Capitalism & Communism: the Same?
Dear Mark Shea & Jeff Cavins:
Thanks to both of you for all the services you have given to the Church. However, I disagree with your recent comparison and even a moral equivalence of communism and “a lot of capitalism” in a recent statement you made on the Spiritual Works of Mercy.
A lot of capitalism? Please read the new book by Michael Novak- Three in One. Read! Learn! Love! The TRUTH.
The best to the two of you,
Howard Clark
Dear Howard:I stand by my point, which is echoed by an even greater authority than Michael Novak, namely, Pope John Paul II. In his encyclical Centesimus Annus, the Holy Father discussed the dangers which face the West in its victory over communism and the atheistic worldview (and consequent false view of the human person which atheism engendered). While acknowledging (as we do) that democratic capitalism was a great and good tool for fostering human happiness, he also warned of its dangers. Answering the question of whether capitalism should be the goal and model for developing countries, he replies:
If by “capitalism” is meant an economic system which recognizes the fundamental and positive role of business, the market, private property and the resulting responsibility for the means of production, as well as free human creativity in the economic sector, then the answer is certainly in the affirmative, even though it would perhaps be more appropriate to speak of a “business economy,” “market economy” or simply “free economy.” But if by “capitalism” is meant a system in which freedom in the economic sector is not circumscribed within a strong juridical framework which places it at the service of human freedom in its totality and sees it as a particular aspect of that freedom, the core of which is ethical and religious, then the reply is certainly negative.
I think it plainly obvious that a great deal of the culture here in the capitalist West does indeed have precisely the same materialist view of the human person as the Communist East did. The boast and brag of such debased capitalism is not that it places freedom in the economic sector at the service of human freedom to do the will of God, but that it liberates us from any and all restrictions on our appetites, desires, whims and lusts. Just turn on your TV. It’s not hard to see a licentious materialism that ignores the deeper truths of the human person just as communism celebrated a tyrannical materialism that likewise ignored the deeper truths of the human person.
Does this mean that capitalism and communism are “morally equivalent”? Of course not. Capitalism, as the Holy Father points out, can be done well and often is. Communism was inherently flawed and contrary to human dignity, whereas capitalism, while it can be debased, need not be. Often capitalism is practiced very well indeed (as Novak and Richard John Neuhaus demonstrate repeatedly). But it remains a fact that a capitalism pressed into the service of a materialist worldview which sees the human person solely as homo economicus or as a mere complex of appetites, or in any other way which fundamentally denies his dignity as a creature made in the image of God is a tool of a debased ideology which is ultimately as deadly to the soul as communism was. The core and saving difference is that it need not be so debased, whereas communism, by the nature of its philosophical foundations, could be nothing else than the soul (and body) killing ideology it was. It is, in part, precisely to save capitalism from this fate that the Pope wrote Centesimus Annus.Mark Shea
Senior Content Editor
Catholic Exchange
Does CE Have an Imprimatur?
Dear Catholic Exchange:
Thank you for having this website, to support faith in God and to support trust in His One True Church. Do the articles available in Catholic Pages, Truth Tracts, and Bible Study have an “Imprimatur” or some other approval from a bishop? I would like to read some of them, but if I understand the concept of the “Index of Forbidden Books,” I cannot read these articles about religion unless they have a bishop’s approval.
Roman
Dear Roman:Three points:
First, we are in the process of getting an episcopal blessing for our site. e3mil, our predecessor, had such a blessing but we thought it would be good to have one of our very own, which we expect to get shortly.
Second: the Index of Forbidden Books no longer exists. The Church instead asks you to exhibit common sense and good judgement according to the mind of Christ in reading and does not micromanage your reading choices. Part of that good judgment, of course, means relying on the healthy judgment of other people at times.
Finally, our site is fully submissive to the teaching of the Pope and the bishops. This does not mean every article on the site is written by a Catholic. The Today feature for February 5, 2002 was written by Sam Schulman, a devout Jewish writer, in defense of the Church against the latest dumb attacks from Daniel Jonah Goldhagen. Our interest at Catholic Exchange, is to publish the truth. Since all truth is God’s truth, we aren’t choosy about whether that truth comes from a Catholic pen–though of course, on our site it usually does.
Hope that helps!
Mark Shea
Senior Content Editor
Catholic Exchange
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Dear Catholic Exchange:
I’ve donated money to Catholic Exchange in the past and have, until recently, been a catholic apologist of the first order. (Not first rate, but first order meaning always looking to engage Protestants in conversation and dialogue.)
I happened to have moved to a new area not too long ago and was looking for a Catholic 20’s 30’s group nearby but found nothing, NOTHING. There is an overflow on the Protestant groupings however, replete with bible studies and hip gatherings for singles on Sunday nights with live music playing those Wow songs; even a live speaker. These folks are on fire and I have to admit that I’m impressed. It really isn’t ABOUT the church which it seems to me remains much too high of a priority of the Catholic establishment. It’s about a relationship with Jesus Christ. You say that Catholics don’t worship Mary but we both know that isn’t true. Hail = repetitive praise, which turns to worship. I’ve treated Mary as Christ-like myself after having said the rosary every day for a year.
Half of Catholics went for the pro-abortion Catholic McGreevey here in the New Jersey gubernatorial election. What is that about?! It seems to me that we are missing something here.
It’s always been a thought of mine that Protestants need the Catholic Church, but after having seen them close up, and having been around average Catholics (including priests) for years, I can honestly tell you that you are living a pipe dream if you think that they need the Catholic Church. As a percentile my guess is that the average Protestant is more knowledgeable and faith driven than the average Catholic by a good step. Of course, the individual is what matters, but I believe the aforementioned analysis is true in large measure.
