Tuesday, July 05, 2016

"neither did his brethren believe" - Discrepancy between Protestants and Capitalists


Discrepancy between Protestants and Capitalists

If you don't believe in God, you have almost no troubles in your daily lives.  Conversely, you may have more chances to be rich and successful in this world than those who believe in God.

If what you want is success in this world and wealth in the material civilization, you may even think that you are really rewarded with those prizes because you don't believe in God.  You might be even convinced that your selling your souls to Satan is a wise decision, since Satan encourages and help you get more money, provided you believe in Satan.

Even in the European history while people were under strong control of the Vatican, economy was not growing actively.  When Protestantism emerged, Europeans were taught to work hard and diligently without pursuing wealth as a result.  Generally speaking, ascetic workers, ascetic businessmen, and acetic business owners were working hard, obtaining profits, and keeping money through the era of Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution.

This tendency continued even to the late 19th century when Rockefeller started his oil business.  But as Europeans and Americans worked hard and diligently, they came to accumulate profits that eventually turned to capital.  This theme of Protestantism and Capitalism was discussed by some scholars to explain how Europeans and Americans accumulated financial resources to develop their economy called capitalism.

However, through the two world wars in the 20th century, the Christian paradigm to work hard not for enjoyment of wealth and worldly success but to show honesty and ethics in professional lives came to change.

Today, there are no restrictions on Europeans and Americans or Western Christians to work hard and get big money for enjoyment of wealth and worldly success.  Even the society has changed so as to neglect basic moral teachings of Christ Jesus.

However to sustain technologically highly developed society and further develop science and technology that are key factors for material civilization, the society needs some effective code of conduct with at least outwardly respect for ethics.  But true purposes of hard work supported by cosmetic moral is to obtain means with which to enjoy material wealth and worldly success.

Now Europe, America, and other regions are facing this incoherence.  It is as if a business owner demanded ascetic and hard working from workers while he is enjoying a vicious rich life.  Or capitalists or corporate managers buy ascetic and hard working from workers who are also enjoying entertainment money buys them.

Even in Wall Street workers and managers are working hard in some ascetic manner, but after duty hours, they enjoy riches spending big money.  They are working like Protestants and enjoying lives like Capitalists.

The issue at point is how long this balance or discrepancy can be maintained.  One thing sure is that Satan who has led Westerners into this conflicting status does not wish true prosperity of human beings.

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Joh 7:5 For neither did his brethren believe in him.