Posted on 05/12/2014 9:45:28 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Conservative radio talk show host Michael Savage says if Pope Francis wants income redistribution he should start with his own Church.
On his Friday show, Savage said he would bid $1 million for Michelangelo's famous painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican.
"The reason I'm offering that money to the pope and the Vatican is so they can redistribute the wealth that begins in the Vatican itself," Savage said.
Savage said he was making a point that there is vast wealth within the Catholic Church, including priceless works of art and major shares in global companies. Gold ingots could be sold for redistribution purposes, Savage said.
Francis on Friday told a group of U.N. delegates, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, that they should urge world governments to back "the legitimate redistribution of economic benefits by the state, as well as indispensable cooperation between the private sector and civil society."
Savage's response: "It's Karl Marx in a papal outfit."
He noted that Francis is from Argentina, home to liberation theology along with much of Latin America, in the 1960s and '70s. And although Francis himself never practiced liberation theology, "he was certainly shaped by it," Savage said.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
It is vitally important that the Vatican learn a simple truth: that socialism is an atheist *parody* of Christianity, so embracing what socialism mimics in Christianity is a dire mistake.
According to Catholic demonologies, when Lucifer and the other angels were cast from Heaven into Hell, they decided to try to duplicate Heaven in Hell. But like socialism, it is a *parody*, also based in evil.
Should Heaven seek ecumenism with Hell? Of course not.
Neither should the church seek ecumenism with socialism, for much the same reason.
Heaven pursues the souls of the righteous, but so does Hell. This does not mean they have a common goal, no ground where they meet in agreement. No shared purpose.
If socialism offers to help the poor, it is not ever done for the same reason that the church tries to help the poor. Help offered by evil is never helpful, but leads to ruination. So the church should never confuse what it does, or why, with the actions of those who are not righteous.
There is also no such thing as catholic charities. They expect payback for services.
Look, I’m not catholic bashing here, I’m simply pointing out a simple truth in how the Catholic Church has accumulated vast wealth and failed in its B biblical obligations to help the poor.
The Catholic Church claims to be the one true church founded by Jesus himself. Not only is that a lie, they fail to follow Jesus’ example where money is concerned. Thus my statement that the Catholic Church should lead by example and divest itself of all it’s ill gotten wealth and distribute it to the poor.
Lead by example or shut up. Is all I’m saying.
Not only will the Catholic Church NOT do it, neither will any of my detractors on this thread. I’ve issued a challenge to them directly, let’s see who steps up.
But you must understand that your condemnation of "all" Catholics is ridiculous on it's face. And that's my point.
The Pope sold off his Harley’s, and gave money to to the church.
The middle class' income is not ongoing either. It is limited.
Yet the Pope is in favor of decreasing it in order to distribute it to others.
And he should be criticized energetically for it.
His idea has been around for a long time...it's called socialism. And people suffer for it. The Pope is a jerk for contributing to suffering.
When the Catholic Church calls for legalizing tens of millions of ILLEGAL aliens here in America, you know the church has lost its way. If that isn’t socialism/Marxism I don’t know what is.
Can you show me where I condemned ALL Catholics? It’d help me understand if you quoted where I did that.
Not arguing in favor of the Pope’s preferred policies, whatever those are. Merely pointing out that sale of church buildings and works of art will not fund much in the way of ongoing redistribution of wealth.
The French Revolution attempted to finance itself by looting the Church, at a time when the Church controlled vast amounts of actual income-producing assets, mostly farmland. Didn’t work out too well.
We completely agree!
Exactly correct. Francis would do well to read John 21:17 and realize that in the verse where Jesus commands to "feed my sheep", he is not talking to Pilate, he is talking to Peter. He is commanding the Christian, not government.
...but it’s the solidarity part that always gets the most play. Thank you for posting this.
One of the contemporary narratives of the Fourth Crusade, by Robert of Clari, has a lot on the fantastic relics the Crusaders found when they looted Constantinople, but I don't remember if he says anything about treasure from the temple in Jerusalem. Of course if there was something purportedly from the temple of Jerusalem, it could have been a fake rather than the genuine item.
“Look, I’m not catholic bashing here,”
Yes you are. Please stop.
Exactly. And it won't work well if more middle class wealth is confiscated for redistribution either.
But The Pope should be held accountable to adhere to the same policy he is advocating for others even though it won't work.
“.... the smallest, most impoverished villages in Mexico had the most gilded, lavish Catholc Churches!!”
What? God’s temple should look like a protestant gymnasium?
A peruse through Leviticus 25 might concern you. God was unduly fussy? And, given the travails of the age God should command such riches for the temple?
You’re right, guys. Shooting from the hip. Frustration, maybe. Sorry.
I cannot say what Pope Francis personally thinks. But the Church does not condone socialism, nor does it condone crony capitalism.
My point was not to defend what appears to be an endorsement of some kind of redistributionist policy that's even more egregious than what we have now. My point is exactly what I stated: That Savage should not criticize until he has all the information.
That is not the same thing as saying he is not intelligent. But intelligence alone is not enough - quite a few inside the Beltway and in our finest Universities are intelligent. But look at what they say; what they believe - and what they burden us with as a result. Many of them cannot even control their own emotions. So ‘intelligence’ is not always enough.
Incidentally, I am not attacking Mr. Savage personally either. In fact I have a couple of his books (one nutrition) and listen to him when I can. I do not have an ax to grind with him.
Sounds fair to me. But I hear that he has led by example, eschewing many of the luxury trappings available to him.
But note that Savage referenced Vatican INCOME, not Vatican WEALTH. Was that just an oversight?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.