americans united for life blog
Changing Law to Protect Human Life, State by State
Rep. Patrick Kennedy’s dispute with Rhode Island Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin attracted national attention on Sunday when Kennedy said that Tobin had asked him to refrain from receiving communion because of his pro-abortion views.
MSNBC television talk show host Chris Matthews debated Bishop Tobin today about abortion, law and Rep. Kennedy’s Holy Communion:
PART 1
Part 2
 
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Matthews needs to read Archbishop Chaput’s book, “Render unto Ceasar”.
Chris is such a putz! How did he get his job with such inconsistancy in keeping the issues straight.
The law is a secondary issue, the issue is why is Kennedy supporting a law that conflicts with his faith. Kennedy’s moral code should prevent him from from voting for any pro-abortion law. Since his moral code doesn’t, he is separating himself from the Church and the Bishop is letting him know this since he can’t recognize this himself.
Matthews is such a disgrace in this interview.
Any country that murders its children cannot survive. If a mother kills her child, what is left for humans not to kill?
America has aborted its future generations and saved the dog! What a tragedy.
There is a difference between lambasting a guest and asking hard questions. The Bishop did not aquit himself well but even if he were prepared how could he get in a word with Matthew’s using all the time to lambast him. Matthew’s is a die hard Kennedyite and has bought into their argument, with one verse of scripture, “render to Ceaser”, but that isn’t the point at all. Kennedy, etal. aren’t just making law they are justifiying that law in opposition to a well formed conscience for political reasons. The big problem is these folks are telling everyone they are good Catholics when they are not following the explicit teachings of the Church. With their mindset they should be voting and leaving their religion out of the mix but they keep going on TV and telling us how they are such good Catholics. Opposition to abortion has been around since the Dediache in the first century and the Hebrew Scriptures have stories against the worship of “Molech” that believed in child sacrafices. Only when the new Christians came into contact with the gentile (pagan) cultures did the question of abortion come up. This “interview” is why I don’t watch MSNBC at all. They are worse idiologues than FOX who are on the end of the political spectrum.
Let’s pray for Bishop Tobin that he does not cave in under pressure from these media liberals going after him. I hope there is a way to express support for him. If only all of our bishops had the fortitude to speak up as Bishop Tobin has done. Shame on Chris Matthews for his attacks on the Bishop- he was very condescending and degrading and overbearing- and he considers himself a Catholic? Sin is sin and the Bishop did not back down- why is that so hard for these liberals to understand?
Chris Matthews tried the old game of “gotcha” with a Bishop who originally spoke privately to a Catholic legislator. It was Cong. Kennedy who brought this to the public forum, not Bishop Tobin who was trying to help Kennedy’s soul by advising him to examine his conscience about his public actions. Kennedy’s actions are of the utmost seriousness when he supports legislation which ignores the intrinsic evil of abortion. Bishop Tobin has a very serious obligation to advise the Congressman of his moral duty. Kennedy should be thinking long and hard about his legislative moral crafting of laws as a Roman Catholic. To call Bishop Tobin to the job he is not supposed to do, is preposterous and extremely disingenuous, to say the least. Furthermore, Matthews kept interrupting Bishop Tobin who himself was very polite and charitable to Matthews. Matthew came across as the brute. More power to Bishop Tobin! Thank you for standing up for the unborn children in our country, which is The moral outrage and holocaust of our time!
I can see a clash of morals coming to a head soon, on a very large scale, to be fought out being good and evil.
Matthews kept on insisting to the bishop to come up with the punishment for abortionists and for those women who have them. Rome as well as the good bishop , should have seen these media questions coming ahead of time and been prepared. The first strike by the clergy should be a swift , automatic and public excommunication. The church has a choice to not dilly-dally with this issue , as well as others, and give them a resounding answer . The church has waited long enough with this “mercy” on public sinners and I can’t foresee it getting any better. This includes chris matthews and other public celebs.
Chris Matthews is a complete idiot. The law should punish women for having a abortion by prison time.
Rep Kennedy wants healthcare for the living, Don’t you realize people are dying because they have no healthcare.
Get the bill passed before more people die. The moral issues are secondary to basic medical coverage. People are using this issue to prevent passage. Can’t you “pro lifers” see that? If as you claim “all life” then get medical coverage for the living and then work on the rest of your issues.
Chris Matthews sounds EXACTLY LIKE those who could not accept that the immorality of slavery and segregation COMPELLED us to make it a “matter for Caesar”, and CHANGE OUR CONSTITUTIONAL LAW! The FEAR of the potential “terrible consequences” of “criminalizing” these MORAL evils even led to a Civil War, and violent civil disturbances. But eventually MOST have come to agree that the moral imperatives had to be “encoded” into civil law. PLEASE READ OUR OWN HISTORY! Those who opposed the elimination of those evils were arguing from the same baseless FEARS.
ALL CIVIL LAW MUST HAVE as it’s basis natural and moral law. Civil law must not be seen as having an authority and power SEPARATE from natural and moral law. If you insist on that, then you open the door for SECULAR authorities to define what is right and wrong for the society. You then get Hitlers, Stalins, and worse.
