Bishops’ Letter on Economic Rights

In defending the Catholic bishops’ recent pastoral letter, “Economic Justice for All,” Archbishop Rembert Weakland criticized those who try to “Christianize all aspects of capitalism,” adding, “There will always be a tension between the two.”

He’s right--and the letter, drafted by the committee he chaired, proves it.

Christianity, like most religions, promotes three basic ideas: (1) that the individual should live by faith, not reason; (2) that the individual’s purpose in life is to serve others, especially the poor; and (3) that the individual should forsake his own material advancement and earthly happiness, while hoping for his reward in heaven.

Capitalism, on the other hand, depends on the exact opposite ideas: (1) that the individual should be guided by reason, colloquially known as “common sense,” not mystical flights of fancy; (2) that the individual’s purpose in life is the pursuit of his own profit, happiness and self-fulfillment; and (3) that the individual should work to earn these rewards here and now, in this life, on earth.

What are the consequences of these diametrically opposing views? Capitalism--and the philosophy of individualism and secular humanism on which it depends--has made possible a dramatic escalation in the standard of living of every country that’s tried it--a result almost invariably accompanied by a corresponding increase in personal and political freedom. The hallmarks of capitalism are progress, opportunity, freedom--and peace. The great wars of this century were all started by anti- capitalist countries, dictatorships both Fascist and Communist.

Now, what are the consequences of the Christian philosophy in practice? The zenith of Christianity’s influence coincided with the nadir of Western history, the Dark and Middle Ages. Crushing poverty, mass illiteracy, universal serfdom, senseless religious persecutions and “holy wars” were--and are--the legacy of a theology that, in the name of “human dignity,” systematically undercuts the cornerstones of all human dignity--reason, individualism, personal freedom, self-interest, the pursuit of happiness.

The writers of the pastoral letter have the effrontery to compare their efforts to those of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Like the Founders, say the bishops, they seek to perform an “experiment” in social organization, this time to secure, not political rights, but “economic rights . . . the minimum conditions of human dignity in the economic sphere for every person.”

Were such an “experiment” to be carried out, it would merely echo the results of similar “experiments” in collectivist countries around the globe. It would reduce this country to the economic and political conditions of the anti-capitalist East Bloc and Third World, turn back the clock of history to the Dark Ages, and wipe out the actual meaning of the American Revolution, as the Founding Fathers conceived it.

The “tension” between Christianity and capitalism is real, and it can be resolved only by choosing one system over the other. For anyone genuinely concerned with the requirements of human life, freedom, and dignity, that choice is clear.

DOUGLAS BORTON

Los Angeles