What is 'Christian Libertarianism'?

What's Behind Christians' Interest in Libertarianism? -  Jamin Hübner, The Christian Post:

April 12, 2018 - "The 2017 U.S. Presidential election catalyzed a fresh, theological identity crisis for many Christians in America.... Several prominent leaders in conservative evangelicalism ... called upon the entire church to support the Trump administration.... But other Christians, especially younger millennials who haven't taken part in last generation's 'culture wars,' dissent from both this alignment and the urgency of political action in general.... All of these dynamics continue and give birth to different vistas of inquiry. One such vista that has emerged from these tumultuous dynamics (among other discontents that have been brewing) is 'Christian Libertarianism.'

"Libertarianism, according to some studies, is the fasted growing political movement of the twenty-first century. Its entrance into mainstream thought is visible in numerous spheres. In academia, for example, one can observe the release of such projects as The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism (SAGE), The Routledge Handbook to Libertarianism (2017), and other literary milestones....

"However, what really interests many is that libertarianism is gaining considerable traction in 'post-evangelical' and Catholic Christian circles — at least enough to merit public outcry. Albert Mohler, the President of one of the largest seminaries in the world, has publicly criticized Christians for entertaining libertarianism as a viable political philosophy. Pope Francis did the same in ...2017 during a plenary session of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. Christian libertarianism's abandonment of traditional social categories, political parties, and trust in political authority as a whole is viewed by some as a threat to both Western civilization and social stability....

"So, what is Christian libertarianism? At the heart of it is a pre-modern, pre-Constantinian reading of the New Testament. The contemporary narratives about Jesus being a pro-gay socialist (on the left) or the great consumerist, pro-gun American (on the right) just don't seem to fit the Gospel accounts at all. The contemporary account about Christianity mindlessly approving whatever the government does (based on a misreading of Romans 13) is also a distorted picture. What fits the first-century picture best is that Jesus has a problem with political authority in general. It simply isn't right for one human being to rule over another. (This was a result of sin in Gen 3:16). This is precisely what politics is — it is a license to initiate force against your neighbor. This ruling happens regardless of the political structure, whether it is through a chieftain, pharaoh, emperor, king, republic, democracy, parliament, or congress.... And this ruling/ruled relationship stays in place regardless if it is done in the name of 'the public good,' 'national security,' 'America first,' or anything else. The problem with all of this should be obvious: neighbors (even "enemies") are to be loved, not exploited by politicians.

"Christian libertarians also note that that Christ-event was the culmination of the entire history of Israel. And from the time of kingship to the Roman Empire, there is a constant critique of empire-building, nationalism, and power-grabs through politics. Gideon seemed like a good guy at first, but politics and the license to kill eventually corrupt him (Judges 6-8). David, despite being a man 'after God's own heart,' wasn't allowed to build the temple because he shed 'too much blood.' Solomon had a peaceful kingdom...until his bureaucracy grew out of control and split the kingdom (2 Chron 10-11). Of course, none of this should be a surprise: God had a problem with kingship to begin with (1 Sam 8).

"In contrast, the kingdom of God in Jesus didn't even involve violence in the name of some public good or great nation. It didn't involve coercion at all. Power itself is not something to pursue and selfishly wield, but rather give up and voluntarily distribute for the good of others (cf. Lk 22:25-26). In the end, Jesus died as an enemy of the state for 'perverting our nation and forbidding payment of taxes to Caesar' (Lk 23:2). What a testimony this is for today! The greatest empires in the world were threatened by someone who changed the status quo — not through armies and violence — but through peace and forgiveness. How could this be so threatening? Because no politician or dictator can do anything about it. All the world knows is laws and guns. So they did what they knew: made him illegal, and then killed him. (Ironically, the Romans even failed this.) The world was never the same again....

"So, the world should be alarmed: radical nonviolence is extremely disturbing. It disrupts the social order. It is political heresy to both liberals and conservatives. We're not allowed to just vote for some candidate and subcontract the gospel out to some up-and-coming 'Christian politician.' Instead, we actually have a responsibility as the church to restore the world with our own resources. A wild idea, indeed."

