What does the Church think about facism, communism, anarchy, and socialism?

[vern_humphrey]

I don’t think they can–I think this has the most Magisterial support as well as that from the most saints and doctors of the Church. However, Bl. John Duns Scotus and some others argue that we can break civil laws under two additional conditions–we ar ewilling to suffer the consequence (the risk of getting arrested, paying a fine, etc.) or we are not violating the spirit of the law (e.g. jaywalking laws are for traffic safety and you can see for miles down the road and there are no cars, so you can “jaywalk”).

But it’s a long stretch from saying we can break a law with adequate justification to saying we must break the laws. Anarchy is basically the propositon that there should be no laws.

 

[Sarcalogos321]

Sorry if I’m digging up and old thread, I just had a response to these remarks.

But if we are going to be anarchists, what do we do about rapists, serial killers and child molestors?

I think this article answers that question better than I could:
Stateless Prisons by Stefan Molyneux

Do we just step over the dead bodies in the streets while muttering a prayer? Oh, wait a minute – under anarchy, there won’t be any streets.

To assume that because only the State makes streets therefore without the State there would be no streets is fatuous. Before governments violently imposed a monopoly on the roads, they where all built privately, and government hasn’t even performed the task passably well.

 

[Sarcalogos321]

Given the Church’s hierarchy and authoritarian constitution, how can anarchy be compatible with the Church?

Anarchism proposes to get rid of the State, not the Church. It seeks to abolish involuntary relationships (ie individual and government) not voluntary relationships (ie individual and Church).

 

[KingAlfred]

I’m 99% sure it disapproves of the first three, so I’d like explanations why.

And before anyone asks, no, I am not interested in any of these, I was just wondering.

I believe it’s impossible for any Catholic to buy into these ideologies. They’re all totalitarian, meaning they seek to *totally *consume the individual as well as greater society. In these belief systems, there’s no room for competing beliefs of any kind. In effect, they’re political religions, and Christians must always put their belief in God first and foremost. Anarch might be the one possible exception here, but I can’t think of any historical example of a durable, deliberate, successful form of anarchical rule.

 

[Sarcalogos321]

I believe it’s impossible for any Catholic to buy into these ideologies. They’re all totalitarian, meaning they seek to *totally *consume the individual as well as greater society. In these belief systems, there’s no room for competing beliefs of any kind. In effect, they’re political religions, and Christians must always put their belief in God first and foremost.

This is entirely true of fascism, communism, and pretty much any dictatorial system. However anarchism is a very diverse ideology. There are Christian, Catholic, pacifist, socialist, communist, capitalist, and libertarian anarchists, just to name a few.

Anarchy might be the one possible exception here, but I can’t think of any historical example of a durable, deliberate, successful form of anarchical rule.

-The Icelandic Commonwealth- 930-1262
-Pennsylvania- 1681-1690
-Celtic Ireland- 650-1650