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The pope on income re-distribution
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mac



Joined: 07 Mar 1999
Posts: 17736
Location: Berkeley, California

PostPosted: Thu Nov 28, 2013 1:46 pm    Post subject: The pope on income re-distribution Reply with quote

I'm sure the most right wing Catholics are ruing the day that Pope Francis was chosen. In an era where the Tea Party touts the importance of cutting food stamp benefits--and maintaining farm subsidies to some of their wealthiest representatives, here's what the Pope has to say:

Quote:
"53. Just as the commandment 'Thou shalt not kill' sets a clear limit in order to safeguard the value of human life, today we also have to say 'thou shalt not' to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills. How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points? This is a case of exclusion. ...

"Can we continue to stand by when food is thrown away while people are starving? This is a case of inequality. Today everything comes under the laws of competition and the survival of the fittest, where the powerful feed upon the powerless. As a consequence, masses of people find themselves excluded and marginalized: without work, without possibilities, without any means of escape.

"54. In this context, some people continue to defend trickle-down theories, which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system. Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting.

"56. While the earnings of a minority are growing exponentially, so too is the gap separating the majority from the prosperity enjoyed by those happy few. This imbalance is the result of ideologies, which defend the absolute autonomy of the marketplace and financial speculation. ... To all this we can add widespread corruption and self-serving tax evasion, which have taken on worldwide dimensions.

"57. With this in mind, I encourage financial experts and political leaders to ponder the words of one of the sages of antiquity: 'Not to share one's wealth with the poor is to steal from them and to take away their livelihood. It is not our own goods which we hold, but theirs.'

"58. A financial reform open to such ethical considerations would require a vigorous change of approach on the part of political leaders. I urge them to face this challenge with determination and an eye to the future, while not ignoring, of course, the specifics of each case. Money must serve, not rule! The Pope loves everyone, rich and poor alike, but he is obliged in the name of Christ to remind all that the rich must help, respect and promote the poor. I exhort you to generous solidarity and a return of economics and finance to an ethical approach which favors human beings.


Happy Thanksgiving. A better message about empathy I couldn't possibly create.
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KGB-NP



Joined: 25 Jul 2001
Posts: 2856

PostPosted: Thu Nov 28, 2013 4:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Charity yard sale at the Vatican this weekend?
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nw30



Joined: 21 Dec 2008
Posts: 6485
Location: The eye of the universe, Cen. Cal. coast

PostPosted: Thu Nov 28, 2013 8:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I guess he doesn't realize that is was capitalism that created the wealth w/in the church.

And "empathy" didn't make his church rich.
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KGB-NP



Joined: 25 Jul 2001
Posts: 2856

PostPosted: Fri Nov 29, 2013 5:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

At the Vatican yard sale will they have handmade signs written in marker reading "FREE!" stuck with the masking tape to all the homosexual pedophile priests they've been protecting or will they keep those hidden away in the closet for a later date. Surely they would like to clear out that bit of inventory. Will the pope enlighten us when and how this will happen? Stay tuned folks!

I do agree with his statements and since I live in a country that reflects a better "distribution of wealth" and can see the benefits of that first hand. I have to ask how many of you will be willing to pay twice the income tax to reach that goal? Talk IS cheap! Perhaps the left wing are ruing the day that Pope Francis was chosen. Be careful what you wish for.
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mac



Joined: 07 Mar 1999
Posts: 17736
Location: Berkeley, California

PostPosted: Fri Nov 29, 2013 11:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Clueless on the Central Coast:

Quote:
I guess he doesn't realize that is was capitalism that created the wealth w/in the church.

And "empathy" didn't make his church rich.


Nothing in Pope Francis's comments disparaged capitalism (or defended pedophile priests--they were protected by the right wing previous administration). Cruel and grinding greed was the target.

Now the objective of churches is wealth?

Very very sad.
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Fri Nov 29, 2013 12:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

nw30 wrote:
I guess he doesn't realize that is was capitalism that created the wealth w/in the church.

And "empathy" didn't make his church rich.

What does ... coercive tithing? I quit my church forever the day my minister demanded that I tithe a certain amount despite having just gotten out of college in debt. "Your first obligation, hands down, is your church."

No, dude, it's not. Buh-BYE.

Or is that a drop in the bucket?
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swchandler



Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588

PostPosted: Fri Nov 29, 2013 1:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"I guess he doesn't realize that is was capitalism that created the wealth w/in the church."


You must be joking right? The Catholic church was vastly wealthy and powerful long before the rise of modern capitalism. You might want to go back and study the background leading up to the Protestant Reformation.
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KGB-NP



Joined: 25 Jul 2001
Posts: 2856

PostPosted: Fri Nov 29, 2013 2:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

And Isobars may want to check out the destructiveness of legalism and how the modern church has moved to separate itself from it. Now if the RC church could only follow suit.
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DanWeiss



Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Posts: 2296
Location: Connecticut, USA

PostPosted: Sat Nov 30, 2013 12:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Tithing is a paramount act of commitment and support. No mainstream church forces you to give, but tithing often is expected if one wishes to join a congregation. It makes sense, too, if viewed as nothing more than the cost of admission to an event. But tithing is so much more than that. The 10% concept is one from the dust of English history yet viewed as the standard amount. Giving to a house of worship is an expression of faith and an action that supports the very nature of worshiping in groups of likeminded individuals. It also supports the work of the church in local community and far away. I wonder what those who reject tithing yet attend church regularly believe funds the operation.

Once again, Mr. Fick shows us an example of how not to approach complex topics.

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KGB-NP



Joined: 25 Jul 2001
Posts: 2856

PostPosted: Sat Nov 30, 2013 1:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/2Cor/Guidelines-Giving
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