Liberation Theology is in - should Yi be concerned?

[derspiess]

Given that plenty of people - some of them Christians, some of them on this very board - feel that leaving poverty as it is is perfectly acceptable, putting th needs of the poor back into focus is significant.

Who?  I want names!

[Sheilbh]

Some people feel that government policy should be focused on alleviating poverty. Other people feel that government policy should not, perhaps because they feel it is inconvenient, because they prefer the money being spent on something that benefits them more directly, or because they feel it is somehow immoral to help the poor

Yeah. I find the culture war in the North American Church tedious beyond words (luckily so does the Vatican which is why they're focusing on the Latino population ) but I think there is something extraordinary that someone could talk at length about Catholic social teaching, subsidiarity and then have the politics of Rand Paul. It happens too often in the thickets of the right-wing US Catholic press.

Liberation theology - as I understand it - states that helping the poor is moral for Catholics, and goes further by saying that not doing so is a sin.

It goes further than that. That and the preferential option for the poor (and the young) is a mainstream Catholic teaching. I mean this is from Ratzinger's correction of liberation theology:

This warning should in no way be interpreted as a disavowal of all those who want to respond generously and with an authentic evangelical spirit to the "preferential option for the poor." It should not at all serve as an excuse for those who maintain the attitude of neutrality and indifference in the face of the tragic and pressing problems of human misery and injustice. It is, on the contrary, dictated by the certitude that the serious ideological deviations which it points out tends inevitably to betray the cause of the poor. More than ever, it is important that numerous Christians, whose faith is clear and who are committed to live the Christian life in its fullness, become involved in the struggle for justice, freedom, and human dignity because of their love for their disinherited, oppressed, and persecuted brothers and sisters. More than ever, the Church intends to condemn abuses, injustices, and attacks against freedom, wherever they occur and whoever commits them. She intends to struggle, by her own means, for the defense and advancement of the rights of mankind, especially of the poor.

[grumbler]

Given that plenty of people - some of them Christians, some of them on this very board - feel that leaving poverty as it is is perfectly acceptable, putting th needs of the poor back into focus is significant.

Who are these "plenty of people?"  Can you name, say, five of them?  Can you name three from this board?

Liberation Theology may involve this kind of strawman argument, but you should probably stick to saying what you think, and not telling us what others think.

[crazy canuck]

Thanks Sheilbh, that was very helpful.

[Admiral Yi]

"Leaving poverty as it is" is a strange turn of phrase that I'm having trouble deciphering.

[derspiess]

"Leaving poverty as it is" is a strange turn of phrase that I'm having trouble deciphering.

I take it to mean "not wanting to help poor people at all" and I can't think of any Languishites that would apply to-- particularly when you narrow it down to the small number of Christians here.

[CountDeMoney]

"Leaving poverty as it is" is a strange turn of phrase that I'm having trouble deciphering.

I take it to mean "not wanting to help poor people at all" and I can't think of any Languishites that would apply to-- particularly when you narrow it down to the small number of Christians here.

Yi cares about the poor; after all, without the poor how can you benchmark the wealthy with any reasonable degree of confidence?

[Admiral Yi]

I take it to mean "not wanting to help poor people at all" and I can't think of any Languishites that would apply to-- particularly when you narrow it down to the small number of Christians here.

My guess is it means not favoring income transfers and/or not favoring well intentioned progressive policies like raising the minimum wage and creating another dozen job training programs.

[derspiess]

My guess is it means not favoring income transfers and/or not favoring well intentioned progressive policies like raising the minimum wage and creating another dozen job training programs.

I'm sure that's the deeper meaning, yes-- with the implication that it's impossible to help the poor without using the state to do it.

[Sheilbh]

Subsidiarity = abolish Obamacare

[MadImmortalMan]

A friend of mine once told me he believes in separation of church and state, and helping the poor is the church's job.

[grumbler]

Subsidiarity = abolish Obamacare

[Tamas]

helping the poor is moral for Catholics, and goes further by saying that not doing so is a sin.

apart from emphasizing the sin part, isn't this Christianity 101?

[grumbler]

helping the poor is moral for Catholics, and goes further by saying that not doing so is a sin.

apart from emphasizing the sin part, isn't this Christianity 101?

And, adding the sin part, it is Catholicism 101, methinks.

[Eddie Teach]

Who are these "plenty of people?"  Can you name, say, five of them?  Can you name three from this board?

Siege, Ed & Cal when trolling, Jacob's impression of Garbon, Seedy's impression of Yi.