Papal “Bull”?
As the head of the Catholic Church, it is expected of a Pope to make grand declarations about social justice and issues that concern the Church . His apostolic decrees call for christians everywhere to uphold workers rights and to provide a living wage to everyone. However, Pope Francis is the first pope who has spoken specifically on how to bring about true equality . He has made specific statements about politics and the economy that no pope has done before. His position against capitalism is starkly opposed to what we have learned in our Economics course. He has a great concern about inequality, greed and wantonness of ethics. Pope Francis’s views on the current culture are clearly evident in his Evangelii Gaudium.
Pope Francis’s
And we as a people have become indifferent to their struggles. We have, without even realizing it, collectively decided that helping the poor is somebody else’s problem instead of our own.
Furthermore, Pope Francis believes that the insatiable lust for money is the root cause of the gap between the the rich and poor. He believes that the greed of the affluent has caused many of the global crises we face today. It undeniable that we as a people have begun to worship false gods;money. Francis calls this“the idolatry of money”. He stated that the “thirst for power and possessions” corrupts people from treating others fairly. Unless equal opportunities are provided to the poor, conflict will eventually breakout because inequality provokes violence.
Finally, Pope francis wants to ensure that “humanity is served by wealth not ruled by it.” The problem Francis has with capitalism is that people will sacrifice their morals to make profit. Currently there are unjust social structures that prevent change from occurring. Francis wants business and political leaders to recreate a financial system, that favours people over
In reality, his goal of a perfectly fair economy is impractical. It has been proven time and again that this type of socialist manifesto never succeeds. If you overload the workforce, businesses will eventually lose more money providing employment than they will make selling any kind of product. Also, the giving away money only incentives people to continue not to work. The only way to ensure future wealth for anybody is to product in a way that maximizes profits.
Even though I am not a Catholic, I find Pope Francis’s argument about capitalism interesting. As a christian, I have never considered that my personal beliefs would ever conflict with being in business. Right now I feel kind of torn because I believe in many of Francis’s valid points but I feel disagree with some of his accusations. I do firmly believe that capitalism and and christian values can coexist if it is done correctly. In fact, I firmly believe that having christian values will make capitalism more effective for more
Elected in 1958 as a ‘caretaker Pope’, Pope John XXIII implemented the greatest reforms in the Church’s history. His involvement within the Church had played a significant contribution to the reforming of social, political and liturgical Christian traditions. During the early twentieth century, the Catholic Church still held the century old conservative beliefs and traditions as they continued to separate the Church from the secular world, therefore, disadvantaging the Church to a world that was modernising. In addition to this, the Church restricted modernist thoughts due to the belief that new theologies would threaten the power and authority of the Church, but ...
There are six practices that Francis helped put in place transformed Christianity for good. His practices are still preached today. Friendship, Francis was friends with everyone. He had the ability to accept those in poverty and the wealthy, but even more he was able to accept the purity of nature and animals. Francis preached that we all are equal and have something to offer one another. Poverty is another practice that Francis had spoke of. He felt by giving everything you have and living with nothing allowed you to become one with poverty. Spirituality was also something that no other leader had ever preached as an important time no matter who or what, faith is the ultimate connection to follow God. Francis cared for everything no matter what it was, human, animal even things such as rocks needed to be cared for. Finally Francis's last practice was death. Francis felt that death was his sister. Everyone would be encountered with it and it was something not to be feared, but be more looked at as peaceful (Sweeney,
In Peter Singer’s Famine, Affluence, and Morality, he critiques the way in which modern societies have grown accustomed to their ordinary thoughts about famine, affluence, and morality in general. Singer describes a situation in which nine million refugees from East Bengal are living in poverty, and it is the responsibility of the wealthy, and better-off nations to take immediate and long term action to provide for them and to end poverty overall. (Singer, 873) Through his essay, Singer envisions a new world where giving to those in need is no longer seen as charity, but rather a moral duty. He states that in the world we currently live in, it is seen as generous and partaking in a good deed when you donate money to charity, and no one is blamed for not (876). Singer proposes that excess money should be given to those in need, rather than spending it in “selfish and unnecessary” ways (876).
Chapter one, ‘Beginnings at Assisi,’ offers a vivid description of the social, political, economic, cultural, demographic description of Assisi and its inhabitants. Here, the author describes the life of Francis and the situations and circumstances prompting his journey to spread the ideal gospel life to the world. This chapter is relevant in determining the circumstances that instigated a need for reforms in the Catholic Church. This chapter is applicable in my life because it offers insight on the fundamental Christian I can rely on in my daily life.
