Socialism and or Catholisim

Politics really have been on my mind lately I have been doing a lot of research on our president and how the church views his many policies. So tonight I am going to begin writing a series of articles that will pull from my research. Now I know I lean to the more conservative side of things but I vote with my heart and my heart is with Christ. So I don’t always see the rosy side of things on the republican side of the isle either.

I saw the news tonight and it was on the Fox News network and there was a story that really had me thinking. Now when it comes to financial politics I never know which side of the fence I should fall on one side tax breaks for the rich while we have people starving on the streets seems unfair. But I can’t say that the demicrates new theory of redistibution seems right as well. That really got me thinking about the way things have been heading. It seems that our current administration is looking to move more in the direction of socializing healthcare as well as now it seems they are looking at a new more socialistic approach at our economy.

So what does this mean to me a catholic I have never really looked at what the church teaches in reguards to socialism seems that most of Europe is heading in that direction. So I sat down at my computer and what I found floored me.

Let me go back and explain what the story on FOX News was all about. The government now that they have bailed out the banks are starting to lay down restrictions on what those banks can pay there executives. Part of me thought this is a good thing but there was a concern in the pit of my stomach. The story went on to tell about how these restrictions were not just for the banks that were bailed out but now will be enforced on all banks. Still I sat there torn on how to react to this.

This is a giant leap towards socialism this is a very slippery slop if I’m ok with this then what else will I be ok with. That’s what sent me into my research.

I found that Pope Leo XIII in 1891 wrote an encyclical condemning socialism and mandatory redistribution of wealth on the grounds that it is stealing from the lawful possessor of the money. It also hurt the recipient by stealing the hope and fealling of accoplishment away from them. And third it distort the role of the state look at many socialistic governments today they ban the practise of there faith because it steals power from the government as they see it.

Now don’t get me wrong that was not all that Leo had to say it also goes on to say that the wealthy have an obligation to help the poor to get involved state run programs separate the wealthy and the poor so that the poor see the state as the savior not the ones that supplied the help and the wealthy have no satisfaction for what they have done because they never see it.

Now for those of you who say this was written in 1891 it is so out of date well POPE John Paul II wrote another encyclical in 1991 stating that the church still holds true to this teaching

Want to read
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/leo_xiii/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_15051891_rerum-novarum_en.html