The book of Genesis says human beings were given dominion over the natural world. Scripture also teaches that the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it (Ps. 24:1). Thus, human society’s dominion over the earth is one of stewardship. We have a responsibility to ensure that the earth is managed properly on behalf of its only rightful owner, God. Wasting the earth’s resources is an unquestionable dereliction of our stewardship responsibilities. But this is only one of our...

The death and election of a pope are naturally global events, of interest far beyond the Catholic Church itself. But the death of Pope John Paul II was a global event also in the sense that the whole world was able to watch it unfold as it happened. Not only was the pope's death historic because of the stature of the man himself, but also because this first “media pope” was the first to die in our new 24/7...

1 Thessalonians 4:9-12: On the subject of mutual charity you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another. Indeed, you do this for all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Nevertheless we urge you, brothers, to progress even more, and to aspire to live a tranquil life, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your [own] hands, as we instructed you, that you may conduct yourselves...

Many of the current economic problems in the United States have their roots in a pressing moral malaise. In these times of moral turmoil, many have mistakenly equivocated government-sponsored welfare with the virtue passion. Compassion is frequently cited as a reason to justify state-supported social programs, so an important question needs to be raised: Is governmental welfare passionate? Are the human needs of the people really served with governmental handouts? The theory behind the welfare state is that people...

Numerous political scientists among modern American conservatives and libertarians have lamented the redefinition of the term “liberalism” away from its classical meaning, delimiting it to meaning a political philosophy emphasizing individual freedom and limited government. Many of these scholars who lament this change have correctly traced how neo-liberals have redefined liberalism by redefining liberty itself. Relatively few, however, have explained why many twentieth-century Christians, particularly Roman Catholics, have abandoned the classical-liberal view of freedom in favor of neo-liberal, Rawlsian...

Many of us have a misguided understanding of how to passionate to those in poverty. Currently, a debilitating welfare culture exists within nations that have adopted to some degree the welfare state model. Many of us have grown accustomed to viewing poverty passion narrowly. Eventually, we must face not just minor reform, but the overturning of the old paradigm. Those working in the private sector, to whom the new welfare responsibilities will fall, must begin to adopt the following...

From the beginning of human history, humans have exercised dominion over the material world. ponents of nature (other than persons themselves) are resources that can be rightly used, and in some instances used up, for the benefit of persons. Through their use of things, people cause much of the material world to e property: that is, material morally tied in a special way to a particular person or persons. However, the human dominion over the subhuman world is more...

Rabbi Daniel Lapin and Riccardo di Segni offer their thoughts on John Paul II. In this edition of Religion & Liberty, we look at the life and legacy of Pope John Paul II. In his many travels abroad, some of his most stirring encounters were with leaders of the Jewish faith. In his historic address at the Great Synagogue of Rome in 1986, John Paul said: “In a society which is often lost in agnosticism and individualism and which...

The United States is far more pared to other countries – shockingly so. Most Americans have a favorite anecdote: the couple that sued for more legroom on an airline flight; the woman who sued a fast-food restaurant for its tough bagel; the man who sued the pany for getting his wife addicted to TV. The economic costs of this litigious lifestyle are incalculable. Even more troubling is how the problem does not admit to an easy political solution. As...