Powered by Bravenet Bravenet Blog

Tag Board

jay Calhoun: Hey Old Boot, I'm just back from a weekend away from the computer and the TV...I feel almost human. I'll send something tomorrow evening when Im angrier than I am at the moment...Keep the Faith, Old Boot
Amy: Hi, Johnny.

Please type in the four characters shown in the black box.

Saturday, October 3rd 2009

7:41 AM

Christianity and Socialism Cannot Be Reconciled

 
Church Teaching on Socialism
"...Socialism...cannot be reconciled with the teachings of the Catholic Church because its concept of society itself is utterly foreign to Christian truth."
QUADRAGESIMO ANNO, 117, Encyclical of Pope Pius XI
Reconstruction of the Social Order, May 15, 1931

"...no Catholic [can] subscribe even to moderate Socialism."
MATER ET MAGISTRA, 34, Pope John XXIII
On Christianity and Social Progress, May 15, 1961

"Socialists...debase the natural union of man and woman...the [family] bond they...deliver up to lust. Lured...by the greed of present goods...they assail the right of property. While they seem desirous of caring for the needs and satisfying the desires of all men, they strive to seize and hold in common whatever has been acquired either by title, by labor, or by thrift."
QUOD APOSTOLICI MUNERIS, 1, Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII
On Socialism, December 28, 1878
Many people are not aware that the Catholic Church also opposes socialism and mandated wealth redistribution for 3 main reasons:
1. It robs the lawful posessor of the wealth (stealing) 2. It hurts the recipient in the end (they should be entitled to hope for and to keep whatever wealth they acquire too) 3. It distorts the role of the state.
 
On the last point, the Church teaches the principle of subsidiarity, which is that higher levels of community, such as the state, should only perform functions not better performed by lower levels of community, such as families and charities.
The church teaches that the wealthy have an obligation to the poor, but that this is a PERSONAL DUTY, not something the state should mandate or control. Furthermore, the oblication should be personal in nature (ie, get involved), whereas state programs separate the giver from the receiver.
The church discourages class welfare and contends that envy of the rich is a violation of the 9th commandment.
Furthermore, the poor are told “to have nothing to do with men of evil principles, who work upon the people with artful promises of great results, and excite foolish hopes which usually end in useless regrets and grievous loss.”
Don’t beleive me, read “Rerum Novarum”, which is the papal encyclical that lays these positions out. Think it is irrelevant to today, know that John Paul II wrote an encyclical in 1991 affirming Rerum Novarum and went on to explicitly condemn the “Social Assistance State”.
2 Comment(s).

Posted by Amy:

Another great entry, Johnny. Unfortunately, with the comments of some bishops and priests many believe socialism to be compatible with the faith. Even the Pope's last encyclical was reading matter for Obama on his way home from the meet and greet at the Vatican earlier this year, and he promotes the idea that the pope and he want the same things.

It makes me sick.
Sunday, October 11th 2009 @ 7:05 AM

Posted by Johnny Proctor:

Well, those Bishops and Priests are assisting in the apostasy of the Church if they are trying to support socialism. Its is clear from Papal Encyclicals from many Pontiffs that socialism is evil.
Sunday, October 11th 2009 @ 7:40 AM

Post New Comment

 BraveJournal Member Non-Member
No Smilies More Smilies »
Please type the letters you see