Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Biden's double cross

A guest post by cartoonist John Francis Borra

Well, there you have it-- in his own words, no less.

Remarkably, even at age 65, Joe Biden remains confused about the Catholic faith. This becomes even clearer when you consider the preceding sentence from his autobiography: "My idea of self, of family, of community, of the wider world comes straight from my religion." Needless to say, Biden confuses the secular culture of the community in which he grew up with the Catholic faith that its members professed. In this respect, Biden is no different than many millions of other non-practicing Catholics. Often referred to as cultural Catholics, they adhere to the form of the ancient Christian faith while rejecting its substance, leading lives otherwise indistinguishable from those of atheists.

But is he fully to blame? After all, his mother seems to have done young Joe no favors during his formation. In his acceptance speech at the Democrats' convention in Denver, Biden recalled his mother's coaching to punch out kids who picked on him. I thought immediately of the counsel my wife had given our own son in grade school, to ignore the assaults of bullies and disarm them with an even temper and well-chosen words rather than sink to the level of stupid brutality.

And is there anything more stupidly brutal than the abortions Joe Biden so vigorously defends?

Indeed, Biden's mother seems to have sown seeds that eventually flowered in his public apostasy. In his self-serving Promises to Keep, Biden writes of being teased by a nun, something his mother never forgot. Decades later, upon telling her he was to meet the pope, his mother replied, "Don't you kiss his ring." Such anecdotes remind me of those told by acquaintances who harbor a vague, generations-old enmity toward the Church. Invariably, they stem from some trivial incident in which a member of the clergy said something that somehow offended mom; in a huff, the matriarch left the Church. The result? Her descendants are denied their most precious, rightful and salutary inheritance.

Still, we Catholics are personally responsible for growing in knowledge of our faith. And having been admonished over many years by clergy and laity alike, Biden has no excuses. To be sure, Joe Biden is quick to point out he's still Catholic, but his actions remind us he left the Church long ago for a very different religion and, as illustrated in this cartoon, a very different god.
veritatis@eaglecom.net
"used with permission"

Semper veritas!

John Francis Borra, SFO

6 comments:

Matt Walker said...

It's pretty low to go after somebody's mother like that...if children are off limits in this election, I think the same rules should apply to the Moms as well.

John Francis Borra said...

I was struck by Biden's uncharitable remarks, threats toward colleagues, abuse of the Rosary and the disrespect his mother demonstrated toward the clergy, including His Holiness.

But what most offends me is Biden's rejection of Catholic teaching, the natural law and the sanctity of life, while at the same time pretending to be a devout Catholic.

His mother was right there in Denver, cheering on the monster she helped create. She has a great deal to answer for.

Anonymous said...

Why, then, does Biden consider himself Catholic at all? Would he if no one were watching?

Matt Walker said...

Everybody chooses their own road, JFB. Biden chose his own road, and you have chosen yours...the low one.

Anonymous said...

Actually Biden strikes me as more of a "real life" and an actually practicing Catholic, than some of the other Catholic politicians we have observed.

To this fellow Irish Catholic Democrat, his description of how his faith informs his life rings very true and honest and...... normal.

One thing that struck me as very "real" was the observation that he attends Mass at his usual parish on Sundays, but sometimes attends another, St. Patrick's, I believe, on Saturday evening when he knows that his job will take him someplace else on Sunday morning. Sounds like something you or I, folks who don't want to miss Mass, even when it's inconvenient and others might excuse themselves, would do.

Leticia said...

I'm pleased that Senator Biden makes a point of attending Sunday Mass, and I fully appreciate the fact that he may never hear the truth of Church teaching on life issues from the pulpit when he does, but that does NOT excuse his pro-abortion voting record.
Senator Biden was raised in the day when these issues were taught in Catholic churches and schools with absolute clarity, so his guilt remains until he publicly recants his pro-death stance.