Can Catholics Be Socialist?: Off the Shelf 170 with Trent Horn

Off the Shelf 170 – Trent Horn

This week Trent Horn joins me to clear the burning question……can a Catholic be socialist? Not to spoil it for you but the answer is no. Tune in and find out why in this week’s episode. Grab your copy of Can a Catholic be a Socialist here.

From the Publisher Catholic Answers Press

This long-discredited economic philosophy is making a comeback, not only on college campuses and political talk shows but among sincere Catholics. Some think it could be the answer to greed, and globalism. Some even argue that it s the best way to obey Christ s command to help the poor.

Let s give socialism a fresh chance, they say. A democratic socialism this time, friendly to religion and ordered to the common good, as the Church says the economy should be.

In Can a Catholic Be a Socialist?, Trent Horn and Catherine R. Pakaluk refute this tempting but false notion. Drawing on Scripture, history, Catholic social teaching, and basic economic reality, they show beyond a doubt that Catholicism and socialism are utterly incompatible.

Along the way, they debunk many of the common claims used to keep afloat the fantasy of a Christian-socialist hybrid, including:

– Since the early Christians kept their property in common, so should we.
– Jesus would be in favor an economic system that guarantees everyone food, health care, and education.
– The Church especially Pope Francis teaches that Catholics must find a third way between the extremes of Communism and capitalism.
– Socialism would work if it were just done right, like in Sweden.

Although there is no one Catholic economic system, Can a Catholic Be a Socialist? helps you understand commonsense economic principles that are truly in line with the Faith. For we all should work for an economy that gives life, fostering prosperity and the common good while providing opportunities to practice temperance and charity.

Where to find

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Pete Socks

Pete Socks converted to the Catholic faith in 1996. He continues to learn the riches of our Faith through books. The passion to read has led to his ministry as a book reviewer for leading Catholic publishers. You can find his reviews at The Catholic Book Blogger (www.catholicbookblogger.com). Pete also serves as General Manager of the national Catholic podcasting network Breadbox Media (www.breadboxmedia.com) where he also hosts his own weekly show Off the Shelf. When not reading, writing, and recording interviews, Pete is the happily married father of five working his way through life as a freelance consultant in rural PA.

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3 thoughts on “Can Catholics Be Socialist?: Off the Shelf 170 with Trent Horn”

John Higgins
March 31, AD2020 at 9:29 am

The problem with Socialism is that it turns the Church into an arm of the state, and “charity” into “force”. Since real charity is love (caritas) when one tries to force it on people it isn’t moral, like trying to force love on someone. We often call that “rape”. Socialism is at best massive codependent behavior and at worse marching in the streets either singing “Seig Heil” or “Good Day Comrade!”

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1. captcrisis
  March 31, AD2020 at 12:39 pm
  
  You are arguing that we have to get rid of welfare of all types, and also Medicaid, and help for poor women trying to bring healthy babies to term, in fact any form of taxation which helps those in need.
captcrisis
March 31, AD2020 at 3:03 am

Can’t be a Democrat, either.

Nor a supporter of “Medicare for All”.

Opposing Trump puts you in dangerous territory as well.

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