James is a poor disciple of a poor man, Jesus, who partnered with people to co-create the one “Community of God.” He cautions listeners about how the rich are divisive in the kingdom of Caesar, “Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries… Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying aloud… You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure; you have fattened your hearts.”
Neither Jesus nor James is a Socialist. Neither is a Communist. More startling is the truth that neither Jesus nor James is a Capitalist. Capitalism is the oldest of the three as a devised system. Capitalism gets a place of honor, even sanctity, in U.S. culture and in institutional christianity. But capitalism prioritizes gaining capital and is inherently divisive. It originates in Militarism’s slave trade. Evidence is found in Old Testament writings about slave owners like Abraham and Moses, and their warlord deity, Yahweh. For example, instructions from Yahweh to Moses about getting capital: “When you draw near to a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace to it… if it makes you answer of peace, and opens to you, then it shall be, that all the people who are found therein shall become forced laborers to you.” (Deut 20:10-12) (See also Num 31:25-35; Deut 21:10-12). Militarism’s capital gaining system persists in most modern nations, in their wars, and in the abused debt slaves inherent to it. Militarism’s capitalists call their use of debt slaves ‘the free market.’ But it is Militarism’s first and only market – the slave market with the free slave labor gained there. Capitalism is rule by the master class. Capitalism is touted by its rich master class as godly, even Christian – but that is a lie and a betrayal of Christ Jesus. Capitalism believes in a god, but it is the War Lord gods of Old, like the War Lord deity Yahweh. The divinization of a War Lord deity gaining debt slaves enables the divinization of earthly War Lords gaining debt slaves. Propagandists for Capitalism fuse Socialism and Communism as enemies that do not believe in god since they are devised by atheists, Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin. But neither Marx nor Lenin were atheists. They both believed in capitalism’s same warlord deity. Lenin, who killed for plunder as many poor people as rich people and wrote, “The dictatorship of the proletariat is rule won and maintained by the use of violence… against the bourgeoise.” Marx, who kept a maid as a debt slave, concluded his Communist Manifesto admitting socialists “openly declare their ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing conditions.” Neither Leninism nor Marxism offers an essential change from capitalism. Marxism does, however, offer helpful critiques on materialism and on capitalism’s war on the working class. Liberal capitalists sometimes draw on the critiques, not to transform its plundering slave system but to periodically reform it (labor laws, Social Security, health benefits,… ). A recent Metropolitan Opera Gala with a politician wearing a designer dress emblazoned with, ‘Tax the Rich’ is an example of reform – but not transformation. Capitalism, Socialism, and Communism are all based in Militarism’s violent master-slave model and cannot be identified as Christ-like. This is especially true since each of them, to varying degrees, assumed the inequality and/or enslavement of women. Riane Eisler’s early book, The Chalice and The Blade, proposes an alternative to the aforementioned classed societies. She calls them partnership societies and proposed women lived as equal human beings in them – long ago, in pre-history. Neither such cultures nor their writings survived though, being destroyed by cultures and writings dominated by warriors and their capitalism, for example the ancient Israelites. Some analysts propose agriculture took over and systematized inequality and enslavement but there is no evidence inequality and enslavement are inherent to agriculture as they are so obviously inherent to Militarism. Eisler does not propose partnership societies were, nor will be utopias, unrealistic fantasies. Partnership societies are simply a matter of caring for people, including the most vulnerable by structuring society in equitable, sustainable, and peaceful ways.
Partnership societies do not pass laws against people who are homeless, as Los Angeles CA recently did, but instead build, buy, and refurbish low-cost homes and neighborhoods as Cambridge MA does. They do not maintain racist police forces, as Springfield MA does, but instead include mental health practitioners in social safety and well-being programs as Aurora IL does. Partnership societies do not hinder workers bringing class action suits against wealthy corporations, such as Wal-Mart for wage theft, discrimination, and other injustices, as the Supreme Court recently did, but instead ensure humane economies and work environments as Unions do. ‘Come now, you poor, rejoice and laugh over your impending well-being. The benefits you share as workers who harvest your own fields enable you to live in communion and delight; you have gladdened your hearts.’
Prayer: Spirit of Sharing, keep guiding us as One
Question: How does capitalism influence me to minimize or even reject the Way of partnership?
September 26, 2021 Gospel Mark 9:38-48 Twenty Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time