Tuesday, September 30, 2008

GMU Catholic Economists First Gathering

Tonight, there was a gathering of a few students (some former, including myself) who decided to get together to discuss Catholic Social Teaching. Kevin Burke, the head of the Peace and Justice committee for the GMU Catholic Campus Ministry, had put together the group and assigned the discussion to be on Rerum Novarum.
All that attended had something to say on the social teaching's of Pope Leo XIII. The discussion went from the good points to the bad points of the Papal Encyclical and even to one another sharing why some points we thought were bad are really good. It was a fun time shared by all. Most gatherings last an hour to allow students to get to other class projects such as homeworks, but it appeared no one wanted to leave.
With a group full of students such as these, who would want to leave?
If you get a chance, head up to Brion's Grill on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. Don't have to be Catholic to discuss, and Tuesdays at Brion's is half price burger day in case you needed another incentive to come.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I've found Rerum Novarum to be the most consistent and best among the encyclicals that address labor, property, the market, and so on.

"Best," of course, is relative. But it is actually not that bad. There is a contemporary writer on Catholic Social Thought -- I can't recall his name -- wait, here it is on my shelf: Gregory Baum. He reads the social teaching in Marxist terms, and takes these encyclicals in the opposite direction.