Do people of faith vote as their church leaders tell them ... or are they independent thinkers?


Catholic Church weighs in on state election

The Victorian Greens say they are disappointed with the Catholic Church for intervening in the state election which will be held exactly four weeks from today.

From this weekend in Victoria the Catholic Church will issue pamphlets through Catholic schools and churches listing 25 questions voters should ask candidates before deciding how to vote.

Topping the list of Catholic concerns is legalising euthanasia, abortion and same sex marriage.

Not since the 1950s has the Catholic Church intervened quite so strongly in Victorian state politics.

Catholic Archbishop Dennis Hart says he will not be voting for the Greens, who want to legalise euthanasia.

"We want people to think about what they're doing and we believe it's important for them to engage with their potential representatives, so that the people who are elected reflect the community values and community expectations," he said.

Speaking on ABC TV's Stateline program, Archbishop Hart listed euthanasia and abortion as two key issues for Catholics when it comes to deciding how they should vote at the state election.

Among their policies, the Greens in Victoria want to legalise euthanasia.

"We disagree totally with the Greens view on this issue. We believe that the value of life is so important that we can't step aside from it," Archbishop Hart said.

Senior lecturer in politics at Monash University, Dr Paul Strangio, says it does have "the slightest whiff" of what the Catholic Church did in the '50s.

"They were warning their flock against Communists and the danger of the Labor Party and its Communist tinges at that time," he said.

"The great irony here is that at that time, the battleground was often Irish Catholic electorates, which were principally in the inner city area.

"And today it seems to be much of the conservative panic, if you like, that's going on is now about the Greens and where there is a growing force in those very same areas that have undergone such a dramatic socio-demographic transformation over recent years."

According to a poll released this week, if an election was held now the Greens would receive 19 per cent of the primary vote in Melbourne.

Dr Strangio says the pamphlets will have a limited effect on inner city voters.

"According to the last census, around 25 per cent of Australians professed to be Catholics," he said.

"But if you look at those inner city electorates, the level of people professing to have no faith is disproportionally high."

Victorian Greens Senator-elect Richard Di Natale says the party is not afraid of the Catholic Church.

"We're not worried. How do you rank something like the growing gap between rich and poor and significant homelessness that exists in the state of Victoria?" he said.

"How do you rank that against an issue like the right to die with dignity?

"Now, I think many Catholics will weigh all of those things up. I think some might agree with the Archbishop, but a much bigger number will think those other things are much more important and vote accordingly."


http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/10/30/3052692.htm?section=justin

The unions, who own the ALP, and will soon own the greens, are more politically active than any other entity "outside" of politics in the country.  I wouldn`t criticise anyone for political interferance if I was either a green or an alp supporter.

The unions have handicapped this country more than any other body.

I have a problem with religion intefering in politics Phil.  However, if you look back through British history, you`ll find that our humanitarian lifestyle stems from that exact thing.

Phil,  I worked in the State School system for a while, and I know for a fact that teachers in many schools subtly push their political agendas onto students as well, so it's not confined only to christian schools.  I think it probably balances out across the entire education spectrum.

As for christians voting as a block,  I think you would find that individuals vote as their own consciences guide them.

The unions, who own the ALP, and will soon own the greens, are more politically active than any other entity "outside" of politics in the country.  I wouldn`t criticise anyone for political interferance if I was either a green or an alp supporter.

The unions have handicapped this country more than any other body.

Phil I don't think I'm missing the point - perhaps I am not articulating it well enough.  Certain of the Greens policies are the opposite of  the Religious beliefs of the majority of Christian Churches .  eg. the Sixth Commandment.