Catholic or Democratic Socialism?

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Jesus Christ taught that we should praise God in all things and that we should share with one another. Sharing with one another sounds like socialism to me.
 
Forced? I doubt that. We like in a free country. Free will. And you are forced to pay for it? Someone is holding a gun on you until you write out a check? Oh, please…
 
Then we should “evangelize” people to teach them to help the poor through the state, which is the same (morally) as convincing them to help individually. It’s all the same.
It’s absolutely not the same. Personal charity is a virtue. Helping through the state often isn’t. It’s all in the heart of the individual.

State sponsored charity in a free nation never stops with a little help. There’s always more you can do and there will always be those willing to freely give other people’s money. That’s not virtuous or healthy, even though some might benefit.
 
Jesus Christ taught that we should praise God in all things and that we should share with one another. Sharing with one another sounds like socialism to me.
Sharing with one another is to give of your own free will. Socialism is about the force of the state. They are not even in the same league.
 
Jesus Christ taught that we should praise God in all things and that we should share with one another. Sharing with one another sounds like socialism to me.
Christ taught you to share your wealth. Not the wealth of others.
 
They don’t only benefit others but also you.

Besides, if this “others” want to help, what is the difference with, for example, donating the money to a charity project? These “others” WANT to help so you cannot say me that they don’t want to give money.

And finally, it isn’t other persons’ money because we all contribute with taxes.

And I repeat, we are not talking about socialism but social security.
 
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They don’t only benefit others but also you.
The ends don’t justify the means. You will always have people who don’t want to give, or give as much, as you want them too. Who decides how much is right? It’s their money, not yours.

As far as taxes go, all don’t contribute and those that do don’t do it at the same rate. That’s the danger of democracy. A majority can vote themselves nice benefits at the expense of the minority.
 
Why not ignore labels (Communist, Socialist, Capitalist, etc.) and just have a look at what the New Testament says?

Love your neighbor as yourself.
Sell all you have and give to the poor.
It’s easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Etc.

Then ask yourself which party embodies these ideals? It should be easy.
It is. Both do.

One party says that big government should be the way to implement these ideals. Unfortunately that same party misleads the public when they say opposition to big government doing these things means you don’t want these things implemented at all. That is false.
 
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“What we need is a balance between capitalism and socialism. Either out of control is a bad thing.”
You are correct. I have no problem paying my “collective” taxes for my roads, fire dept. schools, water filtration, and police departments!

The Church condemns Marxist socialism for the cog in the wheel mentality which can stifle God given ingenuity in many ways, livelihood endeavor most especially.

The Church also condemns free market Capitalism without a judicial framework (unbridled capitalism) due to the propensity of it to manifest corrupt excesses that almost always are in the form of money that is pocketed…not by the worker…but by the CEO.

This lay out of thought is as far back as the late 1800’s (Rerum Novarum) with Pope Leo, and re-iterated in Centesimus Annus with Saint JP II…The capitalism plunder needs to be reminded of at certain times in history.

It is my personal belief these are encyclicals that all Catholics should be aware of and have read.
 
Forced? I doubt that. We like in a free country. Free will. And you are forced to pay for it? Someone is holding a gun on you until you write out a check? Oh, please…
Hear of Jordan Peterson much? I highly recommend him.
 
In short you cannot point me to the Church teaching!
You are the one who said it is a Church teaching yet you are unable to point me to the teaching. What’s wrong with that picture?
I already did this but I’ll do it again.
From this heresy there arose in the last century a false philosophy–a new right as it is called, and a popular authority, together with an unbridled license which many regard as the only true liberty. Hence we have reached the limit of horrors, to wit, communism, socialism, nihilism, hideous deformities of the civil society of men and almost its ruin. And yet too many attempt to enlarge the scope of these evils, and under the pretext of helping the multitude, already have fanned no small flames of misery. The things we thus mention are neither unknown nor very remote from us.
Diuturnum #23
Pope Leo XIII
I would say a papal encyclical fits the bill of Church teaching.
 
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Socialism is a result of those who can share, but refuse to share. If rich is good, then, sharing less could make that rich person richer. Capitalist believe that you can never acquire enough of anything.
 
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In a free society, no one is forced to do anything. Now people may fear being chastised by some, if they do not follow what some believe to be the norm. But in the end, people in a free society pretty much do what they choose to do.
 
Sure, but you’re going to have to be more specific. All systems have warts, but some are better at mitigating the effects of our fallen nature. Here in the US we established a system that allows a lot of personal freedom. That’s a great thing! The rub is that it allows for a lot of personal failure. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
 
Whatever you do - speaking to no one in particular - don’t vote for Bernie Sanders.
 
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I think you conflate capitalism (an economic system) with greed (a vice).
 
That’s a great thing! The rub is that it allows for a lot of personal failure. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
The ‘rub’ is that any system can be exploited. That is why the Church, who through Her wisdom, has earned the unmitigated right to speak for the poor so that they too may have a stake in this thing we call capitalism. Hence, it is endorsed within a judicial framework.

Regulations are not put in place to thwart exploitation, we are re-active not pro-active. Regulations were put in place because there was exploitation.

Regulated capitalism makes sense. An economic system left to it’s own demise has proven greed time over time.
 
Capitalist believe that you can never acquire enough of anything.
Are you saying every person who agrees with Capitalism is committing a deadly sin? If so you just insulted and condemned millions of Christians.
 
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