Obama's Beards

There have been a couple of articles lately about how a supposed majority of Catholics are now supporting Obama (despite the fact that there's no valid moral basis for Catholics to support him, given his positions and actions on a variety of issues, including abortion, homosexual marriage, contraception, embryonic stem cell research, attacks on religious liberty, etc.).

Of course, those surveys are of people who identify themselves as Catholics, which means they include not only faithful Catholics, but also "Catholics" who haven't graced the inside of a church in years. Fallen away Catholics constitute a substantial number of people; if they formed a church they'd be the second largest denomination in the United States. Including these fallen away Catholics in surveys skew the survey results.

When we look closer, the surveys show that those who attend Mass weekly, and hence are more likely to practice their faith, actually prefer Romney. The surveys also show those who attend Mass less frequently, hence are less likely to follow Church teachings and guidance, tend to support Obama, and, indeed, the less they attend Mass the more likely they are to support Obama.

I am saddened by this. But there's another group that troubles me.

There are some priests, women religious, and lay leaders who openly support Obama. In many cases they either choose to overlook how much his positions and actions are in conflict with Catholic teachings, or, even worse, they support him because they agree with his positions and actions in these areas. These Obama supporters speak out publicly and influence other Catholics who are wavering, or who are looking for guidance. There are fewer such influential Catholics who are supporting him this time around - many learned their lesson from 2008 - but there are still a number of them. These people provide a cover for Obama with Catholics, and do help to account for some of the survey results.

And Obama's campaign happily uses them to create a wedge among Catholics.

These influential folks are beards for Obama.

The term "beard" is used to describe people who provide cover for other people who want to conceal something. It comes from the days when homosexuality was correctly recognized by society as a disordered condition. Some homosexual men dated or even married women to provide a cover for their homosexual tendencies and acts. These women, who sometimes were unaware how they were being used, were known as "beards."

How many of Obama's beards recognize they are being used and willing permit it is unclear. I suspect some are aware.

And if they are, then their fault is even greater, for they are helping to lead others astray.

Pax et bonum