I am not ashamed of the Gospel,
for it is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe
The particular context of their moment of witness was on the topic of abortion. Let's see what the Church actually teaches about this subject:
Catechism paragraph 2270 - "Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person - among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life."
That's some pretty clear language: life is to be "respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception".
Now the video:
The moderator asked how their common faith influences their position on abortion. Ryan goes first, pointing to the fact that abortion is not simply a religious issue, it's a moral issue, and therefore subject to being either right or wrong. It cannot be both. His faith informs him that life begins at conception.
VP Biden then addresses it saying that he also believes the teaching of the Catholic Church. That means he believes that life is to be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. Awesome!
But then he qualifies his belief in that he doesn't think it's right to impose his views on other people. Something about it's not the government's job to tell people what to do with their bodies.
There are so many problems with that statement, but I want to focus on one thing: when we claim to believe something, that belief has an impact on the way we act. If it doesn't, then it's fair game for someone to challenge the firmness of my belief.
If I say I don't believe an airplane is built solidly with good aerodynamics or I doubt that the pilot is skilled and will get me to my destination safely, I don't get on the plane. If I believed there was a threat to my safety, I would choose to protect myself.
If I believe that it's going to rain, I bring an umbrella. If I believe clapping two sticks together keeps mountain lions away, I clap away. If I believe life begins at conception, and if I believe that human life is worth protecting, I protect it.
If I choose to not act on a belief, I'm letting something else take precedence over the firmness of my belief. If I don't get on a perfectly good airplane with a perfectly good pilot, it may be because fear is stronger than my belief in the principles of physics. If I don't take an umbrella when I believe one is necessary, it might be because I value having my hands free more than I believe the protection it provides is necessary. If I stop clapping my anti-mountain lion sticks, it's because I'm holding something in greater esteem than my belief, perhaps my doubt that it's even effective at all.
My point is this: when we truly believe something, it changes us. We allow belief to change us. It's how we know we really believe it.
When a candidate can get up on his high horse and claim belief in the teaching of the Church and then so easily dismiss it, one has to wonder how firmly he holds that belief.
The questions the moderator should have followed up with is: "Mr. Vice President, do you believe it's a duty of the government to protect human life? Do you hold that unborn babies are human?"
The sacredness of human life is an objective moral value. It's either true or it's not. It either applies in all circumstances or none at all. It's that kind of issue.
Is the Gospel salvation for those who believe or isn't it? It cannot be both.
Mr. Vice President, what are you ashamed of?
If he truly believed the teachings of the Catholic Church then what would be the difference to him between the Nazi extermination camps and abortion mills?
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