Take your Catholicism into the Voting Booth

th grade history in a Catholic School a few years ago, I had a class very interested in politics. Most were moderately interested in what was happening but there were three students in particular who were very vocal. One was a supporter of President Obama and his policies while the other two were very much opposed. As a teacher, my job was not to influence their decision about which party to affiliate with or how to interpret domestic or foreign policy. However, it was my job to give them the facts of issues beyond the clichéd talking points often promulgated through media outlets.

I doubled as the Religion teacher, so I took the opportunity to introduce this class to the five non-negotiable issues when voting as a practicing Catholic. I often told them that they “are still Catholic when in the voting booth” and that when they vote (they all turn 18 sometime this year) they will have tough decisions to make. The five non-negotiable issues all deal with the preciousness and dignity of human life that is at the forefront of Catholic moral teaching. The issues are: Do not vote for a candidate who supports abortion, same sex marriage, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, and the death penalty. Voting along these lines makes choosing a candidate very difficult. Most Republicans meet the requirements of the first four (with some exceptions on same sex marriage) but fail in regards to their support the death penalty. On the other hand, the Democratic Party candidates normally oppose the death penalty, but support abortion protections, same sex marriage, and some favor legal euthanasia or embryonic stem cell research. How then, are we to vote at all?

The first step is to get to know the candidates on these issues. Some candidates from both parties may satisfy all requirements for the Church. If neither candidate in a particular race qualifies, you may abstain from that race or choose which of the two options will do the least amount of harm.

Voting can be a profoundly personal experience and differences in politics can be a flammable situation. After all, as the saying goes, “Don’t talk about religion and politics at dinner.” However, we Catholics are called to be witnesses for Christ twenty-four hours a day, fifty-two weeks a year. Therefore, we must remember that we are Catholics first and foremost and take that identify into the voting booth when we cast our ballot.