Overall one can see why work and employment are essential to human welfare, as unemployment can lead to all kinds of depressing problems. Thus one can agree with the Christians’ view that they are vital for a person to have a successful and fulfilled life.
Task 1b
Compare and contrast the Marxist view of work and wealth with Christian teaching.
Marx had, in many ways very similar views on work and wealth as the Christian teachings. But there were some major differences between them. Here the similarities and differences between them are compared and contrasted.
“Each person in society will work according to their ability for each according to his need.” Marx believed that there should be a revolution when the exploited Proletariat realised that a capalist society was false and the Bourgeoisie were exploiting them. Also, they must realise that the Bourgeoisie were not there for any God-given reason, but all people are essentially equal as human beings. Then they could set about achieving the perfect Socialist state, and they could get rid of capitalism and overthrow the existing order. This would achieve a social harmony. Once the Bourgeoisie had been destroyed then common ownership and socialist ideals could be formed, Marx’s version of ‘Paradise’ would then be on Earth. This is very similar to the Christians’ teachings (Acts 2:40-45) as it was demanded that wealth should be distributed with concern for the poor, the sick and the marginalised. Although Christians don’t believe such drastic actions should be taken to get to this perfect society, they would rather a much more peaceful means of action.
“God is an excuse for the Bourgeoisie to exploit the Proletariats.” Freidrich Engels, a fellow writer of Marx, said this because he thought that the Bourgeoisie used God to forgive their sins, thus supposedly making it alright to exploit the Proletariats. Marx believed that religion was bad, and certainly not an easy way out from suffering and exploitation. He states that God stands in the way of the ‘Perfect Society’ and hinders the progression of mankind. He believes religion is a false hope which makes others feel inferior. However Christianity says that Belief in God is essential to secure a place in the kingdom of heaven or paradise. Marxist theory abolishes any concept that can prevent all men from reaching this paradise.
Another view of Marx’s is that each person in society must work yet they must not own any property, otherwise they may gain control over others. This would be wrong as everyone must work for the socialist state, in which all people work for each other. Also no one may work for their own means, this would also be wrong. Christians do not believe in exactly the same ideas as are behind Communism, but they do think along the same ideas. They do not believe that all people should work for each other, but they think that all people should contribute wealth towards those who are not so well off, through charities for example.
Both Christianity and Marxism have the image of a ‘Paradise’ and a ‘Messiah’ together making up the ‘Telos’ (perfect society). Christianity places paradise in heaven and has Christ as the Messiah. Unlike this Marxism places paradise on Earth with ‘Revolution’ as the Messiah. At first Christianity was the movement of the persecuted, for the Christians were attacked by Jews and Romans. Also today countless forces are trying to crush Christianity in Islamic countries. Christianity preaches deliverance from this type of slavery and poverty, and so does Marxism. They are similar in the way in which they both wish for no class distinction.
Overall one can see that Marxism and Christianity share very similar goals, it is just their ways of achieving these which are different. Marxism is about a revolution of society and Christianity is about the evolution of the heart. Marxism does not allow change, ownership, wealth or work except for the progression of the Socialist State. Unlike this Christianity allows work, and encourages it, it also allows wealth, if it is wisely used. Jesus said that wealth was not a bad thing, but it is dangerous and can become bad if used in the wrong way. An example from the Bible is the story about Lazarus, the rich man. He was not doomed because he had wealth, but because he used it badly and let the beggar die. Christianity also centres on the love of Jesus and honesty whereas Marxism centres on the state and on the statement “Each person in society will work to their ability, for each according to their need”.
Task 2
Should there be an upper limit to the National Lottery of £1 million? If so why, if not, why not? Your answer must show that you have considered the religious, moral and social implications.
There are many points one must take into consideration in order to answer this question. The national lottery appears, on the outside, as a very good thing, a means by which a couple of people’s lives can be changed each week. It is thought that by gaining the type of money one can win in the lottery, one’s life will suddenly become wonderful and perfect, but this is false hope which the lottery portrays.
The first point which I would like to consider is that the national lottery is a form of gambling. Gambling, in any shape or form, gives one a false sense of security, hope, and fulfilment. Each week everyone who participates in the national lottery rests all of their hopes on a measly forty seconds and six random numbers. The majority of these participants come away with a lot less then they had before they purchased the ticket. This is just like going to a gambling casino, everyone goes in hoping to come back out, having won lots of money, but by far the majority of people come out feeling depressed, frustrated, agonised, and hopeless. This is not good for a person’s welfare or morale. After these people lose they often vow they will never gamble again, but it becomes addictive and people can’t stop. For these reasons I believe that the lottery would be better if there was some way in which it could distribute the money the jackpot winner wins more evenly. For example, it should be changed so that the majority of the people come away from their television screen having won some money (not necessarily millions) and feeling content, fulfilled, and victorious.
The next point which one must consider is what happens to those who do win the lottery, do their lives change forever with the millions of pounds they have won? Do they become content and fulfilled forever? The winners of the lottery have no idea what to do with their money. They believe that they must spend it on giant houses and fancy cars, big televisions and powerful stereos. Slowly but surely their money disappears and the ‘princes’ become ‘paupers’ once again. This shows that their lives will not be changed forever, just for the years in which they have their money. Also, one must consider how many problems money can cure, how many different kinds of poverty it can take one out of. There is more than one type of poverty; poverty of opportunity; poverty of education; poverty of dependence; poverty of joy (crime, addiction); and also poverty of relationships. One can see that money will only remove one from poverty of opportunity, and education for one’s children if the money is spent wisely. This leads one to the point that – no matter how much money one can ever win it can never solve all of one’s problems, just the money related ones. For this reason I also think that more people should win a small amount of money and be taken out of poverty (of money) for a small amount of time. This is better than having one person who wins a lot of money and is taken out of poverty for a little bit longer.
Another point is that the if the lottery doesn’t solve all of one’s problems then what does it do? The answer is it can bring about new problems for the owner. Many people who have won the lottery have said that they were unhappy because they didn’t know what to do with the money that they won. Also many people suffer the problem of not knowing who their friends are for in modern times many people will become someone’s friend just because they have money.
A Christian would also have a very religious view on the lottery. They would believe that it transforms someone’s faith in God into faith in six measly balls. In Matthew it says “You cannot serve God and money,”. Also, by having an upper limit to the amount won in the national lottery, more money will be donated to charity which is what a true Christian would want. Another point which a Christian would make is that gambling is a form of taking (when one wins), and Jesus taught that taking is a bad thing. The lottery is a form of ‘taking’ because what is happening is that many of the poor people are giving their money to the winner, who takes it all.
The only advantage of having a high jackpot in the national lottery is that it increases the excitement of the game. There is more competition, more hope, and more anxiety. Although if one ways this point up to all the others one can see that there should be an upper limit on the national lottery, whether it is one million pounds, or one thousand pounds. This would make many more people happy and also change the world to a better place, just how Christianity and Marxism want it to be.
