What Is A "Catholic Voter"?

This is interesting. I can't offer any insght whatsoever, but will be looking back here to see what you've found out.

Thanks, Kimberly. I really don't know what is supposed to be true of Catholic voters as a whole.

"I received a great liberal arts education in Catholic Schools (even though some people find this hard to believe..."

I can't imagine why anyone would find that difficult to believe. The quality alone is far superior. In senior year we studied the Existentialists in depth, as well as evolutionism vs. creationism. While everyone else was steeped in studies freshman year in college, I had fun and still excelled.

I am no longer Catholic, and I don't know the answer to your question, but I have friends who are Catholic. Some are staunch about birth control, but others aren't. Some are very conservative, but some are liberal. As you say, I don't think there's a clearly defined line for all Catholics. I do think that in the area of abortion, most are anti-abortion, but not necessarily what's considered pro-life. By that I mean that preventative measures would seem to be condoned, but after conception, they'd not choose to abort.

Interesting question, and it would be nice to find out if there are any answers from statistical polls taken from Catholic voters, but I haven't seen any.

Thanks for your thoughtful response, Sue. I haven't done any searching for data on the net, but I remain curious about the mysterious "Catholic voter".

Don't know either. Don't remember hearing much about Catholic voters is this election until some members of the media started to try to explain to us why so many Pennsylvanians were supporting Hillary, and if the abortion issue is the main concern of Catholic voters it doesn't make any sense that that they would be supporting Hillary. It makes about about as much sense as claiming white males in Pennsylvania are supporting Hillary because she is white. I think it is another arrempt by some pundits to play on the prejudice and fear.

Thanks, Carol.

Just this week-end, I read another article about the importance of the "Catholic Voter".

This article (I can't remember where I saw it) claims that there are three "groups" of Catholic voters. Each group is about the same size.

The strict traditionalists, with their single-issue voting habits around abortion or gay rights, the peace and social justice Catholics with deep concerns for peace, economic opportunity, and social progress, and a third in the middle that split in different ways depending on the election issues.

I'd like to see some research on this.

There was a big story in the paper today about "Catholic voters". The writer seemed sceptical about predicting voting patterns this year.

My observations are very similar to yours. I come from an Irish Catholic family of Democrats and am married to a very conservative Baptist, probably Republican. We can't figure out what a Catholic voter is, either. My husband talks about anti-Catholic propaganda and the apparent assumption that Catholics believe a certain way and he hasn't met such a Catholic, yet. Perhaps some people assume that we obey the pope without question. Fact is, American Catholics, for the most part, think for ourselves and while we consider the views of the pope, like any other rational adult we come to our own conclusions and take responsibility for our decisions by way of what we call a "properly-formed conscience." I'll have to pay closer attention to this primary.

I would be sceptical, too, Martin.

Thanks for your thoughtful observations, Linda. The variety of Catholic people that I know do not have many political viewpoints in common.

In Europe, Catholic identity is increasingly irrelevant to political identity.

Chere Guillaum, I confirm your saying by my experience on the matter. But, I though of you as a citizen of the USA?!
Oh God! Perhaps you are at the next door ...

I believe that Catholics in America do not vote in predictible ways, either, Guillhaume.

Hello Alkistis.
I do not believe that Guillhaume is a citizen of the United States.

I've been a Catholic all of my life. But, as far as I'm concerned, people need to make decisions that they think are right, not follow word for word whatever their church says. For instance, I am 100% Pro Same-Sex marriages. Also, I don't believe in abortions. I think they are a mortal sin and that you are killing an innocent child. But, I also don't think that the government has any business telling people what to do in such a personal situation, so I support a woman's right to choose. My choice is simply Pro-Life. But that choice may not be right for everyone, so I respect other people's opinions, even though I may not agree with it.

There's a world of difference berween saying you are a Catholic and actually being one.

"Any candidate who supports the taking of innocent human life in the womb should be unacceptable to a Catholic voter. Any candidate who says they support marriage as the lifelong relationship between one man and one woman but then supports its redefinition should be unacceptable to a Catholic voter. Catholic Social teaching also demands that we hear the cry of the poor and any acceptable candidate should detail how they will answer it."

http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=25854

Thank you for sharing your opinions, Jill. I am very supportive of same sex unions, too, because I have good friends who are gay. I believe that most Catholics who take the Gospel seriously come to their own conclusions about moral values in political life.

Felix, you sound like two of my uncles, neither of whom live very happily with their neighbors or the world at large. Most of the people that I know who express opinions like this are people who have "dug in" to a very defensive position about the way other people act and believe.
Faith is not a political platform, and the evangelicals are hurting themselves for many generations for marrying something so great as Faith to the destructive and dishonest struggles of the "culture wars".
The day that Catholics start voting as a bloc is the day the Church dies in America.

I just saw another reference to "Catholic Voters", Mrs. Marker. I remembered this article. Do you think Catholics are going to vote one way in this election?

I don't believfe that Catholics are going to vote in blocs, or in any predictible way, Martin.

I'm a Catholic and I always find it amusing when I read of the Catholic voter, as if we are of one mindset, or cookie-cutter copies.

In light of that, I'll say that my impression of what a Catholic voter is is the fantasy of some in the administrative arm of the Church, or the Magestrarium, that they indeed are to be obeyed by those "in their charge." How well that is working can be observed at any Sunday mass when one looks around and sees that the most children any one family has is three. Not 7, not 10. I'm guessing someone is using birth control, which, by the way, during the councils of Vatican II in the 60's, was briefly mandated to be acceptable until some council members came in and overthrew it. A lot of men left the priesthood after that happened, according to the books I have read.

The term Catholic voter can also be a way to pigeon-hole us or dismiss us as being under the power of the Pope. Some non-Catholics love that stuff, by my experience, because. they feel justified in accusing us of not having "a personal relationship with Jesus Christ." That's not only stupid/moronic/ignorant but arrogant and smug. I'm pretty sure the Bible says something about something "go-eth-ing" before a fall. Loving one another? No, that's not it. Voting Republican? Nix. Oh, that's right: PRIDE, same family as the arrogant and the smug.

It looks like you were right, Mrs. Marker. Catholics did not vote as a bloc in the election this year.

"I always find it amusing when I read of the Catholic voter, as if we are of one mindset, or cookie-cutter copies. " That's what I was trying to say, Linda.

"Catholics did not vote as a bloc in the election this year." That is true, Martin, and I am glad of it. I don't like being pigeon-holed.

In the last election, Mary Louise, if looks as though Catholics preferred Obama by a margin that was slightly higher than other voters.

Catholics supported Obama!
Did you actually see some figures about this, Dominic?

I am not surprised; I just haven't read any report of this.