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Is Christianity Truly Compatible with Capitalism?

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Are Christianity and Capitalism Compatible?
Christianity Supports Capitalism 100% 5%  5%  [ 2 ]
Christianity Somewhat Supports Capitalism 3%  3%  [ 1 ]
Christianity is Indifferent to Capitalism 21%  21%  [ 8 ]
Christianity is Somewhat Against Capitalism 23%  23%  [ 9 ]
Christianity is Totally Against Capitalism 41%  41%  [ 16 ]
Just show the results 8%  8%  [ 3 ]
Total votes : 39

shrox
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12 Jul 2012, 8:54 pm

ArrantPariah wrote:
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Christians aren't supposed to steal the property of others. But, they are supposed to let anyone who wishes to steal from them to take whatever they want.


I would not agree with that, then you are almost encouraging them to sin, rather than discouraging them.



ArrantPariah
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12 Jul 2012, 9:03 pm

shrox wrote:
ArrantPariah wrote:
....

Christians aren't supposed to steal the property of others. But, they are supposed to let anyone who wishes to steal from them to take whatever they want.


I would not agree with that, then you are almost encouraging them to sin, rather than discouraging them.


And, capitalism would cease to function, if people cared so little about their own possessions.



shrox
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12 Jul 2012, 9:09 pm

ArrantPariah wrote:
shrox wrote:
ArrantPariah wrote:
....

Christians aren't supposed to steal the property of others. But, they are supposed to let anyone who wishes to steal from them to take whatever they want.


I would not agree with that, then you are almost encouraging them to sin, rather than discouraging them.


And, capitalism would cease to function, if people cared so little about their own possessions.


Including crops?



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12 Jul 2012, 9:21 pm

shrox wrote:
Including crops?


No. Farming predates capitalism.



shrox
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12 Jul 2012, 9:22 pm

ArrantPariah wrote:
shrox wrote:
Including crops?


No. Farming predates capitalism.


But it's a commodity now.



ArrantPariah
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12 Jul 2012, 9:30 pm

I suppose that if a lot of farmers were to abandon their fields to follow Jesus, then a lot of the crops would be ruined, particularly if other rural folk didn't know how to go and harvest the crops and distribute them. Capitalism is a big huge house of cards.

Amish crops would probably do fine.



shrox
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12 Jul 2012, 10:05 pm

ArrantPariah wrote:
I suppose that if a lot of farmers were to abandon their fields to follow Jesus, then a lot of the crops would be ruined, particularly if other rural folk didn't know how to go and harvest the crops and distribute them. Capitalism is a big huge house of cards.

Amish crops would probably do fine.


I thought we were taking about thieves stealing stuff? Stuff you might need, like crops.



ruveyn
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12 Jul 2012, 10:08 pm

shrox wrote:
A bruised reed will he not break, and a dimly burning wick will he not quench... Isaiah 42:3

Rmoney takes a struggling company and closes it, then tears it apart and sells it off. Not very Jesus like...


What is wrong with recycling assets? A busted company is useless. If its assets are redistributed they can again become useful and productive. A loser is transformed into a winner by somewhat indirect means.

ruveyn



shrox
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12 Jul 2012, 10:12 pm

ruveyn wrote:
shrox wrote:
A bruised reed will he not break, and a dimly burning wick will he not quench... Isaiah 42:3

Rmoney takes a struggling company and closes it, then tears it apart and sells it off. Not very Jesus like...


What is wrong with recycling assets? A busted company is useless. If its assets are redistributed they can again become useful and productive. A loser is transformed into a winner by somewhat indirect means.

ruveyn


Rmoney's not satisfied with a profit margin of 20% (arbitrary figure) or less, so he buys then trashes small companies that were satisfied with 20%...



ruveyn
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12 Jul 2012, 10:16 pm

shrox wrote:

Rmoney's not satisfied with a profit margin of 20% (arbitrary figure) or less, so he buys then trashes small companies that were satisfied with 20%...


Apparently the owners of the companies were willing to sell. Are you saying that sort of commerce should be restricted or prohibited? You seem to disapprove.

What is wrong with the owner of a company selling his company? He owns it. He has the right to sell it.

ruveyn



enrico_dandolo
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12 Jul 2012, 11:01 pm

The question makes no sense.

Christianity is not what the book says, it's what people do with it. If society is already capitalist, then it is mandatory that Christianity not contradict it. In truth, Christianity changed to accomodate itself with capitalism.

Biblical citations are completely irrelevant.



blunnet
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12 Jul 2012, 11:09 pm

well, a funny thing is that Heaven is a socialist utopia.



nominalist
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13 Jul 2012, 6:15 pm

Capitalism was widely condemned a couple of centuries ago by many Christians. Somewhere along the line, as capitalism became more established, many Christians became capitalism's staunchest defenders. IMO, that is very unfortunate.


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shrox
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13 Jul 2012, 6:35 pm

I myself am a small businessman, but if I became a major employer, I just have no desire to amass more that 1000 times the income of my least paid employee.



ruveyn
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13 Jul 2012, 8:34 pm

shrox wrote:
I myself am a small businessman, but if I became a major employer, I just have no desire to amass more that 1000 times the income of my least paid employee.


Why so much? Why not 10 or 100?

ruveyn



Vexcalibur
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13 Jul 2012, 10:39 pm

I don't think it would be very Christian to take more than twice as your employee.

shrox wrote:
Vexcalibur wrote:
What if my father commands me to kill a thief during sabbath?


When that happens, call me.
Do I need to? There are countless and countless of parents telling kids to do stuff that is wrong around history and around the world. Your ten commandments don't seem to specify what to do in cases where following a commandment contradicts another.


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