Read more: https://www.christianpost.com/voice/whats-behind-christians-interest-in-libertarianism.html
'via Blog this'

Catholicism and Islam

by George J. Dance

When I joined the Libertarian Party of Canada, conspiracy theory was in vogue. One book that used to be circulated a lot was Gary Allen's None Dare Call it Conspiracy. Naturally I read it. I was struck by the constant references to Carroll Quigley's Tragedy and Hope, which Allen considered the Bible of the conspirators; so, a copy being in the LPC library, I read that too.

Years later, I have forgotten most of Quigley's book. But one thing that stood out was Quigley's theory of the "Peru to Pakistan Axis", which stuck in my head and which contemporary events keep reminding me of.

Quigley's idea was that the roughly 1,000-year Muslim occupation of Spain and southern Italy turned those 2 regions culturally Muslim. Even after the Christians regained them, the culture remained essentially Muslim, and its fundamentalist Catholicism essentially the same as fundamentalist Islam, with things like the subordination of women and the killing of "heretics" and "infidels."

When a strong Catholic state emerged in Spain, it, too, was culturally Muslim, and its foreign policy was the Islamic policy of jihad. We all know the history: the invasion of and massacres in the Netherlands; the attempted invasion of England; 100 years of war, looting, and killing in Germany; and - worst of all - the jihad in South America, with the almost total extermination of the "infidel" population. Through it all, the Spanish state was stauchly supported by the official Catholic church, with its own power base in culturally Islamic southern Italy.

Spain emerged as a world power in the 16th century, due to the massive gold reserves looted from South America. It collapsed as a power less than 100 years later, for the same reason: rampant inflation caused by too much money chasing too little real wealth. But only in the 19th century did Spain start emerging from the cultural Islamic paradigm, and only in the anarchist revolution of the 20th did it shake off the Catholic Islamist hegemony. (Note that almost the first act of the Spanish anarchists in any community, as George Orwell noted in Homage to Catalonia, was to kill the priests.)

The Catholic church itself has largely shaken off the Islamist paradigm, at least in northern Europe and North America. But many are still infected by it, including those who grew up in the culturally Islamic areas of Italy, Spain, and the Spanish-occupied parts of South America (such as Argentina, the birthplace of the present Pope).

Which explains one motivation - not the only motivation, of course - for the hostility of some in the Catholic church to libertarians and libertarianism. They see us too as heretics or infidels, suitable only for killing the bodies to save the souls, as with the people of the Netherlands, Germany, and Spanish-occupied South America. Fortunately, with the Church tamed by the Enlightenment, they lack the power, and can only rant and rave about the 'libertarian invasion." But there is nothing but lack of power stopping them from reverting to their previous methods of persuasion.

It is time to identify the Catholic anti-libertarian "crusade" as what it is: a continuation of the historical pattern of Catholic jihadism.

The Christian case for libertarianism

The Christian Case For Libertarianism - Brian Hawkins, The Federalist:

December 16, 2015 - "Libertarianism is the natural political ideology for Christians because it promotes individual freedom. 1 Peter 2:16 reads, 'As freemen, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.' Men free from the chains of government can maximize our liberties to help our fellow man through private charity and evangelism.

"When government is limited, man becomes subject to the will of God as opposed to the will of man. Government weakens intimate bonds between the individual and the family, replaces individual charity with coerced redistribution, and uses the threat of violence against person and property in order to dictate the behavior of private individuals. The evils of government threaten all people, but ought to be particularly concerning to Christians....

"Compassionate conservatives and Christian progressives alike have cited the gospels as justification for the welfare state.... Yes, Jesus called us to love our neighbors, help the poor, feed the hungry, and tend to the sick; however, these are commands to individuals, not to the state.

"Compassionate justifications for the welfare state are illegitimate because true compassion is based out of one’s personal generosity. When the state attempts the role of charity, its only means of doing so is through physical force. To support its welfare state, government must tax private citizens, and quite heavily. If a citizen refuses to pay taxes, the government must resort to violence and imprisonment to force the dissenter to comply....

"One might argue that Jesus Christ’s command in Matthew 22:21 — 'Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s” — exhorts Christians to dutifully pay their taxes and follow the laws of man. On the contrary, in Acts 4, state officials ordered the apostles John and Peter to cease preaching the gospel. John responded at verse 19, 'Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.' This seems to suggest that there is a point at which Christians may disobey their earthly rulers.....

