TLR Asks: As a Catholic, Should I Vote Republican?

Last updated on: January 7, 2023 at 11:28 am by Dennis Knapp

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TLR Asks: As a Catholic, Should I Vote Republican? 2023-01-07T11:28:19-06:00 Dennis Knapp

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Recently, I wrote an article explaining why I, as a Catholic, cannot vote Democrat given the official party platform on religious liberty, abortion, and human sexuality. I simply cannot vote for a party that claims to promote the “common good” while supporting taking the most common of goods (life) from the most vulnerable in the womb. Furthermore, Democrats hold that religious liberty ends at the door of religious institutions. We saw this clearly in the rejection of the Lee Amendment to the Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA). To the Democratic Party, my Catholic views on marriage, abortion, and human sexuality are discriminatory and prejudice. Why in the world vote for a party that despises me and my religious beliefs?

For this article, I examine the Republican party platform, and if I, as a Catholic, can vote Republican. Now, as stated before, the GOP no longer holds my confidence. This examination focuses solely on party platform and NOT on individual Republican politicians. All respectful and engaging comments and challenges welcome.

Let’s dive in.

The Republican Party Platform

Does the Republican party platform reflect my Catholic values to the point where I can vote for them? Let’s look at the 2016/2020 platform. Below is not the full list. Platform points are in italics. To read the full platform, please click on the link above.

Rebuilding the economy and creating job – All Americans support this. All good so far. The Church supports job creation and economic stability.

Fair and simple taxes for growth – Fair and simple is good. This also does not go against Church teaching.

Responsible homeownership and rental opportunities – Home ownership is also good.

America on the move – Infrastructure, also good.

Reducing the federal debt – Very important! We need not burden future generations with our debt.

We the people – This section covers a lot of ground. The two that stood out to me were:

We reaffirm the Constitution’s fundamental principles: limited government, separation of powers, individual liberty, and the rule of law. We denounce bigotry, racism, anti-Semitism, ethnic prejudice, and religious intolerance.

And

In a free society, the primary role of government is to protect the God-given, inalienable right of its citizens. These constitutional rights are not negotiable for any American. We affirm that all legislation, Regulation, and official actions must conform to the Constitution’s original meaning as understood at the time the language was adopted.

Defending marriage against an activist judiciary – Another important platform that aligns with the Catholic Church’s view of marriage.

Traditional marriage and family, based in marriage between one man and one woman, is the foundation of a free society and has for millennia been entrusted with rearing children and instilling cultural values.

The First Amendment: religious liberty – Very important to all Catholics!

We pledge to defend the religious beliefs and rights of conscience of all American and to safeguard religious institutions against government control.

The Fifth Amendment: protecting human life – As a Catholic, this platform stands out and aligns with the Catholic view on human life.

The Constitution’s guarantee that no one can “be deprived of life, liberty, or property” deliberately echoes the Declaration of Independence’s proclamation that “all are “endowed by their Creator” with the inalienable right to life. Accordingly, we assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to children before birth.

Immigration and the rule of law – This platform seems to conflict with Catholic Social Teaching on immigration, but not necessarily so. According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s (USCCB) document Strangers No Longer Together on the Journey of Hope, the Church:

…recognizes the right of a sovereign state to control its borders in furtherance of the common good.

Verdict: Yes, or No?

Moreover, given the above points of the Republican platform, as a Catholic, I can in good conscience vote for the Republican party for the following reasons:

The party’s opposition to abortion and view that the unborn possess the right to life guaranteed in the Constitution. As a Catholic, this position aligns perfectly with the Church’s view on the unborn.
Support and promotion of religious liberty beyond the doors of religious institutions. The Republican platform does not declare my religious views discriminatory and bigoted.
The Republican platform supports traditional values, like marriage and family. The definition of marriage, as between one man and one woman, reflects the same definition of marriage as understood by the Catholic Church.

Possible Conflicts

The only possible conflict I see between the Republican party platform and the Catholic Church concerns immigration. Some may point out that Republican tax and economic polices favor fiscal responsibility and therefore reduction in social programs that hurt the poor. This appears to me inadequate reasons to overlook the extreme Democrat positions on abortion, marriage, and religious liberty. Plus, such programs will never cease. The best Republicans could hope for is to limit such programs.