I heard a story a while back in which a professor at a university made an astonishing statement that Jesus himself was a Socialist. Granted, socialism didn't come about for about another 1800 years or so after Jesus ascension, but would Jesus have thrown his hat (or tunic) in with the Socialist crowd if he was around today?
The idea stems from Jesus concern for the poor and downtrodden and that if Jesus was living on earth today he would want to align himself with others who also appear to be concerned with the poor and downtrodden.
But is that the case?
Looking at Jesus teachings we might come away with a different view. Jesus words can be divided into 2 categories: Parables (teachings) and Conversations (discussions). Let's take a look at each of these and see if they align with a Socialist view or a Capitalist view.
Parables
Jesus many parables use different groups of people to illustrate God's relationship to us and how we should relate to him and others. Here are the different parables and the groups of people used to show our releationship
Lost Sheep : Shepherd (God) , Sheep (us)
Lost Coin: Woman (God), lost coin (us)
Pearl of Great price: Merchant (God), Pearl (us)
Hidden Treasure in a field: Seeker (God), treasure (us)
Workers in the Vineyard: Owner (God), workers (us)
Vineyard and the renters : Owner (God) , renters (us)
Prodigal Son : Father (God), sons (us)
The Giving of the Talents: King (God), servants (us)
The Wedding Feast: King (God the Father) , Son (God the Son), servants (us) , people (world)
In every case shown above the "owner" is God and he is always shown in a positive light. The workers are often shown in a negative light as they are often shown to be "grumbling" (dissatisfied) or murderous and treacherous (killing the Son in the Parable of the Vineyard and the renters. The owner is often shown to be generous and loving. In the case of the Vineyard and the Workers, he gives the same amount of money to all the workers despite how many hours they worked in the field. This would be the same as a business owner paying unequal wages to his workers. (not very Socialist). In the story of the Giving of the Talents, the king gives his wealth to his servants in UNEQUAL amounts. He gives 5000 to one, 3000 to another and 1000 to the third. When he comes back the only one who gets chastised is the one who BURIED his wealth and did nothing with it. If Jesus was a Socialist would he berate a person for not gaining wealth? Wouldn't he berate the ones who doubled their wealth and not sharing with the guy who didn't do anything?
What about his Parable of the Good Samaritan? Doesn't that point to Socialism? Since the man who showed compassion on the injured person ,who was robbed and beaten, picked him and cared for him. Doesn't that point to Socialism? Looking closely at the parable, however, we do see somethings that don't line up with this view. First of all, the Samaritan uses his own wealth to help and care for the man who is near death. He uses his own oil and wine to clean his wounds, puts him on his own donkey and carries him to an inn and pays for his further care. He doesn't round up people and go after the people who passed this man buy to get them to pay for his care. This is where using this story to support "Jesus is a Socialist" view runs off the rails.
So in terms of his Parables, I think we can say that Jesus connection with the Socialist would be a big stretch of the imagination.
Conversations (discussions)
So one, might argue that his Parables are just spring boards for his teachings and we can't see much into his view of how we ought to be towards each other. For example, Jesus is asked a question about paying taxes to Caesar. Jesus says, "Give unto Caesar that which is Caesars and give unto God that which is Gods!". Here Jesus shows us that as his followers we should "give" to whoever that asks us. If the government asks for our money we should give it and if God has need of our money then we should give it too.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your MIND
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Socialism and Capitalism are the same....sort of
It's interesting how 2 very different ideas can find a common ancestry at their core when you look at them. On their outsides they operate very differently. Socialism is about control whereas Capitalism is about no control. But on their insides, they both operate from the same basic human instinct....
Greed is inherent in every human being. Whether you come from an evolutionary direction or from a religious one. An evolutionist would tell you that greed is a basic form of self protection and preservation. The human doesn't know when or where their next meal is coming from, so it's better to "stock up" just in case there is a famine coming. A religious person will tell you that greed is part of the human sinful condition. The soul wants more for itself and nothing for their neighbor. Whichever your view, greed is a common thread in all of us.
