Friday, July 29, 2016

The Economy: General

My economic views (keep in mind this is speaking of America):

I find that the Government's role is to protect its citizens from infringement upon their rights. These rights are
 a) life,
 b) liberty, and
 c) property.
The first two are self explanatory: the Government has the job to protect its citizens from physical harm (life) and to give them freedom (liberty). However, the third is somewhat tricky. What I mean by property is that the things you earn, either by labor, entrepreneurship, etc., are yours and yours only, and cannot be taken away from you. This prevents both individuals from taking away your property and the Government from taking away your property. 

These are the basic rights every citizen ought to have. But do they? 

Well, no. The Government currently takes property (money) away from its citizens. That's not wrong, provided it is used for its purpose (enforcement and protection of rights). But that isn't what it's being used for! It's being used for
-Free health insurance
-Free welfare
-Free social security
And countless other "free" organizations! Except none of these are "free," someone must pay for it. But these costs are distributed among the many and its benefits are concentrated among the few. Therefore, my incentive to protest against health insurance if I have private insurance is very low (approx. $100/month), but a person covered under this "free" health insurance has the initiative equivalent to the cost of private insurance (approx. $367/month). It is in this way that these laws stay in place. Is it right? No. But these laws are incredibly difficult to get rid of. 

So I will end with a question. Do we have a right to health care, welfare, social security, etc.? Or do these programs infringe on others basic human rights?

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Europe: why is everything so small?

As some of you might know, I'm in Hungary right now. What I find strange about Europe, though (and apparently many other people do, too) is that everything is so much smaller. The cans of soda, the furniture, the streets, everything! The shops are as large as a living room (or smaller), the ovens are as large as microwaves, and the washing machines can wash only one sheet at a time!

I found myself wondering, "Why? What reason do all the Europeans have to make everything smaller? Certainly more people would buy larger items. Certainly if you sell larger items they would beat the smaller ones, right?"

I don't have an answer to all those questions. Instead, I will attempt to figure out the answer by asking Europeans (specifically Hungarians) that question:
"Would you want a larger ____? Why or why not?"

Any predictions on what the answers will be?

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Sola Scriptura?

Catholics.We don't trust only the Bible.

Fundamentalist Christians gasp and say, "All your beliefs should come from the Bible!" "Your church shouldn't be the source of doctrine, only the Bible should!" "Sola Scriptura (by scripture alone)!"

Are they right?

Well, no. They have it the wrong way around.

First off, the Bible wasn't the source of doctrine until the 6th century. Until then, the Biblical Canon was not yet formed. Instead, word was passed down by the Church. The Bible did not create the Church, the Church created the Bible. For this reason alone, if the Church is not deemed credible, the Bible cannot be deemed credible either.

Secondly, the doctrine of "Sola Scriptura" is self-contradictory. If we are truly to trust the Bible only, where in the Bible does it teach "Sola Scriptura?"

Answer? Nowhere. There is not one verse in the Bible that states you must use the Bible as your sole source of doctrine. Actually, the Bible states quite the opposite! "Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours (2 Thessalonians 2:15)." The Bible also tells us to hold onto teaching from the Church. "I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold fast to the traditions, just as I handed them on to you (1 Corinthians 11:2)." From this, we can show that the Bible does not command us to use it as the only source of our doctrine.

Finally, we must ask this question:
"How did the early church create its doctrine?"

Remember, the early church had no printing-presses, meaning that you would need a hand-copied, 1,281 page book for every believer to read and interpret. Is that what actually happened? No.

The reason why the early church grew so fast wasn't because of people that were sitting around reading the Bible (because it didn't exist yet, see above). It was because of the Church, the apostles, preachers, and teachers that came to their communities and taught them what they were taught by Christ himself.

So this is where we end, with this thought.
Can we use the Bible alone to form all our doctrine?

Saturday, July 23, 2016

Who I am, what I do, and why I'm here.

Hi! This is my first real blog, If you are wondering who I am, or what I'm doing writing a blog, you're reading the right page.

First off, I'll introduce myself. My name is David, and I'm a Junior in California. I'm homeschooled, Catholic, and interested in politics. Yes, that means I'm weird. I would rather discuss policies than party, stay home and study economics than go out with friends, and I enjoy debating (as you could probably tell by the title of this blog).

Secondly, I should tell you why I want to blog in the first place.

As you know by my introduction, I have some pretty big opinions on some pretty big ideas. I'm here because I want to tell them to other people who might not have heard those opinions. I won't be conclusory unless I feel strongly about something. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't want to force opinions on anyone. As a matter of fact, I would encourage hearing the other arguments from you in the comments.

That being said, I'd love it if you recommend or share this blog to others so that everyone can see it. I want my voice to be heard, and I feel the best way to do it in this day and age is on a blog.

So enjoy this blog, for whatever it's worth!

-DavidDebates