"Too often government prevents Christians from doing their Christian duties. When the government levies taxes, we have less money to help the poor. When government restricts religious speech, we cannot evangelize. When government welfare policy encourages single-parenthood through financial incentives, the family is weakened. When government distributes Social Security checks, adult children neglect their responsibilities to their elderly parents. When government mandates that religious organizations provide contraceptives to their employees, we are forced to destroy God’s greatest gift — life....

"Traditional Christian theology proffers that man is inherently sinful. Man’s inherent original sin makes no person among us just, pure, or wise enough to govern other men. Too often we have found ourselves disappointed by politicians, kings, and other legal authorities. The rational response, therefore, is not to make more strict laws or to increase legal oversight. Rather, it should be to limit government power....

"Whether it is government forcing charity or banning social vices, it cannot make man better. Instead, only the grace of Jesus Christ liberates man from sinful and socially damaging behaviors. Consequently, Christians ought to be extremely hesitant and skeptical of government attempts to codify Christian morality into the law."

Read more: http://thefederalist.com/2015/12/16/the-christian-case-for-libertarianism/

'via Blog this'

Christmas not just for Christians

An Atheist Celebrates Christmas - Marco den Ouden, The Jolly Libertarian:

December 16, 2015 - "I was raised in a fairly religious Christian family. We dutifully went to Sunday school each week, but after attending confirmation classes at around age 12 or 13, I declined to be confirmed.... To their credit, my parents agreed....

"It wasn't until I discovered Ayn Rand in university that my atheism became explicit. I came to understand and respect 'that religion is an early form of philosophy'. Rand says 'that the first attempts to explain the universe, to give a coherent frame of reference to man's life and a code of moral values, were made by religion, before men graduated or developed enough to have philosophy. And, as philosophies, some religions have very valuable moral points.' But their ultimate problem is they are based on faith, not reason.

"So while disagreeing with the supernatural aspect of religion, I find much of value in religious teachings, and much to learn from....

"For myself, there is just one ritual that has great meaning. And that is Christmas. I love Christmas. Our whole family loves Christmas. Christmas means good will, family get togethers and family dinners, colorful lights, and joyful music. I love to hear Christmas music. Even the religious carols are full of joy, hope and optimism.

"Again Ayn Rand puts it much better than I can.

The secular meaning of the Christmas holiday is wider than the tenets of any particular religion: it is good will toward men - a frame of mind which is not the exclusive property of the Christian religion.... The charming aspect of Christmas is the fact that it expresses good will in a cheerful, happy, benevolent, non-sacrificial way. One says: 'Merry Christmas' - not 'Weep and Repent.' And the good will is expressed in a material, earthly form - by giving presents to one's friends, or by sending them cards in token of remembrance....

And while many decry the 'commercialism' of Christmas, Rand finds this one of its best features. 'The gift-buying stimulates an enormous outpouring of ingenuity in the creation of products devoted to a single purpose: to give men pleasure.' 'One would have to be terribly depressed,' she goes on, 'to resist the wonderful gaiety of that spectacle' (of lights, colors and decorations)....

 "For our family, Christmas has always been special. And we have traditions, rituals as it were, that we follow year in and year out. Decorating the tree (my daughter always places the tree topper), opening one gift on Christmas eve, everyone gathered around the tree on Christmas morning as I, sporting a Santa hat, hand out the gifts, the hugs and appreciation all around, the big turkey dinner, games and other fun activities, and so on....

"And we love the Christmas movies. Although we have seen them all many times, every year my wife and I watch four in particular in the weeks leading up to Christmas - Christmas Vacation, White Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street and It's a Wonderful Life. There are a few others we watch occasionally, but those are our favourites.

"The essence of Christmas is the greeting we often see on Christmas Cards - Peace on earth and good will towards all men! Even in wartime, combatants usually call a one day truce on Christmas Day. One wonders why, if they can stop fighting for a day at the drop of a hat, why they can't stop fighting altogether. Peace on earth. This is, as I have written in a previous blog, the very essence of libertarian philosophy. Another reason Christmas is a special time."

Read more: http://jollylibertarian.blogspot.ca/2015/12/an-atheist-celebrates-christmas.html
'via Blog this'

Can a Catholic be anything but a Libertarian?

