Friday, August 21, 2020

Biden's Battle With His Catholic Church

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The Catholic News Agency and others are expressing deep concern about Joe Biden and his claims to be a devout Catholic.

The CNA lays out a litany of Biden beliefs that are diametrically opposed to Catholic teaching.

Kamala Harris stands in unity with Biden in opposition to Christian beliefs regarding her own self-professed Protestant faith.

Do not be deceived.

Be informed, not misled.

The Catholic News Agency (CNA), in a carefully written article, now that Biden has been officially nominated, and with the formalities over, are answering the question, "What are the policies he will be running on?"

Great question. We've heard all week that he is a decent, caring, empathetic person, deeply devout Catholic---but what does he really believe, and is he telling the truth about his "devout" Catholic faith?

The short answer "no", he isn't a devout Catholic because he doesn't share the beliefs of his church.

His disagreement? Everything except the death penalty.

The CNA says, "The 2020 DNC platform draft says that religious freedom is a 'fundamental human right' that never the less cannot be used 'as a cover for discrimination'."

They continue, "Democrats in Congress have promoted legislation, the 'Do No Harm Act' as a means of curtailing expressions of religious freedom which they claim are discriminatory."

So, your religious freedom is a dictate of the state, no longer a gift from God, protected by the state.

CNA notes that "The proposed legislation would limit the application of current religious freedom protections---the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).

Breitbart News summarized their concerns:

On the issue of religious liberty, the Democrats insist that religious freedom cannot be used “as a cover for discrimination,” meaning that it must bow to gay adoption, same-sex marriage, and abortion. The Democrat-sponsored “Do No Harm Act” would curtail all expressions of religious freedom that they deem discriminatory, such as “objections to the contraceptive mandate, health care workers declining to participate in abortions, and religious adoption agencies placing children only with married opposite-sex couples.”

Regarding conscientious objection, the Democrats’ draft 2020 platform “supports reinstating policies such as the Obama administration’s transgender mandate,” which prohibited doctors, hospitals, and insurance companies from refusing to take part in transgender surgery for reasons of conscience.

As a case in point, the article notes that a federal judge stopped implementation of the Trump administration’s rule that protected doctors with a conscientious objection from providing gender-transition surgery or abortion.

The Trump administration has granted religious and moral exemptions Obama’s contraceptive mandate, including for the Little Sisters of the Poor, but Mr. Biden “has said that he would undo the religious and moral exemptions to the mandate,” the article adds.

On the matter of LGBTQ advocacy, the platform calls for the appointment of senior leaders to push for LGBTQ rights abroad as a matter of U.S. foreign policy, it notes.

The Democrats roundly oppose school choice, insisting that private school vouchers “divert taxpayer-funded resources away from the public school system,” it states.

On same-sex marriage, in 2012 Biden said he was “absolutely comfortable” with same-sex marriage, prompting President Barack Obama to announce his own support for gay marriage. “As Vice President, Biden himself officiated at a same-sex wedding ceremony for two White House staffers in 2016,” the article observes.

The article devotes significant ink to describing Mr. Biden’s evolving stance regarding abortion rights, which have become more and more radical with each passing year.

The Democrats’ platform declares that “every woman” should have access to “safe and legal abortion” and that abortion, as part of comprehensive health care, is “vital to the empowerment of women and girls,” the article states.

“The platform does include a commitment to oppose capital punishment, and pledges the party to ‘continue to support abolishing the death penalty,’” the article declares.

The CNA assessment of Mr. Biden’s positions joins a series of red flags recently raised in Catholic and Christian media.

Last weekend, the "National Catholic Register" warned that Mr. Biden’s choice of Kamala Harris as running mate may hurt his appeal with religious voters due to her “aggressive pro-abortion and anti-religious freedom record.”

Former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich — a convert to Catholicism — said last Friday that Sen. Kamala Harris is “the most openly anti-Catholic bigot to be on a national ticket in modern times."

Catholic League President Bill Donohue warned last week that Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) has a “Catholic problem,” insisting that Biden’s running mate will have a hard time winning over Catholic voters due to her “positions on an array of moral issues.”

As a radical supporter of abortion rights, Harris has alienated pro-life voters, but she has gone further still, tainting herself “with the brush of anti-Catholicism,” Dr. Donohue stated.

The takeaway.

If we truly seek to be "devout" Christians, we begin by believing in biblical teaching. To claim "devout" Christianity ---Catholicism or Protestantism---we've got to believe the Bible and follow its teaching in our deeply held beliefs.

If elected, the two most influential people in the world will both be claiming to be devout Christians---while neither will be following the Leader---Jesus Christ, and His teaching. 

When you cast your vote---a sacred act of freedom under God with responsibility to Him--consider what Jesus Himself has said: Matthew 7: 15-20: 15 

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

Be Informed. Be Faithful. Be Discerning. Be Prayerful.