Talking Politics at Work
As a general rule, don't talk politics at work. When it comes to your colleagues, it's just not worth the time and aggravation. As for the boss, any considerate boss would never put you in the position of commenting on matters political. If you happen to be the boss, keep away from politics when speaking with those whom you manage or supervise.
The above really counts as common courtesy, nothing more or less. But even if you've observed the proprieties at work, you likely harbor one or more political opinions, if not a fully-formed political worldview. If so, let's hope that, as a Catholic, you understand that there's no hard and fast rule about a particular political party that might now claim your allegiance. I've known good Catholics registered as both Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, even one or another of the more exotic parties. They've managed to remain faithful to the teachings of the Church, despite their party occasionally - or more than occasionally - being at odds with those teachings. The party neither makes nor breaks the Catholic who keeps his religion in the driver's seat.
We must, however, note a caveat about a party or two: the Communist Party, for instance. Communism doesn't mix at all happily with Catholicism - or with anything else for that matter. Communists, some of whom may be well-intentioned, espouse an atheistic, totalitarian philosophy as far from the teachings of Jesus Christ as you might imagine. The same applies to socialism, although some Catholics imagine a healthy, even necessary connection between the Faith and the political philosophy of socialism.
In case you're not up to speed on this imagined connection, you might read Acts 2:41-47, especially where we read that the early Christians "had all things in common; And sold their possessions and goods and parted them to all men, as every man had need." Or you might check out Acts 4:32-35 where we read that "distribution was made unto every man according as he had need." That wasn't communism. The association came about when Karl Marx cleverly trumpeted the saying: "From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need."
The fact that some misguided souls with good intentions somehow confuse Marx's catchy slogan with the Bible, thereby associating socialism, even communism, with Christianity doesn't change anything. Not only has the Church pretty clearly taught us. going back to Pope Leo XIII, that socialism (and certainly Communism) don't mix well with our Holy Faith, we're all aware - or should be - where good intentions may lead us under certain circumstances.
Let's hope you're not one of those who've fallen for this faux connection. But there's another we should address: Catholicism and "conservative," especially conservative Republican politics. Bad enough when liberal Democrats think they've got a corner on true Christian principles: they don't and you should know that. On the other hand, when conservative Republicans opine on some issues near and dear to our hearts - for example, abortion - we can easily be lured into believing that it's somehow "catholic" to vote Republican. All I can say is, as you delve into specifically who supports what, you'll find that some who build their base on their "conservatism" can and do justify rather "un-catholic" positions. "Same-sex marriage" comes immediately to mind.
Well, we started today's discussion with the principle that it's both prudent and considerate to avoid the subject of politics at work. It seems a pretty straightforward matter, more or less part of the general understanding that it's best to avoid talking about either religion or politics in polite company. This then led us to a quick overview of how politics intersects with our Catholic Faith. And while you may still think that being a good Catholic somehow mixes best with one party or another, we'll stick with the view that no one party can lay claim to our exclusive allegiance. There are simply too many instances where both Democrats and Republicans, not only fall far short of the teachings of Christ's Church, but in some instances actively, even virulently, oppose those teachings. So if you've given what we might call your "primary" allegiance to one party or another, please be sure to always exercise prudent judgment when it comes to particular issues, especially when it comes time to vote.
But there's another side of politics at work we should take a look at: the politics that permeates more and more of the work place. Ranging from federal regulations that influence company policies and procedures to the so-called "political correctness" that influences the way we talk and act on the job, politics has managed to stick its nose into more and more of our work lives. More next time...
The above really counts as common courtesy, nothing more or less. But even if you've observed the proprieties at work, you likely harbor one or more political opinions, if not a fully-formed political worldview. If so, let's hope that, as a Catholic, you understand that there's no hard and fast rule about a particular political party that might now claim your allegiance. I've known good Catholics registered as both Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, even one or another of the more exotic parties. They've managed to remain faithful to the teachings of the Church, despite their party occasionally - or more than occasionally - being at odds with those teachings. The party neither makes nor breaks the Catholic who keeps his religion in the driver's seat.
We must, however, note a caveat about a party or two: the Communist Party, for instance. Communism doesn't mix at all happily with Catholicism - or with anything else for that matter. Communists, some of whom may be well-intentioned, espouse an atheistic, totalitarian philosophy as far from the teachings of Jesus Christ as you might imagine. The same applies to socialism, although some Catholics imagine a healthy, even necessary connection between the Faith and the political philosophy of socialism.
In case you're not up to speed on this imagined connection, you might read Acts 2:41-47, especially where we read that the early Christians "had all things in common; And sold their possessions and goods and parted them to all men, as every man had need." Or you might check out Acts 4:32-35 where we read that "distribution was made unto every man according as he had need." That wasn't communism. The association came about when Karl Marx cleverly trumpeted the saying: "From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need."
The fact that some misguided souls with good intentions somehow confuse Marx's catchy slogan with the Bible, thereby associating socialism, even communism, with Christianity doesn't change anything. Not only has the Church pretty clearly taught us. going back to Pope Leo XIII, that socialism (and certainly Communism) don't mix well with our Holy Faith, we're all aware - or should be - where good intentions may lead us under certain circumstances.
Let's hope you're not one of those who've fallen for this faux connection. But there's another we should address: Catholicism and "conservative," especially conservative Republican politics. Bad enough when liberal Democrats think they've got a corner on true Christian principles: they don't and you should know that. On the other hand, when conservative Republicans opine on some issues near and dear to our hearts - for example, abortion - we can easily be lured into believing that it's somehow "catholic" to vote Republican. All I can say is, as you delve into specifically who supports what, you'll find that some who build their base on their "conservatism" can and do justify rather "un-catholic" positions. "Same-sex marriage" comes immediately to mind.
Well, we started today's discussion with the principle that it's both prudent and considerate to avoid the subject of politics at work. It seems a pretty straightforward matter, more or less part of the general understanding that it's best to avoid talking about either religion or politics in polite company. This then led us to a quick overview of how politics intersects with our Catholic Faith. And while you may still think that being a good Catholic somehow mixes best with one party or another, we'll stick with the view that no one party can lay claim to our exclusive allegiance. There are simply too many instances where both Democrats and Republicans, not only fall far short of the teachings of Christ's Church, but in some instances actively, even virulently, oppose those teachings. So if you've given what we might call your "primary" allegiance to one party or another, please be sure to always exercise prudent judgment when it comes to particular issues, especially when it comes time to vote.
But there's another side of politics at work we should take a look at: the politics that permeates more and more of the work place. Ranging from federal regulations that influence company policies and procedures to the so-called "political correctness" that influences the way we talk and act on the job, politics has managed to stick its nose into more and more of our work lives. More next time...
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