This is hard for our modern mind to compute. That suffering might lead to happiness?! Yet Christ shows us the way. We can, and do, live the beatitudes in our suffering accepted in love for Christ.
This article, an excellent analysis of Machiavelli's propaganda that is still infecting political and religious leaders today, reminds me of the attempt by some Church leaders to separate doctrine from practice in the sense that doctrine was the ideal while practice could not be expected to meet the ideal. The problem here is that what God teaches He provides the wherewithal to accomplish.
When I studied government at University I was inspired by what a wonderful enterprise the whole parliamentary system is ...when I looked at it through the lends of a virtuous person and how a virtuous person could work that system for good. Alas...the system is still here but the people and their way of working it has been corrupted in so many ways that virtuous people don't stand much of a chance anymore.
The article assumes the economy is a zero sum game. The more I have, the less you have, but it really doesn’t work that way. Others don’t have less because Bill Gates has more. More people have more due to the economic growth he’s brought about. A rising tide lifts all boats.
Thankyou Katherine for another excellent analysis. It brought to mind this quote by Chesterton. The progressive creed is by nature parasitic and proclaims half-truths to turn the faithful into “hopeful half-wits”.
“Materialism says the universe is mindless; and faith says it is ruled by the highest mind. Neither will be satisfied with the new progressive creed, which declares hopefully that the universe is half-witted.”
This article, an excellent analysis of Machiavelli's propaganda that is still infecting political and religious leaders today, reminds me of the attempt by some Church leaders to separate doctrine from practice in the sense that doctrine was the ideal while practice could not be expected to meet the ideal. The problem here is that what God teaches He provides the wherewithal to accomplish.
When I studied government at University I was inspired by what a wonderful enterprise the whole parliamentary system is ...when I looked at it through the lends of a virtuous person and how a virtuous person could work that system for good. Alas...the system is still here but the people and their way of working it has been corrupted in so many ways that virtuous people don't stand much of a chance anymore.
The article assumes the economy is a zero sum game. The more I have, the less you have, but it really doesn’t work that way. Others don’t have less because Bill Gates has more. More people have more due to the economic growth he’s brought about. A rising tide lifts all boats.
We can be sure of one thing. Any philosophy that caters to our fallen human natures is sure to gain traction. We see it all around us today.
Thankyou Katherine for another excellent analysis. It brought to mind this quote by Chesterton. The progressive creed is by nature parasitic and proclaims half-truths to turn the faithful into “hopeful half-wits”.
“Materialism says the universe is mindless; and faith says it is ruled by the highest mind. Neither will be satisfied with the new progressive creed, which declares hopefully that the universe is half-witted.”
- G. K. Chesterton, Collected Works 1920