Sunday Sermonette: Voting and Vice
The Roman Catholic Church has been a powerful political bloc in this country for decades. Cardinals and archbishops are often considered kingmakers. Just look at the Al Smith Dinner in New York, or the annual Red Mass that begins the Supreme Court session. The Catholic Church does not think highly of the idea of a wall of separation between church and state.
Here in Massachusetts, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston has contributed almost a million dollars to defeat a ballot initiative that legalizes recreational use of marijuana. I’m having a hard time figuring out why.
The Prohibition of alcohol under the 18th Amendment was the result of efforts by Protestants: Methodists, Presbyterians, and Congregationalists. The Catholic Church was (and is) the church of immigrants: Irish and Italians who liked their wine and beer. They were against Prohibition, and indeed may have worked to undermine it. Grape production in heavily Catholic California increased by 700 percent during Prohibition. Altar wine was exempt, but only priests partook of the chalice. The laity received the Eucharist only in the form of the host, the blessed bread wafer. We can only assume that priests were saying Mass far more often.
Marijuana is also associated with Catholic immigrants. Americans knew the drug as cannabis, and used its tinctures in patent medicines. Politicians, aided by the media, whipped up public fear of immigrant Mexicans and their disruptive ways, including their use of “marihuana.” Mexicans became the scapegoat of the 30s, and draconian laws banning “marihuana” was the instrument used to control and deport them.
But for some reason, the Roman Catholic Church has joined with the establishment, regardless of those anti-immigrant laws. Perhaps they fear a threat to their monopoly on being the opiate of the masses.
In heavily Hispanic San Diego, the Immaculate Conception Church took politics one step further. In the weekly church bulletin, parishioners found a notice last Sunday. "It is a mortal sin to vote Democrat," the insert read, with the words underlined and bolded. "If your bishop, priest, deacon or other parishioners tell you to do so, you must walk away from them. Your immortal soul and your salvation are at stake." Despite the fact that the Republican ticket is headed by a thrice-married adulterer, self-confessed assaulter of women, self-confessed tax cheat, and foul-mouthed xenophobe, they threaten anyone who votes for the other party with everlasting hellfire. The reason is that the Democratic platform is pro-choice.
Bishop William Murphy of Long Island was more circumspect. “Support of abortion by a candidate for public office, some of whom are Catholics, even if they use the fallacious and deeply offensive ‘personally opposed but . . .’ line, is reason sufficient unto itself to disqualify any and every such candidate from receiving our vote.”
It is, of course, illegal for a tax-exempt organization like a church to promote partisan politics, but it’s unlikely that the IRS will pursue the matter, since they have failed to do so in the face of open provocation from several Evangelical pulpits. The Republican candidate has been anointed as God’s Chosen One by politicians and preachers such as the wild-eyed Michelle Bachmann and disgraced Jim Bakker.
Come to think of it, Bakker gave up on his PTL Club ministry after he was imprisoned for fraud and conspiracy. His new racket is selling powdered food in plastic buckets to survivalists. According to NBC News, sales of “long term foods” have tripled in recent days. Preppers do not agree on whether they’re stockpiling against the revolt of the urban poor and race riots in the cities if Trump wins, or World War III if Clinton prevails.
I hope the recreational marijuana bill passes. We’re going to need all the help we can get.
Here in Massachusetts, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston has contributed almost a million dollars to defeat a ballot initiative that legalizes recreational use of marijuana. I’m having a hard time figuring out why.
The Prohibition of alcohol under the 18th Amendment was the result of efforts by Protestants: Methodists, Presbyterians, and Congregationalists. The Catholic Church was (and is) the church of immigrants: Irish and Italians who liked their wine and beer. They were against Prohibition, and indeed may have worked to undermine it. Grape production in heavily Catholic California increased by 700 percent during Prohibition. Altar wine was exempt, but only priests partook of the chalice. The laity received the Eucharist only in the form of the host, the blessed bread wafer. We can only assume that priests were saying Mass far more often.
Marijuana is also associated with Catholic immigrants. Americans knew the drug as cannabis, and used its tinctures in patent medicines. Politicians, aided by the media, whipped up public fear of immigrant Mexicans and their disruptive ways, including their use of “marihuana.” Mexicans became the scapegoat of the 30s, and draconian laws banning “marihuana” was the instrument used to control and deport them.
But for some reason, the Roman Catholic Church has joined with the establishment, regardless of those anti-immigrant laws. Perhaps they fear a threat to their monopoly on being the opiate of the masses.
In heavily Hispanic San Diego, the Immaculate Conception Church took politics one step further. In the weekly church bulletin, parishioners found a notice last Sunday. "It is a mortal sin to vote Democrat," the insert read, with the words underlined and bolded. "If your bishop, priest, deacon or other parishioners tell you to do so, you must walk away from them. Your immortal soul and your salvation are at stake." Despite the fact that the Republican ticket is headed by a thrice-married adulterer, self-confessed assaulter of women, self-confessed tax cheat, and foul-mouthed xenophobe, they threaten anyone who votes for the other party with everlasting hellfire. The reason is that the Democratic platform is pro-choice.
Bishop William Murphy of Long Island was more circumspect. “Support of abortion by a candidate for public office, some of whom are Catholics, even if they use the fallacious and deeply offensive ‘personally opposed but . . .’ line, is reason sufficient unto itself to disqualify any and every such candidate from receiving our vote.”
It is, of course, illegal for a tax-exempt organization like a church to promote partisan politics, but it’s unlikely that the IRS will pursue the matter, since they have failed to do so in the face of open provocation from several Evangelical pulpits. The Republican candidate has been anointed as God’s Chosen One by politicians and preachers such as the wild-eyed Michelle Bachmann and disgraced Jim Bakker.
Come to think of it, Bakker gave up on his PTL Club ministry after he was imprisoned for fraud and conspiracy. His new racket is selling powdered food in plastic buckets to survivalists. According to NBC News, sales of “long term foods” have tripled in recent days. Preppers do not agree on whether they’re stockpiling against the revolt of the urban poor and race riots in the cities if Trump wins, or World War III if Clinton prevails.
I hope the recreational marijuana bill passes. We’re going to need all the help we can get.