The LEGAL CONDEMNATION of the unborn in the womb to a GRUESOME DEATH, is not the SOLUTION to the “problem” of an unwanted pregnancy, for a society that claims to be a JUST SOCIETY. WE MUST do better than that.
I cannot believe the disrespect shown by Matthews to his guest Bishop Tobin. It appeared that Bishop Tobin held his ground gently but firmly as a good Catholic leader would. I am from his diocese and am extremely proud of him for standing up for his flock. I feel he is fighting for us whose country has been hijacked by secularists. Chris Matthews should be ashamed of himself for not debating but bashing the Bishop.
Thanks be to God for His Excellency Bishop Tobin. May God continue to grant him the necessary graces for wisdom, strength, & protection as he reminds others of the fact that moral law precedes civil law.
I pray that he be treated with great respect as others sort & separate their facts from fiction in the pros & cons of any debated topic.
You libs don’t get it. With a national health care bill, there is no way everyone that needs medical treatment will receive it on time. Socialised countries already have gone down that road. There aren’t enough doctors, for without the right monetary incentives , who would want to study for years to reap so little. With the astronomical debt , devalued dollar and more and more incroachment from the government, medicine is not the only arena in which government will control our lives. And everything government touches, fails and keeps on failing, for it requires more and more of our tax monies. No , you liberals don’t have a clue what the heck is going on. All you see as a remedy is more government, always shooting from the hip without the long term consequences.
Send your note of thanks to Bishop Tobin at the following address:
The Most Rev. Thomas J. Tobin, D.D.
Diocese of Providence
One Cathedral Square
Providence, RI 02903-3695
Matthews had it exactly right. If Bishop Tobin really thinks that abortion is murder, then he must support prosecution of both the woman and the doctor for murder. Indeed, it would be “murder for hire” which in some states would make the participants eligible for the death penalty. These conclusions follow as a matter of simple logic.
But Bishop Tobin refused to answer the question. If one is not willing to support a murder prosecution, then one must explain why. It is not enough to say “it would depend on the situation” or “I’m not a legislator” or “it’s not for me to say.” It’s ducking the question to criticize Kennedy’s position and not offer a single plausible alternative.
Perhaps the real explanation is that those who don’t believe in a murder prosecution for abortion don’t really think abortion is murder to begin with. That would follow as a matter of simple logic too.
Let me say at the outset that in this interview, on this subject, and with this interviewee, Chris Matthew’s position was exactly correct!! For the record, I teach Ethics, and have watched and listened to this interview enough times to be able to quote both Chris and the Bishop. Actually, I was looking for flaws, over-zealousness, and/or disrespect on the part of Mr. Matthews. I found none! Instead, I found Chris completely and totally above board, respectful, and on target. The only grounds that anyone could possibly use to criticize Chris’ interview are those of a strong sentimental connection to either the teachings of the Catholic church, or some sort of protective sentiment toward the Bishop given the position in which he voluntarily placed himself.
Frankly, I was set to criticize Chris Matthews for being too soft on the Bishop’s position. I found myself repeatedly saying to my TV screen: what about the separation of church and state, and remind him that Jesus’ position was that we should give to Ceasar that which belongs to Ceasar, and give to God that which belongs to God. When Chris finally said that to the Bishop two things happened on my end: first, I relaxed, and secondly, I noticed that the Bishop’s facial expression resembled that of a deer caught in the headlights. I actuall felt sympathy for the Bishop and had to remind myself a couple of times that he placed himself in that position by wadeing into waters that he had not sufficiently researched. This is not uncommon for zealots. For some reason, the zealout mindset displays absolutely no feelings for or even understanding of those who do not share their views. I’ve got a bit of news for the Bishop: Bishop, not only are the majority of U.S. citizens not Catholic, but of those that are, the majority support Roe vs Wade or have had or would have abortions themselves if they deemed in in their best interest.
The Bishop found himself caught in the headlights because he is a Bishop and would not be challenged especially by Catholics, but Chris, a Catholic, valued the truth over rhetoric and propaganda. I suggest that the Bishop also expected that his audience would not be the informed audiences that are common today. He also makes the mistake of not thinking before he speaks. Had he thought first, I suggest that the give to “Ceasar………give to God…….. message” would have prompted him to be more aware of the position that he was placing himself when he decided to interferre in Rep. Kennedy’s work. It appears that everyone involved (Rep. Kennedy and Chris Matthews) understands that command except the Bishop. Consequently, those who are criticizing Chris for playing “Hardball” in that interview, would better utilize their efforts by crediting Chris with doing, at least in this interview, an excellent job, and support the Bishop by encouraging him to continue their fight, but in the future, be better informed. I suggest that none of us enjoyed seeing the Bishop in this position, however, we all have the responsibility for thinking before we speak – the Bishop included.
Darwin L. Smith
Instructor: Philosophy & Religion
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