Neil Gorsuch Catholic?

Michie

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From CNN:

He was raised Catholic but now worships with his wife and two daughters at St. John's Episcopal Church in Boulder Colorado. Like the city, the congregation is politically liberal. It bars guns from its campus and installed solar panels; it condemns harsh rhetoric about Muslims and welcomes gays and lesbians. And its rector, the Reverend Susan Springer, attended the Women's March in Denver, though not as a form of protest but as a sign of support for "the every human being."

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Neil Gorsuch, Catholic?
 

seeking.IAM

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If I may comment as a guest, please keep in mind that we Episcopalians tend to be yoked by common prayer, common cup, and common liturgy. But, we are not yoked by dogma in the same manner as other faith groups. We are a "big tent" church where political and religious conservatives worship next to political and religious liberals. I suggest one cannot judge much about Mr. Gorsuch's personal or political beliefs by the church he attends.
 
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chevyontheriver

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From CNN:

He was raised Catholic but now worships with his wife and two daughters at St. John's Episcopal Church in Boulder Colorado. Like the city, the congregation is politically liberal. It bars guns from its campus and installed solar panels; it condemns harsh rhetoric about Muslims and welcomes gays and lesbians. And its rector, the Reverend Susan Springer, attended the Women's March in Denver, though not as a form of protest but as a sign of support for "the every human being."

Continued below.
Neil Gorsuch, Catholic?
Interesting how former Catholic Mike Pence acts more Catholic than many catholics. That was true of Marco Rubio, who was worshiping with the evangelicals but seems maybe to have landed back in the Catholic Church.

Maybe the same is true of Neil Gorsuch. He studied onder John Finnis, which is incredible. He might act in ways much more Catholic than your typical CINO.

Is thin how the 'Catholic Moment' may end up playing itself out?

Still, where he worships now looks like a crazy place for a natural law lawyer. Makes me wonder what we will really get. I wish I remembered when Anthony Kennedy was appointed and how he came out so far from expectations.
 
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NeoScholasticism

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It's worth remembering that John Finnis was Gorsuch's doctoral supervisor at Oxford. Finnis, some of you may know, is a Catholic moral philosopher, rather on the "conservative" side. (Many classically-minded Thomists and neo-Scholastics rather dislike Finnis since he is a figurehead, alongside Grisez, for the "new natural law" movement. But this is more to quarrel about methods, not conclusions. The movement is notably removed from such deviation as we might find in post-conciliar revisionist creativity.)

While I cannot say that I like Finnis' unique contributions to his field very much, I do like that he is faithfully Catholic. And not just a Catholic, but a convert from Anglicanism apparently. I cannot say how much of this Gorsuch has imbibed, but probably more than less. A quick Google search ("Gorsuch Finnis") can confirm.

EDIT: chevyontheriver beat me to it!
 
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chevyontheriver

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It's worth remembering that John Finnis was Gorsuch's doctoral supervisor at Oxford. Finnis, some of you may know, is a Catholic moral philosopher, rather on the "conservative" side. (Many classically-minded Thomists and neo-Scholastics rather dislike Finnis since he is a figurehead, alongside Grisez, for the "new natural law" movement. But this is more to quarrel about methods, not conclusions. The movement is notably removed from such deviation as we might find in post-conciliar revisionist creativity.)

While I cannot say that I like Finnis' unique contributions to his field very much, I do like that he is faithfully Catholic. And not just a Catholic, but a convert from Anglicanism apparently. I cannot say how much of this Gorsuch has imbibed, but probably more than less. A quick Google search ("Gorsuch Finnis") can confirm.

EDIT: chevyontheriver beat me to it!
I googled it and found this interesting story has traction: http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2017/02/the-gorsuch-confirmation-and-the-finnis-connection.php

I heard of Finnis first in connection with Germain Grisez, John Boyle, and William May. That was about moral theology. Since then I have read Grisez' books 'The Way of the Lord Jesus' (first two volumes only so far), and 'Fulfillment in Christ' which he wrote with Russell Shaw. If Gorsuch imbibed ANY of that it has to be driving the liberals NUTS. I think there are many who will want to bork him.
 
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chevyontheriver

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Can Gorsuch faithfully interpret the constitution is the question. I think everything about him points to a resounding yes.
Can he achieve the desired deep social change progressives want? Maybe not.
 
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