Welcome to Distinctly Catholic, a blog by Michael Sean Winters that examines politics, religion and the estuary where the two meet, all from a distinctively Catholic point of view. The blog is small "c" catholic as well as big "C" Catholic, examining a wide range of issues but always from the perspective of Catholic history and theology.
The progressive ecumenical group, Matthew25Network, has come up with an ad that it is running in Southside Virginia, where Tom Perriello is running for re-election. It is an area with many churches as readers of my article on that race will recognize. So far as I can tell, this is the first radio ad to specifically focus on values voters and it is running on Christian radio stations.
Politico's Jonathan Martin claims that last night's debate in Nevada "fizzled," and it certainly had fewer fireworks than one might have anticipated. Sen. Harry Reid did fall in to Washington-speak at times, and he unaccountably failed to note that the immigration reforms he supports are much like those proposed by former President George W. Bush.
Still, the dominant fact of the evening was that Sharron Angle's way of speaking was halting at best. There were long pauses between words in simple sentences. A friend said it was like listening to the crazy woman on the block, the one you try to avoid because listening to her makes you feel like you are going crazy too. It was literally painful to listen to her.
Democracy sometimes yeilds unfortunate results. Nixon won twice. But, I just can't bring myself to believe that the good people of Nevada will vote to catapult Angle into a position of power.
Michael Gerson appears simultaneously intrigued and baffled by Christopher Hitchens. He has come to recognize that Hitch is a personal tour de force, a profoundly moralistic man who achieved his morality without help from any faith. Gerson’s essay, however, makes me less intrigued and more baffled about its author than its subject.
Gerson writes, “Of course we can be good without God, but why the hell bother?” You need not stray far from the self to attain most moral convictions: It is better not to steal than to steal, it is better not to cheat on one’s wife and risk the marriage than it is to seek gratifications away from the marital bed, being kind to another makes both the giver and the receiver of the kindness feel warm inside. So what? A possum cares for its newborns. My three dogs, who are each from different rescues and unrelated, are insanely devoted to each other and quite defensive of each other too.
Sometimes, midterm elections are a big yawn and, sad to say, for most Americans they still are. It is safe to assume that a minority of those able to vote will actually make it to the polls on November 2 to help decide the direction of the nation. It remains one of the most inexcusable facts of our political life that elections are not held on a Sunday, or that Election Day is a holiday, or that the entire nation has not shifted to mail-in voting to increase turnout. It is an even more inexcusable fact of American society that so few Americans see politics as important enough to get interested, get involved and make a difference. But, there it is.
In case you missed it, my article about the congressional race in Virginia's Fifth Congressional District from this week's print edition of NCR is now available online here.
The PBS documentary, "God in America," ended last night. Like the first two installments, it was very well done. The price of admission was worthwhile in this last episode just to see the video of a young Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., speaking to the camera in Montgomery, Alabama, his personal magnetism still shining through the medium and through the years. I confess I am a blubberer, and when the show got to King's assassination, I wept. There was a great American and we Americans have not seen his equal since.
From the category: Don't take my word for it. Earlier today, I commented on the article by Thomas Peters who is the "blogger-in-residence" at CatholicVote.org, taking him to task for ridiculous claims surrounding the closure of Catholic hospitals in Scranton, which he blamed on Obamacare.
Well, the local newspaper in Scranton ran an editorial on the same subject today under the headline "Health care can't cure bald-faced lies."
CNS. NCR. The Scranton Times-Tribune. Three strikes.
The USCCB's publication of a new book, Pope Benedict XVI: Essays and Reflections on his Papacy, has been the occasion for two weeks of discussion here at Q & A about Pope Benedict and his contributions to the Church.
This week we are hearing from the young theologians who participated in the Fordham Conversation Project, a gathering of under-40, untenured Catholic theology professors from around the country.
On these last two days of the series we get to hear from a husband and wife team, Christiana and Michael Peppard. It is a measure of the uniqueness of the times in which we live that the phrase "husband and wife team" has not, in previous generations, been applied to theologians!
Christiana Peppard is a doctoral candidate at Yale University, a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Ethics Education at Fordham University, and the Scholar in Residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City.
Thomas Peters, the infamous American Papist and Communications Director for Robbie George’s American Principles Project, wants his toy back.
Christine O'Donnell and Chris Coons squared off for a debate last night in Delaware and neither scored either a slam dunk or a career-ending gaffe. But, the bar was so low for O'Donnell, her calm demeanor and ability to articulate the her beliefs belied the image of her as a crazy, witchcraft-dabbling, ranter. Additionally, Coons did not help himself by being so condescending. Repeatedly, after O'Donnell spoke, he began his replies by saying "Where do I start, Wolf?" appearing too chummy with a consummate Washington insider like host Wolf Blitzer and making it seem like it was some unreasonable burden to confront O'Donnell's words. Yes, O'Donnell strings together cliches and platitudes and confused them with a coherent worldview, but watching Coons last night, two words kept rummaging through my mind: Martha Coakely.
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