American Gov't

[Ora et Labora]

Hey y'all! Kristina here and I have a discussion for you guys. I am currently in American Gov't and we are discussing right now these topics (or questions)

1. What is Government?
2. Is government good or evil?
3. Does it depend on the type?

These can actually be based on Catholicism and you can be suprised how heated up and fun this can get! So, hopefully this will happen! There are many ideas on what government is, and I came up with the definition that it is a system of laws by the people to safely govern the community. My answer's not that deep, so I wanted to know what y'all thought. Another question that has come up is: Is Government's concrete order, by God or by man? That was a hard one to decide... I couldn't figure that one out myself.

[Ora et Labora]

Sorry I posted three topics. My computer is not working. I just pm'ed hsmom and asked her if she would take out two of them.

[brendan1104]

Hehe, I just got out of American Gov’t… now I’m in the library.

1. government–noun
1. the political direction and control exercised over the actions of the members, citizens, or inhabitants of communities, societies, and states; direction of the affairs of a state, community, etc.; political administration: Government is necessary to the existence of civilized society.
2. the form or system of rule by which a state, community, etc., is governed: monarchical government; episcopal government.
3. the governing body of persons in a state, community, etc.; administration.
4. a branch or service of the supreme authority of a state or nation, taken as representing the whole: a dam built by the government.
5. (in some parliamentary systems, as that of the United Kingdom)
a. the particular group of persons forming the cabinet at any given time: The Prime Minister has formed a new government.
b. the parliament along with the cabinet: The government has fallen.
6. direction; control; management; rule: the government of one's conduct.
7. a district governed; province.
8. POLITICAL SCIENCE.
9. Grammar. the extablished usage that requires that one word in a sentence should cause another to be of a particular form: the government of the verb by its subject.

Take your pick.

2. Inasmuch as it advances the Social Reign of Christ the King, is morally and ethically sound and leads its subjects closer to God through the virtue and practice of good citizenship and obedience it is good.

3. Very much so. Look at American approved abortions, etc.

Welcome back!

[quote name='Ora et Labora' post='1062667' date='Sep 14 2006, 02:44 PM']
Hey y'all! Kristina here and I have a discussion for you guys. I am currently in American Gov't and we are discussing right now these topics (or questions)

1. What is Government?
2. Is government good or evil?
3. Does it depend on the type?

These can actually be based on Catholicism and you can be suprised how heated up and fun this can get! So, hopefully this will happen! There are many ideas on what government is, and I came up with the definition that it is a system of laws by the people to safely govern the community. My answer's not that deep, so I wanted to know what y'all thought. Another question that has come up is: Is Government's concrete order, by God or by man? That was a hard one to decide... I couldn't figure that one out myself.
[/quote]

[Ora et Labora]

thank you brendan...

[Era Might]

[quote]The just ordering of society and the State is a central responsibility of politics. As Augustine once said, a State which is not governed according to justice would be just a bunch of thieves: “Remota itaque iustitia quid sunt regna nisi magna latrocinia?”. Fundamental to Christianity is the distinction between what belongs to Caesar and what belongs to God (cf. Mt 22:21), in other words, the distinction between Church and State, or, as the Second Vatican Council puts it, the autonomy of the temporal sphere. The State may not impose religion, yet it must guarantee religious freedom and harmony between the followers of different religions. For her part, the Church, as the social expression of Christian faith, has a proper independence and is structured on the basis of her faith as a community which the State must recognize. The two spheres are distinct, yet always interrelated.

--Pope Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter "Deus Caritas Est"[/quote]

[Ora et Labora]

Thanks Era Might... of course I'm not talking really about Vatican II and it's comments on Gov't, more on what Gov't is as a whole, you know? What it means to have a government for the people. What I'm trying to say is, what is Government and is it good or bad? I honestly don't know myself but this is what I wrote down in my notes yesterday during class:

The Governments main priority is to steer the people's motives and desires in the right direction. Over many years though, the steerers are more intent on reaching their own destination then that of his people on the ship. In this way, they steer towards disaster and drown there crew at times. I don't know. It's just something I thought up because the word Government is derived from the Greek language meaning "steersman." I thought that was interesting. So, in the end, does this mean that Government itself is bad, or just the way the Government's ways turn out?

Edited September 14, 2006 by Ora et Labora