Grudem’s book Business for the Glory of God explores the business world, and how the characteristics of God can be found throughout business (2003). The book reveals the many aspects of business and ways God can be glorified through these activities: “ownership, productivity, employment, commercial transactions, profit, money, inequality of possessions, competition, borrowing and lending, attitudes of the heart, and the effect on world poverty” (Grudem, 2003, p. 12-13). Grudem attempts to prove that business is fundamentally good instead of the general thinking that business is characteristically found to have misconduct. The purpose of the book is to demonstrate that the various aspects of business activities can produce morally good things, but also how business could be altered and become sinful. This paper incorporates a summary of the book, plus an analysis on a couple of ideas that was presented.
Carnegie ends his essay by saying that to follow his plan regarding wealth would someday solve the problem gap between the rich and poor, and bring “Peace on earth, among men Good-Will” (495). I plan to show my concerns and beliefs for and against his ideas.
Numerous organizations are assisting those in need. Then why does the United States have so many people poverty stricken? Some blame the impoverished themselves while others blame the wealthy, the economic system, and other facets of society. Regardless, poverty is a reality no matter where the blame lies.
The stronger will do anything in their power to make a profit, leaving the weak with nothing. Kuyper says, “…the more powerful exploited the weaker by means of a weapon against which there was no defense” (Kuyper, Abraham, and James W. Skillen 26). Additionally, he states that “…the idolization of money killed the nobility in the human heart” (Kuyper, Abraham, and James W. Skillen 31). Kuyper talks about how Jesus felt bad for the rich and sided with the poor (Kuyper, Abraham, and James W. Skillen 32). Matthew 6:19-21 says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Earthly materials mean nothing because the real treasure awaits in
Sources exhibit examples of greed that result in impoverished conditions for all circumstances of life. Greed is evident through the actions of social groups, and at the individual level. Selfishness would not benefit the good in life if it is expected to gain and not be expected to lose. Gluttony is evident in today's social environment just as much as it was years ago, whether it be using someone for self purpose, exploitation, damaging relationships, creating wars and oppression, destroying nature, countless other evils and many live without the necessities that we take for granted.
At the beginning of the sixteenth century church theologian, Martin Luther, wrote the 95 Theses questioning the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church. In this essay I will discuss: the practices of the Roman Catholic Church Martin Luther wanted to reform, what Martin’s specific criticism of the pope was, and the current practices Pope Francis I is interested in refining in the Roman Catholic Church today.
Williams, O. F. Catholic Social Teaching: A Communitarian Democratic Capitalism for the New World Order. Journal of Business Ethics, 1993.Vol.12, no.12 p. 919-923.
After becoming the Pope, Pope Leo X paid no attention to the dangers threatening the papacy, and gave himself into amusing his people (History of Popes). He loved to give banquets and host elaborate dinners night after night, one of his guests wrote to his family, “The meal was exquisite, and there was an endless selection of dishes, for we had sixty-five courses,” (The Medici Popes, PBS). Pope Leo X also hired more than seven hundred servants to take care of the papal household, which mostly included his family, relatives and Florentines, more than ever before (Pope Leo X, the opponent of the reformation). Having wasted the money upon his relatives and parties, it still did not occur to Leo that his extravagance was emptying the churches coffers and the debt was to much to pay. Once Leo was aware of the situation at hand, he decided to find means to get hold of money, however that money too was spent on worldly affairs. The reason why the nobles and many others did not realize this is because he bribed them with money and amused them with dinners, and banquets.
Accordingly to Aristotle when he said, "Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime." He revealed to us the most important object that people would do anything for it, and it is obviously the money. Even though money is a common need among people, does
One of the biggest issues that has been plaguing north america is the huge gap between the rich and the poor. As this gap increases the more corrupt the people in it seem to get. This becomes even more of a problem because with the system that the Americas uses only the rich get richer. The source believes that it is the framework of our society that creates this gap and this makes sense. The western world is filled with the idea that in order to be happy a person must have as much money as possible however, this leads to people doing whatever they deem necessary to become more rich; this includes ignoring the position they are putting others in. since those with lots of money have power over jobs and income, the people below them will not have the power to confront low income therefore the source says that the people that have power over the upper
However, Monsma discusses in his article that if people are fully devoted to being a steward of economic judgement, we must strive to “provide all with access to the basic necessities for life in that society, and must provide all with opportunities for producing for their own needs in a context which gives them control over their own labor and a portion of the other resources of society.” No one in this world deserves to be left in the dust and fend for themselves if that seems to be their only option. As stewards we should strive to have “no poor among you (for the Lord will bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance to possess), if only you will obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all this commandment which I command you this day” (Deut. 15:4-5). People that have been blessed with access to many resources need to trust God that by using them for the greater good, it will lead the world closer to economic