Marxism, at least as implemented in the failed former Soviet Union, was heavily criticized in the United States in 1950s and 60’s as “godless communism.” However, despite the efforts of the Soviet Communist Party to destroy religion by confiscating religious property, harassing, persecuting, even executing believers, and promoting atheism in the schools and in the media, the majority of the population kept their religious beliefs and practices.
There is, however, a belief system that threatens to replace religion. It is both enticing and addictive. Rather than eliminate God, it promotes a new God. It is more insidious and widespread around the world than communism ever was. It is promoted in our schools, in our media, and by the government. This is the materialist religion called capitalism.
True religion and capitalism are opposites
Religion promotes unselfishness and self-restraint. Capitalism is based on selfishness and consumption. Religion teaches humility and patience while capitalism promotes immediate gratification. The difference between religion and capitalism is literally the difference between the spiritual and the material. While we, of course, live in a material world and need certain things to survive, capitalism exaggerates our needs and distorts our priorities.
Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you.
Jacob 2:17-18
But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.
Unfortunately, much of American Christianity has become intertwined with capitalist lies. For example, the popular, so-called, “prosperity gospel” actually teaches anew the ancient false doctrine that wealth is a sign of righteousness. Sadly, people don’t want to hear that glorification of the wealthy is unchristian. They just wish they were wealthy themselves.
People don’t know, and aren’t taught, that the early Christian church strongly opposed materialism, and that the various early Christian congregations often shared their possessions in common. They were not capitalists.
Capitalism and democracy are not the same thing
People confuse capitalism, an economic system, with democracy, a political system. Americans are proud of their constitutional democracy and ignorantly tend to presume that capitalism is somehow a part of the Constitution. It is not. The capitalist “free market” is not synonymous at all with the freedom to elect one’s political leaders.
In theory, capitalism extends democracy into economic decision-making. Products and services are supposed to succeed or fail as consumers “vote” with their pocketbooks. In practice, however, capitalism allows the wealthy to have many more “economic votes” than the average consumer. This is clearly not democratic.
A properly regulated capitalism, one that is operated openly and fairly for the good of the community, by leaders and merchants of good moral character, can do much good. Yet historically this has been the exception rather than the norm.
The history of capitalism is atrocious
Capitalism has a history of domination, oppression, slavery, starvation, bondage, rapaciousness, pollution, and materialism. Many, perhaps most, of capitalism’s heroes rise to prominence through a combination of lies, deceit, manipulation, propaganda, labor abuse, and, of course, power politics.
Modern unbridled corporate capitalism represents the final triumph of the aristocrats over the peasants. In the name of “reform” they have eliminated government regulations and oversight, lowered taxes for the rich, and decimated the social safety net for the struggling poor. For the sake of “competition” they have forced developing countries to lower trade barriers to make it easier for multinational corporations to dominate local economies.
They have privatized (ie. “profitized”) government services, and they have allowed huge national chains to crush small local businesses. Using the excuse of “flexibility” they have eliminated worker protections, reduced employee benefits, and eliminated (sometimes through outright pillage!) pension plans.
This is not a record to be proud of.
Capitalism is taught by anti-Christs
The Book of Mormon warns us against selfishness and materialism. It also tells of money-hungry people who fought against the Church. Interestingly, the doctrine preached by the Anti-Christ, Korihor, is identical to our modern concept of unbridled capitalism.
And many more such things did he say unto them, telling them that there could be no atonement made for the sins of men, but every man fared in this life according to the management of the creature; therefore every man prospered according to his genius, and that every man conquered according to his strength; and whatsoever a man did was no crime.
Alma 30:17
We must choose which God to worship
Marx called attention to the enchantment of money and commodities under capitalism. Having drowned traditional religion, money morphed, he asserted, into ‘the almighty being’, ‘the god among commodities’, ‘the truly creative power’.
Eugene McCarraher
Modern societies have overwhelmingly pushed God out of our lives in favor of a more material religion. We have replaced our loving Father God with a more demanding and less forgiving God – money. We worship at the alter of consumption. We devote our time and our talents to material acquisition rather than toward building the Kingdom of God.
One can debate the pluses and minuses of capitalism as an economic system, but it should never replace one’s religion. If we wish to be true Christians, we must stop allowing our desire for material gain to overwhelm our desire to serve God. It is time to choose one or the other.
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Matthew 6:24
Source: Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins, “Has Capitalism Become Our Religion?” The Nation, October 4, 2019.
Eugene McCarraher, “Mammon,” Aeon, October 22,2019.
Giles Fraser, “Are capitalism and Christianity really compatible?” UnHerd, July 16, 2018.
Brian Ferguson, “Mormonism and the Economy,” Why Good Mormons Must Be Democrats (Chapter 5, unpublished manuscript).
Good thoughts. It’s also one of the reasons why the right wing is so opposed to environmental regulations, why they’ve been gutting the EPA under the guise of “freedom” and getting rid of what they called “job killing regulations” Yet just as the Trump administration was getting to work, the EPA published a report showing that environmental were some of the most beneficial government programs, saving lives and health expenses amounting to several times the amount of their costs, as well as reflecting the market turn to cleaner energy and increased jobs in those sectors. Yet, they have been dismantled, because the poor benefited, and the rich paid something they could cleary affort. Rather than “bearing one another’s burdens, that they may be light,” we have a culture that no only takes pride in saying “Am I my brother’s keeper?” but also has learned the secret of converting other people’s life and health into cash.
Mormonism should have some appreciation of Marx’s masterpiece “Capital.” But such is hard to achieve because of Capital’s technical content.