tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498525082522582900.post117749880253364367..comments2024-03-22T16:02:08.213-05:00Comments on The Wheel: One World Government By ... The Vatican?Mark Stegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02376182294736839659noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498525082522582900.post-12832722626670631332011-11-06T20:20:33.228-06:002011-11-06T20:20:33.228-06:00Bill, thanks for your feedback. You are right -- m...Bill, thanks for your feedback. You are right -- my headline would have been more accurately worded, "Vatican Calls for One-World Government." The document does not say the Vatican should lead such a government.Mark Stegerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02376182294736839659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498525082522582900.post-82403557669921687262011-11-06T20:08:43.124-06:002011-11-06T20:08:43.124-06:00"It's peculiar that Dreher is perfectly w..."It's peculiar that Dreher is perfectly willing to cede such authority over matters pertaining to our immortal souls, but not over matters pertaining to our pocketbooks."<br /><br />I am puzzled. In reading Dreher's original comments, I don't think he is wanting to "[cede] such authority", but that he is recognizing that we have a problem, and the Church (at least) is proposing a solution, although not a solution that he necessarily agrees with: "It is fairly clear why an American would find this dangerous and unacceptable ..., and why it would never fly. ".<br /><br />Indeed, contrary to what one might surmise from your headline, the Vatican is not calling for IT to run a one world government, but pointing out that multi-national financial institutions are not being effectively monitored and governed by national governments. There are actually two solutions: (1) to create a world government, or (2) sharply restrict the power of pan-national institutions that avoid regulation by any individual government. <br /><br />The biggest concern that the Church has is that in the West, people don't recognize that we have two different yet parallel systems working together to create our extremely successful society: capitalism and religion. Capitalism rewards those who produce because of self-interest, but religion (whether Christian or otherwise) encourages each individual to be a responsible member of society: to not lie or steal, to honor contracts, and to share wealth with those that deserve it (not just those who want it).<br /><br />Tacitus once wrote that among the barbarian Germans that social pressure caused much better civic behavior than all the laws of Rome. C.S. Lewis pointed out that he would much rather play cards with a card shark bred to believe that "gentlemen don't cheat" than any professor of ethics. Capitalism depends on an underlying social understanding that there are rules that people follow without regard to apparent self-interest. In the West, Christianity has largely provided this for centuries, but as Christianity and religion lose their hold on the culture, capitalism starts to reveal its dark side - that it's OK to grab as much as you want, without regard to rules, laws, social convention, or the good of the country. <br /><br />As a Roman Catholic, I don't want the Church to run the world government, but I don't believe that this is what Dreher was saying...but that he was just pointing out an obvious problem that the Church seems to recognize but not enough other people do...<br /><br />Billmccalpinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02768191960822864278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498525082522582900.post-57082491106527021192011-11-04T08:23:16.216-05:002011-11-04T08:23:16.216-05:00The irony of this is so rich you could cut it with...The irony of this is so rich you could cut it with a knife. Where are the fundamentalists who have always attacked the Catholics? Now, they'll be saying this shows how the Pope is the anti-Christ from the book of Revelations. . .glbeachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10177895211614530947noreply@blogger.com