05-11-2011, 07:41 PM
rjmacs wrote:
[quote=kj]
[quote=rjmacs]
[quote=kj]
Very different. Christianity is not a political and economic theory.
This is true in the case of Western modernity, but in fact many early Christians considered their faith to be the core of both their political and economic lives. Not disagreeing with your statement in the present context, but it has not always been so. In modern times, the remnants of these traditions exist in voluntary lay religious communities (Sant'Egidio, for example), convents and monasteries, etc. Members exist alongside modernity, but govern themselves by different standards.
Actually I would agree that a large percentage of Christians still consider their beliefs important in any facet of their life (political or economic). But Christianity is a religion, not a political or economic system. The idea that bothers me here is that many consider paying taxes some sort of charity or a sign of generosity. It's not, because it's required. Christians should pay their taxes, but charity goes way beyond that. And Jesus was most definitely neither a socialist nor a capitalist. All the talk on either side of this argument is missing the point. kj.
Part of what i was trying to say is that there actually still are places (granted, they are mostly isolated communities) where Christianity actually comprises both the political and economic system in place. The economy of an abbey generally reflects that of a commune, where everything is shared and there is virtually no private property. The political authorities are established by divine practice, and the procedures through which the community is governed follow religious, not secular, principles. Again, i'm not saying this is commonplace, but i often find it instructive to note the exception. Just because Christianity most places is not a political and economic system doesn't mean that Christianity is never a political and economic system.
I agree that Christians are duty-bound to pay their taxes (Romans 13:7), but they are also required to be charitable (2 Corinthians 8:3 and Acts 11:29, for example), though many of the New Testament references focus on supporting other believers. Of course there's little question that Jesus himself promoted acts of personal generosity and selflessness that exceed our normal definition of 'charity,' but certainly encompass it. You're right - Jesus was neither a socialist nor a capitalist, and he emphasized that over-emphasis on political or religious systems can distract us from the fundamental responsibility we have to love one another.
I guess I can't agree that christianity actually ever is a political/economic system, but I do agree it can inspire, guide, etc. political and economic systems. But generally, I think christianity is more focused on individual behavior than on institutional "behavior". I agree it's interesting to think about what kind of gov't Jesus would have created, but I think he avoided that kind of exercise for good reason. I think Jesus' suggested mode of influence was more along the lines of; each person has a sphere of influence about 15-20 people "big", which is where you exert most of your effort. I can't see him saying something like, "get out the vote!". I recognize this is debatable, even among christians, though. kj.