"Protestant work ethic"?

[exoflare]

I first heard this term just recently, and I was curious to know just what it means. Of course I look up the wikipedia article, and here’s part of what it says below. This doesn’t make any sense to me… How can anything that prescribes a “correction for original sin” be called “Protestant”? I thought they don’t believe in the efficacy of good works for the remission of sin.

The Protestant work ethic — also known as the “Puritan work ethic” — is a biblically based teaching on the necessity of hard work, perfection and the goodness of labor. Protestant preachers preached on the goodness and the necessity of labor and its efficacious effect for humans personally and on Christian society as a whole. Protestant preachers saw this as a salve or a correction for original sin.

 

[O.S.Luke]

exoflare:

I first heard this term just recently, and I was curious to know just what it means. Of course I look up the wikipedia article, and here’s part of what it says below. This doesn’t make any sense to me… How can anything that prescribes a “correction for original sin” be called “Protestant”? I thought they don’t believe in the efficacy of good works for the remission of sin.

That’s a popular misconception. Faith AND Good works are recognized Protestant doctrines (the Book of James makes that fairly clear - faith without works is dead). Catholics don’t have a monopoly on original sin - the Articles of Religion for Anglicans and Methodists affirm such.

The Protestant Work Ethic is not always a good thing or compliment, btw…

O+

 

[oldfogey]

It really would better be understood as the “Puritan Work Ethic.” Since they werre basically Calvinists, the way to prove that you were one of the elect, the saved, was to show it by success through work. Really just a form of Pelagianism.

 

[exoflare]

O.S. Luke:

That’s a popular misconception. Faith AND Good works are recognized Protestant doctrines (the Book of James makes that fairly clear - faith without works is dead). Catholics don’t have a monopoly on original sin - the Articles of Religion for Anglicans and Methodists affirm such.

I realize Protestants do believe in the existence of original sin. But I just thought that they believed they were free from all guilt from any sin past, present, or future once they got “born again” or “saved” or whatever else it’s called. Not all denominations are the same I realize, but I was under the impression that generally that’s how it worked.

 

[Lapsed]

I always thought the “protestant work ethic” grew from the idea very popular among the Puritans and others that “idle hands are the hands of the devil.” The notion was that by constant physical work the Christian couldn’t fall into temptation arising out of idleness.

The idea of avoiding occaisions of sin taken to the extreme.

 

[Lapsed]

exoflare:

I realize Protestants do believe in the existence of original sin. But I just thought that they believed they were free from all guilt from any sin past, present, or future once they got “born again” or “saved” or whatever else it’s called. Not all denominations are the same I realize, but I was under the impression that generally that’s how it worked.

The once-saved-always-saved (OSAS) doctrine is held by some protestant denominations, but by no means all. It just seems like that these days because the loudest voices are from evangelical groups which believe OSAS. Most of the mainline denominations do not.

 

[1ke]

On some other boards I used to visit I also saw one aspect of this “work ethic” idea being that God favors the Protestant religion and that is why all the Protestant countries are “successful” and the so-called Catholic countries are poor and not successful.

It’s the “health and wealth” gospel, definitely a heresy.

Total rubbish and must totally disregard history and facts to come to this conclusion, but whatever. I don’t let stuff like this bother me because it’s just so silly and pitiful.

 

[AquinasXVI]

The almost complete eradication of the Native Americans is the result of this ‘ethic.’ Even though the Catholic countries have many historical issues of abuse, it is not a wholesale destruction of the native people. There’s obvious attempt at integration.

It’s interesting to me that the Contraceptive/Abortive Mentality of the First World has contributed to it’s economic excess and have deluded themselves to believe that they’re more human than the pathetic third world.

in XT.

 

[Eileen_T]

AquinasXVI:

The almost complete eradication of the Native Americans is the result of this ‘ethic.’ Even though the Catholic countries have many historical issues of abuse, it is not a wholesale destruction of the native people. There’s obvious attempt at integration.

In his book *How The Catholic Church Built Western Civilization *Thomas E. Woods presents the examples of 16th century churchmen like Father Francisco De Vitorio, who laid the foundations for international law, and Bartolome de Las Casas, who helped further the concept that the natives of the New World were as entitled to basic human rights as Europeans.

I guess my family followed the Catholic work ethic. My father always taught us kids that St Paul said:“Them that don’t work, don’t eat!” We made sure all our jobs were done, you can count on that.

 

[Huguenot]

1ke:

On some other boards I used to visit I also saw one aspect of this “work ethic” idea being that God favors the Protestant religion and that is why all the Protestant countries are “successful” and the so-called Catholic countries are poor and not successful.

It’s the “health and wealth” gospel, definitely a heresy.

Total rubbish and must totally disregard history and facts to come to this conclusion, but whatever. I don’t let stuff like this bother me because it’s just so silly and pitiful.

I’m Protestant but I don’t believe in the “health and wealth Gospel” either ; I’m French and for French Protestants it sounds like something typically … American …

As for Protestant countries being successful and Catholic countries “not successful”, well, in Europe France is not doing too bad …which shows it is …total rubbish as you say, since in my country about 80% ( probably even a bit more ) of the population is Catholic ; since we Protestants represent only 2% of the population here, I don’t see how such a small minority could influence our society and economical system so much …( if it’s not the Catholics, then are we successful because of … Islam ??? they represent about 10% of the population here … )

So if somebody uses this argument, you know, about unsuccessful Catholic countries, use this example …saying it comes from a French Protestant …

As for “Protestant work ethic”, I don’t even know what it means … and I don’t really care .

All those who really believe in God will work seriously, Catholics and Protestants alike ( and I worked seriously even when I was an atheist ), since we all want to honour God in our daily lives …