Pew Forum: Obama, Catholics and the Notre Dame Commencement
Most Catholics who have heard about the issue support the University of Notre Dame’s decision to invite President Barack Obama to speak and receive an honorary degree at its May 17 commencement, even though he supports abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research. But a new poll conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life also finds a deep division on this issue
Friday, May 1, 2009 at 13:23
Oops. Sorry that last should also have been addressed to Bill.
No need to apologize.
Friday, May 1, 2009 at 13:22
I don’t see how it’s much of an opening, Bill. Being a good and upstanding Catholic means following the dictates of the Papal hierarchy. If that a problem for people, they should consider admitting that they’re Protestant. 😉
You’re right though; there’s very little laid back about me at all anymore.
Carl,
Notre Dame is a Catholic university. They need to either follow the dictates of the Church or stop being a Catholic university – one or the other and – IMHO – no harm or foul either way that they might choose.
Friday, May 1, 2009 at 12:24
“Studies” of late, even by reputable organizations like Pew, just leave me wondering. Jonolan’s comment about “laid back” people strikes dead-on for one of my key concerns: who are the people answering these phone surveys. For myself, with such tools as caller-id, I don’t take calls from people I don’t know. Pretty much everyone I know is in the same place. So, who are these folks answering these calls? And are they a valid and representative sample of “the US”, “Catholics”, whatever?
Actually, Carl, the “laid back” remark was mine. Nothing laid back about Jonolan, far as I’ve been able to tell.
That, however, brings up one of the biggest weaknesses of the Progressive and Liberal side: we don’t get upset until something terrible happens–witness the result of the ’04 election. Then, after another 3 years of atrocity, we get mobilized enough to accomplish something. Then everyone pats themselves on the back and takes a nap well into the next crisis. Same thing happened with gay marriage in CA. The folks who should have been working the hardest dropped the ball. The other side did a good job. Now it will take a sympathetic majority in the Supremes or another amendment to undo something that ought never have happened.
The demographics of that survey looked pretty good to me, and I see no reason to doubt it. Point is, the people with the axe to grind are yelling and screaming, and the folks who are getting their way aren’t saying squat.
Frankly, I think it’s a matter of educational integrity. Does one of the country’s great universities allow a superstitious old man to influence it, or not? Does Notre Dame foster an open forum, or should they begin teaching Creation and Revelations?
To me, that’s the overriding question.
Friday, May 1, 2009 at 9:49
I don’t think complaining about ND violating a Papal Decree and the will of the American Council of Bishops is the actions of “the lunatic fringe.” It sounds more like being a good and upstanding Catholic to me.
That’s an opening a mile wide, that I shall mostly ignore.
Thursday, April 30, 2009 at 18:38
The major protesting group has more than 300K signatures on the petition against ND’s ill-conceived decision. Yeah, I’d certainly agree that there’s a deep division.
As usual, the people who are the most laid back don’t get involved. That’s why the lunatic fringes have as much power as they do.