For Catholics, priests are a kind of hero (celibacy, poverty, obedience).
One of my favorite priests and I were having a nice conversation until I heard something like the following: “I am not sure Nick is pro-life enough. I pride myself on just voting the life issue and I never vote for someone not 100% pro-life.”
I discussed the issue carefully, and reflected my understanding that, while U.S. Congressional candidate Nick Begich is not interested in getting the police involved to protect the child at the moment of conception, he is one of the most pro-life major candidates that Alaska has ever had run for federal office.
But the conversation didn’t sit well with me. There was something wrong with my favorite priest’s position. It wasn’t until I got home that I realized how wrong he may be. While we must never remove the core Christian principle that we are in the world but not of the world, an overly simplified view on life and politics disagrees with God’s creation and lacks wisdom.
I think the priest believed that he should only walk among the angels, while this world fends for itself as he detaches.
We are not called upon in this world to determine the perfect and the evil, only the good.
This is my response to my hero – my priest.
Can we in good conscience remove our vote for what is best, and only engage with what is perfect?
Donald Trump is not exactly 100% pro-life. He had good advisers on the issue and moved a lot, but he remains less than 100% pro-life. However, he was wise enough to appoint two Catholic justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, who then helped pass the single-most pro-life decision in American history – overturning Roe V Wade.
Donald Trump is not 100% pro-life. The majority of U.S. senators who voted to confirm Trump’s picks for the Supreme Court were not 100% pro-life. The majority of the country is not 100% pro-life, and it is time to stop purist nonsense.
If we think our job is to engage only when candidates are perfect, we become a tool for the left. Jesus isn’t a candidate in this election.
To believe that God gave us a world where wisdom and prudence only require our engagement when our choices include perfection, is to deeply misunderstand God.
It is foolish to think that only perfect people can do good works.
ALASKA WATCHMAN DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX
If you think that Nick Begich, the most pro-life candidate for US House in Alaska history is not superior to Mary Peltola and her Democrats, you are dead wrong. Dead wrong with a lot of unborn children.
The solution that the originalist jurists produced was not a perfect solution either. It turned abortion decisions back to the states. It didn’t universally outlaw the horrible procedure, which terminates unborn children’s lives by the tens of millions in America. Nevertheless, does anyone mistake that overturning Roe was a win for pro-life states, which now have the ability to protect unborn children? Planned Parenthood, Mary Peltola, the Democrats and the left are, most certainly, not confused. They know that the overturning of Roe v. Wade was a major win for pro-lifers.
We must never fail in our duty to distinguish between good and evil. We are not called upon in this world to determine the perfect and the evil, only the good.
Can we have basic standards for our vote? Yes, you must. We must never participate directly in evil (or at least must fight against it when our government is involved). The good/evil chasm is crossed when our government pays for a child to die with your money. Once you find the candidate who wants to force you to pay for the abortion with your tax dollars, you have found an evil line that your pro-life vote cannot cross.
The views expressed there are those of the author.
10 Comments
On what do you base your opinion that Nick Begich is even more pro-life than Don Young? At one time, Alaska Right to Life qualified Don Young as one of the top three pro-life politicians in Alaska history along with Tom Fink and Terry Martin. Mr. Begich has absolutely no record of public votes on any abortion issue.
Well said Mr Biegel
It is not morally permissible to vote for Kamala Harris.
It is morally permissible to vote for Donald Trump.
It is also morally permissible to vote for Randall Terry.
I heard a minister point out in his election sermon that noone is perfect, however, there are policies that Peltola agrees with that are pro-Biden and woke and Peltola flip flops. If a person is running who is not 100% then you compare what is known about Perltola. She is absolutely against the values God started us with in our Founding. our Godly values. Begich is firmly confortable on conservative, Christian traditional values. our side of policies. Listen to minister Pastor Hamrick’s election sermon https://cornerstonechapel.net/teaching/20240908 We are pro-life and have led the fight with others up here in Fairbanks for 12 years. We need to work with Begich, get him in there. He will listen. Peltola has not nor is she interested in her constituents.
Blessings to you for all you have done in the fight, Ruth and Jon!!
I just had a conversation with a friend who I dearly love and trust. She thought “Biegel’s words were icky” because of what it says about the Catholic Church’s position on abortion. Incidentally, this friend isn’t Catholic. The official position of the church (forget your modernist, slippery prelates and priests who sing koombayah and honestly think the 1970s were the greatest decade), is that Abortion is 100% evil, contraception is 100% evil, in vitro fertilization is 100% evil. There is no slippage there. There is no lack of clarity. The problem is voting for the 100%. The moral component of this is clear, to most of us. The political component is a giant GAME. If you think like some of my friends (again, whom I like and respect!) that “I won’t vote because I can’t find a candidate who is Pro-Life enough” or “Conservative enough” or “fiscally responsible enough,” then YOU are the reason Mary Pelota won in our last congressional race. It is time for the 15,000 “Never Begich” voters to take responsibility for what they did in 2020. It is your time to hop on the train and move this country back TOWARD God. But if you plug your ears, kick your feet and say, “I’m not voting fro anyone because they are all bad” guess who wins? The Left. And YOU made it happen. I never thought I’d live to defend Glenn Biegel, but on this I agree with him. If you want the “perfect” candidate you’ll be waiting a long time! Jesus isn’t on this year’s Congressional ticket.
Not sure how to react. Thanks for reading and thinking about what I wrote. I’m glad it triggered a conversation.
Best,
Glen
It’s a good challenge. I am speaking of initially electing someone in the post roe v wade era. Don young was always a solid vote
for life.
Thanks for reminding us of Don’s commitment to the life issue.
Glen
I wonder how many people are conflating Nick Begich with his evil uncle Mark Begich.
Great article Glen. Thanks for laying it out so well!