Can Catholics Vote for Obama?

Catholics cannot, in good conscience, vote for Obama in the 2012 election.
In fact, to do so will be a sin.

To explain it briefly:

• All Catholics are morally obligated to vote (CCC 2240)
• Some issues are more important than others (CCCB)
• Voting in support of intrinsic evils like abortion or euthanasia is a sin (Pope John Paul II, 73)
• Further, fundamental rights like Religious Freedom are of primary importance (CCCB)
• Obama is the most pro-abortion, anti-marriage, anti-religious-liberty president in history (List)
• As a result, Catholics cannot vote for Obama, doing so would be a grave sin

I know this is a dramatic claim, but that does not affect the claim's veracity.  If you are a Christian and this shocks you, I hope it inspires you to prove or disprove this claim.

Below I have written a point-by-point explanation providing details and sources.  In addition, at the bottom of this post is an Appendix with a wealth of resources for further study.


It is the moral obligation of Catholics to vote

All Catholics are morally obligated to vote.  It is stated in the Catechism and countless encyclicals.

Submission to authority and co-responsibility for the common good make it morally obligatory to pay taxes, to exercise the right to vote, and to defend one's country. ~ CCC 2240

We are called to take action.  As Christians we have Pontius Pilate to remind us of the consequences when good people do nothing. (Matthew 27:24)  


Some Issues are More Important than Others

Being responsible for the common good mandates that we act on our Christian values and vote with a well formed conscience.  In so doing, Catholics understand that all issues are not equal.

"While there may be many legitimate ways to address the needs of our neighbors, there are some actions which are always and everywhere immoral. As Catholics, we must recognize that not all issues carry the same moral weight". ~ Chicago Conference of Catholic Bishops

First, there are intrinsic evils that go against God.  Catholics can NEVER support these...it is non-negotiable.   

"The continuing slaughter of innocent children through legal abortion—to take the most appalling example of such 'intrinsic evil'—is a grave offense against God and our own human dignity, and cries out for justice. Accordingly, 'the moral obligation to oppose intrinsically evil acts has a special claim on our consciences and our actions.'" ~ Chicago Conference of Catholic Bishops

Abortion and euthanasia are both intrinsic evils.  These grave sins are atrocious acts of murder committed against the most vulnerable of society.  (For an explanation of why abortion is murder, please see this post on why life begins at conception.)

Secondly, there are fundamental rights that must be protected at any cost.  Preserving freedom should always take priority.  America was founded as the "land of the free" and foremost among those freedoms was freedom of religion.

“The right to religious freedom has its foundation in the very dignity of the human person as this dignity is known through the revealed word of God and by reason itself. ” ~ Dignitatis Humanae, 2

Voting for Intrinsic Evils is a Sin

As mentioned above, Catholics have a moral obligation to oppose intrinsically evil acts, even in the voting booth.  It was stated clearly by Pope John Paul II:

In the case of an intrinsically unjust law, such as a law permitting abortion or euthanasia, it is therefore never licit to obey it, or to "take part in a propaganda campaign in favour of such a law, or vote for it" ~ Evangelium Vitae, 73

 As a result, if Catholics knowingly vote for a law or candidate that promotes intrinsic evil, they are cooperating in his sin and are equally guilty.

"Those who knowingly, willingly, and directly support public policies or legislation that protect and perpetuate such injustice, cooperate with that grave evil." ~ Chicago Conference of Catholic Bishops

"To vote for such a candidate even with the knowledge that the candidate is pro-abortion is to become an accomplice in the moral evil of abortion. If the voter also knows this, then the voter sins mortally." ~ A Brief Catechism for Catholic Voters

To be clear, we just had quotes from a priest, a bishop, and a pope stating that voting for pro-abortion candidates or pro-abortion laws is a sin.


President Obama is Strongly Pro-Abortion

President Obama is the most pro-abortion president in the history of the United States of America.  Life News has compiled Obama's entire track record on abortion.

