Marx vs Jesus? Why Christianity and Socialism Should Go Hand-in-Hand

I am a Christian, and I am a Socialist.

You may read those two statements with some bewilderment, and you may wonder – wasn’t it Marx who said that religion was the ‘opium of the people’? Doesn’t the ‘C’ in ‘CDU’ stand for Christian, and don’t most Christians vote conservative? While all these things may be true, I believe that Christianity and Socialism are, in fact, not mutually exclusive. I will argue that a coalition of Christianity and Socialism is not only possible, but desirable. I will now proceed to argue this claim from two perspectives – one philosophical, and one moral. It is then up to you to draw your own conclusions.

Capitalism and the Worship of Greed

Capitalism is more than a way to organise the political economy, it is, in fact, an ideology. The ideology of Capitalism presumes that we live in a world ruled by self-interest. The dynamic of the economy develops as the result of the greed and selfishness of every human being. Every decision is based on self-interest, and everyone is attempting to gain as much as possible for themselves. As a result, models can be developed, which attempt to predict human decisions. If we assume that every actor in a situation will always attempt to maximise their profit, human decisions become foreseeable. The natural world is bound to laws, and the behaviour of human beings too, is determined by laws. Capitalism thus views us like automatons in a machine – our behaviour is in essence no different from that of a computer, dictated by the algorithm of self-interest.

You may read this, and you may think that this is not too far from reality. The truth is though, that it removes the ability of human beings to make their own decisions. Free will becomes an illusion, implying that we can no longer be held accountable for our choices. Capitalism is the ultimate apology for greed, selfishness and pride, which Christians see as the worst of human vices.

Historically, Christians have debated intensely about the idea of predetermination. In fact, I have recently read the Epistle of the Ephesians, which seems to suggest that salvation is indeed predetermined (Ephesians 1, 5). However, why would God send prophets to Israel to warn them what would happen, if the Israelites did not change their ways? Why would Jesus call on us to have faith, and to show our faith through our actions, if we have no choice about it? Free will seems to be at the very heart of Christianity.

A machine-world that is pre-determined is alien to Christian theology, for it would portray God as unjust, having created the world knowing full-well that he would plunge us into misery. I can only believe in a just God, if he allows us to make our own choices. I therefore feel that Christianity is philosophically it odds with the logic of Capitalism, allowing me to embrace an idea that allows humanity to choose its own destiny.

Socialism and Christianity

There is something that has always struck me when I read the book of the Acts of the Apostles, where Luke often portrays a utopian society of believers. Private property does not seem to exist, for everything is shared out among the entire community:

“All the believers were together and had everything is common. They sold property to give to anyone who had need.” (Acts 2, 44-45).*

“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claims that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. […] And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all, that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.” (Acts 4, 32-35).

Other books of the New Testament also speak of a social responsibility of people who do well materially:

“Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written, ‘The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little’.” (2 Corinthians 8, 13-15).

You may call me old-fashioned, but my definition of Socialism is very similar to the Biblical depictions of early Christian communities. Material success in a capitalist society depends on a number of factors. In our society, being male for example, and coming from a well-educated family, multiplies your chances of making lots of money.

Jesus as a Socialist?

Without the social protection provided by the state, far less people who take the risk of opening up a new business. The state provides social and material security, education and healthcare, and countless other benefits, and the material success of the rich is in part owed to the state, which is what justifies higher taxes for those who can afford to pay them. The Bible confirms Socialist morality with the verses mentioned above, and also with one of Jesus’ most famous statements: “Do not judge, and you will not be judged.” (Luke 6, 37).

For me as a Socialist, the long term aim of humanity should be to bring about the emancipation of every human being from all kinds of oppression. Humanity ought to escape the shackles imposed on it by capitalist determinism. Everyone should have to chance to live his life as he wants, and everyone should be able to use her gifts.

Even in the EU, which is the part of the world with the highest income-equality, this is not the case, and social mobility remains limited. On top of that, three billion human beings do not even have access to clean drinking water. I believe that the only way to provide for the fair distribution of resources is to authorise a central authority with that task – the state. By that I do not mean a Soviet-style undemocratic dictatorship, but a welfare state in which basic services are public property (such as energy, water, banking, traffic infrastructure, public transportation), and in which large private companies function as Mondragón style co-operatives. The implementation of this alternative way of organising society is what I believe the medium-term goal of Socialist parties in Europe should be. I believe that these goals are achievable and that they are in line with Biblical ideas. The establishment of the Socialist society can go hand in hand with following the guidance of Jesus.

Overcoming Old Misconceptions

Christianity and Socialism are two world-views that have remarkably similar political implications. Despite that, many Socialists have historically shown animosity towards Christianity, and vice versa. It often strikes me as hard to believe that Marx so radically misjudged the nature of Christianity by mistaking it for the nature of the Catholic Church. One of the major tasks of early Socialists was however indeed the emancipation from the bondage of organised religion. Socialists today have to beware not to equate the message of Jesus with that of the Church.

