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Nov. 26, 2005 Are Calvinism and Capitalism synonymous? Did one lead to the other? Max Weber, the great social thinker, considered it so. Weber’s argument was that Calvinism with its belief that God declared some believers would find salvation and others would receive damnation, planted the seed of Capitalism. He proposed that this belief led Calvinists to work harder for their salvation by working harder at their earthly enterprises, i.e., success in their earthly enterprises would earn them a spot in heaven. Hence, Calvinist businessmen hired fellow Calvinists to work for them and together they worked for God’s grace, or salvation. The money they made went back into their businesses and their businesses thrived, all in the name of salvation. This movement (Calvinism) crossed the great ocean from Europe to America and Weber’s view was that the seed of Capitalism was born from the loins of Calvinism. This of course is only a theory and can be considered sound or unsound, but it does seem to hold water. It holds water only if you think about the time period and the religious movements competing with one another in the early 19th century. During that period of time, the Mormon Church began to develop into the one of the richest churches in existence. The road to heaven began to be paved with money. So did Capitalism find its roots in religion? You be the judge. I say it is quite probable and feasible. If in fact it is true, one can then posit that Republicanism and Conservatism can trace their family trees back to John Calvin the Frenchman, who, along with Martin Luther, changed the face of religion. Satanic Liberals on the other hand find their roots in more of a secular belief that humans are humans and should be helping each other by means of social reform and government involvement. This rowdy bunch of heathens has the audacity to believe Carl Rogers’s, another great social thinker, theory that all humans (mentally ill, criminals, destitute, or otherwise) deserve what he termed “unconditional positive regard.” That is, all people deserve some respect and should be treated as humans no matter what their station in life. How dare them, their impudence should be rebuked by soothsayers and men of god. They should be thrown into a dungeon, perhaps the Bastille. They should be cursed with a year’s worth of Jerry Falwell sermons (4 CD set with 6 easy payments of $19.95 each...Master Card and Visas are welcome). Of course the price of the CD set will come out of the Liberal’s hide, 50 whippings with a cat-o-nine-tails.
Liberals that pretend to be religious shall be duly noted in heaven as liars and false prophets and hung by their necks before they get to the pearly gates. From this day forward I declare liberalism as an axis of evil.
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