What The Question Isn’t: Can A Catholic Be A Libertarian? - The Global Dispatch - John D. Pierce:

September 1, 2015 -  "Can someone be an unapologetic member of the Catholic Church and a proud member of the Libertarian Party at the same time?.... There are, after all, many who say these two philosophies are contradictory, that it is impossible to be both, that to do so borders on scandal. See, for example, the Washington Post column "Can you be Catholic and Libertarian?", as well as the National Catholic Report piece on "Catholicism and Libertarianism Clash Over Property and the Common Good" and "Catholics Divided on Libertarianism as ‘Heresy’" on the Blaze site.....

"The problem with many of these, though, is that they are answering a flawed question. The real question is not can you be a Catholic and a Libertarian, the real question is how can a Catholic be anything else?....

Regimes whose nature is contrary to the natural law, to the public order, and to the fundamental rights of persons cannot achieve the common good of the nations on which they have been imposed. Authority does not derive its moral legitimacy from itself. It must not behave in a despotic manner, but must act for the common good as a moral force based on freedom and a sense of responsibility.

A human law has the character of law to the extent that it accords with right reason, and thus derives from the eternal law. Insofar as it falls short of right reason it is said to be an unjust law, and thus has not so much the nature of law as of a kind of violence.

Cathechism of the Catholic Church. Part 3, Sec. 1, Ch. 2, Art. 2.

"America is of course dominated politically by the two old parties, the Republicans and the Democrats, and those parties’ positions are simply an odd collection of policy statements—stances on issues that really have no rhyme or reason, that don’t match up to overarching philosophies, consistent principles, natural law, divine law or any other explicable standard....

"With just one step back the inconsistencies become all too obvious. How can all of this cognitive dissonance exist within our old political parties? It’s quite simple: Because the two old parties have no consistent principles. How can a Catholic, Protestant or Hindu try to align their deeply held religious beliefs to political parties that do not, and cannot, match them because they have no consistent principles of their own?

"Why would Libertarianism be an exception to this? Because it is a party of principle. It is consistently for liberty, for smaller government which makes for more freedom. On the social issues, it is for freedom. On the economic issues, it is for freedom. On any issue you can dream up, simply consider which side requires less government force against the individual, and there you will find the Libertarians. That leaves all the room in the world for your religious beliefs to be paramount in your life and in your political speech. You simply decide the moral issues for yourself and allow others the same privilege. While it is possible that this does not match the dictates of the Catechism word for word, it plainly matches it more clearly than the accumulated positions of the old parties."

Read more: http://www.theglobaldispatch.com/what-the-question-isnt-can-a-catholic-be-a-libertarian-84232/
'via Blog this'

Religious Freedom and American History

Religious Freedom and American History | Stephen Cox | First Things:

"Stephen Cox is Professor of Literature at the University of California-San Diego, editor of Liberty, a journal of culture and politics, and author of several scholarly books, including American Christianity: The Continuing Revolution. First Things senior editor Mark Bauerlein spoke to him about the libertarian understanding of religious liberty at the present time. 

"What is the basic libertarian understanding of religious liberty in United States law and society?

"Libertarians would like the state to have nothing to do with religion, either by hindering it or by supporting it. I’m sure that few libertarians would rejoice to see the Ten Commandments implanted on courthouse lawns, or to hear of more students forbidden to mention Christ in their valedictory speeches. Libertarian hearts beat violently when there is any news of censorship, inspired by either atheists or Christians....

"Libertarians tend to be moralistic people. I’m probably an even bigger moralist than other libertarians, because I’m a Christian. But as libertarians see it, every forcible infringement of liberty is morally outrageous, whether it’s military conscription or a law that criminalizes hair-braiding in the home. Of course this means that libertarians are unanimous in supporting the end of victimless crime laws, which are often highly favored by religious people, on religious grounds.

"When I say 'religious people,' I refer not simply to people on the Right. When I was writing my book about the history of American Christianity, I was constantly impressed by the extent to which the religious left has tried to interfere with individual choices. For almost one hundred years, the mainstream denominations, led by modern liberals, have done their best to support government interventions in people’s choices, by their dedicated support of the welfare state. In the old days of strong government regulation of broadcasting, they did their best to keep evangelical programming off the air. We need to remember that Prohibition was a creature of the left, too, and so were attacks on homosexuality and “dirty” literature.

