Rerum Novarum, especially its treatment of Socialism and Capitalism - Essay Example

Treatment of Socialism and Capitalism The church has different ways through which it views the two ideologies of socialism andcapitalism. Capitalism has tendencies of exploiting individuals and determining the wages people are entitled to their duties. In the excerpt, the church talks about non-exploitation of individuals and acquiring property through dubious means. Essentially, the extreme tendencies of capitalism are refuted and moderate standards elevated (Novarum 3). To some extent, the church champion’s capitalistic tendencies in the sense that it promotes the issue of people going to work and getting wages.

Consequently, it gives an opinion on the protection of property owned by individuals. The church promotes certain elements of capitalism while denouncing the extremist of the same ideology. The church gives socialism some sense of accommodation, though, only to the confines of providing collective support to the people, who are disadvantaged in terms of resource acquisition. However, most of the tendencies are of socialism are not championed and agitated for by the church. While the church encourages the state protection of property, it does not comment on social aspects that are owned collectively by the Society (Novarum 7).

The state is viewed only as an agent of the rich, which is a characteristic of capitalism. Socialism does not promote the essence of work and wages a system that the church vehemently talks against. Reference is given to the works of the apostle Paul, who championed the essence of the work. To this end, socialism does not give much prominence as it is done for capitalism. Work CitedNovarum, Rerum. Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII on Capital and Labor. The Role of the Church. Pdf.