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The Poor, the Pope, and the Liberals
American Thinker ^ | 03/15/2013 | Tom trinko

Posted on 03/15/2013 7:59:18 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

The new Pope -- Francis not Francis I -- is a staunch supporter of the poor. This has led many liberals to lick their chops about how the new pope will condemn conservatives. They ignore the fact that it was Blessed Pope John Paul II who made popular the phrase "a preferential respect for the poor".

Aside from the fact that Pope Francis clearly declares that the holiest liberal sacrament, the untouchable third rail in liberal social circles, abortion, is a death sentence for the unborn, and that active homosexuality, another cornerstone of the liberal view of life, is a grave sin, the problem with the idea of Pope Francis championing liberalism is that he possess a completely different view of how poverty should be addressed.

Liberals view their charitable obligation as being fulfilled by supporting laws that take money from others and give that money to liberal politicians to redistribute as they wish; a concise definition of a liberal is someone who wants to be philanthropic with other people's money. Francis however believes in the obligation of everyone to voluntarily give of what is theirs to help the poor; that is Pope Francis believes we must be charitable with what is ours, not with what is our neighbors'.

While that certainly does not preclude the government taking a role in helping those in need, the Pope's position is worlds apart from the government centric and confiscatory perspective of liberals. When Argentina faced great economic problems, Pope

Francis did not present political solutions. Rather he and his brother bishops called the people to live by the teachings of Christ, to take individual responsibility for helping the poor. Working to change laws that discriminate against the poor or protect the rich can certainly be part of that responsibility,

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: pope; popefrancis; poverty
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To: MrB

I think that part about preferential treatment of the poor may mean that we shouldn’t treat the poor unjustly just because they’re poor. Justice should be meted out consistently regardless of one’s financial position.


21 posted on 03/15/2013 10:20:40 AM PDT by virgil
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To: MrB
I found it odd, though, that Pope John Paul II would express a policy of preferential treatment of the poor when the Bible clearly states that this is wrong.

‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?’

22 posted on 03/15/2013 10:56:44 AM PDT by Servant of the Cross (the Truth will set you free)
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To: don-o

“Sickening.

My mind boggles to contemplate the evil behind that.”

Evil never bothered commies, or for that matter, most of humanities rulers. When LBJ followed FDR, and doubled down on FDR’s socialism, he was deliberately targeting American blacks - “I’ll have those niggers voting Democrat for the next two hundred years.”

Questions:
1. Did Johnson know that welfare would also destroy lower income whites and Hispanics?
2. Did he care?

Alas, once Americans decided they didn’t have to be a “moral” people, responsible for themselves and their actions - the American government was “unsuited” for them.

Abortion is but one of many evils Americans escaped when they kept their own actions within the bounds of the Constitution and insisted their government servants so do also.


23 posted on 03/15/2013 1:38:31 PM PDT by GladesGuru (In a society predicated upon freedom, it is necessary to examine principles."..)
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To: MrB

If you don’t serve the poor, the hungry, the naked, and the imprisoned, you’re going to hell. Fair warning.


24 posted on 03/20/2013 12:29:17 PM PDT by Romulus
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To: GladesGuru

Disgusting.


25 posted on 03/20/2013 12:31:41 PM PDT by Romulus
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To: Romulus

Oh really? Who says?

Works based salvation...

I guess you’ll never know when you’ve done “enough”, will you?


26 posted on 03/20/2013 12:32:07 PM PDT by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter admits whom he's working for)
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To: MrB
Oh really? Who says?

You'll find out.

27 posted on 03/20/2013 1:45:55 PM PDT by Romulus
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To: Romulus

Hey, and good luck with that figuring out how much you have to do in works to be saved...

Salvation = Jesus + Nothing.


28 posted on 03/20/2013 1:54:47 PM PDT by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter admits whom he's working for)
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To: MrB

And good luck to you in your salvation-through-magic program.


29 posted on 03/20/2013 2:10:18 PM PDT by Romulus
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To: Romulus; MrB
Matthew 25:

14 “For it will be as when a man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted to them his property; 15 to one he gave five talents,[b] to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five talents more. 17 So also, he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow; 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed, and gather where I have not winnowed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.[c] 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.’

30 posted on 03/20/2013 2:13:55 PM PDT by ArrogantBustard (Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)
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To: Romulus; MrB
Matthew 25:

31 “When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. 34 Then the King will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? 38 And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? 39 And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.’ 46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

31 posted on 03/20/2013 2:14:35 PM PDT by ArrogantBustard (Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)
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