Before Laudato Sii was released this past week
I was in the middle of a series of postings on the Enlightenment as it both is
relevant to my series on the Church of England in regard to its effects on the
C of E in the late 17th and early 18th centuries and it
raises a number of questions I want to explore such as the issue of secularism
in the public square. In the most recent
of those postings last week I mentioned Adam Smith, the Scottish philosopher
who laid the philosophical and ethical groundwork for modern capitalism. Smith lived through the very time of the
American Revolution and our founding fathers very much subscribed to his
theories. Liberty was a crucial value
for him and he law liberty as one of the pre-requisites for individuals to be
empowered to acquire wealth. Though born
a Scots Presbyterian in the strong Calvinist tradition of that Church (or, as
it is known in Scotland, The Kirk) Smith evolved throughout his lifetime to the
vague non-dogmatic sort of ambiguous Latitudinarian Christianity characteristic
of the genteel upper crust 18th century Brits. In his journey into that comfortable
Christianity he abandoned the idea of original sin but clung to its
anthropological foundations. Let me explain.
The
doctrine of Original Sin is found only in Western Christianity and is absent
from the Orthodox theological framework. This is because it is the construct of
Western Church Fathers, especially Irenaeus of Lyons and Augustine of
Hippo. The essence of original sin is
the sin of concupiscence or inordinate desire.
Unfortunately the emphasis has usually been places—falsely—on sexual
desire but Augustine had a much broader understanding and it would better be
seen as greed. To illustrate what he
means, Augustine in one passage uses the example of the greed with which a
child nurses. This example usually
appalls modern readers and Augustine doesn’t mean that the act of nursing isn’t
a beautiful gift of the mother for the child but only wishes to point out that
the child, even in the pre-rational state of infancy, naturally seeks out his
own self-interest. It is natural for us
to wish to acquire and safe-keep those things which we need for our survival
and our comfort. One doesn’t have to
make a moral judgment about this in the pre-rational person it is just our
nature.
Unlike
the orthodox position of Catholics, Lutherans, and Calvinists—all of whom
recognized this “original sin” as part of our “fallen nature;” Smith saw our
natural inclinations towards greed as something good. Indeed, he saw it as the motivating virtue of
a healthy economy. As I desire more and
more and you desire more and more we will work harder to make our desires into
realities.
I
remember as a child that one of my favorite fairy tales was the fisherman’s
wife. You may remember it. In it the fisherman seeks from an enchanted
fish whom he has set free a larger house for his wife. She then sends her husband back to ask for a
mansion. Getting the mansion, she wants
to become a Queen. Becoming a Queen she
then desires to be Pope. And so it
goes. Ever more and more until her greed
makes her demand to rule the earth and the heavens—to become God—and then she
loses it all. This story is just a twist
on Smith’s theory: we always want for more and strive for more. Whereas the Catholic tradition and even more
Martin Luther and more yet, John Calvin, all saw this greed as sinful, Smith
saw it as the foundation of a healthy economy.
Adam
Smith’s writings are, as I said, that foundation of modern capitalism. James Madison and Thomas Jefferson were both
huge fans. Margaret Thatcher allegedly
carried a copy of Smith’s The Wealth of
Nations in her handbag. (We still
haven’t found out what the Queen carries in hers. Why do those British ladies all need such
oversized bags?) Smith’s theories are
that this natural desire of the human person for wealth will drive the markets
and allowing the markets to be free of control is the tide that permits all
boats to rise equally.
Pope
Francis is not a subscriber to the theories of Adam Smith. Like Saint Augustine
he sees greed as inherently sinful, and indeed the root of all other
evils. Like his two immediate
predecessors he subscribes to the doctrine of solidarity by which he means that
we all have responsibility for the welfare of one another. These ideas come out loud and clear in Laudato Sii.
In fact,
Laudato Sii is a major threat to the
doctrines of Adam Smith and thus to our modern free market capitalistic
world. And the troops have risen in
rebellion. Ross Douthat, a columnist for
the New York Times, wrote a stinging and far less than objective critique of
the Encyclical in today’s paper. He
betrayed his hand by labeling the Pope and his allies as “catastrophists,”
while he and other disciples of Smith are the “dynamists.” Really?
You don’t think this is prejudcing the argument in a way that wouldn’t
pass the editorship of a junior-highschool newspaper?