As recently as this past Tuesday (10/16/12), President Obama was proudly championing his record on abortions and promising his continued efforts to promote them if he is re-elected.

In short, there is no way that anyone could be fooling themselves into thinking Obama is not pro-abortion.

President Obama is Anti-Religious-Liberty

President Obama directly attacked religious liberty in America with Obamacare's Health and Human Services (HHS) Mandate.

You can read the full story in my post about the HHS Mandate but to summarize, the mandate will require Catholic institutions to provide free contraceptives, sterilizations, and abortion-inducing drugs (practices the Catholic Faith view as sinful violations of conscience).  

"This year, our own federal government, through the Department of Health and Human Services, mandated a new and narrow definition of “religious employer.” This unprecedented action could force the punishment or even closure of faith-based soup kitchens, schools and hospitals because these institutions would not fit under the federal government’s definition of “religious.” It is an ominous sign when the federal government issues the edict that Catholic Charities and other religious employers are not religious. The mandate is both illegal and unjust, and constitutes an unprecedented affront to religious liberty." 

"It is important to remember that religious liberty is not a Catholic issue. It is not a Christian or Jewish or Muslim issue. It is an American issue. Fundamentally, it is a matter of social justice; for when religious liberty is endangered, the good of society itself is diminished." ~ Chicago Conference of Catholic Bishops

In attacking the practice of worship and freedom of religion of the Catholic Church, Obama is violating the First Amendment of the Constitution.  As a result of this outrage, there are currently over 100 separate suits against the US Government for violation of the First Amendment.

President Obama is Anti-Marriage

In addition, President Obama is attacking the building block of society, the family.  

In February of 2011, President Obama instructed the justice department to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act put in place by President Bill Clinton.  (article - ABC News) (article - Catholic Online)

In May of 2012, President Obama stated that he had changed his position and was now in favor of gay marriage.  (article - Fox News)

This, of course, stands in stark contract to the definition of marriage reinforced by Jesus:

"He said in reply, 'Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?" ~ Matthew 19:4-5

Therefore Voting for Barack Obama is a Sin

So, as a result of Obama's actions, which not only attack the church, but also promote intrinsic evil, Catholics cannot vote for Obama and if they did, it would be sinful.

That any politician could slip so far that the act of voting for them would separate the voter from God is a tragedy!

But what would be an even greater tragedy, would be if Catholics continued to vote for him, violating their conscience and their faith.

So please fact check all of this...and after you have arrived at the same conclusion, please share this will all friends of faith.

APPENDIX

If you are skeptical about what I am saying, PLEASE do your own research and discover the truth.  I am ALWAYS for others using critical thinking and exploring SOURCE documents to learn the truth.

In addition to the links to Catechism and Bible provided above, below are additional authoritative sources that are urging Catholics to learn and practice their faith.

Bishop Paprocki sums up the voting issue better than I ever could in this 6 minute video to all Catholics:
Think and Pray About Your Vote in the Upcoming Election

The Chicago Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued a series of very informative inserts.  This series provides a beautifully complete picture of the entire situation and is worth reading:

• The first insert is an introduction and summary of topics
• The second insert explores the importance of conscience and defines it
• The third insert looks at the moral clarity needed to evaluate candidates
• The final insert speaks to the importance of religious liberty and the recent attacks against it

Father Stephen F. Tarraco, PhD provides an amazing catechism on voting and even provides concrete examples in the "gray areas" to eliminate any doubts a voter may have:
A Brief Catechism for Catholic Voters

This statement from Father Trigilio does a great job of summarizing how the Church asks Catholics to be informed when voting:
How to vote as a Catholic

Father Rocky, the Executive Director of Relevant Radio, has a gem of a response that captures the need to vote responsibly, the joy of the Catholic faith, and heinous act that is abortion:
What if I'm not a "good" Catholic?

Here is another priest, Father Brian Bransfield providing a brief lesson on voting with conscience:
Voting by Conscience

Lastly, here is an interesting read covering Obama's long track record of fighting against the Catholic Church.
Obama's History Against Catholics


Keep Pursuing