Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Reflections on Catholic Teachings Regarding Property Ownership


                According to the Catholic Social Teachings, the right to private property is and always will be conditional. Private property is regarded as necessary in order to entice individuals to pursue a greater lifestyle as well as to respect the material that they possess. However, Catholicism also advocates the generosity towards fellow neighbors and common people, and therefore when an individual retains a surplus of material goods whilst another has none, then it is the Catholic way to sacrifice their possessions.  It is unnatural to ask an individual to sacrifice his or her self for the likes of a stranger with no benefit to the donator, regardless of the Catholic belief. People’s property should not be expropriated when situations call for it because this removes any sense of stability and consistency in the individual’s life. What this Catholic teaching is calling for cannot be; the world they believe proper to exist would exist in constant inconsistency and contradiction with itself. To be honest and to also believe in private property that can be expropriated in times of need contradicts itself. Therefore, these Catholic teachings advocate a life of illusion in favor of a higher being to control the inconsistencies of the universe. 

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