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To: crazylibertarian
In answer to your question, Were Jesus & the early Christians socialists?, the answer is no.

As far as this statement, New pope seems to understand Jesus unlike so many other church leaders, that is not what popes, including this one, have ever taught.

From Pope Leo XIII:

4. To remedy these wrongs the socialists, working on the poor man's envy of the rich, are striving to do away with private property, and contend that individual possessions should become the common property of all, to be administered by the State or by municipal bodies. They hold that by thus transferring property from private individuals to the community, the present mischievous state of things will be set to rights, inasmuch as each citizen will then get his fair share of whatever there is to enjoy. But their contentions are so clearly powerless to end the controversy that were they carried into effect the working man himself would be among the first to suffer. They are, moreover, emphatically unjust, for they would rob the lawful possessor, distort the functions of the State, and create utter confusion in the community.

5. It is surely undeniable that, when a man engages in remunerative labor, the impelling reason and motive of his work is to obtain property, and thereafter to hold it as his very own. If one man hires out to another his strength or skill, he does so for the purpose of receiving in return what is necessary for the satisfaction of his needs; he therefore expressly intends to acquire a right full and real, not only to the remuneration, but also to the disposal of such remuneration, just as he pleases. Thus, if he lives sparingly, saves money, and, for greater security, invests his savings in land, the land, in such case, is only his wages under another form; and, consequently, a working man's little estate thus purchased should be as completely at his full disposal as are the wages he receives for his labor. But it is precisely in such power of disposal that ownership obtains, whether the property consist of land or chattels. Socialists, therefore, by endeavoring to transfer the possessions of individuals to the community at large, strike at the interests of every wage-earner, since they would deprive him of the liberty of disposing of his wages, and thereby of all hope and possibility of increasing his resources and of bettering his condition in life.

(snip)

Hence, it is clear that the main tenet of socialism, community of goods, must be utterly rejected, since it only injures those whom it would seem meant to benefit, is directly contrary to the natural rights of mankind, and would introduce confusion and disorder into the commonweal. The first and most fundamental principle, therefore, if one would undertake to alleviate the condition of the masses, must be the inviolability of private property. This being established, we proceed to show where the remedy sought for must be found.

From the current Pope:

The Social Doctrine does not tolerate that the useful are the ones who produce and the social question is left to the State or to welfare actions or volunteer work.

What is confusing to the simple-minded is the following passage from Acts:

[Act 4:32-35 KJV] 32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any [of them] that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
35 And laid [them] down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

The simple-minded claim that the above supports the idea of socialism, but nothing could be farther from the truth. What these simple-minded folks fail to recognize is the following:

This is a HUGE divergence from what the socialists attempt to foist upon the simple-minded.

17 posted on 04/05/2014 2:03:10 PM PDT by markomalley (Nothing emboldens the wicked so greatly as the lack of courage on the part of the good -- Leo XIII)
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To: markomalley

Just to add a bit to your post, the account of Ananias and Sapphira nails down your point. The property was theirs to keep or sell. After it was sold, the money was theirs to keep or give. Their sin was lying to the Holy Spirit, not holding back a portion. (Acts 5)

In 2 Corinthians 9, Paul explains the Kingdom’s economy. Its not based on buying and selling, but sowing and reaping. If you sow a lot, you reap a lot. You are to give cheerfully, not out of compulsion. God loves people whose giving is motivated by love. And there is a promise that He will generously provide everything you need, with plenty left over to share with others. You glorify God in your giving from the heart, and as the Holy Spirit directs.

At the Last Supper as Jesus dismissed Judas to betray him, the disciples thought since he was the treasurer, he was going to pay for food, or going to give money to the poor. (John 13:18-30) — The disciples would only have thought that if this was a common habit of Jesus, which obviously it was.

No big government redistribution system is Scriptural. They are all designed to replace God. Government can never provide what you need, much less provide anything close to what God has planned for His kids.

Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD, and He will give a reward to the lender. Prov 19:17

Those who give to the poor will lack nothing Prov 28:27

Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Ps 37:4

Make God your Source, not Washington, and you will never lack any good thing - Ps 34:10


47 posted on 04/05/2014 3:00:19 PM PDT by Kandy Atz ("Were we directed from Washington when to sow and when to reap, we should soon want for bread.")
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