"Asked about a certain religious leader, William Blake said, 'He is a sent man' — sent by God. Then he added, 'But they who are sent sometimes go further than they ought.' In America, they often go further. The quantity of moralistic meddling never diminishes; it just shifts from one target to the next, from attacks on extramarital sex, for example, to attacks on people who don’t approve of extramarital sex."

Read more: http://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2014/12/religious-freedom-and-american-history
'via Blog this'

Vice-Pope puts case against libertarianism

Can you be Catholic and libertarian? - The Washington Post - Melinda Henneberger:

June 6, 2014 - "For years, American Catholics have been under pressure to vote Republican.... Now, though, the red papal loafer may be on the other foot, with economic conservatives being called out.

"In Washington this week, the cardinal some consider the pontiff’s 'vice-pope' mocked them outright at a conference called Erroneous Autonomy: The Catholic Case against Libertarianism. The Religion News Service story on the smackdown of trickle-down ran under the headline, 'Catholic and libertarian? Pope’s top adviser says they’re incompatible.'

"That adviser, Cardinal Oscar Rodríguez Maradiaga, the archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, was introduced by AFL-CIO president Richard L. Trumka, and preached against deregulation and 'worshipping idols, even if that idol is called "market economy".'  Rodríguez also called trickle-down economics a 'deception,' and said the 'invisible hand' of the market steals from and strangles the poor: 'We are no longer to trust the blind forces and the invisible hand of the market. This economy kills. This is what the pope is saying.'

"Some libertarians have described the pope’s economic views as naive and uninformed — and Rodríguez returned the favor. 'Many of these libertarianists do not read the social doctrine of the church, but now they are trembling before the book of Piketty,' he said, referring to French economist Thomas Piketty’s best-seller, “Capital in the Twenty-first Century, on the wealth disparities that have us headed into a new Gilded Age."

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/can-you-be-catholic-and-libertarian/2014/06/06/92e602d4-ed00-11e3-9f5c-9075d5508f0a_story.html
'via Blog this'

What's behind the new crusade against capitalism

Catholics Against Capitalism | National Review Online - Kevin Williamson:

June 10, 2014 - "The errors of the Catholic hierarchy regarding the economy are the product of errors in its thinking regarding the state. Catholic thinking about the role of the state has evolved precious little since 'render unto Caesar,' even though there is, especially in the Christian world, a blessed shortage of Caesars just now, and has been for some time. The Catholic clergy still operate under the Romans 13 assumption that 'the powers that be are ordained of God'.... From the old royalist Right to the redistributionist Left, there is an implicit and sometimes explicit belief that the state is a channel for moral expression, whether that expression takes the form of entrenching traditional ideals about family life or of collaborating with the state in the seizure and redistribution of wealth....

"This is true even among the so-called conservatives. Consider John Paul II writing on the 100th anniversary of Rerum Novarum:

If Pope Leo XIII calls upon the State to remedy the condition of the poor in accordance with justice, he does so because of his timely awareness that the State has the duty of watching over the common good and of ensuring that every sector of social life, not excluding the economic one, contributes to achieving that good, while respecting the rightful autonomy of each sector....

"But the state in fact has no way of knowing to any practical effect what the common good even is or how its policies might affect priorities relating to it.... Meanwhile, he also expects the state to determine just wages and union work rules, to administer unemployment insurance, to calculate the economic consequences of immigration, and a hundred other things that the state has no capacity for doing. Like Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga and others, he assumes that the state will act in the cause of justice for the poor rather than being the most ruthless and pitiless exploiter of the poor, as history, including the history of this country, very strongly suggests that it will be....

"'The case against libertarianism'? As usual, the most important part of the question goes unstated and unanswered: 'Compared with what?'"

Read more: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/379954/catholics-against-capitalism-kevin-d-williamson/page/0/1
'via Blog this'

Are Catholic libertarians heretics?

Catholics Divided on Libertarianism as ‘Heresy’ | TheBlaze.com - Fred Lucas:

May 9, 2014 - "Is libertarianism 'heresy'? That question prompted a theological and political debate among writers for three major Catholic publications....

"A recently published Catholic argument for libertarianism showed a 'complete lack of human solidarity,' wrote Michael Sean Winters, author of the 2008 book, Left at the Alter. 'Callous and cold and, just so, not very Christian let alone Catholic'....

