Is Capitalism unChristian?

[ANV]

:clappingositive at last!

Not “positive” or “negative”, that’s my thought from reading the bible.

 

[IWantGod]

:clappingositive at last!

I don’t like capitalism, it allows most of the wealth to be concentrated to a small percentage of the population while those who actually produce the wealth are treated to very low wages in comparison. Not only that it produces a situation called wage slavery. No catholic can seriously support a system like that.

There has to be another way.

 

[ericc]

Jesus promoted capitalism in his Parable of the Talents Mat 25:16 where the first servant traded with his 5 talents and made 5 more. His step father St Joseph was a carpenter and I presumed he sold them. Some of the apostles were fishermen and I presume they sold their catch. Trading is capitalism.

There is nothing wrong with capitalism. It is how you conduct yourself when you practice capitalism that makes it Christian-like or not. Are you honest in your business dealings? It is what you do with your profits/wages that makes a person Christian-like or not. Jesus talks about the how to deal with surplus wealth in his parable of the Rich Fool Lk 12:13-21.

 

[IWantGod]

Jesus promoted capitalism in his Parable of the Talents Mat 25:16 where the first servant traded with his 5 talents and made 5 more.

Jesus used the idea of profit as an analogy for something completely unrelated. Do you know what that is? Or did you honestly think that Jesus was walking around giving a seminar on Capitalism?

 

[ericc]

Jesus used the idea of profit as an analogy for something completely unrelated. Do you know what that is?

He used an example where capitalism is involved. If capitalism is evil, he didn’t mentioned it and there is no reason for him to use such a poor example. Whether I know what the parable is about is irrelevant. If the servant is indeed engaging in trading/capitalism my point stands. Why the nitpick? Get your caffeine fix.

Or did you honestly think that Jesus was walking around giving a seminar on Capitalism?

Did you think I was actually thinking that? Get real.

 

[EasterJoy]

I don’t like capitalism, it allows most of the wealth to be concentrated to a small percentage of the population while those who actually produce the wealth are treated to very low wages in comparison. Not only that it produces a situation called wage slavery. No catholic can seriously support a system like that.

There has to be another way.

First off, if you mean by wage slavery, “if anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat,” (2 Thes. 3:10) that is not slavery. The gift of being capable of doing productive work comes with the duty to do it. This is not an uncharitable standard.

Capitalism is a system that can be conducted in a way that is just or in a way that is unjust, particularly if the freedom for workers to bargain collectively is protected and the duty of the government to protect citizens from unjust exploitation is exercised prudently, neither unjustly favoring the working class nor the capital investment class. (May I point out, too, that in our day most people with retirement savings belong to both classes.)

It is always going to be an on-going struggle in a secular government to balance what the workers think is fair and what the investment class thinks is fair. Having said that, the Supreme Court’s decision that corporations are persons with free speech rights has undoubtedly tilted favor towards the investment class, which has the contributors handing over the most money to political candidates.

 

[EasterJoy]

Jesus used the idea of profit as an analogy for something completely unrelated. Do you know what that is? Or did you honestly think that Jesus was walking around giving a seminar on Capitalism?

When St. Peter gave Ananias and Spapphira a dressing down about lying about their contribution to the Church, he said, “While it remained unsold, did it not remain yours? And when it was sold, was it not still under your control?” (Acts 5:4) Even from the earliest times, there has been a recognized right to own private property. The description of the Ideal Wife in Proverbs is obviously capitalistic: “She picks out a field to purchase; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.” More to the point are the Lord’s parables of the vineyard owners, who hire workers and pay them a wage at the end of the day and who let out a vineyard to tenant farmers–“planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left”–and expected a share of the proceeds when the harvest was completed.

Scriptures do not forbid capitalism. Instead, Scriptures are very blunt in condemning those who use a position of power to cheat their employees or to ignore the needs of the poor. Those who have wealth are in a position of noblesse oblige: that is, nobility obliges. Yes, wealth obliges, too. That doesn’t mean no one can amass any. It means that those who have do have a duty to share some of their surplus.

 

[IWantGod]

First off, if you mean by wage slavery, “if anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat,” (2 Thes. 3:10) that is not slavery. The gift of being capable of doing productive work comes with the duty to do it. This is not an uncharitable standard…

Is that what i meant.?

 

[IWantGod]

When St. Peter gave Ananias and Spapphira a dressing down about lying about their contribution to the Church, he said, “While it remained unsold, did it not remain yours? And when it was sold, was it not still under your control?” (Acts 5:4) Even from the earliest times, there has been a recognized right to own private property. .

I recognize the right to own property. However i don’t recognize the right to own property at the expense of other peoples dignity, or at the expense of the common good.