Questions from an ignoramus

[Lord Baal]

Rather disgustingly, and very relevant to discussion, a girl I once worked with (who was omgwtf hot BTW) gave me a lecture once about how wealth was God's reward to the righteous, and if someone was poor is was because he had not properly demonstrated himself as deserving in God's eyes, and was so properly punished just as the rich were rewarded. Absolutely disgusting. No surprise she is an evangelical Protestant. Even more shocking was to hear her twisting of scripture to fit her ideological point of view, even when confronted with scripture which proclaimed precisely the opposite. A vulgar economist I can tolerate, who proclaims belief in inexorable laws of interaction, but this was intolerably disgusting apologism to hear.

So, did you bang her or what?

 

[Karalysia]

A good shagging is the only known cure for evangelical Christianity.

 

[Lord Baal]

A good shagging is the only known cure for evangelical Christianity.

And the only thing worth putting up with an evangelical Christian for.

 

[LightSpectra]

Rather disgustingly, and very relevant to discussion, a girl I once worked with (who was omgwtf hot BTW) gave me a lecture once about how wealth was God's reward to the righteous, and if someone was poor is was because he had not properly demonstrated himself as deserving in God's eyes, and was so properly punished just as the rich were rewarded. Absolutely disgusting. No surprise she is an evangelical Protestant. Even more shocking was to hear her twisting of scripture to fit her ideological point of view, even when confronted with scripture which proclaimed precisely the opposite. A vulgar economist I can tolerate, who proclaims belief in inexorable laws of interaction, but this was intolerably disgusting apologism to hear.

I've actually never met a prosperity theologian in person, but off of the top of my head, I can think of at least two dozen responses to it; most notably that Jesus was not materially wealthy. Did she say anything about that?

 

[Racsoviale]

MY GOD PEOPLE!!!!!

why have you not turned on the Dachsignal yet?


It is for questions like in the OP we made that signal in the first place and if we dont use it, how is the Caped Scholar going to know there is an emergency.


...Dachs & the Caped Scholars, best band/superhero name/comic ever

 

[Dachs]

Sorry, but sometimes I have a social life on Friday nights. Besides, most of the decent systemic reasons for that stuff have already been posted in this thread by all of the other knowledgeable people we have here, and some of the contingent ones that I was going to highlight were alluded to in RRW's early response.

As for the Protestant work ethic specifically, that bit's really not fashionable due to two simple words: "Belgium" and "Lombardy".

 

[Louis XXIV]

Ooh, maybe I should have changed "Germanic" to "Northern." I agree it doesn't hold water as a religious thing, although there does tend to be some correlation, I don't think religion is the causation.

 

[sophie]

You're obviously not an ignoramus if you use the word ignoramus

 

[Traitorfish]

Ooh, maybe I should have changed "Germanic" to "Northern." I agree it doesn't hold water as a religious thing, although there does tend to be some correlation, I don't think religion is the causation.

Even if we change it to something more generic (and given that the Clyde once produced a two-figure percentage of the world's shipping, you damn well better ), how does one explain the material poverty experienced by areas such as the Scottish Highlands, Western Ireland or Northern Norway until rather recently? I certainly be wouldn't suggest that 19th century Inverness was more affluent than contemporary Barcelona, as such a thing would seem to suggest.

 

[Dachs]

Lombardy isn't very "northern" either

 

[Louis XXIV]

I'm tempted to be pedantic and try to argue something about a Barbarian work ethic, but I don't want to bother because I've long stopped being serious (plus, I didn't read too closely your comments about Migrationist theories for the fall of Rome and how you oppose them, so that just needlessly complicates things).

I do think there was a New England Puritan work ethic, but that probably had to do with their circumstances, even if it was justified by religion (the idea of idle hands are the devil's plaything doesn't seem to be a particularly Catholic sentiment, but I could be wrong).

 

[LightSpectra]

(the idea of idle hands are the devil's plaything doesn't seem to be a particularly Catholic sentiment, but I could be wrong).

The quotation itself comes from St. Paul. It's as much a Catholic doctrine as it is to anybody; remember that the Benedictines were the ones who first formulated "ora et labora."

 

[ParkCungHee]

As a further blow to Protestant Work ethic: The American South.

 

[Masada]

... we're the slaves Christian? The masters were certainly into devilry.

 

[Karalysia]

As a further blow to Protestant Work ethic: The American South.

You'll notice that the South was and still is among the least developed part of the US with the highest levels of poverty when compared to the North.

 

[ParkCungHee]

Scottish Highlands, Western Ireland

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

So, did you bang her or what?

I wish. But alas, I am already tied down elsewhere. Would have been an enjoyable "treatment" of her illness.

I've actually never met a prosperity theologian in person, but off of the top of my head, I can think of at least two dozen responses to it; most notably that Jesus was not materially wealthy. Did she say anything about that?

No, I said it. She remarked that it was his choice to give up wealth, and that the rich were entitled to their wealth but should probably give it away through charity, so they can be like him, which comes across as the worst qualification-act I've ever heard.

 

[Louis XXIV]

The quotation itself comes from St. Paul. It's as much a Catholic doctrine as it is to anybody; remember that the Benedictines were the ones who first formulated "ora et labora."

Good point. But it was very much a monastic thing. Then again, Puritan colonies were basically small villages, so I can see a sort of comparison to monasteries there.

As a further blow to Protestant Work ethic: The American South.

Oh, absolutely true. Nobody works hard to hot places, though, best I can tell, which is where my North-South argument came in and, I would hazard to guess, the evidence of a religious correlation came in.

 

[Dachs]

Oh, absolutely true. Nobody works hard to hot places, though, best I can tell, which is where my North-South argument came in and, I would hazard to guess, the evidence of a religious correlation came in.

Random Roman, 100 AD: "Nobody works too hard in cold places, best I can tell. It's clearly regions that have a proper balanced temperature, like the Mediterreanean, where the most economic and technological development occurs."

 

[ParkCungHee]

Random Korean, 1400 AD "Nobody works too hard in stable places, best I can tell. It's clearly regions that have a proper bipolar weather, like the Peninsula and Northern China where the most economic and technological development occurs."