religious liberty

Do We All Quit Wednesday?

The last few months have been some of the busiest months of some of our lives. For many, that’s due to the election. For others, school, family, and other duties have been stacking up. As the election gets closer, many of us find ourselves nervous and anxious about who will be our elected president on Wednesday, November 7.

For me, I have had to answer my vocation as a student and put my studies first after my faith. At the same time I feel I am not doing enough in this election and am terrified at the thought of Barack Obama being elected president again, I suddenly remember something key: faith comes first and foremost. I am Catholic and will be until the day I die. No matter who sits in the White House or other elected positions, my hope and faith will always be in God.

That is not easy for me to to say because I am one who is very interested and active in politics, especially those which impact the Church and the dignity of human life where men and women are impeded from finding true happiness in God. At the end of the day we must remember that we cannot put false hope in anyone who is not God.

While we absolutely need to step beyond prayer and faithfully vote our conscience and actively take measures to stand for those fundamental issues of religions liberty, life and the other non negotiables, remember our faith is our first conviction.

A couple days ago after my Biblical Hermeneutics class at JP Catholic with Dr. Michael Barber, he asked me, “Timmerie, are you nervous about the election?” Much to my own surprise I reflected and said, “No.” Then I went on to share that despite how scary this election is, because mark my words this may be the most important presidential election we will face in our lifetime, I had faith and was in many ways grateful for President Obama.

Don’t freak out! I am grateful to him for one reason, and that is because he has forced so many of us to actively stand united for truth and goodness and he has pushed us to have faith in God. My faith and what I stand for at this point in my life has been set into action by the current administration’s policies which have destroyed life, marriage, and religious liberty among many other things.

Now, as we anxiously vote, pray, and wait over the next few days, I encourage all of us to reflect on what truly matters. On Wednesday, will we rejoice and be done or will we despair and give up? Either way, I believe some may quit on Wednesday. Will you?

Yesterday I received a phone call from the Diocese of San Diego asking me to be on Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. (listen online PST) post election show to discuss the results of the 2012 election. All of a sudden it dawned on me that this battle is almost over, but the war still continues no matter what. Even if we lose this battle on Tuesday, always remember that the war has already been won. All we have to do is look to the sacrifice of the cross and remember the Resurrection.

Jesus said, "Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me." John 14:1

For the Dignity of the Born and Unborn,

Timmerie

Here are a few voter resources: Be sure to do your own homework on candidates and propositions!
Catholic Answers Voter Guide
Live Action: Five things everyone needs to know about President Obama
Video: Church Teaching on the Size of Government
San Diego Candidate Recommendation List
Organization Endorsed Candidates

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Timmerie in 2012 Ballot, 2012 Election, 2012 election day, Religious Freedoms Leave a comment

Life, Marriage, and Religious Liberty in the Republican Platform 2012

Day two of the Republican National Convention saw the adoption of the 2012 Republican Platform. Each party will develop its own platform which essentially states the ideologies and activities supported by the party and the candidates running for office. Mitt Romney, as the party’s leader, is in support of the Party Platform. This year’s Republican Platform was developed by a committee made up of a Chairman, Co-Chairman, and two committee members from each state. The 2012 Republican Platform is broken down into the following six headings:

Restoring the American Dream: Rebuilding the Economy and Creating Jobs
We the People, A Restoration of Constitutional Government
America’s Natural Resources: Energy, Agriculture, and the Environment
Reforming Government to Serve the People
Renewing American Values to Build Healthy Families, Great Schools, and Safe Neighborhoods
American Exceptionalism

Three issues that are specifically addressed in the Platform, which affect in particular people of faith, are Traditional Marriage, Religious Liberty, and the Sanctity of Human Life. All three of the issues are listed under: We the People, A Restoration of Constitutional Government. Indeed, all three of the issues are listed under that particular heading because each of these issues deal with Constitutionally protected rights and ideals. Below is a synopsis of the Republican Platform on the three issues of Traditional Marriage, Religious Liberty and the Sanctity of Human Life.

Traditional Marriage:
First, the document addresses the issue of judicial activism and the overturning of state constitutional amendments which support the traditional definition of marriage. The document considers President Obama’s actions of not supporting federal law (which he took a public oath to do -uphold the US Constitution and the laws of the land), subsidiary to the actions of activist judges as they blur the separation of powers and “legislate from the bench”. The Platform also supports the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which defines marriage as between one man and woman. Under DOMA, states, and the Federal government, are not required to recognize same sex marriages performed by another state. The Platform supports a Constitutional Amendment supporting Traditional Marriage, marriage between one man and one woman, and also supports states in their efforts to pass Constitutional Amendments defining marriage between one man and one woman.

Religious Liberty:
The Platform recognizes that the first provision of the First Amendment to the US Constitution states that Congress will pass no law prohibiting the free exercise of religion. The Platform quotes Thomas Jefferson in saying no one should “suffer on account of his religious opinion or belief, but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinion in matters of religion….” The platform recognizes that for the Judeo-Christian, one’s faith life informs one’s conscience and their decisions when it comes to all decisions, including those of political nature. The self rule of the people of the United States of America pre-assumes that people of good will, and with an informed moral conscience, will make the heavy decisions of self governance. The Platform recognizes the current War on Religion, which is both perpetuated and instigated by the current administration. And, it recognizes the current administration’s assault on Religious Liberty and their “attempt to compel faith-related institutions, as well as believing individuals, to contravene their deeply held religious, moral, or ethical beliefs regarding health services, traditional marriage, or abortion.” The Platform pledges to respect the religious beliefs and rights of conscience of all Americans and to safeguard the independence of their institutions from government. It also condemns attempts to perpetrate hate speech, violence, and intimidation against those freely practicing their rights to Religious Liberty.

Sanctity of Human Life:
I’ll have to admit, I was very pleased to see the Republican Platform renew its commitment to the Sanctity of Human Life. It begins with a foundation which affirms that the unborn, and all human life, is guaranteed the basic right to human life and shall not be infringed, as “enshrined’ in the Declaration of Independence. The following is a list of positions that the Platform has taken with regard to the Sanctity of Human Life:

Support of a Human Life Amendment to the Constitution
Endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to unborn children
Opposition to public funding of abortion and organizations that perform or endorse abortion
Opposition to funding or subsidizing health care which includes abortion coverage
Support the appointment of judges who respect traditional family values and the sanctity of innocent human life
Opposition to the non-consensual withholding or withdrawal of care or treatment, including food and water, from people with disabilities, including newborns, as well as the elderly and infirm (YES!)
Opposition to active and passive euthanasia and assisted suicide
Support of legislation protecting the unborn child, including legislation banning gender discrimination in the procurement of abortions
Support of legislation for infants born alive
Support for Adult Stem Cell Research
Opposition to federal funding of Embryonic Stem Cell Research
Opposition of killing embryos to harvest stem cells
Support of Parental Consent Laws
Support for Crisis Pregnancy Centers

There is much to celebrate about the 2012 Republican Platform under the leadership of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan. I encourage you to take a look at the Platform, I also encourage you to read Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship and listen to Tim Staples, of Catholic Answers, as he discusses the Five Non-Negotiables. Inform your conscience and get involved as we, the faithful, strive to work for a brighter political future.