TEACHINGS OF A MAN MADE CHURCH ?

My attention has been drawn to a current religious conundrum: “What about these bonkers bishops denying Biden Communion?” 

I believe this was prompted by a piece in The Economist, United States June 26^th 2021 edition, under the Headline “American Bishops want to deny Joe Biden Catholic Holy communion”. The First paragraph states “While campaigning in South Carolina in October 2019, Joe Biden went to mass, as he does every Sunday. But he was not allowed to receive holy communion at St. Anthony’s Catholic church. Father Robert Morey later explained that he had to refuse Mr Biden “Any public figure who advocates for abortion places himself or herself outside of church teaching.””

It goes on “Many American Bishops want to formalise this sort of action. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops voted to draft a statement examining the ‘meaning of the Eucharist in the life of the church, a decision made public on June 18^th.” Apparently, there followed a lengthy debate on the question of denying communion to any catholic who advocated for abortion or to allow abortions to take place.

It never ceases to amaze, the rigid ignorance of thought amongst the bishops. Mr Biden, who I am sure is a good catholic who does not attend church services just for show, is a politician. He is now president of the United States. He is meant to represent the people and preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. The First Amendment reads:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

As president Mr Biden therefore has no authority to interfere with or indeed express an opinion on religious matters, or in particular, the will of God. What Mr Biden supports is the individual citizen’s right to choose what religion, or not, they wish to follow and how they choose to lead their religious and moral lives. Religion therefor has no place in politics, nor in the secular education of the nation.  The citizen is free to choose. That is what is of paramount importance, and that is what Mr Biden is protecting and defending. How he personally feels about abortion has nothing to do with it. He is duty bound to support the 1^st Amendment, no matter how difficult it may be for him personally.

The sad thing is that the clergy confuse the issue of abortion as being against the teachings of the church, and not a decision to be made by the individual concerned. Choices are individual judgements and resolutions made after considerable thought. The matter of terminating a pregnancy has never, in my view, ever been a matter for the bishops to pronounce upon as if it were the word of God. Whatever the teachings of the Church might be, it is man-made education and not the word of, or the definitive will, of God. Indeed, for a religious catholic to decide on a termination of a pregnancy, that decision having been made in consultation with God, would clearly be the will of God. Consultation with God is not consultation with a Clergyman of whatever denomination. The clergy are not God, despite their desire to give the impression that they are the voice of God. They are not. Consultation with God is with one’s conscience. It is usually an internal conversation and can have many outcomes. It is not for any individual or government to “prohibit the free exercise thereof.”

If God is love and forgiveness, then for any priest to deny communion to any catholic because of a difference of opinion, is in complete contravention of the teaching of Christ and they should be defrocked and drummed out of the church. Again, the teachings of the Church are not the word of God. They are the word of man, and that is always open to question. If the United States of America, is to call itself ‘one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all’, then it is the will of God that individuals have the right to choose. No man can, nor should, interfere in that.