I'm an atheist but I believe that Teddy Kennedy's

[malaise]

letter to his Pope will start a debate among Catholics about their position re Health Care.


Please comment DUers

[orpupilofnature57]

1. I'm a christian ,and can't see how anyone that say's they are could be

against it.

[DesertFlower]

2. i'm an atheist, but

i believe health care is a moral issue.

[Walk away]

3. +1

[orpupilofnature57]

13. So isn't Christianity ,thats why I said one has to do with the other ,like Slavery..

Which is why I'm for a womens choice ,like my atheist wife chose ,as a man or anyone I don't have a right to Enslave anyone to anything nor does anyone else.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

19. Yes yes!

I've been hearing from folks from other nations, like Britain and Canada, and that is what they are saying. They are puzzled that so many here are opposed. Frankly, I think they are doubting our sanity as a nation.

[Dramarama]

34. Atheists dont have morals

x( :P

[DesertFlower]

44. i have way more morals

than most religious people i know.

[orpupilofnature57]

46. I'm married to life time Atheist and she has more Moral fortitude in her..

Pinky than I do in my whole body.She tells me real morals aren't a pay-off of Eternal Heaven ,it's simply doing the Right thing ,and she's right.

[sandnsea]

4. I'm a pragmatist

and can't figure out why it takes either a religious or moral outcry to keep people from dying.

[gateley]

5. Wow. That's the question, isn't it. Mentally reccing your post. nt

[OneGrassRoot]

28. VERY well said. :) n/t

[HughMoran]

7. Same here and same here!

You said what I think every day.

[Lost-in-FL]

8. +1, nt

[malaise]

10. Profound

but greed and selfishness are the order of the day

[Lost-in-FL]

6. I am an atheist and I don't understand why Teddy wanted an exNazi to pray for him.

Teddy is way bigger in humanity than the Pope and the Pope should be asking Teddy to pray for him and not the other way around.

[Warren Stupidity]

9. For Catholics 'the Pope' transcends the individual.

I'm an atheist, but I understand that and understand how and why people stay in their faiths and keep their traditions.

[malaise]

14. My mother was a Teddy kind of Catholic

I question their thinking but I understand them, and in that church that letter was huge.

[etherealtruth]

11. I don't think you , me or anyone else needs to understand ....

This was Ted kennedy's personal desire ... if it brought him any comfort .... its good.

[Lost-in-FL]

12. So true. nt

[stray cat]

23. If you are an atheist - you would obviously skip prayer entirely no matter from who.

[Lost-in-FL]

27. nt

[Warpy]

26. I think he just wanted a Catholic burial

which is something a divorced and remarried person would not be entitled to. His letter was a plea to consider his long career trying to obey Jesus by using government to relieve the suffering of the sick, poor, and disadvantaged.

I guess the Pope, whatever his other massive faults might have been, allowed a Catholic burial to proceed.

That's what it looks like to me, anyway, a stomped off in disgust ex Catholic who hasn't been near the church in over 40 years, and that was for a wedding I couldn't duck.

[Lost-in-FL]

29. That's sounds like it. It makes sense.

I would think he would do something like it not to inconvenience his family.

[Maru Kitteh]

30. A person who has annulled their marriage through the church is entitled to a Catholic burial

No matter how many children may have been issued from the marriage. If a person does the requisite amount of groveling and manipulating of facts they can get it done, even if the previous marriage was performed in the Notre Dame.

[Warpy]

32. I missed the part where he had that done.

Link?

[Ocracoker16]

41. You missed a lot

The letter was not written to get the pope's permission to get a Catholic burial. Teddy actually attended mass fairly regularly. This was not done to please his family. I think he was a more fervent Catholic than some of his other family members.

[Warpy]

42. Yes he was devout, I never said he wasn't. HE wanted the Catholic burial.

I see there is no link.

I've seen some sites say he got an annulment from the Archdiocese of Boston, but none from Rome.

Others say there wasn't a valid annulment.

I don't miss a whole lot, actually.

Not even your lack of a link.

[MgtPA]

39. I don't think his divorce and 2nd marriage would have prevented a Catholic burial.

It's not like he was excommunicated or anything like that. His divorced would not have been recognized by the Church, nor would his 2nd marriage; he'd just be "living in sin". I've known people in similar situations who've had Catholic funerals and are buried in a Catholic cemetery.

[sarge43]

15. I'm an agnostic and I don't understand how anyone calling himself

a Christian can read Matthew 40:45 and not support Health Care. I've always heard that one of the fundamental principles of Christianity was to see Christ in everyone.

"Then shall He answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to Me."

[orpupilofnature57]

17. Thats christianity!! not a pope

[Creena]

16. I suppose I'm an atheist.

I know a number of liberal and moderate Catholics are receiving more scorn than usual from the large number of conservative Protestants due to their increasing involvement in the health care debate.

With Teddy's letter to the Pope, I'm hoping those Catholics who did not necessarily agree with Teddy's views, see how health care for all coincides with their beliefs. I think a major hurdle for some Catholics is the lie about abortion and end-of-life provisions, one which I, and others in the area, are working tirelessly to dispel.

[Gman]

18. As a Catholic, I certainly hope so

I had a heated discussion with our former pastor who was an extremist conservative. His only issue was abortion. I told him things like jobs, homes not foreclosed on and health care are life issues too.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

20. I hope that it opens a dialog amongst all people of faith

as well as those who have no faith but see it as a moral issue.

[malaise]

24. I see health care as a basic human right

The right to life supersedes all other rights

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

45. Yes

but the morans say "right to life" only means forcing a woman to have a child or to carry a dead fetus within her because even then "abortion is murder".

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

21. As A Buddhist Pagan Jew I hope so too. :)

:hi:

[malaise]

25. LOL -You remind me of my best friend from childhood

:hi:

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

36. Laughing my tush off here! :)

[malaise]

43. She's all of the above

and it is funny. :D

[stray cat]

22. I think Teddy wanted the pope to pray for him - I'm glad he was able to have that interaction

But I am fine that it was an exchange based on their mutual faith that was edifying for Teddy and perhaps for the pope as well

[orpupilofnature57]

31. me too

[Sal Minella]

33. Did the Pope respond to Kennedy's letter? If so, I missed it.

My understanding is that the Pope didn't even send a courtesy letter of condolence, but let it leak from the Vatican that a "Vatican official" said, "The Kennedys have always been anti-magisterium." (didn't save the link to this, wish I had)

iow I would bet that Kennedy's pro-choice philosophy earned him more Papal disdain than anything involving his personal marital status.

[LiberalAndProud]

35. Yes.

Both Ted's letter to the Pope and the response he received were read during the funeral service. It was a lovely tribute to the man's life. I'm sorry you missed it.

The Pope said that he treasures the Senator prayers for him, and indicated that he would pray for the Senator. It was a lovely exchange.

[malaise]

37. The Pope himself did not respond

The Vatican replied.

[LiberalAndProud]

38. The Vatican provided an account of the pope's response.

No?

[Sal Minella]

40. Good. Thank you.

I don't have TV and the assorted clips I watched didn't include this.
Thanks for the information.

[mdmc]

47. care for the poor, heal the sick

Catholic checking in..