The Right Wing And The Left Wing Have Brought Their Battle Against Each Other Into The Church, And It Is Utterly Destructive, Bringing In Both Communism And Nazism Into The Church
Here are two encyclicals from Pope Leo XIII, I’ll re-read them again while reflecting upon this:
http://www.papalencyclicals.net/leo13/l13apost.htm
One of the most troubling things to me that I’ve had to continue grappling with since converting, is how Church leaders continue to shift their pastoral and undogmatically binding positions in favour of policies inspired and implemented by the secular state. I see in much of what the Church teaches pastorally today the seeds of the evils we are meant to be resisting.
My understanding of this matter since converting (a short couple of years ago now), has always been that charity in the truest sense of the word rather than government based welfare (forced wealth distribution) was the traditional position of the Church. Maybe I’m missing the nuance of Church teaching on the matter. As stated in that original comment, none of us are infallible.
I have no issue whatsoever with assisting a person in genuine need insofar as they are in need. I do question the wisdom of putting such power in the hands of secular governments. Nothing regarding the evils of the welfare state that has emerged in modern times surprises me in the least bit for this reason, including how common single mother families are.
Welfare has empowered women to be sexually promiscuous without worrying about the character of their partner/s, because they can depend on the welfare state for unconditional support if the father/s don’t stick around. This encourages irresponsible and reckless behaviour from women and men by removing the natural consequences of our decisions from the equation. This behaviour statistically speaking, harms children for life. Children raised in single parent homes are working against the odds of living a healthy and successful life in every statistical category.
African American communities were far better off prior to the emergence of the welfare state in America for example. They were responsible for looking after their own families and communities and this instilled virtue in them. They were Christianised and were actually slightly more virtuous than Protestant white Americans statistically when it came to successful marriages and having children in wedlock. The welfare state has played an enormous role in destroying and ghettoising African American communities, if my present understanding is correct.
I will dig deeper into this and continue to reflect on the Church’s historical and present position on these matters, and see what’s dogmatically binding and what’s simply a matter of opinion. For example, I could share quotes with you of popes, in writing, supporting the science of evolution theory. That wouldn’t make evolution theory a true or valid science
Not every word a pope writes is binding on the faithful. Not every opinion a pope has is correct. If it’s the modern opinion of popes that government welfare at the taxpayers expense is good when exercised with discernment, that doesn’t necessarily mean Catholics must agree with this position (or disagree with it).
Right or wrong, I appreciate your prompting me to ponder this issue with greater depth and to investigate what the Church has to offer on this subject.
I don’t visit shoebat.com because I agree with your every position. In some cases, I’m very much against a view you offer and share. I come here because even when I disagree with you, you hit upon thought provoking subjects and issues, and this moves me to contemplate these matters with greater depth (again, even when/where we disagree).
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