Dynamists are people who see 21st-century modernity
as a basically successful civilization advancing toward a future that’s better
than the past. They do not deny that problems exist, but they believe we can
innovate our way through them while staying on an ever-richer,
ever-more-liberated course.
Thank you Adam Smith.
Catastrophists, on the other hand, see a global
civilization that for all its achievements is becoming more atomized and
balkanized, more morally bankrupt, more environmentally despoiled. What’s more,
they believe that things cannot go on as they are: That the trajectory
we’re on will end in crisis, disaster, dégringolade.
My
heavens, Mr. Douthat, wherever did you learn a word like dégringolade? My spellcheck doesn’t recognize it. Given the remainder of your article and its
level of argument I can only presume you own a thesaurus.
Francis
X. Rocca wrote a somewhat more objective and more thoughtful reflection—though
certainly not an endorsement—for the Wall
Street Journal. What I want to focus
on now, however, is not Rocca’s article but the response of readers to the
article. The sharks are circling! I am not surprised that Wall Street Journal readers are not ready, by and large, to endorse
the papal teaching, but I was amazed at the levels of both bias and stupidity so
many readers—90% of the—displayed. Let
me just give you a sample for your reading pleasure. I have cut and pasted (as well as edited)
them so that the various spelling and grammatical errors remain in place. Of course, we all make mistakes in those
realms so the mistakes are not meant to be indicative of the intelligence level
of the writers. I will let their
messages speak for them selves.
The words of despair from Commissar Pope Francis.
Best stick to the moral angle and leave the political burden to
politicians. He best not carry the political burden for worsening the
very people he tries to save.
@bassam madany
Just as our
leader has re-written the Constitution, Pope Francis has taken on the task to
re-write the scriptures.
Steven
Frankel
By the way, has the Pope reviewed the results of
Communist and Socialist control on environmental quality as opposed to free market
countries? What type of foot print did the soviets leave, or the South
Americans? Nothing good.
No wonder the Castro brothers and Obama like this
guy so much. Put down the Communist Manifesto and read the Bible instead.
The Pope should stick to religion - what did Jesus
say? "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and unto God that which is
God's." I get enough political garbage stuffed down my throat by
Obama and his sycophants. I do not need a "holy man" posing as
a wannabe politician.
Karl Noell
This is what happens when a liberation theologist
from South America is elected Pope. He is anti-capitalism, pro-collectivism,
ignores, nay tramples, the teaching of Jesus to give up to Caesar that which is
Caesar's and to God what is God's. He is the equivalent of an Obama undoing
what the Church's Reagan, Pope John Paul the Great, accomplished.
Tom
Painter
@Steven
Chen "Still, his argument on this this issue commands a moral
high ground that shows his concern for the future of humanity."
No. His argument is moral pretense, not moral high
ground and it is not moral high ground because the theological view is not
standing on either EMPIRICAL scientific or economic high ground to inform
it. It is Marxist pretense, pure and simple.
I have always thought that all Popes were frauds,
after all who can claim to be a deity on Earth. My conclusion about the Church
and the Pope was just affirmed that again. He really confirmed that he is just
another Maxist/Socialist Liberation Theology idealist.
The Pope's marxist slip is showing, He has no place
in commenting on things other than religion and faith. I will ignore his
encyclical as much as I would ignore a cyclical from him on surgical
techniques.
Having been born raised and educated a Catholic, I
am seriously considering a protestant conversion.
Edward Kinsey
"Climate Change" is the excuse for taking
over more and more control of our lives. The "inadequate distribution of
resources" is the rationale for socialism/communism. This Pope would know
that more than others coming from a South American socialist country.
Thanks for the tip, Pope. And thanks for telling
the non Catholic world how to live its life, as if it's your business.
Catholics can make up their own minds on how to deal with this document, others
can be guided by their own beliefs in science. JNow that you have made this
proclamation, what do you suggest we do? Do we All join some Commune and share
each other's food, clothing, toilets, kitchens and diseases all under the
careful and caring Argus eye of the Catholic Church, like in the Middle Ages?
Live under Church control and believe in church approved science? Go back to
the pre-industrial age without indoor plumbing, water purification or
mechanized travel? I don't see the Church selling off its holdings and moving
to thatch huts from grand Cathedrals. What I do see are a lot of empty churches
all through Europe and simmering, crouching Moslem communities all over Europe
waiting to pounce on the self emasculated Christian states and populations. The
only thing overheated is the rhetoric contained in the document.
