October 21, 2009

American Papist blogger outlines U.S. bishops’ principles for health care reform

By Danielle Yuthas

Theology on Tap welcomed Thomas Peters, blogger for American Papist: Not Your Average Catholic! (www.americanpapist.com) to speak on the Catholic perspective of health care reform at Braun’s Bar and Grill at 1055 Auraria Parkway on Friday, Oct. 9.

There’s no doubt the popularity of social media is on the rise. Peters’ blog speaks to, “the JPII generation about Catholic views of pop culture and politics.” He started it in 2005 because he wanted to establish a forum for the topics that mattered to his generation, presented from a perspective congruent with Catholic morals.

The blog attracts approximately 200,000 hits per month. The American Papist (AmP) Facebook page just exceeded 2,700 members and 2,072 people follow American Papist on Twitter.

In addition to the New York Times, the Washington Post, Barney Frank and the Catholic Medical Association Web sites, Peters cited other social media outlets including YouTube and Sarah Palin’s Facebook page in his talk. 

 “It’s about reaching people in inventive ways,” Peters said. “I am happy to see more priests and dioceses using these new technologies to convey the Gospel message.”

Peters is spreading the word on health care because it is so relevant right now.

“As a nation we are being presented with choices which have great consequences about our very health and wellbeing,” he said. “I think Catholics should have an active role in shaping the debate to ensure the right decisions are made.”
Audience member Emily Polch agreed.

“The health care debate is more than political,” she said. “It is moral.”

Referring to Jesus’ Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke’s Gospel, in which a man who had been robbed and beaten is left by the side of the road and not paid attention to by a priest and Levite who pass by, Peters made an analogical point that the Good Samaritan who did help the victim did not leave it to the Israelites to aid him, but instead took it upon himself to care for him.

Peters maintains health care is a topic that everyone has high stakes in because not only will it affect how every one in six U.S. dollars is spent, but also the financial stability of the companies we work for, our insurance, the way we care for our children, and eventually, the way we will care for our parents.

He went on to say that when you give someone a dollar directly, that person receives the entire dollar. But when you give the government your dollar to distribute for you, the receiver will only end up with a nickel.

Peters acknowledged that health care is a basic human right. But, he added, just like other basic human rights to clothes, food and shelter, the government is not necessarily required to provide it.

Peters explained that he is neither a registered Democrat nor Republican. He stated upfront that he opposes the current health care legislation because it is a “bad execution of a good idea.”

The blogger aims to defend fundamental human good in the political sphere, including topics of traditional marriage and protection of human life.

Peters outlined the four principles the U.S. Catholic bishops value in a health care system in order to explain why “the current system is unacceptable to Catholics.” The first is that health care ought to be for our whole lives, which Peters defined as natural birth to natural death, and he said the current system fails both, because the current administration has a different, or at least more loosely defined, idea of each.

The second is pluralism: the belief that individual faith communities operate in a way their faith dictates. Bishops are advocating a conscience clause exemption so medical professionals cannot be coerced to perform a procedure unparallel to his or her faith. 

The bishops also demand that a viable health care system be universal. According to Peters, under the current system, people are falling through the cracks.

The last principle the bishops ask for is that the health care system be economically sound.  Where is this money coming from? From Peters’ perspective, there are reportedly 47 million people in need of health care, but if illegal immigrants who are not paying taxes are excluded, the number is approximately 30 million people. If those who are already covered by Medicare and Medicaid and those who have an annual income exceeding $90,000 are removed from the pool, the number could be pared down to only providing health care for eight to 10 million people, which is far more economically feasible.

Peters calls everyone to give freely to those in need and to participate in grass roots efforts, prayer, fasting, reflection and expressing opinions to government representatives.

Theology on Tap, coordinated by Chris Stefanick, director of Youth, Young Adult and Campus Ministry for the Archdiocese of Denver, is a popular event for Catholic young adults in the metro area.

“The community is tightly knit,” said attendee Kelly Eurek. “You see the same faces here that you see at Mass at the Cathedral (Basilica of the Immaculate Conception), and it’s a great way to connect.”

Holding the discussion over a pint at Braun’s offers a relaxed atmosphere that welcomes young adults to exchange ideas.

“Jesus spent a lot of time preaching outside of the church, so to bring together people in a bar this way is very incarnational; it is the Word taking flesh,” said attendee Neil Doherty.

The next Theology on Tap will be held at 8 p.m. Nov. 6 at Braun’s. Guest speaker Mark Shea, a popular author and senior content editor of Catholic Exchange Web portal, will explain the 101 reasons not to be Catholic, and the one reason to be Catholic.