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The Forum > Article Comments > Malcolm Turnbull: the very imperfect Catholic > Comments

Malcolm Turnbull: the very imperfect Catholic : Comments

By Max Wallace, published 24/11/2008

How does a Catholic politician reconcile his beliefs with his faith.

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Crumbs - those core beliefs look really silly when you see them set out like that. Its a close thing between the Adam and Eve and Satan one and the needing to be anointed to see Jesus. I'm glad I had a 'Christian' upbringing because its an important part of my cultural heritage, but actually believing that stuff - pfff!

I wonder what Malcolm Turnbull actually believes - apart from abortion being a woman's choice?
Posted by Candide, Monday, 24 November 2008 2:32:02 PM
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There seems to be an underyling assumption that the Catholic Church is monolithic.

That is not so – ossified yes, in the bone-headed antediluvial attitude of the Bishop of Rome, certainly.

The women of Italy, a most-Catholic nation, with their total fertility rate of 1.3, are not conforming to the Pope’s dictatorial pronouncements. There are also many others who have no intention of leaving the Catholic Church, but are intent on bringing its social dictates into conformity with civilized society.

For an appreciation of the extent of such disparity, it is worth reading Paul Collins’ books such as:
From Inquisition to Freedom; God’s New Man; Upon This Rock – The Popes and their Changing Role.
The Catholic Church is not likely to go away in a hurry. If Turnbull -for all his many faults can, by entering its fold,improve its record of civilized behavior – then the world will be a much better place.
Posted by colinsett, Monday, 24 November 2008 2:44:07 PM
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Malcolm Turnbull's religious belief's will not
have any affect on his career as a politician.

Because he is very adept at 'polspeak.'

'polspeak,' as Dennis Pryor in his booklet,
"Political Pryorities," explains is:

"The verbose, hypocritical, mendacious
and ambiguous language of politicians and
their hangers-on. Its fundamental method is
to express everything so vaguely and densely that
polspeakers can extricate themselves from
difficulties by claiming not to have said what they
did in fact say:

Example: A Minister is about to make an unpopular
decision and will accordingly leave the
announcement to a public servant (Ministers
annouce only good news themselves).

A journalist, getting wind of this, asks the
Minister if it is true. The polspeak answer is:

"The decision-making process with regard to this
matter is currently in place. It would be improper for
me at this point in time to pre-empt the eventual
outcome as the result of community consultations, one
way or another, of that ongoing decision and
consultative process..."

I think you get the picture
Posted by Foxy, Monday, 24 November 2008 3:48:34 PM
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Max, your ill-informed comments on Catholic teaching are probably such as mine might be of your core beliefs as a Secularist.
Posted by P.McC, Monday, 24 November 2008 4:22:09 PM
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Malcolm Turnbull to date has not espoused catholic doctrine, though one must ask, does he go to confession!
Posted by Kipp, Monday, 24 November 2008 5:29:59 PM
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The article actually omitted two of the central doctrines of Catholicism:

# Members must accept the church as having the fullness of revelation, and according to Roman Catholic catechism is the only Christian body that is "holy, universal and apostolic"
# Apostolic succession is key in the faith, saying that the pope and bishops have varying degrees of authority from Jesus.

(http://www.allaboutreligion.org/roman-catholic-doctrine-faq.htm)

Now since nobody with any common sense could mistake the utterances of the Pope and his cardinals for revelations from a benevolent omnipotent God, and since nobody with any self-respect (and we surely agree that Turnbull has THAT) would blindly allow an elderly reclusive celibate misogynist to run their lives, I take it that Turnbull has very rightly decided that those particular tenets of Catholic doctrine are optional.

But they're not.

QED.
Posted by Jon J, Monday, 24 November 2008 6:27:05 PM
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