But what makes the 2 "-isms" so different, is what you combine it with. Like in chemistry where
Sodium (Na) + Chlorine (Cl) = SALT (NaCl) which the body needs to function.
Hydrogen (H) + Chlorine (Cl) = Hydochloric Acid (HCl) which is a poison.
So also, it's not the GREED that is necessarily wrong but instead it's what you combine it with.
Capitalism combines greed + industriousness = a better world. Under capitalism you get computers, phones, car, airplanes, new materials, different kinds of food, and the list goes on..
Socialism, on the other hand, combines greed + laziness = theft. Rather than creating new products and services it merely takes from those who are perceived to have too much and gives it to others it perceives as being more in need of it.
Socialism cannot ever exist on its own. It must live on the back of the Capitalist in order to survive. Like a "sucker-fish" that lives its entire life stuck to the side of shark so also Socialism merely rides along taking what it wants without earning it. Time and time again, we have seen socialist societies die after their parent organism stops providing for it.
What about Democratic Socialism?
Is Democratic Theft more acceptable than plain old regular Theft? What if we all voted to have your house ransacked? Would that make you feel better about having your house broken into? Democratic Socialism is really nothing new and has already been tried many times before. The famous Greek philosopher, Plato, once said, "Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner!". This could not better illustrate the GREED + LAZINESS factors in Socialism. The 2 wolves will undoubtedly be wanting more food for themselves (greed) and will want to gain that food using the least amount of energy to do it (laziness). The same holds true today. In my opinion, nothing can be more lazy than casting a ballot saying "I WANT MORE!" for a party that will promise you "MORE".
But don't some people have too much?
Yes, that may seem to be so. That is the one danger of Capitalism. But there is one corrective force in the world that limits this behavior. That force is of course "death". It corrects the distribution in 2 major ways. First of all, none of us is "taking it with us". Accumulated wealth is often redistributed shared because of death. Even before the person dies, often they are engaging in lots of philanthropy to either quiet a bothered conscience or to some how insure their name will not be forgotten when they leave this earth. Whatever the cause, the wealth gets broken down and shared with those who didn't earn it. Buildings are built, parks are erected, foundations are created, research is funded and scholarships are awarded.
But this is not just something that the Uber-rich can afford to do either. Even my wife and I have had many opportunities to benefit the poor from our "excess". In recent years, my wife and I have decided to downsize our living arrangement now that our kids are living on their own. I have made countless trips to Good Will and Salvation Army to unload the many items we have purchased over the years that we no longer have any need of in our lives. We have given away, beds, dressers, bikes, computers, TVs, tons of cloths, shoes, coats, chairs, and the list goes on. I estimate that if I had held on to all those items, my 3 car garage would be filled to the ceiling. Right now, there are countless people out there using items we purchased at full price and are now using free of charge. Right now those people are benefiting from our "excess".
GREED
Greed is inherent in every human being. Whether you come from an evolutionary direction or from a religious one. An evolutionist would tell you that greed is a basic form of self protection and preservation. The human doesn't know when or where their next meal is coming from, so it's better to "stock up" just in case there is a famine coming. A religious person will tell you that greed is part of the human sinful condition. The soul wants more for itself and nothing for their neighbor. Whichever your view, greed is a common thread in all of us.
But what makes the 2 "-isms" so different, is what you combine it with. Like in chemistry where
Sodium (Na) + Chlorine (Cl) = SALT (NaCl) which the body needs to function.
Hydrogen (H) + Chlorine (Cl) = Hydochloric Acid (HCl) which is a poison.
So also, it's not the GREED that is necessarily wrong but instead it's what you combine it with.
Capitalism combines greed + industriousness = a better world. Under capitalism you get computers, phones, car, airplanes, new materials, different kinds of food, and the list goes on..
Socialism, on the other hand, combines greed + laziness = theft. Rather than creating new products and services it merely takes from those who are perceived to have too much and gives it to others it perceives as being more in need of it.
