Is Christianity kind of the same as Capitalism?
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately and I realized that Christianity has kind of the same ideas as the common complaints about capitalism. In Christianity, you’re expected to make the most of yourself and “follow the system.” If you work hard and do it for the right reasons, then you go to heaven. If you fail, then it was your fault because you didn’t contribute enough to the overall system and you will go to hell. Don’t those ideas sound a lot like complaints that people have about Capitalism?
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11 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Many Christians are Capitalist before they are Christians. You are not supposed to Covet Things and to give all you possessions away to the poor and follow Christ.....Now, as George Carlin would say, that's some major league Bullshit.
Humanity4all
Level 6
Apr 3, 2018
0
Christianity is totalitarian. So is Capitalism because it gathers up more and more resources such as money, labor, raw materials, and influence (capital) and places it under the control of fewre and fewer people. It's vertically integrated just like monotheism.
farmboy2017
Level 7
Mar 28, 2018
0
They have become very similar it seems....narrow parameters creates narrow minds, religions and governments can control you more easily that way....sad really, most don't get that they are being totally controlled.
DrewShourd
Level 7
Mar 27, 2018
0
In that they're both scams to concentrate power?
Nah.
WileEQuixote
Level 7
Mar 26, 2018
1
There are some distinct similarities. 'The same'? Obviously not exactly the same. But I do feel like a lot of capitalists treat the Invisible Hand of the market like a deity, so...
DonThiebaut
Level 7
Mar 26, 2018
1
No. Christianity is a total system ideology. Capitalism is an economic ideology which has varying degrees of openness ranging from laissez faire capitalism to a mixed economy.
wordywalt
Level 9
Mar 26, 2018
0
Except that christianity (particularly the protestant variations) informs both the founding and continued exercise of capitalism. Which accounts for many of the similarities in unfounded beliefs practiced by both systems.
There are common threads between Christianity (particularly fundamentalism) and free-market capitalism (mostly, Calvinism, as others have mentioned).
More broadly though there are Christians who are quite politically and economically liberal. The current Pope for example is pretty opposed to "poverty is the fault of the poor" and more into "what you do unto the least of these you do unto me" ethos. Religions based on holy books are pretty pliable that way; holy books are vague templates that you can [re]interpret as you please to support any desired dogma or emphasis.
mordant
Level 8
Mar 26, 2018
1
This is a great observation, since Western-style capitalism is highly influenced by Calvinism. You may want to check out The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by Max Weber. [en.wikipedia.org]
ejbman
Level 7
Mar 26, 2018
2
No, not at all. Capitalism at it's core is nothing more than the voluntary exchange of mutually beneficial values between two entities (a buyer and a seller). In the US, much has been made of "income inequality" which implies there is some organized system working to make this happen. The income inequality argument is nothing more than an attempt to usurp (steal) from "the rich" in the name of "wealth redistribution." Think about it. That's my opinion, anyway.
IAMGROOT
Level 7
Mar 26, 2018
1
I disagree. Income inequality in the U.S. is about systemic problems with poor rules that favor the already wealthy, not conspiracy, as such. There are much higher-functioning societies with better rules in place, such as the Scandinavian countries, which have a well-managed, democratic capitalism as opposed to a plutocratic capitalism. Income inequality is much, much worse than you think:
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