As a Catholic, I do not oppose redistribution of my wealth to the “poor” and I do care for the least of my brethren. On my own terms, in my own way, by my own free choice.

What I give to charity is none of Jack Clark’s (whoever he is) business. Who is he (or Obama) to order me to conform my charitable giving to his standards?

I am the mother of two children who were born in the rat-infested slums of a huge South American city. Our family has devoted countless hours doing fund-raising for the orphanage there, among many other charity works in our own country — without Mr. Clark or Mr. Obama telling us how to do it. I do not need a lecture from either one of them about what I “owe” the least of my brethren.

As for the Pope — he is right. We all have a duty to provide careful stewardship of this planet. Voluntarily.

Enough said.

A couple of morons tried thinly veiled swipes at the Catholic Church yesterday. Didnt work.

By the way, please tell me, where the Catholic Church urges compulsory redistribution via a a police state. Are you opposed to charity. Nice.

And since when are Catholics required to be single issue voters. And why are all Catholics beholden to the actions of a few. Its like some idiot saying, geesh, the Ku Klux Klan was founding by Protestants. Protestants suported Jim Crow South. How can you be a christian and support hate. What say you Protesants.

People who know nothing of the Church, shouldnt be writing about the Church.

Are you Syn09.

Your confusion is between Catholic teaching – which is not collectivistic and far more nuanced than you make it our to be – and what certain individuals (some of whom do hold influentiall positions in the hierarchy) do to exploit this Catholic teaching for their anti-Christian, collectivistic faith and leftist political agenda.

And under the current (and previous) Pope, the Church has been making much progress in returning to and adhering to its historic convictions away from which the leftist wolves in sheep’s clothing had been seducing the Church.

That much I can say from the outside. Beyond that, I’ll leave it to our Catholics brothers here to explicate.

But so long as the Catholic Church remains true to her teachings, they are basically on the right side on these issues and holding to a Biblical position, though they may use different language than Evangelicals (who BTW have serious sedution problems by the Evangelical “left” on this same issue as well) and mediate it through the Magisterium.

Redirect your fire onto our real enemies, which are legion.

1. This isn’t a theological site though occasionally arguments head in that direction.

2. As a Catholic, I personally frown on having my Church’s doctrines and history run through a combination garbage disposal and sausage mill and then posted as an argument challenging the Church. You misstate Catholic social teaching, you clearly don’t have any understanding of the doctrine of Papal Infallibility, or how the Church operates. Please cease and desist or, alternatively, continue down this path at your peril.

George W. Bush used his bully pulpit as president of the U.S.A. to preach against materialism and excess. He often urged Americans to be more giving and more charitable and to help the poor and infirm. He asked those of with plenty to be considerate of the less fortuante. He once even urged that we be good steward of the envirnoment.

He must be a socialist.

Seriously, this is the third or fourth poster in two days to try to attack the Church on specious grounds. The arguments are ridiculous and must be motivated by hate or the source of stupidity.

And one more time for you mouth breathing, knuckle draggers:

The Catholic Church is a stalwart defender of property rights and free will. Threfore, it is completely illogical to assert any association with socialism. The Pope uses his bully pupit to encourage Catholics around the world to behave more charitably, all billion of them.

The capstone, the prized pearl, the sole tenet of American Civil Religion in both its full-blown orthodox and more widespread syncretistic modes, never fails to make its appearance in such threads, and has yet again graced us all with its enlightening and inspiring appearance.

Ave libero arbitrio!
(Because I can, that’s why!)

There, that should keep those dratted anti-biblical Calvinists, with all their mumbo-jumbo about solathis-solathat-eternalcovenants-election-predestination-totaldepravity-expiation-propitiation-irresistiblegrace-effectualcalling-regeneration-justification-adoption-sanctification-perseverance-glorification out of here for a while at least! Maybe we’ll get a little peace.

I say so in the context of charity. You clearly don’t know what you’re talking about, and I advise that you pick a different topic.

Case in point: there is no such thinig as “infallibility of the Church.”

There is infallibility of the Pope, but Pope Benedict did not speak from “the chair,” so NO CATHOLIC, nor any Christian, is dogmatically bound to his words.

“incestuously”? Really.

Your article is a thin-veiled swipe at the Catholic Church, which you so obviously hate, Scott.

Trying to link the Catholic Church with Barack Hussein Obama is an outrage.

You fail, buddy.

To other posters:

I agree on the stewardship argument. This includes taking care of monkeys like Scott. And being charitable by alerting him to his ignorance and stupidity.

And of course, I realize my remarks are borderline scandalous — I apologize.

I’m incensed. It began with his “incestuous.”

Pay attention to words, people.

Jesus said:

Mark 14:7
For the poor you have always with you: and whensoever you will, you may do them good: but me you have not always

He DID NOT, nor does the Catholic Church, advocate socialism.

Jesus knew there would be no “remedy” to poverty, as espoused by the socialists.

Period.

You are either very ignorant, in the dark, or simply as mean-spirited as they come.

Barack is for the murder of innocents.

He reversed Bush’ s ban on foreign aid to fund abortions by signing an executive within days of his inauguration.

Vatican Condemns Pres. Obama’s reversal
http://www.christianandamerican.com/vatican-condemns-pres-obamas-reversal-of-mexico-city-policy.html

Pope Condemns Promotion of Abortion as Health Care in Africa, Impacts Obama
http://www.lifenews.com/int1133.html

Pearls before swine .. I leave you to your folly.

In the wee hours of the morning, their statements on responsible use of common resources look awfully similar to each other.

Statement from the Vatican currently under debate:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/peace/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20091208_xliii-world-day-peace_en.html

John Locke on property:
http://www.constitution.org/jl/2ndtr05.htm

As far as I could tell, the Vatican did not advocate government mandates such as Cap and Tax.

Please note, philosophy is not my forte, so I may be missing the mark on what Locke is trying to say.

“There are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions, however, who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church …. As a matter of fact, if we Catholics believed all of the untruths and lies which were said against the Church, we probably would hate the Church a thousand times more than they do.” ARCHBISHOP FULTON J. SHEEN

A refutation is posted here:
http://www.redstate.com/veronicaestrada/2009/12/17/pope-beneict-xvis-purpose-in-addressing-environmentalism-a-very-simple-primer/

Just for your consideration, guys.

I would recommend you read the actual message:

http://www.vatican.va/news_services/or/or_eng/text.html#1

Read and discern, unlike the poster of the anti-Catholic propaganda on this page..