Don’t get me wrong, Christianity was impossible without the mother Church, but America was also impossible without the Protestant spirit and faith.
Anonymous
Dear Anonymous:Thank you for sharing your thoughts. You make some excellent points about our Protestant brothers and sisters (sounds like you’ve converted, however, which I hope is not the case). I, too, have, in the spirit of ecumenism, been swept up in the fervor with which my Evangelical friends practice their faith. These good people are much closer to God, from what I’ve observed, than any lukewarm Catholic. We truly have much to learn from each other.
I believe we are being called to recognize precisely what you are seeing. Just yesterday, Pope John Paul II stressed that the Catholic Church has made an “irrevocable commitment to ecumenism,” as he met with a delegation from the Christian churches of Finland. “It is crucial that Christians pray unceasingly for unity,” the Holy Father said. He remarked that a return to “full communion will not be the fruit of human effort” but the result of patient prayer.
As to the dearth of Catholic youth groups, I agree this is a scandal. There are signs of hope, however, such as Lifeteen and the excitement generated by the World Youth Day events. Please don’t give up. Now is the time for all good Christians to recognize the full truth and respond accordingly. As you say, we need to bring this truth — the truth of Jesus Christ — to our own people. We need to teach every Catholic that the answer to the question, “Why do you believe you are going to Heaven when you die?” is not “Because I’m a good person,” but “Because Jesus Christ died for my sins, washed my soul clean with His blood, and opened up the gates of Heaven for me!” We also need to explain to our fellow Catholics that we do not worship the Blessed Mother but venerate her as the Ark of the Covenant and Queen of Heaven, and that the purpose of praying to Mary is to have her lead us to her Son.But we also need to bring the full deposit of the faith to our separated brethren. Our Christian friends absolutely do need the Catholic Church. Read the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel and you will realize that they are missing an essential piece. They are not recognizing Jesus in the breaking of the bread! They may have the Word and the Holy Spirit, but we Catholics have the Eucharist, the Sacraments, the Traditions and the Magisterium. Let us pray for Christian unity!
In Christ,
Tom Allen
Editor, President
Catholic Exchange
Dear Catholic Exchange,
I’d like to follow up what Tom Allen wrote in response to Anonymous.
Do Protestants need the Catholic Church? Absolutely. Acts 2:42 contains the fundamentals of the Church: “And they were persevering in the doctrine of the apostles, and in the communication of the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” Protestant churches certainly have “prayers”; but they fall short when it comes to the “doctrine of the apostles” and the “breaking of the bread”.
The Protestant Reformation concept that every person can interpret the Bible how he wants, completely independent of the apostolic tradition and the Church hierarchy whose authority derives from the apostles, has resulted in theological anarchy. It’s why there are tens of thousands of Protestant denominations, each one thinking they exclusively know the truth. Mr. Allen has already alluded to the Protestant misunderstanding of the breaking of the bread. In addition to John 6 and other Biblical references, the Didache, one of the oldest Christian documents that was written ~50 years after the death of Christ and around the same time as the New Testament, clearly describes a liturgical church with the Eucharist referred to as a “sacrifice” – a concept which is rejected by Protestants.
As someone in his twenties, I certainly admire the zeal and wonderful programs for youth at Protestant churches; and I also lament at the lack of the same at Catholic churches. Instead of drawing us away from Catholicism, however, this should be motivation for Catholics to renew our churches. The reason is that without the right doctrine, all the zeal and programs will be useless. How important is it to stay true to the apostolic doctrine of the Catholic Church?
“Now the Spirit manifestly saith, that in the last times some shall depart from the faith, giving head to spirits of error, and doctrines of devils” 1 Tim 4:1.
“Now I beseech you, brethren, to mark them who cause dissensions and offences contrary to the doctrine which you have learned, and to avoid them; for they that are such serve not our Lord Christ, but their own belly, and by pleasing speeches and good words seduce the hearts of the innocent,” Romans 16:17-18 “Look to yourselves that ye lose not the things that ye have wrought, but that you may receive a full reward. Whosever revolteth, and continueth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that continueth in the doctrine, the same hath both the Father and the Son. If any man come to you and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, nor say to him, God speed you” 2 John 8-10.
Yours sincerely,
Paul Yong
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Dear Catholic Exchange:
I wanted to respond to Anonymous’ comments concerning charismatic Protestants versus the relative merits of the Catholic Church. I also tip my figurative hat to our Protestant brothers and sisters who energize their services and their relationship with Jesus through the various charismatic movements. It is important, however, to recognize is that Anonymous is seeing a certain Protestant response that is by no means universal among Protestants, either as groups or individually. To compare a charismatic service with a solemn High Mass is to compare apples and eggplants. There are charismatic Catholics whose services light fires in those who are moved by that style of service. Some, including me, get more out of a more solemn Mass, and do not get anything from charismatic services. And I like to rock and roll.
Instead of taking the Church to task because there is a lack of outreach, the question that should be asked of such critics is, “What are you going to do about it?” You have probably heard a time or two that you, Anonymous, are the Church. I know that it is much easier to go where it is being done for you and all you have to do is show up and have a good time. But if you believe that the Catholic Church has the fullness of truth, you will want to bring the best of what another group is doing to other Catholics. Are you willing to lead a Bible study group? Are you willing to help organize a Catholic Charismatic Mass; a singles night? I’ve heard many Pastors say that they cannot take on another project, but I’ve never heard one say that they would not let someone else do something.
Speaking from experience, too many Catholics expect to have things done for them by the Church. You are the Church! You want something done differently? Go do it!
Mark Cooley
