Marx, The Bible and Capitalism

I am rereading Jose Miranda's Marx and the Bible for about the third or fourth time.  I discovered this book while working as an outreach worker for the homeless at Catholic Charities.  It was during this time I discovered, and grew to appreciate, Catholic doctrine, not only its significance for the early Church Fathers but for their teaching on social justice, often referred to as liberation theology.

I think what really is most significant about this theology is that it provides a valuable, and vital, critique of modern Christianity, especially the Western variety which is imbued with a spirit of individualism that often leads us astray from the essence, or outcome, of the theology of both the Hebrew Bible (primarily as highlighted in the Prophets) and the New Testament.  What the Bible teaches is not individual salvation, as such, but salvation whose end is community, restoration, reconciliation, love.  It is not a "me" oriented salvation; any "me" is only a means to and end.

Miranda's book scathingly critiques capitalism as the most oppressive and insidious system to have ever been devised, where slaves not only work willingly for their master but strive to participate in the very same system in which they are enslaved.  This argument against capitalism is not new, nor is such a criticism necessarily religious in nature (Michael Moore, anyone?).

It reminded me of a documentary I had watched many years ago PBS about the most dangerous company in America.  It is a shocking documentary and seems to reinforce such criticisms of capitalism.  Yet at the very end of the documentary there was a company that seemed to turn the idea on its head.  And the man behind the company that displays such a positive work environment was a Christian who used his faith to guide how he treats those who work for him.

So the question becomes this: is capitalism inherently bad?  Or is such a business owner simply working within a system which is hopelessly corrupt?  Can such efforts lead to a change in the system as it is or are such efforts individual in nature, driven by faith, and the goal of all religious?

I believe that any system is only as good as the individuals within it, though any system, given enough time, will ultimately serve those who are in charge of the system and they will maintain the status quo to protect what is theirs.  Capitalism.  Socialism.  Communism.  Christianity.  Islam.  No system is free from the devices and greed of men in positions of power.

But Miranda's book is a call to action, a call to rethinking one's faith and a call to rethinking one's community.

I challenge you to watch the documentary.  Here's the link:

A Dangerous Business

 It's only an hour long but it's quite thought provoking.  And I especially challenge you to read Miranda's book.

Marx and the Bible

The story was recently updated:

A Dangerous Business

Just something to ponder, to help us think outside of our little boxes in which we live.