Who's the Socialist Now?
You may have heard the charge from one presidential candidate that the other is a socialist -- that's because he talked about sharing the wealth.
So, as you ponder that charge, hear this song from Mary -- the Magnificat -- and ask yourself who the real socialist is?
So, as you ponder that charge, hear this song from Mary -- the Magnificat -- and ask yourself who the real socialist is?
And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
50His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. 54
He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
(Luke 1:46-55)
47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
50His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. 54
He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
(Luke 1:46-55)
Comments
I am completely uninterested in whether or not Barack Obama is a socialist. It seems to me that the whole discussion is beside the point.
But to use Mary's Magnificat to promote socialism is just as silly as using the Bible to promote a free market economy. This is nothing more than Liberal Constantinianism taking the Bible out of context in order to fit a narrow political agenda.
Those who say that conservativism and liberalism are simply two sides of the same modern coin are absolutley right, and the Bible has no stake in either side.
I think you took my bait. My point is simply that using "socialism" as a point of attack is really not useful.
If you read Jesus, you will not find a pro-capitalist message. It's more likely you'll find something that's in line with sharing the wealth. That said, I don't think that any modern political or economic system can claim Jesus.
This passage can, I believe, be used to suggest that God would have us side with the poor against the rich. If that is socialism, then Jesus was/is a socialist. As for Obama, he's not a socialist, not even along European lines, not even along Canadian lines. I'm not a socialist either. But, again I do think we need to hear the distributive justice texts of scripture and take them seriously.
It makes for wonderfully attractive populist politics (which both presidential candidates are touting, much to my chagrin), but provides for little in the way of actual solutions.
Having taken the bait on your post, at least I do not feel as silly as others will, who have taken the bait that either candidate for president will "fix" (whatever that might mean) our economic troubles. Of course, we will only know that one of them will not be able to do it, since the other one will not be given the opportunity to fail.
The future is dark -- No one knows what will happen. No matter who wins the election, George Bush remains president into late January. Neither candidate will be able to solve all the problems.
As for the rich/poor issue. I'm not a proponent of class warfare. I'm a liberal, but not a radical on this. I do believe that the more you have the more responsibilities you have. I think Joe Biden is right, it is the patriotic duty of the wealthy to step up to the plate.
But, Barack Obama isn't a socialist. He's a Democrat who believes that government has an important role in solving problems. That takes tax dollars. The wealthy are better able to pay than are the middle class.
I was born and raised a Republican, and that background is part of who I am as a person.
As for being patriotic to pay taxes, I laugh at this considering roughly half of Americans don't pay any tax.. are they unpatriotic. If any tax structure is in the Bible.. its a FLAT TAX!! Tithe 10%! Man, I wish that would be thrown around. Why do we have to ladder taxes anyway? Maybe I am naive, but this "get the rich" seems comical since there are a lot fewer rich people after this recession is done.
The problem with socialism comes from the fact that it is administered by fallen people who are trying to figure out some sort of equitable arrangement of wealth (that's questionable at times) but then it is thrust upon the masses, whereas the sharing of all things in common in Acts is coming from a Spirit led paradigm. It is freely chosen and offered as a response. Perhaps if we try to create a system out of it, we reduce it and perhaps kill it.
John
on economics and the Bible, reference the Torah...God's ideas about economics are quite interesting...
There is no evidence that Jubilee was ever practiced, and as such the concept may have been more of a warning against the unavoidable pitfalls of unbridaled acquisitiveness.
And Scripture is replete with warnings and requirements directed to the "haves" to care for the "have nots" and that the failure to do so risks judgment on all.
John
Its interesting too that Jesus called the pharisees the lover of money. If you remember, the Sadduces where the "rich". But the Pharisees felt entitled to receiving from the rich, thus having a spiteful attitude toward the rich. I think we see this today as well.. where people feel entitled to money and want to almost punish the rich.
Finally.. giving was also an act of WORSHIP. Giving now seems to be something we have to do rather than freely do.
The fact that the others gave so much more, and materially contributed so much greater to the needs of the temple was not worthy of Jesus respect - because the "giving" for those people was not in any way worshipful, but mere "duty."
John
Economic systems grow, evolve, fall and reform. We cannot go back to the agrarian model of the Bible. John maybe right that jubilee is an enshrined principle that rarely if ever got implemented.
So, what do we do? I think there are principles in the biblical text that can help guide our response. There is a constant theme that calls for us to heed the needs of the poor and stricken among us. There are verses that suggest that God stands on the side of the powerless and stands against the powerful (which might be a warning to the U.S.). Most important of all is the call to love one's neighbor, and Jesus made it clear that the neighbor isn't just the guy next door you like to party with.
Keep on sending in the comments!