Socialism cannot ever exist on its own. It must live on the back of the Capitalist in order to survive. Like a "sucker-fish" that lives its entire life stuck to the side of shark so also Socialism merely rides along taking what it wants without earning it. Time and time again, we have seen socialist societies die after their parent organism stops providing for it.
What about Democratic Socialism?
Is Democratic Theft more acceptable than plain old regular Theft? What if we all voted to have your house ransacked? Would that make you feel better about having your house broken into? Democratic Socialism is really nothing new and has already been tried many times before. The famous Greek philosopher, Plato, once said, "Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner!". This could not better illustrate the GREED + LAZINESS factors in Socialism. The 2 wolves will undoubtedly be wanting more food for themselves (greed) and will want to gain that food using the least amount of energy to do it (laziness). The same holds true today. In my opinion, nothing can be more lazy than casting a ballot saying "I WANT MORE!" for a party that will promise you "MORE".
But don't some people have too much?
Yes, that may seem to be so. That is the one danger of Capitalism. But there is one corrective force in the world that limits this behavior. That force is of course "death". It corrects the distribution in 2 major ways. First of all, none of us is "taking it with us". Accumulated wealth is often redistributed shared because of death. Even before the person dies, often they are engaging in lots of philanthropy to either quiet a bothered conscience or to some how insure their name will not be forgotten when they leave this earth. Whatever the cause, the wealth gets broken down and shared with those who didn't earn it. Buildings are built, parks are erected, foundations are created, research is funded and scholarships are awarded.
But this is not just something that the Uber-rich can afford to do either. Even my wife and I have had many opportunities to benefit the poor from our "excess". In recent years, my wife and I have decided to downsize our living arrangement now that our kids are living on their own. I have made countless trips to Good Will and Salvation Army to unload the many items we have purchased over the years that we no longer have any need of in our lives. We have given away, beds, dressers, bikes, computers, TVs, tons of cloths, shoes, coats, chairs, and the list goes on. I estimate that if I had held on to all those items, my 3 car garage would be filled to the ceiling. Right now, there are countless people out there using items we purchased at full price and are now using free of charge. Right now those people are benefiting from our "excess".
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Separating the HOLY from the PROFANE
You have probably seen the news articles about how the Catholic Church ignored problems regarding pedophile priests who preyed upon countless children over several decades. It has even been reported that there is even a group of homosexual priests who have helped cover each others tracks that have infiltrated the church as well. The church chose to ignore complaints about these men and are now paying the price. Why did they choose to ignore? Only God knows! Maybe because in the modern era it's hard to recruit men to stay celibate for their entire life and they felt forced to take any and all applicants. Maybe it was because they couldn't come to grips that leaders in their church could be so vile and the resulting court cases it might bring about on them. Maybe it was a little of both. What ever the cause, the effect is destructive none the less.
Previously I wrote a blog called "Bowling for Sinners!" in which I show how Satan uses leaders to take out a whole host of sinners in one swoop. Jesus told the disciples before he was to be crucified, "It is written, Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter!". While he was speaking of his own death to come, I think he was also sending a message to his disciples to be on guard as well. Their actions can cause the scattering of many of God's flock that they have been entrusted with. He was informing them that they will have a big target on their backs by Satan to do the most damage....so BEWARE!
We have all said (or heard it said), "How can a person who claims to be a Christian do such a thing?" Usually this is followed with, "IF that is what it means to be a Christian then I don't want to have anything to do with it!". Our problem is that as humans we have a problem of separating the holy from the profane. We forget that we has humans are all sinners and we seriously mess things up no matter how holy it is. It's like the GEICO commercial with the sloth playing Pictionary. The tag line is , "If you're a sloth, you move slowly. It's what you do!". In the same manner we might say,
Let's take the US Constitution for example. Most would say it was the greatest document ever devised by man. It promotes the right to speak, the right to assemble, the right to believe, the right to print, the right to not be detained without a warrant or to have your possessions taken from you. All of these are great ideals, but too often we fall short. Take for example what President Roosevelt did during WWII. FDR imprisoned citizens with Japanese ancestry unlawfully during the war because we had a fear they would not be loyal to our country. Does this mean that the Constitution is flawed? Of course not! In fact, these problems only enhance it's need in our lives. It shows us to be flawed humans who need to be reigned in and held accountable. It's not the Constitution that needs to be changed, but our hearts and minds. We later paid the survivors reparations for our misdeeds.
