How can capitalism be a good thing even from a Protestant perspective? Almost every corporation that does good works or gives to charity flaunts it, and according to Luther, people who do that are working for the Satan.
It's justified by Calvinism. There's no free will in Calvinism. If you succeed in business God is rewarding you for being a good person. If you fail it's probably because you sinned and God is punishing you.
>>411896
> How can capitalism be a good thing even from a Protestant perspective?
According to some Calvinists, people who have a place in heaven are successful in life, yet they live modestly. A capitalist society enables your ability to earn as much as possibly before you die, meaning that you're destined to go to heaven.
It isn't really, it's some meme Weber made up.
For the record, proto-capitalism really developed in the Italian (catholic) merchant republics.
>>411896
> It isn't really, it's some meme Weber made up.
The fun thing about this very question is that it doesn't matter if Weber actually where right in Calvinism was partly the reason for the difference between Polish and German farmers, he still showed how Calvinism can be used as a justification for capitalism.
>>411896
Early capitalism has an inherently anti-imperial allure. It's about freeing wealth and power and bestowing it to the people. In this sense capitalism (liberalism) is the economic system that completes the great idea of Protestantism, which is to destroy the Papacy and actually take Christianity seriously when it talks about the priesthood of all believers. The problem is that both these things, once established and dominant, naturally negate themselves and become imperial. Hence, the need for socialism.
>>411930
>it's some meme Weber made up.
Although I don't think it's baseless, I do think the Protestant work ethic theory is thrown around too frequently and questioned too little.
>>411985
>socialism
That's not how you spell Catholicism or Orthodoxy.
>>412033
Both of those are objectively worse, having whored themselves to the classical kings and emperors. The failure of Protestantism is a better failure, fashioning its own kind of empire and not simply clinging to whichever master wins in the end, as the RC and EO have done with their new capitalist masters.
>>411985
Interesting, Leddihn also identified protestantism as a proto-socialist movement.
>>412052
Protestantism is literally Gospel of Wealth-tier, and your argument that Protestantism is the truest dorm of Christianity boils down to 'Their empires are more modern and made more money.' You're judging these denominations by their worldly success, not by their spiritual foundations.
>>412058
Then Leddihn was right, but clearly for the wrong reasons.
>>412064
>Protestantism is literally Gospel of Wealth-tier
Gospel of Wealth is an example of the late stage of Protestantism: as already said, liberalism was used to complete the socio-theological position with a socio-economic platform. It absolutely did this, but all things develop and the liberalism overtakes the religion.
>and your argument that Protestantism is the truest dorm of Christianity
You've misunderstood entirely what I said.
>>412087
>liberalism was used to complete the socio-theological position with a socio-economic platform
I agree
>You've misunderstood
What were you trying to say?
>>412052
Catholicism clashed way more with kings than Protestantism did, what is the Church of England? The Scandinavian Churches? The German Churches? The King was the head of the Church in all these instances, by divine right.
>>412087
>clearly for the wrong reasons
Try elaborating on that.
>>412104
Some people distinguish between absolute monarchy and antiquity's monarchies. I don't think there are great reasons to, but some people do it.
>>411896
That's only according to the Calvinists.
Calvinists need some shit to know that they are the elect and destined for heaven all thanks to Predestination.
So how to do this?
Create some measure of determining who is elect through material wealth.
Thus if you work hard enough and gain enough monies, you are elect and you'll go to Heaven.
>>412166
Also it's interesting that calvinists look down on people who inherited their wealth but absolutely love self-made men.