Christians, in turn, have to overcome their apathy towards politics. Charity is good, but it will not fundamentally alter the structural problems in human society that cause poverty and human suffering. It is only through political action that poverty can really be alleviated. It is heinous that Christian political engagement today is limited to debates about same-sex marriage, abortion and stem-cell research. The most important commandment of our Lord is to love our neighbour as we love ourselves – how can we follow that commandment without attempting to change the way our society is organised?

“But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” (ESV – 1 John 3, 17)

I place great hope in political action that is inwardly fuelled by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and Christianity that is outwardly enriched by the political principles of Socialism. The antagonism that has long separated Christians and Socialists has got to be overcome.

Harald Köpping

*All quotes from Bible apart from one are taken from the New International Version.

Mondragón: There is an alternative

“There is no alternative.” That is the motto that seems to currently dominate the political discourse in Europe. The other day I read a story on the Guardian that got me thinking… Ed Miliband, head of the British Labour Party, said that “capitalism is the least worst system we’ve got.” The goal of his party is not the abolition of capitalism, but the taming of the creativity towards a “decent” and “humane capitalism.” As opposed to the Cold War era, nowadays it is rare that financial capitalism as a whole is question, even within parties where one may expect it.

Nevertheless there are alternatives, albeit not state-centred ones. Kim Stanley Robinson, one of my favourite science-fiction authors, used his Mars Trilogy to portray the colonisation of Mars, and its transformation into a more hospitable world. He describes very realistically how a new society might develop outside the Earth’s biosphere, freed from the archaic and deeply-rooted value-systems and dogmas. Robinson’s books may have been written in the 1990s, but he recognised in an almost prophetic manner the enormous potential of cooperatives. He refers particularly to the Mondragon Corporation, the world’s largest cooperative, and one of the ten biggest Spanish companies. This post is meant to describe this very feasible alternative to the capitalist mode of production, which can be implemented without revolutions of paradigm shifts, and that very successfully.

Mondragon focuses on social justice and not profit

The Mondragon Corporation was founded by the Catholic priest José Maria Arizmendiarrieta in the 1950s, in the fact of Spanish mass unemployment. In 2011 83,560 people worked at Mondragon. Mondragon consists of over 100 enterprises, and produces fridges, escalators, machine parts, and other specialised equipment. Eroski, one of the largest Spanish supermarket chains is equally part of Mondragon. A new employee can buy herself a share of the company after six months for €12,000. That money will be used for investment and innovation, as well as for social purposes. In return an employee will become an integral part of the cooperative. The managers of Mondragon are elected once a year by a general assembly of all employees, and the business structure of the company is completely democratic; on all levels the employees themselves decide about the future of Mondragon. Every worker feels personally responsible for the cooperative, and employees display the kind of knowledge about their company that is usually only seen among managers. But that is not the only area where Mondragon sets revolutionary standards: the executives may only earn up to 8 times as much as the minimum salary of a simple worker. Nearly every employee ears more though, which is why this gap is really far smaller. One needs to take into consideration that we are talking about a company will an annual turn-over of €15 billion. Josef Ackermann, former CEO of Deutsche Bank, used to earn 400 times as much as the average employee, and in many companies of a similar size those kinds of proportions are no rarity. In the city of Mondragon, where the Mondragon Corporation was founded, unemployment is only 8%, compared with a nation-wide unemployment of 25%. In spite of the crisis no jobs were destroyed; due to the large number of enterprises that are part of Mondragon, workers could be allocated according to demand. Mondragon thus provides us with a role model of a successful cooperative. Between 1990 and 2011 the number of employees has quadrupled.

Mondragon is a role model in many ways. One the hand, it shows the advantages of a coordinated labour market which could allow “redundancies” to become unnecessary. As the employees themselves manage the company, motivation is much higher. On the other hand, a democratic enterprise structure is simply more just! Gramsci writes that a hegemonic structure can only brought down by the establishment of a counter-hegemony. The transformation of purely profit-oriented companies into cooperatives could form the substance of such a counter-hegemony.

I’m going to end this post with a quote by Kim Stanley Robinson: “The system called capitalist democracy was not really democratic at all. […] So. We must change. If self-rule is a fundamental value, if simple justice is a value, then they are valuable everywhere, including the workplaces where we spend so much of our lives.” So that’s that.

Harald Köpping

Mondragón: Es geht auch anders

Alternativlosigkeit. Dies ist der Tenor, der derzeit im politischen Alltag Europas den Ton angibt. Letzte Woche habe ich im Guardian eine Meldung gelesen, die mir zu Denken gab. Ed Miliband, der Vorsitzende der britischen Labour-Partei, sagte der Kapitalismus sei "das am wenigsten schlechte System das wir haben". Das Ziel seiner Partei sei nicht die Abschaffung des Kapitalismus, sondern die Zähmung seiner Kreativität hin zu einem "anständigen" und "humanen Kapitalismus". Im Gegensatz zur Zeit des kalten Krieges, wird heute der Finanzkapitalismus kaum mehr in Frage gestellt, selbst von Parteien von denen man dies eigentlich erwarten müsste.

