Christ and Capitalism

In the UK we have a high brow radio station called "Radio 4" that the BBC broadcasts. This station is a sacred institution in Britain. On Sunday mornings they have a broadcast traditional Church service with choir, hymns, prayers, Reverend and all. It is actually very well done. They broadcast it from different Churches, too, and they are real time services.

The sermon today quoted Christ's parable:

Matthew 25:14-30

Parable of the Three Servants

14 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. 15 He gave five bags of silver[a] to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip. 16 “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. 17 The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. 18 But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money. 19 “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. 20 The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’ 21 “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’

22 “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’ 23 “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ 24 “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25 I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ 26 “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, 27 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ 28 “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. 29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. 30 Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

This gives a clear indication that Christ was not anti Capitalism. Venture Capitalism is what has made the West rich so that even us minions have hot water and heat and even people on welfare can still have computers and hobbies. Venture capitalism has achieved this. Of course it has been the people who were grouped under this banner (from worker to executive), all of them, who have achieved this, a roll on effect through the ages, one generation passing on the progress to the other.

That all makes sense to me. However, Christ did say this, too:

Matthew 22:15-22:

Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar

15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax[a] to Caesar or not?” 18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” 21 “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” 22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.

Society depends upon the proper payment of taxes to a government so it can raise its standards and civilization. Modern societies require serious FUNDING. Greedy feudal behavior will send us back to a violent dark age. It will not be nice for any of us; both worker and executive will not have the comfort they do have in a properly funded, monitored society that is equally as invested in with our TAXES as it is with our investment port folios. Without the tax there can be no safety, security or civility for any of us.

The duty of Capitalism and capitalists is to PAY TAX. Christ said this explicitly because He knew what will bring us the best option for a well resourced, fair, secure and comfortable society for us all. The worker will have education, health, housing and opportunities, too, alongside those who can enjoy this because of wealth. Wealth is more than numbers and currency. A rich person who carries their wealth well is a very vital and important resource of civilization for us all. Those who do not are destroyers of EVERYTHING.

Off shore tax havens and avoiding tax is the enemy of civility and society. Avoiding tax is the enemy of true Capitalism. It is the enemy of progress.

Don't cast your seeds upon the rocks.

a reply to: WakeUpBeer


Who are you saying that to? Please be more specific. Christ never said that. He said don't cast your pearls before swine. He said a wise person builds their house on the rock and not on sand. He never said what you are saying. He did say about seeds, but that was about the Sower. We are not the Sower. We are the seeds who get scattered, some growing as thorns and others as useful wheat; some on ground where they can't grow and where they get choked by the weeds. Those were His metaphor uses.

Those who criticize must have a better solution. If they do not then they are advocating devolution through spite. They will reap what they sow and have poorer and harder lives. I don't want that kind of life. I respect and honour good people among the powerful and wealthy. They certainly are vital. I don't want to end up as a peasant just because of my own jealousy and spite; my failure to appreciate that society requires diversity even economically and financially. It was tried the other way: They called it communism. It was a total failure and destroyed millions of peoples lives and opportunities for a LONG TIME.

I'll stick with Christ's Wisdom, both literally and metaphorically. Nothing wiser has revealed itself and nothing ever will.

A seed of life can not grow upon a rock. But given a direction of the wind, that seed will find a home to blossom.

Capitalism is Power Pyramid Ponzi Scheme. It is taking advantage of others and free market is an illusion that will never be fair that slippery slopes into enslavement. State, Bank, religion is one the same side. Communism i Soviet Union was created to be the same Power Pyramid.



Have have been building societies on oligarchy for thousands of years and the current democracy propaganda is just an illusion of freedom in the matrix.

You can build society based on awareness that are severely limit insane power and materialistic hording and brings all manipulation to awareness so that the beings who manipulate are exposed for what they are. But people have to be more interested in truth than giving up ideals for Mammon.

a reply to: Revolution9

Jesus was The Master of metaphor or simile . Do you think He was Pro Sheep farming because of what He said to Peter ? Do we look at the superficial language used and think that that is what the lesson is about ? Do you think there might be a lesson for the Bedouin about building your house on a rock when the guy lives in a tent ?

The food is spiritual food we are to eat . The lesson we can learn about capitalism is that they practiced it back then too .

a reply to: Revolution9

From same Matthew:

Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

This guy seems to be bit contradictory.

BTW what about those useless eaters fed by multiplied fish and bread? Why? They should be venture capitalists!

a reply to: JanAmosComenius

What you create for other souls you will sooner or later experience.

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

This whole parable is a simplification of the mirror effect and the last line is an exaggeration of the effects.

a reply to: Revolution9

I don't understand why you expect a fictional book, written 2000 years ago to be consistent with modern society's standards. It is riddled with rewrites, mistakes, senseless metaphors, and verses that directly contradict other verses. Not to mention all of the magic and barbarity.

Aesop's fables is much older and makes for a better moral guide and has the same amount of talking animals.

Why do you use this book as the standard for modern life?

originally posted by: the2ofusr1
a reply to: Revolution9

Jesus was The Master of metaphor or simile . Do you think He was Pro Sheep farming because of what He said to Peter ? Do we look at the superficial language used and think that that is what the lesson is about ? Do you think there might be a lesson for the Bedouin about building your house on a rock when the guy lives in a tent ?

The food is spiritual food we are to eat . The lesson we can learn about capitalism is that they practiced it back then too .

What part of that book did jesus write?

a reply to: Revolution9

Every human behavior is acceptable to Christ til it harms another.

a reply to: Woodcarver

What makes you think Jesus knew how to write ?

originally posted by: the2ofusr1
a reply to: Woodcarver

What makes you think Jesus knew how to write ?

i have doubts he even existed. You called him the master of metaphor, knowing he didn't write any of that book.

a reply to: Revolution9

Except for that is one story in a sea of stories that contriduct that..

the money lenders... for one

The story of the 3 people donating and the woman gives the least, yet Jesus points to her as the most faithful.

The truth is the Bible is such a large document, you can twist ANYTHING you want to out of it..

Perfectly, shown by the way southern baptists(slavery) and baptists(abolitionists) both claimed that the Bible said slavery was or wasn’t gods will.

Which is not the only time..


The Romans played hell with the Bible after the empire converted, because things like “though shalt not kill” don’t really work as well when your in power as they do when your not who governs..

a reply to: Woodcarver

i have doubts he even existed.

You are not alone .

a reply to: the2ofusr1
John ch8 v6, surely? We know that he could read (Luke ch4 v16) and both skills would presumably have been taught as part of his scriptural education.
But you are right in the sense that his ability to write is irrelevant, when his teaching was actually passed on by oral tradition from those who first heard it.

a reply to: DISRAELI

Mathew may have been taking notes or so its been suggested .

a reply to: the2ofusr1
Indeed, though the powers of memory in a largely oral culture should not be underestimated.
I've always had a good memory for dialogue myself,and can still remember things that were said to me forty years ago ("We've been praying for people to be converted, but you weren't one of them.")

a reply to: Revolution9

NIV

24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

I think this is the most noble of the three. The first two sycophants didn't mind being exploited. The last servant recognized his master's evil and just wanted to give the money back.


But yes, perfect description of capitalism:

For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: the2ofusr1
John ch8 v6, surely? We know that he could read (Luke ch4 v16) and both skills would presumably have been taught as part of his scriptural education.
But you are right in the sense that his ability to write is irrelevant, when his teaching was actually passed on by oral tradition from those who first heard it.

The entire book is irrelevent except for it's historical face value, because we do not judge our modern society by this book. Nor should we unless you want to live as they did again. Which you don't.