North of the Shire

It seems that there is little likelihood that America will ever return to the structure of its roots, despite what some there would wish or hope for or attempt to engineer. The power structures are too deeply entrenched. Moreover, as I mentioned earlier, I believe it is in the nature of mankind to desire a kingdom and for all practical purposes to create one despite the nominal system or ideology. Although that original American ideal was as close to the ideal of subsidiarity in Catholic social doctrine that the world has ever known, it is long gone. Continue Reading »

So what is it then that we are doing when we create countries and governments and systems? Why do we need governments at all? Why not anarchy? Continue Reading »

Here is my own opinion on history and government. Given all that we have discussed thus far, I have a theory of history, or perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a theory of government in history up to and including our own time. Continue Reading »

Having given a general overview of where we are as Catholics in relation to the political circumstance of the day, let us make a few notes about our life here on earth as Catholics and how it affects our membership in the Kingdom of God. Continue Reading »

There is a website/blog that calls itself First Things. I highly recommend it by the way, in particular for its serious treatment of the bigger issues that face us. But in this series of posts I would like to usurp the generic term “first things” because it is the only way to get at the current discussion underway in America in particular but in all of the western world to some extent. I am speaking of the discussion of socialism vs. capitalism, and in particular the Catholic perspective on the debate. I say “the” Catholic perspective in reference to Catholic teaching in the area of Revelation, faith, morals and social teaching and how we can apply them to the secular issue of the best form of government. Continue Reading »