Calling people 'trolls' that's not very nice, is that the Christian way? I think you are upset because you know what I am saying makes sense. You don't help poor people become rich by becoming poor yourself, just like you don't make sad people happy by becoming depressed. God bless? What do you mean by 'God'?
I don't think you understand what the Pope is saying. He isn't saying people should be poor for the sake of being poor. What he is talking about is that focus should change from the pursuit of material gain towards spiritual gain. Priest living in poverty aren't doing so as an example of material poverty but of spiritual richness.
This is a great, succinct answer. If Barkley's still confused by this, then Chuck needs to do some more reading before he starts opining.
Bottom line. Quit the psychobabble. Do you believe in trickle down? i.e, the more tax breaks you give the uber wealthy, the better for poorer folks because it trickles down somehow.
Barkley isn't really confused by any of it, he's just trolling and challenging the viewpoint. In his mind the whole religion is stupid and he's trying to attack it. Hence the "God bless? What do you mean by 'God?'" line. Best to just ignore that and move on.
You're approaching this from the wrong end. I don't think Barkley's interested in defending capitalism; he's more interested in just being an anti-religious fool. As for the Pope, I'll observe that I do think that his message is more Christian. Whether that necessarily makes it a better thing is of course, a matter of opinion.
Thank you. It's just sad (and typical in modern America) that an interesting topic gets derailed in the same method every time, by the same sad sorts of individuals. On topic, it will be interesting to see if this Pope gets more and more bold with his statements, or whether what we see is what we'll get for the remainder of his tenure. He's already pretty outspoken, IMHO.
That'll be the interesting thing. I'm sure he's made a few rivals in the cardinal ranks, considering his repudiation of the close-minded "protect the Church" reign of Benedict XVI. This message, especially coming from an Argentine, is a powerful one. The Church has many, many followers in impoverished parts of the world known for corruption, inequality and repression. The fact that it's a South American Jesuit preaching this instead of a European cannot be discounted. The masses can find even more hope and empowerment when it's one of their own preaching it.
I've been wondering if the required support for his ascendancy came, in part, from some cardinals who were not that sympathetic to his exact views but knew he would be one hell (oh, whoops) of a recruiter.
Maybe. Also maybe he is squeaky clean on the sex abuse and cover ups that the past pope was so involved in.
You mean the way Christians use their religion and completely derail social issues into religious ones? Yes, that is quite unfortunate.
More from Pope Francis http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/...s-Tyranny-Says-That-Economic-Inequality-Kills While the earnings of a minority are growing exponentially, so too is the gap separating the majority from the prosperity enjoyed by those happy few. ]This imbalance is the result of ideologies which defend the absolute autonomy of the marketplace and financial speculation. Consequently, they reject the right of states, charged with vigilance for the common good, to exercise any form of control.] A new tyranny is thus born, invisible and often virtual, which unilaterally and relentlessly imposes its own laws and rules. snip OMG and he supports the "state", too. Wow. Can market fundies and "libertarians" still be be Catholics or Christians for that matter? In this system, which tends to devour everything which stands in the way of increased profits, whatever is fragile, like the environment, is defenseless before the interests of a deified market, which become the only rule.
No, that's pretty different. Social issues are based on morality, so if Christianity is the source of one's morality, it's very relevant to a person's view on a particular social issue. You may disagree with it, but it's not derailing of any sort. This, on the other hand, is just off-topic nonsense that has nothing to do with the topic - it's just people wanting to b**** about religion.
Not sure if relevant or not, but...an argument for capitalism from a Judeo-Christian perspective. What the Bible Teaches About Capitalism As the Ten Commandments instruct, envy is corrosive to the individual and to those societies that embrace it. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052970203806504577179303330474134
I am a Christian, but unlike almost everyone on this thread, I believe the Pope is completely wrong. The Pope's liberation theology/Christian socialism/Christian Marxism is not representative of Christians as a whole. On the contrary, there is a more compelling argument that the Bible does support capitalism (see above). I'm frankly tired of people using Christianity as a crutch to support leftist policies. It does not make sense. The Pope should stick to helping impoverished peoples and countries instead of diving into economics (and theology, for that matter) he doesn't understand.
Attaining wealth is not inherently evil. However, there are people who prioritize wealth so highly it comes before God. Obviously Jesus does not support putting wealth above loving God.
Yes, it's completely the same thing. Instead of having your sense of moral be based on and guided by people and events you know, Christians just point to the Bible and say "But this collection of tales written back in the stone age said..." That's the same thing as internet trolling.
This article was so funny, made even more hilarious by the author's baseless assumptions about the Bible. Some of my personal favorites: - "for it is through this that man cultivates the inner development leading to his own growth, good citizenship and happiness." >> Here I thought he must be clowning as he can't possibly believe that good citizenship of a nation-state has anything to do with what God wants. - "Yet capitalism is not content with people only being laborers and holders of jobs, indistinguishable members of the masses punching in and out of mammoth factories or functioning as service employees in government agencies. Nor is the Bible." >> Tremendous!!! lol!!! - "No country has achieved such broad-based prosperity as has America, or invented as many useful things, or seen as many people achieve personal promise. This is not an accident. It is the direct result of centuries lived by the free-market ethos embodied in the Judeo-Christian outlook." >> Incredible stuff!! No country has invented as many useful things such as the most murderous weapons in the history of mankind! That must be because of the 'Judeo Christian ethos'. NOT. I'm sure this guy can even come up with an argument for how the genocide of Native Americans is indirectly praised in the Bible because it led to a country that followed the 'Judeo Christian ethos'. Incredible. While lots of people are hoping these messages by the Pope will influence Christians Right Wingers towards a better path, make no mistake about it: they would rather change their religion than stop believing in free market mythology. That's good for everyone else because we won't have to tolerate the charade anymore.
