Capitalism and Corruption

If “capitalism” is simply a system based on profit so that the whole economic system is regulated by profit, then Christianity would demand the elimination of profit altogether… We must understand that it is not excesses or abuses of various kinds which render this whole system undesirable and immoral.

A further fault of such a system is that the benefits are not used for the service of the common good. This service is a necessary justification of every productive enterprise, because work always has a double role: It must first provide for a personal benefit, but it must ultimately be oriented towards community needs.

M.D Chenu                                                                                                                                                       (French theologian and mentor to Matthew Fox)                                                                                         Cited in Christian Mystics

Fox’s commentary and questions are considerable… He writes:

“In our times of colossal financial collapse and malfeasance on Wall Street, it is important to put things into a moral perspective. Chenu makes the point that greed in individuals is a symptom, not a cause. Any economic system that values only profit is evil; it is a system that rewards avarice, lying, and injustice. Regulation of such a system, to keep avarice and injustice under control, is certainly necessary, but Chenu goes further:

A system based on profits alone requires Christians to stand up and “demand the elimination of profit altogether.” The common good and community needs are the key moral tests of any economic system, Chenu reminds us. Q: How are we doing? How is Wall Street doing? What would a moral economic system look like?”

Over the years, my ethical opposition to capitalism has grown wider and deeper. Remembering the teaching that it is the lust or desire for money that is evil, and not having money itself, my target increasingly has been the colossal avarice of billionaires and the selfishness that has been widely acceptable in our society. While there are no shortages of places that will receive our donations and philanthropic efforts, and most are very worthwhile (I have ruled out the mega-churches and all the political grifters…) 

As a country, we give the least amount to charities and non-profit causes-especially if we measure it against the GDP, or what level of donations exist from IRS records… 

As I see it, and I’m willing to admit that I might not see the whole picture, yet there has been a wholesale sell-off of the value of the common good, and a fire sale on money being directed to critical care of the environment, health, children and so on down the line.

Christianity, as I have come to know it, is but a poor shadow of the Early Church, the Book of Acts, and the times of the Desert Fathers and Mothers; whose disdain for their modern culture can teach us a lot about the things to avoid in our contemporary society! Some scholars say the corruption came in when the Empire was being established and for that time forward, politics and ethics began their long corrosive soul-emptying relationship.