[B-Chan]

Moral: A secular state cannot be expected to respect Christian values.

[Clemenza]

America was founded on the principles of 18th Century Classical Liberalism. I love you BC, but its thoughts such as this that caused the original Americans (no, NOT the Indians, who had no concept of a nation state) to be fervently anti-papalist.

I'll take the America of the Founders over Franco's Spain (the best example of a modern state founded explicitly on Catholic social doctrine) anyday.

[philetus]

“SINGLE ACTS OF TYRANNY MAY BE ASCRIBED TO THE ACCIDENTAL OPINION OF A DAY; BUT A SERIES OF OPPRESSIONS, BEGUN AT A DISTINGUISHED PERIOD, AND PURSUED UNALTERABLY THROUGH EVERY CHANGE OF MINISTERS (ADMINISTRATIONS) TOO PLAINLY PROVES A DELIBERATE, SYSTEMATIC PLAN OF REDUCING US TO SLAVERY.” -Thomas Jefferson.

[cornelis]

Human beings have the positive and Divine right

The idea of rights is by and large an enlightenment concept.

[1000 silverlings]

So you want to see a Catholic monarchy and all those who do not convert will have their heads chopped off. Lovely. However, you may have failed to take into consideration that the rest of us may not want our little heads chopped off, then what?

Then you make the statement that all men are the children of God. Well that is contrary to what the bible teaches, number one, and number two, why are you advocating chopping off God's childrens' heads if that were true, or even if you believe it to be true?

We've had the Catholic Church in charge of schools, orphanages,and little children in the past, and are only now realizing the depths of depravity, abuse and psychological damage that was inflicted on these innocents, and now you advocate a return to that system.

This is a very theologically muddled opinion piece, not fit for Free Republic.

[John Leland 1789]

The Home/Family
The Church
Civil Government

Three separate spheres of authority.

What Christians are instructed to do for the poor or sick or imprisoned is not what civil government is instructed to do.

Any church that wants to create a health care system for its members, sharing health care costs, and conducting this on a voluntary basis, may certainly do so.

Any church lobbys civil government to take care of the sick and poor by forcing a system upon the population in general is out of order——out of its sphere.