Biden really thought that the fetus was a person he’d very well impose his morality! And it’s not like the “imposition” would be to punch out abortionists in the hospitals! All he has to do is cast a vote! How easy is that?! And let’s not forget we’re not living in the Middle Ages when we didn’t have the medical studies to know that at fertilization there is, alive in the womb, a genetically different being from the mother. Which brings me to my third point – but first I want to give you a quote from Obama on religion and personal morality:

"Secularists are wrong when they ask believers to leave their religion at the door before entering into the public square. Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, William Jennings Bryan, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King — indeed, the majority of great reformers in American history — were not only motivated by faith, but repeatedly used religious language to argue for their cause. To say that men and women should not inject their 'personal morality' into public policy debates is a practical absurdity. Our law is by definition a codification of morality, much of it grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition."

Hmmm… That’s proof number two that Biden is a theological idiot... It’s also proof that he has horrible moral judgment... And it also shoes us that Obama should really be Pro-Life…


Problem 3: Biden, like Pelosi, decided to inject Catholic theology into the political argument

“There is a debate in our Church as even Cardinal Egan would acknowledge has existed. Back in Summa Theologica, when Thomas Aquinas wrote Summa Theologica. He said there was no – it didn’t occur until quickening, forty days after conception.”

The statement from Cardinal Egan came up (I blogged about it a few days back – it rocked!). So instead of accepting Church authority like a faithful Catholic should, he decides to whip out another theologian! This time it’s St. Thomas Aquinas! But what is St. Thomas talking about here? Abortion? No. St. Thomas is talking about when the soul enters the body. Now since St. Thomas was a big fan of Aristotle, he naturally taught that the soul cannot be in a motionless body – because the soul is what causes the body to act. What St. Thomas (and St. Augustine) didn’t know was that the child in the womb was in motion and growing from fertilization on.

In other words, Joe Biden is thrice proven to be a theological idiot.


But let me recap the most glaring problem: Joe Biden personally believes that abortionists are torturing and murdering little babies. But he can’t bring himself to cast a little ole vote to stop them. I can only draw two conclusions:

1. Joe Biden isn’t really personally opposed to abortion – in which case he should leave the Catholic Church.

-or-

2. Joe Biden is really, really morally depraved and absolutely sick.


Well, I’ll end with a word of advice to Pelosi and Biden (because I’m sure they’re reading): Please, stop talking about theology. You have no clue what you’re talking about. Maybe you should meet with your bishops and get a basic lesson on actual matters of faith and the difference it has from basic moral laws (like: murder is wrong).

In the meantime, I’ll be praying for you.

4 comments:

Irv said...

Here's a new pro-life slogan: "Unborn children should have the right to keep and bear arms - and legs and ears and eyes etc.!" And here's a shocking item on Google: "Obama Supports Public Depravity." Are you shocked that little kids can view filthy homosexual acts on public streets in San Francisco? Thanks to depraved leaders like Obama, Biden, Pelosi, and Newsom, this is what kids can fill their little minds with and imitate - and when the "BIG ONE" hits, let's hope that Obama etc. will be right there in San Fransicko to get a well-deserved jolt out of it! Irv

Mad Federalist said...

There are pro-life atheists. You can find them at
http://www.godlessprolifers.org/home.html
I'm not one of them. I'm a pro-choice Protestant. I agree that Biden should stop arguing church doctrine in public. Obedience is a foundation of the Roman church. That's one reason I don't belong to it. I disagree that church doctrine should govern his actions as a public official. He represents the state of Delaware, not the Roman church.

Andrew Lynch said...

Mad Federalist:

You would be correct if abortion was a matter of Church doctrine. But the evils of abortion can be known by reason alone apart from faith. This why I mentioned pro-life atheists. If Biden was a real Catholic he would recognize this and support the unborn. Instead he calls himselfe "pro-life" and continues to participate in the murders of millions. As a Catholic - and as a human being - he sickens me.

I just want to be very clear that one does not need to be in "obedience" to Rome in order to reject abortion.

[Side Note] On a religious note between you and me, however, I will say that the Catholic Church is the true Church established by Christ and I would challenge you to prove otherwise.[Side Note]

Mad Federalist said...

It's been a while, but some questions are eternal. I have no obligation to prove to you that the Roman church is NOT the one true church established by Christ. I really have no objection to you believing that -- as long as you have neither police power, nor military power, nor engage in mob violence, to force that viewpoint on me. IF you want me to embrace that understanding, then you have the obligation to prove the point to my satisfaction. I know of absolutely no reason, Biblical or historical, why such a proposition has any foundation at all.

The proposition that abortion is evil can be asserted without reference to Roman (or Orthodox, or Evangelical Protestant) church doctrine. True enough. But the teachings of the church are binding on a self-proclaimed Catholic only because the Roman church is a hierarchical organization which demands obedience. Absent church dogma and discipline, reason MAY lead me to the same conclusion, or it may not. By both faith and reason, I believe there are many circumstances in which abortion is a justifiable decision.

Biden should not introduce Roman theology into a secular political debate. He should simply say, I am not running for office to represent my church, but to represent all the people of my district / state / country. I don't believe that restoring criminal penalties is appropriate. But I said that at greater length:
http://madfederalist.blogspot.com/2008/11/protestant-american-view-of-obedient.html