Just to add my own 2 cents worth into the hullabaloo over Pope Francis’ comments about Capitalism and as a longtime student of Political Philosophy & Theory I’d like to say “So?”.
First to start off, lets be clear just because something is socialist it does not follow that it is Marxist. If you don’t believe me just read George Orwell’s commentaries of Marxism. That said, anyone who has taken the time to really study the basic teaching of most any of the denominations of Christianity is aware of where classic socialism gets many of it’s ideas from. I have yet to find any Christian denomination that isn’t about the community, or as some put it “The Body of Christ”. It is about helping, supporting, etc others who need it. So is Socialism. They just go about getting it done differently. Socialism uses the power of the state, Christianity uses the power of the church.
So right wing bobble-heads I say, Get Over It. Just because you have joined hands with some Christians, or people who claim to be Christians, who seem to think Jesus said ‘Greed is Good’ doesn’t make it so.
By there works you will know them. (with apologies to Mark 7:16)