We've been hearing a lot about social justice lately, even in evangelical circles, and on the surface, the term might elicit a favorable connotation. But while justice is expected under the rule of law, it takes on a whole different meaning when applied to economics. Since I am by no means an expert on the subject, I turned to one of my favorite online current issues publications, The American Thinker. The author of the article defines social justice simply as the complete economic equality of all members of society. "While this may sound like a lofty objective, what it really means is that wealth should be collected by the government and evenly distributed to everyone. In short, social justice is communism. It is rooted in the idea that the money people make and the property they own do not rightfully belong to the people who make the money and own the property."
Advocates of social justice believe in the Marxist utopian ideal that all members, with the exception of a very small privileged ruling class, should receive the same compensation regardless of their skill, knowledge, or work ethic. It is foolish for Marxists to believe that such a system would actually bring about a utopia, because mankind is corrupt at the core of our being. Our Creator acknowledged our sinfulness when He gave us the Ten Commandments and instructed us not to covet our neighbors property and not to steal what does not belong to us. But this is exactly what happens under a system of social justice. Class envy is created and perpetuated, then the government is more than willing to step in and "spread the wealth around" through legal theft. This system not only kills an economy, it also "kills" the human spirit.
Contrary to Marxism, God's economy acknowledges individual property rights, the fruit of our labors. We are commanded to work, to provide for our families, and to be thankful rather than compare and complain. Furthermore, as we have been blessed as individuals and as the church, we are instructed to give to those in need. The compelling "force" behind our benevolence, though, should be the Holy Spirit, not a godless political system.
I welcome any thoughts on this subject.
Very well written, Jeannette. You didn't miss a beat. If you're interested in learning more about this sort of thing I recommend reading "A conflict of Visions" by Thomas Sowell, but it sounds like you've already got it!
ReplyDeleteA key difference in visions (you and I have the "constrained vision") is that we believe in justice or equality of opportunity (although even that doesn't mean much)....basically in the rule of law, everyone gets a fair shot and people shouldn't receive favors from the government etc. Whereas those who have an unconstrained vision believe in equality of outcomes. Those are who condone "social justice" and say income and whatever else ought to be redistributed so as to have equal *outcomes*. That's also known as thievery and rewarding poor behavior at the expense of punishing good behavior. Again, great post. If more voters took this thinking to the ballot box we would be electing fewer crooks and probably relying less on politicians in general.