List of US Presidents By Religion

[Fuzzy Bear]

Wasn't Obama a muslim? /s

Kidding aside, if there needs to be one correction, it should be Trump. The dude is an atheist. He doesn't go to church, said he never asked for forgiveness and knows nothing about the bible. And his behavior is as least Christian as it can get.

1) This is by reported religious affiliation, as I said.

2) None of what you said, if true, means he's an atheist.  Atheists literally make up a minority of "Unaffiliated."  Atheists make up a smaller percent of unaffiliated Americans than any of Catholics or Mainliners or Evangelicals make up of Christians.

Trump grew up going to Norman Vincent Peale's church, which is Dutch Reformed.

I'm not confused about people's questioning Trump's religious beliefs.  They're a bit of a mystery, and I would not go so far as to say he reflects the sort of humility one ought to show as a Christian.  But I can't square Nancy Pelosi's profession of Catholic faith with her active advocacy on behalf of abortion rights.  That divergence from Catholic theology is a BIG deal, it goes to something more fundamental to the faith the issues such as the place of Mary (and doctrines of Mariology), married priests/nuns, etc.  I could say the same of Hillary Clinton and her claims to faith.  Trump's an easy target for this, but there aren't too many people in politics that reflect a real interest in the Things of God, when one gets real.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

But I can't square Nancy Pelosi's profession of Catholic faith with her active advocacy on behalf of abortion rights.  That divergence from Catholic theology is a BIG deal, it goes to something more fundamental to the faith the issues such as the place of Mary (and doctrines of Mariology), married priests/nuns, etc.

The theological basis for Catholicism's pro-life stance actually has a lot to do with Catholicism's Marian theology, so for a Catholic these issues aren't as separate as they are for an Evangelical (or conservative Mainline Protestant for that matter).

Trump's an easy target for this, but there aren't too many people in politics that reflect a real interest in the Things of God, when one gets real.

Absolutely true.

[cris01us]

The theological basis for Catholicism's pro-life stance actually has a lot to do with Catholicism's Marian theology, so for a Catholic these issues aren't as separate as they are for an Evangelical (or conservative Mainline Protestant for that matter).
[/quote]
I think the Catholic pro-life stance comes from the following: The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law" (No. 2271). From earliest times, Christians sharply distinguished themselves from surrounding pagan cultures by rejecting abortion and infanticide.  The earliest widely used documents of Christian teaching and practice after the New Testament in the 1st and 2nd centuries, the Didache (Teaching of the Twelve Apostles) and Letter of Barnabas, condemned both practices, as did early regional and particular Church councils.  Given the scientific fact that a human life begins at conception, the only moral norm needed to understand the Church's opposition to abortion is the principle that each and every human life has inherent dignity, and thus must be treated with the respect due to a human person.  This is the foundation for the Church's social doctrine, including its teachings on war, the use of capital punishment, euthanasia, health care, poverty and immigration.  Conversely, to claim that some live human beings do not deserve respect or should not be treated as "persons" (based on changeable factors such as age, condition, location, or lack of mental or physical abilities) is to deny the very idea of inherent human rights.  Such a claim undermines respect for the lives of many vulnerable people before and after birth."

[Kingpoleon]

One correction: Kasich is ACNA.  So, YMMV on whether that counts as Evangelical or Mainline.

Enough of ACNA is Anglo-Catholic in orientation that it's difficult to conceive of how "Evangelical" could be the right word for it. Whatever the Evangelical/Mainline distinction is, it shouldn't just be Right-oriented Protestantism/Left-oriented Protestantism.

I’d argue that it makes much more sense to designate the ACNA as borderline Catholics rather than evangelical or mainline Protestants. Kasich has a worldview in line with Christian democracy and a lot of traditional Anglo-Catholic thought, it seems to me.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

I think the Catholic pro-life stance comes from the following: The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law" (No. 2271). From earliest times, Christians sharply distinguished themselves from surrounding pagan cultures by rejecting abortion and infanticide.  The earliest widely used documents of Christian teaching and practice after the New Testament in the 1st and 2nd centuries, the Didache (Teaching of the Twelve Apostles) and Letter of Barnabas, condemned both practices, as did early regional and particular Church councils.  Given the scientific fact that a human life begins at conception, the only moral norm needed to understand the Church's opposition to abortion is the principle that each and every human life has inherent dignity, and thus must be treated with the respect due to a human person.  This is the foundation for the Church's social doctrine, including its teachings on war, the use of capital punishment, euthanasia, health care, poverty and immigration.  Conversely, to claim that some live human beings do not deserve respect or should not be treated as "persons" (based on changeable factors such as age, condition, location, or lack of mental or physical abilities) is to deny the very idea of inherent human rights.  Such a claim undermines respect for the lives of many vulnerable people before and after birth."

The Catechism was written in the early 1990s. Abortion was discussed extensively in the Church in the twentieth century before that point, including in contexts connected to the Immaculate Conception and the Annunciation--both obviously Marian concepts and events. There was never any serious question of Catholicism potentially seeing abortion as morally acceptable, but for much of the religion's history it wasn't immediately obvious exactly why it was so wrong; many (although by no means all) medieval commentators seem to treat it more as a sexual sin (an understanding of it that's rightly revolting to most people today) rather than an offense against human life.

I'm a Catholic who agrees with the teaching against abortion and also has a strong devotion to Mary, so I'm not by any means saying this to relativize or downplay it.

[cris01us]

The Catechism was written in the early 1990s. Abortion was discussed extensively in the Church in the twentieth century before that point, including in contexts connected to the Immaculate Conception and the Annunciation--both obviously Marian concepts and events. There was never any serious question of Catholicism potentially seeing abortion as morally acceptable, but for much of the religion's history it wasn't immediately obvious exactly why it was so wrong; many (although by no means all) medieval commentators seem to treat it more as a sexual sin (an understanding of it that's rightly revolting to most people today) rather than an offense against human life.

I'm a Catholic who agrees with the teaching against abortion and also has a strong devotion to Mary, so I'm not by any means saying this to relativize or downplay it.

Ah, I see now.  So in understanding your statement I think an appropriate way to reframe the questions would be: What was a Catholic, in say 1880, using in Church doctrine and theology to refute or reject abortion?  I would, however offer the Church's reference to St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas (http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/abortion/respect-for-unborn-human-life.cfm) as a possible answer. 

Since this thread is not in the "religion" category and because I do not want to belabor this point here and detract from other posts I will leave it at that.  Very interesting though and I appreciate the insight.  You've given me a bit of a homework project now.