"The specific piece Winters was so angry about was written by Joe Hargrave, an adjunct professor of political science at Rio Salado Community College in Tempe, Arizona, in the magazine Crisis.

 "'Among the poorest areas of the United States one will find high rates of crime, drug abuse, educational failure, sexual deviance, illegitimacy, and so on,' Hargrave wrote.

"This is not to say that people in these areas ought to be written off, but it is to say that no employer is obliged to subsidize their moral failings – and neither are we, the frugal, well-behaved wage-earners to whom Leo XIII refers.... This is not just about the moral failings of the poor, as libertarians do not want to pay for the birth control pills of middle class college students or provide massive bailouts and subsidies for major banks and businesses either'....

"Hargrave’s piece was itself a response to a Catholic blogger that insisted libertarianism was absolute heresy.

"'Catholics influenced by libertarian ideology (aka heresy) need to .. instead of ransacking Catholic teaching for the subsidiarity bits that happen to comport with libertarian heresy, instead embrace the fullness of Catholic teaching, including the Church’s teaching on solidarity, the common good, and the legitimate role of the state,' wrote Mark Shea, a writer for the Catholic publication Patheos."

Read more: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/05/09/catholics-divided-on-libertarianism-as-heresy/
'via Blog this'

The first libertarians: the Levellers

England’s Levellers: The World’s First Libertarian Movement - Epoch Times - Roberta A. Modugno, Ludwig von Mises Institute:

March 27, 2014 - "The first-ever libertarians were the Levellers, an English political movement active in the seventeenth century. The Levellers contributed to the elaboration of the methodological and political paradigm of individualism, and they are at the origin of the radical strand of classical liberalism....

"Rothbard notes that '[i]n a series of notable debates within the Republican Army — notably between the Cromwellians and the Levellers — the Levellers led by John Lilburne, Richard Overton and William Walwyn, worked out a remarkably consistent libertarian doctrine, upholding the rights of self-ownership, private property, religious freedom for the individual, and minimal government interference in society. The rights of each individual to his person and property, furthermore, were natural, that is, they were derived from the nature of man'....

"Lilburne defended natural law as 'Nature and reason' and 'the grounds of all just laws' and that 'therefore against this Law, prescriptions, statutes, nor customs may not prevail. And if any be brought in against it, they be no prescriptions, statutes nor customs, but things void, and against justice'.

"Overton advocated religious tolerance, even for the much-reviled English Catholics, and also denounced the practice of impressing men into the army and navy as a form of enslavement.

"Moreover, the Levellers advocated property rights and the freedom to contract and trade, as against monopolies and privileges guaranteed by the state. They celebrated the benefits of economic freedom to society and opposed the government taxes, customs, excises, and regulations that inhibited competition." 

Read more: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/586090-englands-levellers-the-worlds-first-libertarian-movement/

Was John Galt modeled on Jesus?

Ayn Rand's Libertarian Hero John Galt Was Modeled on Jesus, Christian Panelist Argues:

"[A]t at the International Students for Liberty Conference in Washington D.C. Feb. 15, 2014 ...  Christian panelist, David Kotter, argued that Ayn Rand's libertarian hero John Galt was unconsciously modeled on Jesus Christ. A follower of Rand, William R. Thomas, agreed that Galt was modeled after Christ, but argued that Rand consciously intended to do so.

"Kotter, visiting scholar at The Institute for Faith, Work, and Economics, insisted that Rand did base her character off of Jesus, although she likely did it unconsciously. .... 'Ayn Rand imbibed ideas from the character of Jesus," Kotter declared. He described Galt as 'the man who by perfect reason is the epitome of manhood, and is very similar to Jesus.'

"'In John Galt, Rand is trying to portray man as a god in an irreligious sense," Thomas, director of programs at The Atlas Society, declared.... Thomas added that 'I don't think she would have said she endorsed Jesus Christ.

"Mark Henderson, author of The Soul of Atlas: Ayn Rand, Christianity, a Quest for Common Ground, referenced Theologian John Piper to explain where Rand's philosophy can agree with Christianity. Henderson quoted ... Piper's essay 'Ayn Rand: An Appreciation and Critique,' where the theologian argued that 'all throughout scripture there are evidences of believers pursuing their own interest by pursuing God.'"