Likewise, the issue of the pedophiles in the Catholic church should not take away from the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but in the eyes of those who are outside of the church it does. Satan does quite a number on those judge God's truth by our actions or in-actions. It's been said that a little knowledge can be dangerous. In this case, it is eternally dangerous for many have only a "little knowledge" of our faith and so judge it's "truth" as "falsehood" based on our sinful being. They do not understand that God's GRACE is not changed by inability to conform 100% to his LOVE.
God knows this weakness in our nature. He knows that people will judge HIM by OUR deeds or misdeeds. It is WHY we should as Christ's Ambassadors "try" to live lives worth of our calling. It's not to become more worthy in HIS eyes, but instead to not be a distraction to those who are yet to be called by his grace or a stumbling block to those who are "weak in faith". At the same time we must always point to our own sinfulness and our own need of a savior and not make our lives the centerpiece of our faith. It is truly a narrow road we must walk.
Previously I wrote a blog called "Bowling for Sinners!" in which I show how Satan uses leaders to take out a whole host of sinners in one swoop. Jesus told the disciples before he was to be crucified, "It is written, Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter!". While he was speaking of his own death to come, I think he was also sending a message to his disciples to be on guard as well. Their actions can cause the scattering of many of God's flock that they have been entrusted with. He was informing them that they will have a big target on their backs by Satan to do the most damage....so BEWARE!
We have all said (or heard it said), "How can a person who claims to be a Christian do such a thing?" Usually this is followed with, "IF that is what it means to be a Christian then I don't want to have anything to do with it!". Our problem is that as humans we have a problem of separating the holy from the profane. We forget that we has humans are all sinners and we seriously mess things up no matter how holy it is. It's like the GEICO commercial with the sloth playing Pictionary. The tag line is , "If you're a sloth, you move slowly. It's what you do!". In the same manner we might say,
"If you are human, you mess things up. It's what you do!".
Let's take the US Constitution for example. Most would say it was the greatest document ever devised by man. It promotes the right to speak, the right to assemble, the right to believe, the right to print, the right to not be detained without a warrant or to have your possessions taken from you. All of these are great ideals, but too often we fall short. Take for example what President Roosevelt did during WWII. FDR imprisoned citizens with Japanese ancestry unlawfully during the war because we had a fear they would not be loyal to our country. Does this mean that the Constitution is flawed? Of course not! In fact, these problems only enhance it's need in our lives. It shows us to be flawed humans who need to be reigned in and held accountable. It's not the Constitution that needs to be changed, but our hearts and minds. We later paid the survivors reparations for our misdeeds.
Likewise, the issue of the pedophiles in the Catholic church should not take away from the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but in the eyes of those who are outside of the church it does. Satan does quite a number on those judge God's truth by our actions or in-actions. It's been said that a little knowledge can be dangerous. In this case, it is eternally dangerous for many have only a "little knowledge" of our faith and so judge it's "truth" as "falsehood" based on our sinful being. They do not understand that God's GRACE is not changed by inability to conform 100% to his LOVE.
God knows this weakness in our nature. He knows that people will judge HIM by OUR deeds or misdeeds. It is WHY we should as Christ's Ambassadors "try" to live lives worth of our calling. It's not to become more worthy in HIS eyes, but instead to not be a distraction to those who are yet to be called by his grace or a stumbling block to those who are "weak in faith". At the same time we must always point to our own sinfulness and our own need of a savior and not make our lives the centerpiece of our faith. It is truly a narrow road we must walk.
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