The Reformed Mind:

Which of these values hinder or heed progress and create a better quality of life? How do you measure quality of life? With materialism or contentment? We won’t discuss that here.

There are a few things that make life better. The United Nations has a Declaration of Human Rights that says, “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care and a right to education.” But not every culture provides these things and many cultural practices hinder progress.

Obviously, there are outside factors that can determine a culture’s advancement, for one, the environment. Almost all advanced democracies are in temperate zones and the large majority of poor countries are in the tropical zones. Working in the heat and humidity is very difficult as well as dangerous. In the Amazon, if it doesn’t bite it stings. A few years ago we helped some friends cultivate cocoa pods in the Jungle, it was absolutely miserable. Even in the U.S. the South wouldn’t have developed as much as it has now without the invention of air conditioning. However, according Lawrence Harrison, author of Underdevelopment is a State of Mind, culture has been the primary obstacle to development.

People born into a non-competitive capitalistic society don’t see progress as a priority nor educational advancement. Perhaps this is okay. Living in a continually progressive country can be a drain on your mind. The pressure to have the latest model or nicest home is stressful. Having traveled back and forth between cultures I can say for a fact that living in a first world doesn’t make its citizens better human beings.

But with that said, there are reasons why countries such as in Northern Europe and North America progressed more than the rest. One of those reasons was the Reformation begun in 1517 by the Catholic Priest, Martin Luther.

David Landes, author of The Wealth and Poverty of Nations refers to Max Weber, the author of The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1909) when he writes that Protestantism “promoted the rise of modern capitalism, that is, the industrial capitalism he knew from his native Germany. Protestantism did this by defining and sanctioning an ethic of everyday behavior that conduced to economic success.”

Based on the doctrine of predestination, preached by Calvin, as well as salvation by faith not deeds, goodness and higher values were a sign of election and salvation. The new birth that Christ taught, or the experience of being born again, converted into a code of behavior; hard work, honesty, seriousness, and thrifty use of money and time.

Two characteristics of the Protestant reformation reflect this connection. The first was an emphasis on instruction and literacy, for boys as well as for girls. Protestants were expected to read the Bible for themselves, while Catholicism discouraged it. For example, in the 1600’s all Swedish citizens were obliged to be able to read ‘Martin Luther’s short catechism’ and the Swedish ‘Book of Hymns’, so as to become familiar with ‘The Word of God’ and the teachings of the Swedish Protestant/Lutheran church. It was the responsibility of the church and the clergy to make it happen. Their literacy rate at that time was over 90%. Meanwhile the Spanish translation of the Bible from Latin didn’t happen until nearly 100 years after it was translated into English.

Another virtue of the Reformation was time. As the saying goes, time is money and for societies to urbanize and be efficient, time is of the essence. Most all clock makers in Europe were Protestants. This also refers to the time focus a culture has. Traditional cultures exalt the past while advancing cultures look to the future.

Mariano Grondona, Argentinian writer and sociologist, refers to Max Weber in stating that “where the “Publican” religion (term for the culture that prefers the poor over the rich, essentially Roman Catholic), economic development will be difficult because the poor will feel justified in their poverty, and the rich will be uncomfortable because they see themselves as sinners. By contrast, the rich in “Pharisaic” religions (term for the rich and successful, essentially Protestant) celebrate their success as evidence of God’s blessing (and are moved to return the blessings to others.) Publican religions promote values that are resistant to economic development, whereas Pharisaic religions promote values that are favorable.”

Grondona also writes that the “principal engine of economic development is the work and creativity of individuals. What induces them to strive and invent is a climate of liberty that leaves them in control of their own destiny. If others tell them what to think and believe, the consequence is either a loss of motivation and creativity or a choice between submission or rebellion.” At the time of Martin Luther, the unpardonable crime was not sin but heresy.

He attributes Martin Luther’s thesis of free interpretation of the Bible as a root of innovation. Orthodox societies, including the former Soviet Union, suppress innovation.

Roman Catholicism also brought an unrealistic level of morality. The highest levels are reserved only for martyrs and saints (even though scripture calls all believers saints.) The policy of celibacy for priests is also a level difficult to achieve, as well as unnecessary (many, if not all, the apostles had wives). Thus, regular people are excused from the impossible (although God says to be Holy as He is holy). This translates into laws being seen as mere suggestions. I once asked a police officer if it was necessary for the cars to stop at a stop sign where none of the cars had been stopping. She told me no. It also translates into “it isn’t wrong unless you are caught.” This attitude leads to corruption. The top five least corrupt countries in the world are Denmark, Finland, Sweden, New Zealand, and Iceland. Six of the bottom ten most corrupt countries include, Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, Honduras, and Paraguay.

Grondona continues stating that a religion that “limits and discourages individuals in self-study and investigation is a society that limits trust.” One of the characteristics of underdeveloped countries is that their circles of trust is small. Outside of the family, no one is trusted. Nepotism rules.

Christianity was known by other religions and cultures as the “people of the book.” A major difference between Protestantism and Catholicism is Luther’s “Sola Scriptura” which means that the Word of God trumps traditions and interpretations of the church. Any cultural practice or tradition that goes against the Scriptures is wrong.

Catholicism has many great virtues, but in many areas it has caused suppression and lack of growth. The fastest growing economy in Latin America is Guatemala. It also has the highest percentage of Protestant churches, 41%, and continues to grow. Jesus’ last words to us were to GO and MAKE disciples, TEACHING them to OBEY everything I have commanded you. A culture can’t obey nor teach what they’ve never studied.