To Ardsgaine and Self-hating boomer:

With regard to the values taught in the Decalogue, and in the teachings of Christ, you both seem to be missing the point…

First, the Judeo-Christian God, as even a cursory examination of the Bible will attest, takes very seriously the way God’s people treat everyone, but especially the poor, needy, and the foreigner. In fact, Ardsgaine is correct to point out that there are elements of Socialism inherent within Scripture, such as the year of Jubilee, which involved an extensive redistribution of wealth. God is clearly not a capitalist.

However, to simply stop there is to miss the bigger picture: Christianity was never intended to promote any political or economic system, because the whole point of Christianity is that it supercedes any other system. If one believes in Christ, one should follow Christ’s teachings, regardless of what kind of system is in place.

Christ did not promote Socialism, he promoted discipleship, which is infinitely more radical. Christianity is founded on the belief that God actually cares about humanity, and we should care about our fellow humans simply because God cares. This means that we (as much as is humanly possible in our finitude) abandon any plan that attempts to build up some humans at the expense of tearing others down. Since both Capitalism and Socialism are guilty of this in different ways and at different times, Christianity opposes both, when necessary, but also may utilize both, depending on the circumstances.

Thus, Christianity will serve as a critique to both Capitalism and Socialism, depending on which system holds sway, because Christianity recognizes the flaws in all man-made systems and calls people to strive for something higher than a particular economic or social system. This is what makes Christianity – in its pure form, not watered down by collusion with any “-ism” – so potentially world-changing, and, often, so threatening.