When Religion and American Business Became One

Full Article at WorldNews.com Correspondent Dallas Darling.

The Barton Gospel, as it was called, however, did not prevent one of the greatest economic collapses in the history of America, one that produced unemployment, homelessness and hunger on an unimaginable scale. Instead, it showed that faith without works is dead, as is amassing wealth without accountability and with impunity. And as previously mentioned, many religious and business ideologies found in present-day America were formulated in the 1920′s. For decades, they have become so entrenched in America’s narrative and collective spirit and religious culture that it is often difficult to distinguish between church business and the business of the church.

Applying capitalistic business principles to religion and faith has also led untold misery, and has made the Gospel, that churches are supposed to prophetically live and proclaim, almost obsolete. While the number of homeless have increased dramatically, hitting highs not seen since the Great Depression, (According to the Coalition for the Homeless 115,000 New Yorkers are homeless, 43,000 are children. This is an 8% increase from the previous year and a staggering 37% from 2002.), four hundred of the wealthiest Americans continue to amass enormous amounts of wealth, controlling over fifty percent of America’s national riches.

And while wealth and corporations have evidently become venerated-400 people own more than 150 million Americans-poverty, homelessness and social programs have become demonized, specifically Social Security and Medicaid and Medicare. For example, the Republican leadership of the House of Representatives just passed a budget proposal that would destroy Medicare and Medicaid, two health programs that service millions of children and elderly. They also invented false information and lies about a universal healthcare plan, claiming it would lead to Death Panels. Actually, a universal healthcare plan would have saved millions of Americans from home foreclosures in the last several years.

One highly visible politician, Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, who is also a popular speaker at Americans for Prosperity events, uses the Gospels to tell the story about how a “woman laid it all on the line” by pouring an expensive fragrant ointment over Jesus’ head. Bachman then insists that Americans should pour themselves our for Jesus and when promoting American businesses and enterprises at home and abroad. (Historically and contextually, the woman anointed Jesus to prepare him for his confrontation with the Roman Empire, including his betrayal, torture and execution. She knew Jesus had already been labeled and condemned as a political and economic agitator by the authorities.)

Newt Gingrich, a possible presidential nominee for the Republican Party in 2012, believes God has called him to preach about the importance of religion and the renewal of business and economics. In his book, Rediscovering God in America, Gingrich believes success in business and accumulating wealth are signs of God’s favor. Other talk show hosts and ultra-conservatives, like Rush Limbaugh and David and Charles Koch-who owns the second-largest privately held conglomerate in America, Koch Industries, and funds the American Tea Party-are unabashed by the wealth they have amassed through either entertainment industries or corporate mergers, often at the expense of paying workers low wages and by destroying their rights.

(Recall that the 1992 Contract With American and so-called Gingrich Revolution was an ultra-conservative movement based on Christian fundamentalism and Reaganomics.)

Read the full article at World News….

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