Sitz der Mondragón Corporation im Baskenland

Dennoch gibt es Alternativen, wenn auch nicht in staatlich organisierter Form. Science-Fiction Autor Kim Stanley Robinson beschreibt in seiner Mars-Triologie die Kolonisierung und die Veränderung des roten Planeten hin zu einer zweiten Erde. Es schildert auf sehr realistische und nachvollziehbare Weise, wie eine neue Gesellschaft sich außerhalb der Erde entwickeln könnte, befreit von tief verwurzelten, archaischen Wertesystemen und Dogmen. Robinsons Bücher stammen zwar aus den 1990er Jahren, aber fast prophetisch erkannte er schon damals das enorme Potential von Genossenschaften, insbesondere das der Mondragón Corporation in Spanien. Mondragón bildet die größte Genossenschaft der Welt, und gehört zu den zehn größten spanischen Unternehmen. Dieser Post soll eine Alternative zum kapitalistischen System vorzeigen, die auch ohne Paradigmenwechsel oder Revolution implementiert werden kann, und das sogar äußerst erfolgreich.

Die Mondragón Corporation wurde in den 1950er Jahren von einem katholischen Priester namens José Maria Arizmendiarrieta im Angesicht spanischer Massenarbeitslosigkeit gegründet, und besaß 2011 insgesamt 83.560 Mitarbeiter. Mondragón hat über 100 Tochterunternehmen, und produziert unter Anderem Kühlschränke, Rolltreppen, oder auch Werkzeug- und Maschinenteile. Auch Eroski, eine der größten spanischen Supermarktketten, gehört zu Mondragón. Als neuer Mitarbeiter kann man sich nach einer Probezeit von sechs Monaten für €12.000 Genossenschaftsanteile kaufen, die dann einerseits als Investionskapital und für Innovation verwendet werden, und andererseits für gemeinnützige Zwecke; im Gegenzug wird man zu einem integralen Bestandteil des Unternehmens. Die Unternehmensführung wird durch eine jährliche Generalversammlung durch alle Mitarbeiter gewählt, und die Geschäftstruktur Mondragóns ist durch und durch demokratisch - auf allen Ebenen entscheiden die Mitarbeiter über die Unternehmensstrategie. Jeder Arbeiter fühlt sich für das Unternehmen verantwortlich, wie dies sonst nur in Managerkreisen üblich ist. Auch in weiterer Hinsicht ist Mondragón revolutionär: die Unternehmensführung darf maximal das 8-fache des Mindestgehalts eines einfachen Mitarbeiters verdienen. Kaum jemand verdient allerdings das Mindestgehalt, weshalb dieser Abstand in der Realität weitaus geringer ist. Man bedenke, dass es sich um ein Unternehmen mit €15 Milliarden Jahresumsatz handelt. Josef Ackermann verdiente seinerzeit das 400-fache eines einfachen Angestellten, und in den meißten Unternehmen dieser Größenordnung sind ähnliche Bedingungen keine Seltenheit. Die Stadt Mondragón hat eine Arbeitslosigkeit von nur 8%, bei einer landesweiten Arbeitslosigkeit von über 25%. Trotz Krise hat Mondragón keine Stellen abgebaut; wegen seiner vielen Tochterunternehmen wurden Mitarbeiter einfach nach Bedarf zugeteilt. Mondragóns Modell scheint zu funktionieren. Zwischen 1990 und 2011 hat sich die Anzahl der dort Beschäftigten vervierfacht.

Mondragón kann uns in vielerlei Hinsicht als Vorbild dienen. Zum einen zeigt es die Vorteile eines koordinierten Arbeitsmarktes, der dazu führen könnte, dass Kündigungen unnötig werden. Dadurch, dass die Mitarbeiter selbst das Unternehmen leiten, ist die Motivation dementsprechend höher. Außerdem ist eine demokratische Unternehmensstruktur einfach gerechter! Gramsci schreibt, dass eine hegemonische Struktur nur durch eine Gegenhegemonie zu Fall zu bringen ist. Die Umformung von rein profitorientierten Unternehmen zu Genossenschaften könnte die Substanz einer solchen Gegenhegemonie bilden.

Heute beende ich den Post mit einem Zitat vom besagten Kim Stanley Robison aus seinem Roman Blauer Mars (meine Übersetzung): "Das System, das kapitalistische Demokratie genannt wird, ist im Grunde nicht demokratisch. [...] Wir müssen uns verändern. Es ist Zeit. Wenn die Selbstbestimmung ein fundamentaler Wert ist, wenn einfache Gerechtigkeit ein Wert ist, dann sind sie überall wertvoll, auch am Arbeitsplatz, wo wir so viel unserer Lebenszeit verbringen." So viel dazu,

Harald Köpping

Hier noch ein Paar Links:

http://www.mondragon-corporation.com/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jun/24/alternative-capitalism-mondragon

http://www.vorwaerts.de/artikel_archiv/27418/wo-alle-chef-sind.html