Political Realities Reflect Religious Situations

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Why have socialist and communistic movements been more popular and successful in places where the population is predominately Catholic(Latin America) or Orthodox Christian(Eastern Europe). Places historically protestant(Western Europe and North America) have not experienced as much popularity with socialism/communism.

Social political realities may be a reflection of the spiritual practices of the people…

Thus the catholic and orthodox emphasis on education as a means of determining status within the clergy directly correspond to the emphasis of educational attainment in ones social position that is found in places with socialist and communist political structures.

Anyone with a grasp of the bible, charisma, and social connections can become a powerful person in the social structure of evangelical churches.

Also Orthodox and catholic stress alms to the poor whereas evangelical christianity places importance on the prosperity gospel which involves using biblical principles to increase financial wealth(evangelical christians do help the poor too though)

It seems to me that in the same way children play with each other engaging in certain roles as a means of practicing for future societal roles so does peoples religious life act as a sort of training for the way people approach social/political roles.

Also the recent American emphasis on being spiritual and not having a religious congregation seems to correspond to the social reality in America of people feeling isolated and lacking a community.

[Le Corsaire Rouge]

I think that this is an interesting point. Protestantism, I think, promotes an inherently reactionary, individualist mindset completely unlike the communal approach fostered by Catholicism and Orthodoxy.

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I would place anglicanism in the same category as catholicism and orthodox christianity

and in the protestant camp would be lutherism calvinism puritanism evangelical christianity baptist christianity etc...

[Jimmie Higgins]

Considering that Germany had the biggest democratic socialist party in the world and is also the birthplace of Protestantism, I don't know how well this idea holds up.

Also the catholic "collectivism" and good-works etc and whatever other values that are not ideologically aligned with capitalist values come out of feudalism.


It seems to me that in the same way children play with each other engaging in certain roles as a means of practicing for future societal roles so does peoples religious life act as a sort of training for the way people approach social/political roles.I'm sure that upbringing and so on do impact how people see the world later, but with all inhereted ideas, people unconsciously pick and choose the ones that make sense to them or don't make sense. This is why generally speaking catholocism or islam are practiced differently in industrial urban areas than in rural regions where the conditions of life are different.

In my own life I remember even as a kid (not political and more than a dozen years before becoming radical) I noticed that the catholic church I went to in an immigrant neighborhood in San Francisco with my grandparents was much more about giving to the poor and helping people than the suburban catholic church I went to later in life which was much more about personal responsibilities and following the right morals.


Also the recent American emphasis on being spiritual and not having a religious congregation seems to correspond to the social reality in America of people feeling isolated and lacking a community. This I agree with, but it seems like it would be a case of religion reflecting the political reality, not the other way around.

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@ Jimmie

Germany historically has been half catholic and half protestant.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany#Religion

Current religious demographics are 30% catholic and 29% protestant

[Queercommie Girl]

Considering that Germany had the biggest democratic socialist party in the world and is also the birthplace of Protestantism, I don't know how well this idea holds up.


There is a fundamental difference between traditional forms of protestantism and contemporary bible-thumping fundamentalist protestantism.



Also the catholic "collectivism" and good-works etc and whatever other values that are not ideologically aligned with capitalist values come out of feudalism.
Not all forms of catholic collectivism are feudal in nature, but it is true that as Marx himself said in the Communist Manifesto, feudal-socialism is a reactionary form of socialism and in some ways even more reactionary than capitalism is.



This I agree with, but it seems like it would be a case of religion reflecting the political reality, not the other way around.
Completely agree, base determines superstructure is a fundamental law of Historical Materialism. And it is philosophically reactionary to turn this upside down like many religious socialists do. That is indeed a fundamental problem with religious socialism.

I don't mind progressive religious people joining the socialist movement, but if they actually think the socialist movement "needs" their religion to succeed, then they are clearly being reactionary.