Anthony DeAngelis
Not sure where this Pope is headed, embracing a
vehicle invented in the old USSR to undermine capitalism. Concerned that
next he will adopt the pagan Mother Earth doctrine.
Marco
Martins
it was only a matter of time before marxist
liberation theology hit the vatican. hopefully this pendulum will swing back to
normal before too much damage is done by this. Ask the Pope what other system
of economic engagement has lifted more people out of abject poverty,
subjugation, indentured conditions, etc., than the system that relies on free
choices, open exchanges, respect for personal property and competition. lets
see what he comes up with. of course, a cynic could point out that the church,
like the democratic party of the USA and most left parties worldwide rely on a
constant supply of poor and ignorant for their power.
Giselle
Toth
Since when is the role of the Pope to pontificate
politically charged issues from a strongly partisan aspect, an extreme left as
such? The guy is nothing but a communist hack. How will the world's Catholics
react to that?
Alan Then
The Pope is an espoused communist, what would you
expect? His contempt for free market economics is belied by the fact that
it has lifted more people out of poverty in the world in the last 40 years,
than in all of human history.
Michael
Selden
The Pope should stick to religion——oh wait, he is
talking about a religion. The religion of socialism and statism. Same church
Obama attends.
James
McManus
He is sounding more like Obama everyday
The Pope speaks against abortion, 'gayness' in his
encyclical and elsewhere, then invites proponents of precisely these and other
of the revolting lib agenda to Vatican conclaves. The only reasonable
conclusion to be drawn is that evil and disgusting politics is being played.
He stubbornly rejects capitalism, which obviously
has many of the faults he enumerates, stupidly preferring instead thoroughly
discredited socialism.
Things are getting pretty crazy, evilly
destructive. It's little wonder there's such confusion.
Roger Potocki
Sadly, the Pope's thinking is so wrong headed that
it is embarrassing to all rational people. All of the poor among us in this
world aspire to be consumers. People need products for basic life, health and
advancement. It is market capitalism that has provided the highest standard of
life to God's creations. It is socialism and all of its forms that have brought
misery. It is authoritarianism and the worship of the state that keeps entire
continents at a constant level of poverty. The Pope's "moral content"
is at best confused.
Robert Mayfield
@RODGER POTOCKI
You are
completely right! This (second-string) pope is hoping to convince the world
that we should all be brought down to the living standards of the
"developing" world. Sure hope that doesn't happen in my life
time.
Gina
Liggett
First, there is nothing more "filthy"
than then the running sewage, germ-infested drinking water, and toxic fumes of
cooking over burning dung fires. Industrialization and human-inspired (not
Gaia-given) ingenuity have freed people by the hundreds of millions the world
over.
Second there IS NO catastrophic global
warming, NO impirical evidence that human activity has any significant
impact on climate. The "studies" are invented computer models.
Third, the Pope has a vested interest in condemning
capitalism, the only political-economic system liberating ordinary people
from abject poverty and repression. If the Pope is successful in keeping people
poor, then the Church has greater sway.
This Pope and Climategaters have a core world
view that human beings are subordinate to God & Mother Earth, which makes
them perfect bedfellows. They view humans as vermin, imbued with sin. And
they reject in principle the notion of the pursuit of individual happiness in
life on earth
Here we go again. The "North",
through exploitation, is responsible for all the ills of the "South".
With this message, the South American dictators will have Vatican coverage to
continue exploiting their own people.
If Catholic churches in the US start to
"preach" this political victim/redistribution message, will the IRS
revoke their religious tax exempt status and re-label the churches as political
organizations? Just asking.
I was not ashamed to be Catholic till now.
…
Free markets have raised the standard of living in
just a few hundred years, from lives that were universally "nasty, brutish
and short" to today's long life expectancy filled with good food,
fantastic health care, and decades of family enrichment as grandchildren,
children, parents and grandparents.
No Utopian society, and no totalitarian society,
ever produced such advances. EVER.
Markets are not the problem - markets are the
answer. Pronouncements such as this carry a great risk of moving
societies toward socialist dictatorships, and we have seen over and over how
badly those turn out. We miss Pope John Paul II more than ever.
