Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
Are You Condoning Democratic Socialism?

Are You Condoning Democratic Socialism?

Last updated on: January 5, 2019 at 12:14 am by Mary Pezzulo

Are You Condoning Democratic Socialism? 2019-01-05T00:14:17-04:00 Mary Pezzulo

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Comments, I get comments. I get comments in the form of questions.

Today, after I posted an article about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dancing in public, I received a comment on my public Facebook page: “Are you condoning democratic socialism?”

By the time I got around to reading the question, my other commentators had bantered about this question bit. I explained that I was not talking about economics in my post; I was endorsing public dancing, and I posted the official video of Safety Dance. Posting 80s music videos is one of my favorite responses to questions about the field of economics, and it’s about as useful as anything else, when dealing with commentators like this. But then I got to thinking that I ought to give this question a serious answer as well.

It is strange, to me, to use a verb like “condone” for something as vanilla as the democratic socialism that’s practiced in the United States today. To “condone” is to deliberately allow bad, dirty things. You can condone adultery or abortion (and I don’t) or caging and torturing children for the sins of their parents (I certainly don’t). I don’t see how you can condone the economic policies of a Bernie or an Ocasio-Cortez. You can say that they’re mistaken, but they’re not evil. They’re not really socialism, either.

Socialism, roughly speaking, involves the government owning the means of production; communism involves the workers themselves owning the means of production with no government as a middle man. Democratic socialism in its pure form would mean that socialism takes place in a representative government. The only “democratic socialism” that anyone who gets within a million miles of public office in the United States could propose or achieve is something far milder than that; they only ever ask for heavy taxes on the richest people, so that domestic tranquility and the general welfare can be ensured and promoted for everyone. You are free to disagree with that means of ensuring domestic tranquility and promoting the general welfare, but if it’s wrong, it’s wrong because it’s mistaken, not because it’s wicked. Just about every country with a functioning government practices something like what we call democratic socialism, but they don’t call it that. They just call it civilization.

One of the people who does seem to approve of democratic socialism is Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. When he was Ratzinger, he stated “In many respects democratic socialism was and is close to Catholic social doctrine; in any case, it contributed toward the formation of a social consciousness.” And no, he wasn’t speaking magisterially at the time, but I still trust him to have a better grasp of Catholic social doctrine than I do, and better than just about anybody who comes into my comment box as well.

I share the Holy Father Emeritus’s cautiously-worded optimism about democratic socialism. It does seem close, but not identical, to Catholic social teaching. For that reason, though I may disagree with them strongly on other things, I do often like the economic policies of democratic socialist politicians in this country and I’m pleased when some make it to Congress. And I do often refer to myself as a pro-life democratic socialist, because it’s quicker than going on for several paragraphs to qualify my beliefs.

But am I a democratic socialist?

Strictly speaking, before anything else, am I a democratic socialist?

I don’t think I am after all. I think what I am, is a Catholic. And as far as economics is concerned, it doesn’t seem to me that a Catholic can afford to be any kind of ist. We just have to be Catholics.

The Catechism states that “In the beginning God entrusted the earth and its resources to the common stewardship of mankind to take care of them, master them by labor, and enjoy their fruits. The goods of creation are destined for the whole human race. However, the earth is divided up among men to assure the security of their lives, endangered by poverty and threatened by violence. The appropriation of property is legitimate for guaranteeing the freedom and dignity of persons and for helping each of them to meet his basic needs and the needs of those in his charge. It should allow for a natural solidarity to develop between men. The right to private property, acquired or received in a just way, does not do away with the original gift of the earth to the whole of mankind. The universal destination of goods remains primordial, even if the promotion of the common good requires respect for the right to private property and its exercise.” We are allowed to own private property and stealing someone’s private property is a sin against the seventh commandment, but the reason we have that right is so that we can provide for ourselves and others; I covered in another post that pursuing wealth for wealth’s sake is also a sin. The government has a right to levy taxes and tax evasion is also a sin against the seventh commandment. A person who is starving has the right to take from someone who isn’t and that’s not a sin against the seventh commandment. The Church rejects the historical totalitarianism that is usually associated with communism and socialism. She also rejects the profound selfishness and exploitation of workers that is an historical feature of capitalism. There’s something in Catholic Social Teaching for anyone whose primary concern is with economics to hate.

Catholic social teaching places people, their good and their dignity, before economics or social models of any kind. The only kind of ism that is, is Catholicism.

But that’s an awfully long answer to a strange question, so maybe we should just go back to music videos.

(image via pixabay)

America

catholic conspiracy alarmism

Catholic Oppositional Disorder

Public face of Catholicism

Q and A

social justice

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Catholic social teaching

Previous Post

January 4, 2019

When Women Dance

Next Post

January 8, 2019 When the Victim is Female...

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category abortion Abuse Advent America American Christianity angel angels Annunciation Appalachia apparition apparition chaser apparition chasers apparition culture art art review babies baby baby Jesus Bad Lip Reading bad statue contest bath beauty Bible story blog blogkeeping blood book review Brandon Sanderson breastfeeding bus Catholic catholic conspiracy alarmism Catholic Oppositional Disorder Charismatic Renewal Charlie the Cat chastity Christ Christian idenitity Christianity and Judaism Chronic Illness clean clothing COD piece comedy compassion conscience conspiracy theory conversion cop-on-black violence Crucifixion cry of the poor culture Daesh Daily Saints death death penalty devotional diaconate diaper diapers dirty disability Donald Trump Dorothy Day dream drugs Eastern Catholicism Eastern Christianity education election election update Elsewhere on Patheos empathy environment Fear feminism film review fish flashback fluffy buns food Franciscan University of Steubenville Friendship Room fun Gabriel gardening gospel hair-splitting Heaven hell heresy Hillary Clinton history Holly the Witch Holy Spirit holy war Homeschooling homosexuality horror human dignity humor Icon idol immigrants infection inter-religious dialogue Interpretation of Scripture Islam Jesus Jihad Joseph joy laity and lay vocations lamb dinner laundry lent lgbtq literature love manners Mary Medicine and Science Meditation mercy mess milk misogyny Missouri monasticism monster motherhood mourn with those mourn movies movis music mystery nature neurodiversity New Pro-Life Movement news nonsense nostalgia O antiphons obituary objectification Ohio Valley Ordinary Time ordination Ordo Amoris parable paradox Passover peanut butter personal beliefs pets philosophy Planet Charismatic poetry politics polls poop Pope Francis Pope Leo power in the Church prayer prayer request prayers preferential option for non-violence president presidential election priest primary private revelation pro-life prophecy Public face of Catholicism Pure Flix Q and A race racism random rape rape. sexuality reader's request Reckoners refugee religious trauma ressurrection Right to life Saints saints and celebrations same-sex same-sex marriage satire scandal secular feasts seder Seven Joys Seven Last Words sex sexual ethics sexuality silencing six months skid row slavery social justice Speculative fiction spiritual abuse spoon stain story suffering suffrage suffragette Sunday Gospel temple Tenebrae Responsories Terror the exorcist The Friendship Room The New Pro-Life Movement Things I Learned on the Internet tin cup traffic true story tv review Uncategorized USCCB vice and temptation violence Virtue virtue and vice war Way of the Cross whimsy whole life women's ordination work of mercy Year A

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does James say someone who doubts is like?

Select your answer to see how you score.

A leaf falling from a tree A wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind A house built on sand A sheep without a shepherd