[laxcoach]

Across the Web, the groans and cries of the free-marketers, capitalists, and libertarians have begun to echo in response. Surprisingly, many of these voices condemn the Catholic Church for its "socialist" commitment to feeding the poor, caring for the sick, and doing the other things Jesus Christ commanded of us.

This person is either an idiot, completely ignorant, willfully blind, a liar, a Christian poser, or some combination thereof.

I am going with liar and poser.

He gets it exactly wrong. Individualism does not decry charity. Individualism decries forced charity at the point of a government controlled gun. The latter is tyrany and theft of our life ($ is time spent working).

It is fairly well documented over time that conservatives in this country give more to charity.

[ikeonic]

He gets it exactly wrong. Individualism does not decry charity. Individualism decries forced charity at the point of a government controlled gun. The latter is tyrany and theft of our life ($ is time spent working).

Nail. On. Head.

This is exactly the point I tried to make to Archbishop Chaput back in August. Contrary to popular belief, Catholics are very open to dialogue and this is a hotly debated topic.

[steve-b]

Precisely. The condemnation is (rightly) directed at those Catholic "leaders" who entwine themselves with the state and thereby transform charity (to which Christians are called) into socialism.

The remedy, obviously, it to retain strict and clear separation from the state.