tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-891289711377156224.post6510089504184322130..comments2024-03-29T09:09:46.823+02:00Comments on A Political Refugee From The Global Village : Pope Francis: 'The wealthy few feast on what, in justice, belongs to all'. Is this true?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-891289711377156224.post-88735216821159568652018-11-24T08:27:46.981+02:002018-11-24T08:27:46.981+02:00@dfordoom
22 November
"I find it difficult t...@dfordoom <br />22 November<br />"I find it difficult to get my head around the idea that free market capitalism is a Christian concept."<br /> <br />23 November<br />"I think it's an anti-Christian concept."<br /><br />???????????<br /><br />@Paul<br />Thank you for trying to clarify my question but I really did ask dfordoom why he thought "free market capitalism is a Christian concept".<br /><br />He has answered but I ask a follow-up question.<br /> <br />Why does he write "so many Christians think free market capitalism is compatible with Christianity"?<br /><br />This view doesn't make sense when leaders of Christian churches, e.g. Archbishop of Canterbury and the Pope, are critical of the market economy and those who have become wealthy from it.<br /><br /> DavidinBelgradenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-891289711377156224.post-45531361115408754522018-11-24T02:27:15.256+02:002018-11-24T02:27:15.256+02:00I think David meant to ask why you did NOT think t...<em>I think David meant to ask why you did NOT think that "free market capitalism" is a Christian concept.</em><br /><br />OK, I thought I'd pretty much explained that. Free market capitalism is entirely materialistic and its worship of materialism leads inevitably to atheism. It encourages greed and hedonism. It undermines the family. It undermines morality. To the free market anything is fine if it makes a profit.<br /><br />I can't think of any system more hostile to Christianity than free market capitalism.<br /><br />And we have the evidence of history. Where free markets have gone, Christianity has died.<br /><br />I can't give you a theological answer as to why free market capitalism is incompatible wth Christianity because I'm not a theologian.dfordoomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-891289711377156224.post-26889190758805158562018-11-23T21:28:39.087+02:002018-11-23T21:28:39.087+02:00I think David meant to ask why you did NOT think t...I think David meant to ask why you did NOT think that "free market capitalism" is a Christian concept.Political Refugee from the Global Villagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03523068770529814044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-891289711377156224.post-25370434138667847022018-11-23T21:27:45.253+02:002018-11-23T21:27:45.253+02:00Economic growth encourages, I suppose, degeneracy ...Economic growth encourages, I suppose, degeneracy but there was a lot of it about in Augustan Rome too. it encourages materialism yes but that you have always with you. I am absolutely sure that rising material living standards are not the secret of happiness, and for a conservative they are in some ways a threat if they rise too fast (Enoch Powell thought this too), but they are better than abject destitution. That too corrupts - and is very different from evangelical poverty.Political Refugee from the Global Villagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03523068770529814044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-891289711377156224.post-14910075627254283662018-11-23T21:23:30.152+02:002018-11-23T21:23:30.152+02:00"That the spirit of revolutionary change, whi...<br /><br /><br /><br />"That the spirit of revolutionary change, which has long been disturbing the nations of the world, should have passed beyond the sphere of politics and made its influence felt in the cognate sphere of practical economics is not surprising. The elements of the conflict now raging are unmistakable, in the vast expansion of industrial pursuits and the marvellous discoveries of science; in the changed relations between masters and workmen; in the enormous fortunes of some few individuals,and the utter poverty of the masses; the increased self reliance and closer mutual combination of the working classes; as also, finally, in the prevailing moral degeneracy. The momentous gravity of the state of things now obtaining fills every mind with painful apprehension; wise men are discussing it; practical men are proposing schemes; popular meetings, legislatures, and rulers of nations are all busied with it - actually there is no question which has taken deeper hold on the public mind."<br /><br />This translation says poverty not impoverishment. People were richer than they had ever been but the masses were utterly poor. <br /><br />But Popes do not understand economics or climatology or many other things.Political Refugee from the Global Villagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03523068770529814044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-891289711377156224.post-55697921835775939202018-11-23T13:33:12.272+02:002018-11-23T13:33:12.272+02:00Why do you think "free market capitalism"...<em>Why do you think "free market capitalism" is a Christian concept?</em><br /><br />I don't. I think it's an anti-Christian concept. I'm just surprised the so many Christians think free market capitalism is compatible with Christianity.dfordoomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-891289711377156224.post-40385548191619490092018-11-22T11:17:04.619+02:002018-11-22T11:17:04.619+02:00@dfordoom
Why do you think "free market capit...@dfordoom<br />Why do you think "free market capitalism" is a Christian concept?<br />You may find "The Fable of The Bees: or, Private Vices, Public Benefits" by Bernard Mandeville, enlightening:<br /><br />https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fable_of_the_Bees<br /><br />It was the subject of a recent broadcast of "In Our Time". A podcast can be downloaded from BBC website. Its a good listen :). David in Belgradenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-891289711377156224.post-13787342894214615492018-11-22T03:27:42.677+02:002018-11-22T03:27:42.677+02:00My problem with free market capitalism is that it ...My problem with free market capitalism is that it encourages materialism. In fact it encourages atheism. It also encourages degeneracy. It encourages consumerism. It encourages hedonism. I find it difficult to get my head around the idea that free market capitalism is a Christian concept. It seems to me that free market capitalism is the most deadly enemy the Church has ever faced.<br /><br />Capitalism was the major cause of the death of Christianity.<br /><br />Of course I'm not convinced that human happiness can be measured by rising material standards of living.dfordoomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02306293859869179118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-891289711377156224.post-20259785490507019032018-11-21T21:03:25.269+02:002018-11-21T21:03:25.269+02:00Indeed. Free market capitalism has done more to al...Indeed. Free market capitalism has done more to alleviate poverty than all “social justice” programs combined. The irony is that Francis stated several times that the Church must not become an Internation NGO with rituals, but that seems to be what he is making of it. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-891289711377156224.post-30022498825608996742018-11-21T18:21:10.850+02:002018-11-21T18:21:10.850+02:00Having a Peronist on the seat of Saint Peter is in...Having a Peronist on the seat of Saint Peter is indeed not good.<br /><br />However, I would point as far back as the first paragraph of the famous 1891 Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII - that paragraph contains claims that are just not true (the material impoverishment of the people and an increase in moral degeneracy) - yes life in 1890 was bad, but it was actually LESS bad than life for ordinary people had ever been before (both materially and morally).Paul Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18376632035812989444noreply@blogger.com