{"id":2132,"date":"2024-05-17T09:16:35","date_gmt":"2024-05-17T13:16:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faith4today\/?p=2132"},"modified":"2024-05-17T09:16:35","modified_gmt":"2024-05-17T13:16:35","slug":"should-our-faith-leaders-be-more-involved-in-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faith4today\/2024\/05\/should-our-faith-leaders-be-more-involved-in-politics\/","title":{"rendered":"Should Our Faith Leaders Be More Involved In Politics?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Should Faith Leaders Be More Involved in Politics? \u2013 Courtesy of VOA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

There is no doubt that society needs more of God\u2019s presence in the world. There are many times we may feel that today\u2019s society is Godless, but as Catholics, we know He is always there with us and at work in our lives. Unfortunately, each generation seems to be moving away from God as opposed to towards Him. Yes, we are charged to \u201clive our faith\u201d and in the words attributed to St. Francis, \u201cpreach the gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words!\u201d Are our faith leaders doing enough in helping politicians include God in their decisions? Let\u2019s take a look.<\/p>\n

Where Are Our Faith Leaders?<\/h2>\n To be honest, their presence in politics in general is not welcomed. I believe this is due to the fact that the very large majority of politicians tend to pander to their constituents in an effort to garner more votes. I don\u2019t think that many politicians want to be viewed as \u201cpeople of faith\u201d because it may cost them votes from those that do not believe in, or have their own vision of God. What\u2019s clear is there are many decisions made in politics today that go against our faith values, and those that do not believe what we as people of faith do, are often shouted down and our opinions trashed because we don\u2019t \u201cgo along.\u201d I have personally encountered situations where \u201cpeople of faith\u201d have become too comfortable with what society teaches us:<\/p>\n \nAt a Jesuit retreat I was surprised to see how many people were comfortable ignoring a politician\u2019s stated position on abortion, even though the opposing candidate was speaking out loudly against it. I struggled to reconcile their votes with their faith.<\/li>\nThere have been many times at formation events that we were lectured about the \u201cimmorality of walls\u201d on campuses that were \u2013 protected by walls.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n I get it, we are all hypocrites in some ways, but my expectations in both situations was clearly out of step with many of my colleagues who were faith-filled people. In my view we as Catholics have become too comfortable with views that oppose those of our faith. While we hear from Pope \u00a0Francis on a somewhat regular basis, I believe there is a leadership gap in too many locations that need more of a Catholic leadership presence.<\/p>\n Faith leaders must make their voices heard and be more active in politics to ensure our values are included in legislation \u2013 Courtesy of Gulf Today<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWhat Happened to Free Speech?<\/h2>\n On Sunday, May 12th, Kansas City Chiefs placekicker Harrison Butker gave the Commencement speech at Benedictine College, a small Catholic college in Kansas. Butker, himself a Catholic, spoke about gender, abortion, euthanasia, and IVF. Butker called Pride Month a \u2018deadly sin\u2019, wasn\u2019t supportive of DEI initiatives, and suggested that \u201cwomen find more fulfillment through getting married and having children.\u201d Butker\u2019s positions aligned with the Catholic teaching, yet the backlash by many has been brutal. He has been ostracized for being \u201cwoefully out of step\u201d with America and has been under attack by many on the left. \u00a0The National Football League<\/a> (NFL) was quick to distance themselves from Butker\u2019s comments.<\/p>\n Some Catholics have been supportive of Butker and his views, although statements of support<\/a> have dwarfed the backlash he has received. He also chided Church leaders in his speech as not being vocal enough concerning our beliefs.<\/p>\n Bishop James Johnston (Diocese of Kansas City \u2013 St. Joseph):<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cHarrison Butker\u2019s passion for his Catholic faith and his family are beautiful and well known. And like most people, he also has strong opinions on where we are as a Church and as a nation. The Catholic Church believes that God calls everyone to pursue holiness no matter what path they take. As St. Paul notes, that diversity of callings and vocations is essential to the life and mission of the Church. I support Mr. Butker\u2019s right to share his faith and express his opinions \u2014 including those that are critical of bishops,\u201d he said.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Father Donald Calloway (Marian Priest):<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI loved the speech!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cHis speech was inspiring and what the woke culture needs to hear. He exhibited real, authentic Catholic manhood. Good for him. I have no problem with anything he said. I wish more said it, especially clergy. God bless him. I look forward to meeting him. I loved it so much I went out and bought his jersey!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Bishop John Strickland:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cit is no surprise that some are reacting with extreme negativity, too many today hate the truth and merely want \u2018their\u2019 truth, which is not truth at all. You are in my prayers.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Bill Donohue (President of the Catholic League):<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cHis courage and his commitment to Catholicism is laudatory,\u201d Donohue wrote. \u201cA heralded Catholic football player defends traditional moral values at a Catholic college \u2014 how novel \u2014 and within no time he\u2019s being bashed all over the place. Had he endorsed transgenderism, or Hamas, he would now be praised to high heaven.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Kristin Hawkins (President of the pro-life group Students for Life of America):<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIf you watch one video today, this should be it. This is an important reminder that \u2018being Catholic\u2019 alone doesn\u2019t cut it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n My question is why haven\u2019t other prominent Catholics, especially members of the clergy, the Vatican, and the Pope not spoken in support of this man? I believe these comments should be mainstream coming from the clergy as well as prominent Catholics and lay people, but the lack of support is deafening. This is a prime example of why we need our faith leaders more actively involved in politics. Granted, the mainstream media (MSM) in general is not supportive of our faith views, but I do not believe that there are enough voices sharing these views and forcing the media and people in general to listen. As a society, including many Catholics, we have become too comfortable with our views being suppressed. This then translates to legislation that is not supportive of our views. Butker stated in his comments at the address:<\/p>\n \u201cOur own nation is led by a man who publicly and proudly proclaims his Catholic faith, but at the same time is delusional enough to make the sign of the cross during a pro-abortion rally. He has been so vocal in his support for the murder of innocent babies that I\u2019m sure to many people it appears that you can be both Catholic and pro-choice,\u201d<\/p>\n Well said Mr. Butker and thank you for being a voice in the wilderness. Do you agree with Butker\u2019s statements? Do you feel that Catholic leadership needs to be more actively involved in politics and be more of a voice in society? Have you experienced backlash for voicing your Catholic views in person, online, or in private gatherings? Please share your experiences. All comments are welcome and I will respond to each one.<\/p>\n Peace<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There is no doubt that society needs more of God\u2019s presence in the world. There are many times we may feel that today\u2019s society is Godless, but as Catholics, we know He is always there with us and at work in our lives. Unfortunately, each generation seems to be moving away from God as opposed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5001,"featured_media":2135,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,138,77,281,44,47],"tags":[56,302,50,305,153,32],"class_list":["post-2132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faith","category-interfaith","category-politics","category-prayer-2","category-prayer","category-relationship","tag-cooperate","tag-faith","tag-god","tag-interfaith","tag-politics","tag-prayer"],"yoast_head":"\nShould Our Faith Leaders Be More Involved In Politics?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There is no doubt that society needs more of God's presence in the world. 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