The debate has seemed to boil down to whether to take a little more from the rich … or whether we take from the poor or the sick or the hungry or the unemployed or the elderly or the children.

Some Christians whom I’ve spoken with say that because the Democrats support abortion, we cannot take their side in this debate.  I disagree wholeheartedly with this approach.

As a Catholic Christian, I believe we are under obligation to protect and defend life … from the moment of conception, until its natural end.  In other words, all life – both born and unborn.  Understanding that obligation, I side with neither political party completely … because (and I continually re-evaluate when and where I lend my support in light of this) while the Republican Party does some things to defend the unborn (and sometimes it’s just lip-service based on the delegation they are speaking to at the moment), in recent years it has abandoned nearly all the other most vulnerable segments of our society.

Specifically, recent debates have focuses on whether to make cuts to programs that are a lifeline to the poor, sick, unemployed, elderly, hungry and children, or to keep these programs in place by eliminating tax advantages on those who have enough to buy jets and boats, or own multiple houses.

At a time like this perhaps it is prudent to fall back to a familiar question: WWJD? Maybe the part where He calls on compassion and caring for the rich was missing from the version of the Bible I read. (But then, according to some, the version I read is the ICV – Inferior Catholic Version!)

“He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich–both come to poverty.” — Proverbs 22:16

Who are we to show compassion toward?  The rich or the poor?  Are we to neglect the poor, etc because the unborn are more in need of our defense? That seems illogical to me. I would rather have a consistent set of morals, ethics, principles and beliefs … that believes that it is absolutely horrendous to take the life of a child in the womb, and that once outside the womb we must seek to care for those who are as vulnerable as the poor, sick, hungry, elderly and children!

In reality, it occurs to me that lack of respect for the unborn is rooted in lack of respect for the born. And until we face that, and begin to show more respect for the most vulnerable of the born, we are not going to turn the tide against the unborn.

Therefore, I believe the true Christian position in this debate is to support programs that will protect and defend the poor, sick, hungry, unemployed, elderly and children — even if that requires asking for a little more from the rich.

Before ending this post, I just want to give a few thoughts on a few miscellaneous things that people might be thinking:

“Jesus also condemned the tax collectors.” I would answer that by saying that those taxes did not come back to the people in the form of programs for the poor, etc that they do today.  We do need a way take care of people apart from the government … but the reason the government stepped in in the first place was because that was not happening.  For instance, food banks/pantries supported by the generosity of people are only able to cover about 6%(!) of the needs of those who are hungry.  The reality is the private sector alone isn’t (and wasn’t) coming close to getting that job done.

Others might point to those who are gaming the system and taking money that they shouldn’t. Yes, this is a problem in and of itself, but should it be an excuse to take away from the majority of those who are truly in need?

For those of you who have been voting Republican because of “social values” and a commitment to pro-life concerns … if you vote for them this year, you will be voting for the wrong party.

At today’s “Value Voters Summit” presented by the Family Research Council, candidates at various levels of government told “values voters” that issues such as “gay marriage” and “abortion” are not “going to change anybody’s vote this year because people are concerned about job, the economy, growth and taxes.”

“Party leaders like potential presidential candidates Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi and Gov. Mitch Daniels of Indiana have warned that an overt focus on wedge issues like gay marriage and abortion would be unhelpful for the party’s cause going into November.”

What an affront to “Values Voters” … to admit — even to them — that things like “gay marriage” and “abortion” are “wedge issues” that are “unhelpful for the party”!!! Its a base admission that these issues matter to them only if it will help them win.

On Friday, Rep. Mike Pence addressed the fissure directly, noting that GOP leaders have advised social conservatives that “the American people are focused on jobs and spending and our movement would do well to stand aside.”

Pence said that it is essential that Republicans multi-task and retain their focus on social as well as fiscal issues. “We must focus on our fiscal crisis and support our troops. We must work to create jobs and protect innocent human life,” he said.

Note how the mention to “protect innocent human life” is secondary to the economy and war issues …

The reality is, as I have said in the past, in this climate — where there is no commitment by politicians to “the five non-negotiables” (and in fact they have admitted abandonment of these issues) — we must look at who is supporting the greater good of the pro-life movement.

In this case, it is the Democratic Party (generally speaking) that meets such a criteria … with programs to help the sick, poor, and elderly; as well as addressing concerns for fair business practices and unemployment. All of which fall squarely in the realm of Catholic teaching on social justice.

In times past, “values voters” were more supportive of Democratic candidates because the issues they fought for were aligned with the beliefs, faith and morals of such voters. In more recent decades, the Republican Party used the issues of abortion, etc to gain these votes. Yet, history shows that there is scarcely little that they have ever done on this front.

Perhaps now, with the clear admission that economic and war issues matter more than abortion and gay marriage, “values voters” will reexamine their support of the Republican Party, and vote to help the sick, the poor, the elderly, the disabled, and the unemployed that is being addressed by the programs promoted by Democrats at the federal, state and local levels.

But exploring the origins of time inevitably leads to questions about the ultimate origins of everything and what, if anything, is behind it all.

“What could define God [is thinking of God] as the embodiment of the laws of nature. However, this is not what most people would think of that God,” Hawking told Sawyer. “They made a human-like being with whom one can have a personal relationship. When you look at the vast size of the universe and how insignificant an accidental human life is in it, that seems most impossible.”

When Sawyer asked if there was a way to reconcile religion and science, Hawking said, “There is a fundamental difference between religion, which is based on authority, [and] science, which is based on observation and reason. Science will win because it works.”

I always find it interesting to read comments from atheist scientists, continually trying to show science’s triumph over religion.  What I find interesting is that the converse — religion seeking to triumph over science — does not particularly exist; since most — at least most Christian faiths — embrace scientific discovery right along with their religious beliefs.

Yet, we must keep in mind the reality: that for all that science answers, it can only answer the question of “what?”, not “why?”  It is limited to observations in space and time.  Such finite constraints severely limit science, to the point that despite all the answers it gives (which those of faith rightly embrace), those never seem to satisfy the question that burns within us: Why do I, or does anything, exist?

Unless it can answer that question, science can never “win”.

Pray for each other.

Pray for all the elected officials in our government (not just for the election of those in your political party and against those who are not.)

Pray for our judges, especially those who think that prayer is a private act and a praying nation is unconstitutional.

National Day of Prayer - http://nationaldayofprayer.org/