Read more: http://www.christianpost.com/news/ayn-rands-libertarian-hero-john-galt-was-modeled-on-jesus-christian-panelist-argues-114729/

'via Blog this'

Libertarians dispute Pope's economic pontifications

Libertarians become vocal critics of Evangelii Gaudium | National Catholic Reporter - Michael Sean Winters:

January 30, 2014 - "The most interesting criticisms of Pope Francis's apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, have come from libertarians who are closest to the economic views the pope denounced.

"In this document, Francis ... condemned 'trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world'.... He warned against laissez-faire adherents who 'reject the right of states, charged with vigilance for the common good, to exercise any form of control'.... The pope chastised 'the dictatorship of an impersonal economy lacking a truly human purpose.'

"'Speaking for libertarians, my objection to what the pope wrote derives from two things,' the Cato Institute's Marian Tupy said in an interview with NCR. 'First, there is the factual statement. The pope says the world is becoming worse, but that can be measured. In almost 200 pages, he never cites a single study, a single number, to support his claim. Tupy, who wrote an article encapsulating his objections in The Atlantic, cites a host of statistics to support his claim that 'capitalism, compared to other systems, does very well at bringing people out of poverty'....

"A similar critique of Evangelii Gaudium came from the pro-market Acton Institute, which is run by a Catholic priest, Fr. Robert Sirico. In a video discussing Evangelii Gaudium, Sirico posed a series of questions: 'Where are these unhampered markets?' he asked. 'Where is the market absolutely autonomous?' Sirico seems to be suggesting that the pope was creating straw men and attacking them, and expresses the hope that future exhortations will confront the economic questions Sirico poses."

Read more: http://ncronline.org/news/politics/libertarians-become-vocal-critics-exhortation
'via Blog this'

Dear Pope: It's a better world than you think

Is the Pope Right About the World? - Marian Tupy - The Atlantic:

December 11, 2013 - "In Evangelii Gaudium, an 'apostolic exhortation' released late last month, the pope bemoans inequality, poverty, and violence in the world.

"But here’s the problem: The dystopian world that Francis describes, without citing a single statistic, is at odds with reality. In appealing to our fears and pessimism, the pope fails to acknowledge the scope and rapidity of human accomplishment — whether measured through declining global inequality and violence, or growing prosperity and life expectancy....

"First, consider inequality. Academic researchers ... all agree that global inequality is declining. That is because 2.6 billion people in China and India are richer than they used to be. Their economies are growing much faster than those of their Western counterparts, thus shrinking the income gap that opened at the dawn of industrialization in the 19th century, when the West took off and left much of the rest of the world behind.

"Paradoxically, the shrinking of the global inequality gap was only possible after India and China abandoned their attempts to create equality through central planning....

"Second, let’s look at poverty.... Brookings Institution researchers Laurence Chandy and Geoffrey Gertz ... 'estimate that between 2005 and 2010, the total number of poor people around the world fell by nearly half a billion, from over 1.3 billion in 2005 to under 900 million in 2010. Poverty reduction of this magnitude is unparalleled in history: never before have so many people been lifted out of poverty over such a brief period of time.'"

Read more: http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/12/is-the-pope-right-about-the-world/282276/
'via Blog this'

The Pope, and the libertarians' failure

BEDFORD: The pope, and the libertarians' failure | The Daily Caller - Christopher Bedford:

November 29, 2013 - "Earlier this week, Pope Francis released his first major writing as head of the Roman Catholic Church — his Evangelii Gaudium, or “Joy of the Gospel” — to much fanfare from American progressives and more than a few groans from the right. While the pope’s message confirmed a lot of social doctrine that conservative Catholics can be thankful for, ... he seemed to come down fairly hard on libertarian economics, characterizing them as 'trickle-down theories' that have 'never been confirmed by the facts,' and tend 'to devour everything which stands in the way of increased profits'....

"But conservative and libertarians shouldn’t blame the pope for his characterization of the free market — we should blame ourselves.... [A]s his questions and teachings this week showed, we have failed to broadly and convincingly make the moral case for the free market....

"It is essential to make this case, because economic freedom is the sole economic system that allows man the freedom to create and succeed through his own faculties, satisfying his material needs as well as nurturing his spiritual nature — his happiness. Because of this, it is the only economic system compatible with Christian morality."

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2013/11/29/bedford-the-pope-and-the-libertarians-failure/