Scott
Horsburgh
Mr. Easterman, you are citing economic policy
according to Easterman, not according to the Pope. He has given no
indication he believes in capitalism. Every indication is that he is a
redistributionist (or socialist or Marxist, if you prefer). Accusing the
industrial North of "exploiting" the resources of the southern
hemisphere is Marxist language. That the North owes an "ecological
debt" to the South is anything but capitalism.
Peter Drucker
I am sorry, may be i am rude. But it seems Pope is
busy with other people's business. He should serve God, help Christians do it.
But he is busy with talks about business, markets and their impact on
environment. This is Obama's deal to talk, talk and talk about climate change.
And take some Muslims. Pope, cause of you we are losing Christianity in America
This Pope is very disappointing. He speaks of
liberal "causes" of which he has no personal expertise nor
scientific data to support his personal opinions and
"pontifications." He clearly has no lucid knowledge of how
capitalistic systems have enriched more lives than all socialistic systems combined
-- which he clearly advocates. His anti-capitalistic comments are enigmatic and
egregious.
This Pope would be far better prepared to
condemn the barbaric activities of the Muslims in the world against Christians
than to attack Capitalism--of which his comments indicate he is totally
ignorant.
Based upon this Pope's perfidious comments
and hubris, nothing he says in the future is worthy of belief.
"Pope Blames Markets for Environment’s
Ills"
the pope is plainly stupid; markets are
the voice of the people!
@MITCHEL
GALISHOFF As a Christian since my Baptism 82 years ago and a
former Roman Catholic I believe that the reason the Church is in existence is
to spread the Good News; The Gospels. I do not know what this Pope has in mind
about the former; but, I believe he is wandering around on unholy ground with
his encyclical on global warming and economics of global markets.
Having come from a socialist society, the Pope is
continuing to reflect on the socialist approach to solving the southern
hemisphere's (mainly South America) economic problems. I'd suggest that
he concentrate on trying to solve those economic problems by trying capitalism.
In the meantime, maybe those of us from the "evil capitalist
economies" should withhold our "ill-gotten" financial support
from the Vatican.
@Joel Nicholas @Bernard Nachman
The only
really stupid people are those who voted two times for the current socialist in
chief in the White House. Doubled the nations debt in less than eight
years. Not sure who the bigger socialist is, the Pope or Obama.
To the Cardinals that elected this Pope...did you
knowingly place a Marxist as Pope, because while his views may raise people
spiritually...his political views will doom millions to poverty.
Michael
Jessup
Honestly, being a practicing and HEAVILY donating
Roman Catholic. This REALLY turns me off. I won't say more regarding this but
this is really getting old. While he talks of Climate Change perhaps he needs
to focus more on issues like Women in the Priesthood, birth control, and the
litany goes on.
John
Sobieski
Truly the worst Pope in history
"He just need to go away"? HA! I think
this is the best freaking Pope in modern history and I'm an atheist!
Well,
thank you Ari. I have more respect for someone
who will not put his faith in God than those who put their faith in Adam Smith.
As I said in a previous contribution, where were all these Republican twits when previous pontiffs from Leo XIII to Benedict XVI were making the same critique of Western capitalism in their various encyclicals? Is it because the media have given so much attention to Francis and consequently to this teaching? Outlets like the Huffington Post regularly report on just about every utterance he makes. Have Catholics been so accustomed to ignoring papal teaching on the economy simply because no one, beginning with the hierarchy, has really bothered to disseminate it and now the media have done their job for them? (How long has it been since the American bishops have said anything about the economy that generated a significant level of public interest? Oh, right -- 1986 -- just as most of them were becoming Republican tools themselves). In my view, what is really going on here is that, far from reversing the efforts of "Reagan's Pope," Francis has amplified the voice of his predecessor(s) with the help of the very media that normally ignores or despises what the church has to say about most anything. For all his media savvy, John Paul II looks like a circus sideshow compared to Francis' ability to get the world to stand up and notice just what the Catholic Church teaches -- and has taught for well over a century.
ReplyDeleteIt was a mortification you did by combing through those comments!
ReplyDeleteWell, I just want to bring the kraziness into the light. Those comments are only the tip of the iceberg. These people recognize that Francis is a serious threat to their way of life--or rather that Francis is pointing out that Jesus is a serious threat to our way of life.
Delete