What is the role of Government in CST?

[goofyjim]

Well I certainly don’t want a minority ruling by any means. That would be frightening no matter which direction they took us-conservative or liberal.

 

[Oscarthecat]

Well I certainly don’t want a minority ruling by any means. That would be frightening no matter which direction they took us-conservative or liberal.

I think what is frightening is that people resign themselves to the implication that they need to be ruled in the first place.

I think that, given the opportunity and a period of adjustment, that people would find that they are able to maintain order within their own lives without the need for government regulation.

The bottom line is whether you believe that, at the level of individuals, given a condition of unregulated social freedom, are people generally good or are people generally bad?

If you say that most people are bad, and government is made by and of the people, then most of the people in government are also bad-probably worse than average because they have clamored for power over the rest. Therefore, under the “people are bad” model, government control is necessarily bad.

If you say that most people are good, then there would be no need for government, because people would be able to self govern in a cooperative manner with one another toward good ends.

In either event, it is hard to make an argument in favor of big government.

To get back to my OP, this is one of the strengths of Catholic Social Teaching- the Church teaches that individuals are ultimately accountable to their own conscience, it places the responsibility for one’s actions at the level of the individual, not at the level of government, and teaches that every human person is capable of leading a moral life so long as they have a properly formed conscience.

Therefore, should our goal as Catholics be to support the trend toward an ever growing government that strives to keep order through the implementation of force? Or should we help one another to grow individually, take responsibility for our own lives, and emphasize that a good society is based on adherence to a well formed conscience?

 

[Pius_IX]

To get back to my OP, this is one of the strengths of Catholic Social Teaching- the Church teaches that individuals are ultimately accountable to their own conscience, it places the responsibility for one’s actions at the level of the individual, not at the level of government, and teaches that every human person is capable of leading a moral life so long as they have a properly formed conscience

.

And that is the beauty of the Catholic Church. And some wonder why so many Austrian economists are Catholic? (from Thomas Woods to Otto von Hapsburg - although the Crown Prince is more of a fellow traveler)

 

[stinkcat_14]

.

And that is the beauty of the Catholic Church. And some wonder why so many Austrian economists are Catholic? (from Thomas Woods to Otto von Hapsburg - although the Crown Prince is more of a fellow traveler)

Actually Tom Woods is a historian, not an economist.

 

[Tigg]

I think what is frightening is that people resign themselves to the implication that they need to be ruled in the first place.

I agree, and yet does not the massive entitlement programs of the liberal left come into play here? Do not we, as individuals, need to work in order to eat (I know this is scriptural), and yet, through human weakness, people want to be taken care of - they do not want the responsibility of true liberty. I’m sure we’ve all heard the term welfare is the plank to socialism. In other words, “let the government take care of me. I will resign my rights and privileges and bend to the will of government so that they might do so.”