The belief that we can be both Christian and capitalist in America is so habitually entrenched in our minds that the possibility of contradiction between the two beliefs almost never enters our minds. It’s so commonly believed that the famous televangelist Pat Robertson routinely criticized liberals as “the enemy of capitalism,” without flinching in irony.
For those good Americans whose daily bread comes from their honest labor, it’s not easy to reconcile their love-your-neighbors Christian morals with everyman-for-himself capitalism, which is now the ultimate conqueror of all ideas in world history. It is universally recognized that capitalism rules the world and is the ideology of the heart and soul of our consumer world. What has it conquered to be the reigning ideology of America?
It has defeated Christianity and the frontier democracy of Thomas Jefferson, the two most fundamental moral and practical principles that shaped the New Nation of America. Capitalism has vanquished them all! What passes for Christianity and democracy in America today are mere shells and ghosts of the original ideas in a nation where the top 1% controls everything. Naturally, by living in such a hugely successful capitalist system, we must abandon Christianity, not to mention Jefferson’s democracy and equality.
Since we use capitalism and socialism as two opposing ideologies today, for simplicity’s sake, calling Jesus and Jefferson “socialists” makes our perspective clear. If we looked at Thomas Jefferson, the most “American” of all and the editor of the “Jefferson Bible,” we would recognize that he is certainly closer to Jesus of Christianity, history’s first socialist (even communist with a small c), than to Wall Street CEOs. In Jefferson’s time, Americans owned all their own farms and businesses, as free men and independent entrepreneurs, our ultimate dreams, and America was a perfect “socialist” nation without using the name. And it could not have been closer to the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth who preached brotherhood in equality and life based on needs, not desires.
Of all the vanquished foes of capitalism, Jesus and Jefferson are particularly noteworthy because Jesus’ Christianity and Jefferson’s Democracy are still believed to be America’s spiritual and political backbone, respectively. America is thought to have been founded by its Christian Puritans and Jeffersonian Freemen.
Indeed, most Americans today prefer to describe the U.S. as “Christian” spiritually and “Democratic” politically. But American society cannot possibly be “Christian” and “democratic” while, at the same time, being “capitalist,” as capitalism is possible only if no Christianity or Democracy exists in its system or its souls. Capitalism demands absolute obedience to money and neither religious faith nor democratic equality can stand in the way.
If Karl Marx is the founder of “modern socialism,” as the world calls him, who was the founder of “ancient socialism,” long before our modern times? Why, it’s none other than Jesus of Nazareth and his followers. Consider the “socialist” ideas in what Jesus said:
“Give all to the poor and follow me.”
“The rich cannot go to Heaven.”
“Love the enemy.”
“Deny yourself.”
“Turn the other cheek.”
“You cannot serve both money and God.”
Is there anything in these sayings that even remotely suggests it is what the capitalists would say to their children as their guiding principles? These sayings summarize the purest essence of socialism, and pronounce Jesus as history’s most famous socialist. By adopting capitalism as our master, we are forced to denounce our claim to Christianity and Jesus altogether.
If such a general representation is not good enough to convince us that Christianity and capitalism are opposite ideas, let’s get into some more logical contrasts:
Christianity worships God; capitalism worships mammon: This contrast should be good enough not to require any more argument, but skeptics can go on further.
Christ preaches universal brotherhood and love; capitalists preach self-interest and winner-take-all competition.
Christian-socialism believes in sharing; capitalism in monopolizing.
A Christian community satisfies needs; capitalism, desires.
Christianity “blesses” losers; In capitalism, only the winner is glorified.
In Christianity, love conquers all; in capitalism, power conquers all.
Jesus says, love your neighbors; capitalists say, love yourself.
A Christian says, love and forgive the enemy; a capitalist says, conquer, destroy, and dominate him.
Jesus says, give all to the poor; capitalists say, take all from the poor.
Christianity says, happiness in the bliss of the soul; capitalism says, pleasure of the flesh above all things.
If Christianity was unnecessary in pre-capitalist 19th century America because its virtuous republic in liberty and equality adequately supplanted Christian principles, and Christianity was impossible in the industrial-capitalist society in 20th century America, we can say in our digital 21st century, Christianity has become meaningless in a capitalist-fascist era where humanity is incapable of a moral precept.
Christian-socialism dreams of the “Garden of Eden” where all is shared and good; capitalism nurtures “Garden of Evil” where everything that grows in it is for evil purposes and functions. In this Garden of Evil, every preacher and priest of faith struggles to find some signs that ours is still a “Christian nation.” If Jesus came to America on his Second Coming, he would whip the money-changers (capitalists) with his draw-cords as he did at the Temple, and he would surely be crucified — again — but this time likely by the Christians themselves.
Given the inherent opposition between Christianity and capitalism, our choices are stark and unyielding: If we believe in capitalism, we must abandon our Christian faith; if we are followers of Jesus of Nazareth, we must denounce capitalism. We cannot worship both God and mammon, and, contrary to Rev. Robertson, all true Christians must be “enemies of capitalism.”
Jon Huer, columnist for the Recorder and professor emeritus, lives in Greenfield. He is the author of “The Wages of Sin: America’s Dilemma between Profit and Humanity.”