Friday, May 28, 2004
The church must discipline its own who veer off course
EDITOR:
A few generations ago slavery was legal in our nation. Many justified it, claiming slaves were not fully human. The U.S. Supreme Court fallaciously ruled in 1858 that Dred Scott was not a person but was property.
The Supreme Court made a similar mistake in its 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision. Atty. Richard McLaughlin echoed pro-choice thinking in his May 15 article when he claimed that holding human life begins at conception "is a matter of faith, and faith alone."
From there McLaughlin easily argued that the church should restrict itself to matters of faith and leave the state to tend to all other matters.
McLaughlin began with a false premise. Science, physicians and lots of mothers can testify to the existence of human life in the womb. It is certainly living; if there is any doubt about its humanity, please identify it before destroying it.
The only recourse left for the pro-choice position is to claim that unborn human life is not yet a person. Where does personhood come from? Who bestows it, the government? Sounds much like the same fallacious reasoning of the Supreme Court in 1858.
Life in the womb is human and enjoys the unalienable right to life. Faith need not be a factor for a reasonable person to come to this conclusion. Abortion is as much a human rights issue today, therefore, as slavery was in the 1800s.
McLaughlin apparently sees no relationship between moral law and civil law. Much of our civil law is rooted in moral law, which recognizes the dignity of the individual person.
As our nation continues to depart from its moral foundation, from where will a voice of social conscience come if our religious institutions are silenced? History has shown that even our venerable Constitution can easily be interpreted to say whatever suits the agenda of some.
Regarding McLaughlin's problem with some Catholic clergy (and laity) suggesting John Kerry and other (Catholic) legislators who support abortion rights legislation be denied reception of the Holy Eucharist, the church retains the right to discipline those who claim to be its members.
Receiving the Eucharist is not a private act of devotion. It is a public action that expresses one's desire to grow in communion with Jesus Christ and his church. Anyone who publicly defies the church and consistently undermines what the church holds sacred (human life) should do the honest thing and freely refrain from receiving the Eucharist, so as not to confuse others in the church.
Jesus Christ said a man cannot serve two masters. There are occasions when a person must decide which master will be served. Before he was beheaded, St. Thomas Moore said, "I die his majesty's loyal servant, but God's first."
The Rev. BERNARD SCHMALRIED
Pastor, St. Mary's Church
Warren
Anti-Bush signs for his visitcast negative light on Valley
EDITOR:
I would like to express my opinions as to the visit by the sitting president of the United States, the most powerful man in the world, who would like to help our community.
I was so sorry to see some of those signs saying "Bush Go Home" and another saying "This is Kerry Country."
Last time I checked, this is our country, sir, and those signs should read, "Bush, please help us."
I have lived in Youngstown all my life and have seen all those steel mills move out. I worked 45 years at G.F., and they moved out, and we lost a lot of our benefits, and a lot more people were hurt.
I have not seen a sitting Democratic president come to our Valley to help us.
We have to help ourselves. Working together would be a good start.
CARL DITULLIO
Canfield