Borsukrates
6 Dec 2015 / #1
I like thought provoking articles.
historia.wp.pl/title,Reformacja-w-Polsce-stracona-szansa-na-rozwoj,wid,18015422,wiadomosc.html?ticaid=116119&_ticrsn=3
According to the article at Wirtualna Polska and a bunch of studies, protestant countries experienced an explosive growth for 2 centuries compared to the catholic countries in Europe.
Reformation was held back in Poland particularly by Piotr Skarga. He called the law allowing religious tolerance predatory, unfair, savage, hellish, tyrranical etc.
It is a fact that in Europe Protestant countries left the Catholic countries in the dust. What isn't entirely clear why it happened. The article proposes that it was because of Protestant ethics:
+ Protestantism praises hard work, and becoming very good at one's craft
+ Protestantism discourages spending money on yourself
The two above put together resulted in raise of Capitalism. In Catholic countries, money was immediately spent. In Protestant ones, because it was discouraged to spend it on yourself, it was invested.
+ Bible is the sole source of faith
This means all believers should read Bible. This means all believers should able to read. People felt compelled by God to read, so illiteracy died a swift death. People started thinking for themselves instead of waiting to be told what to do. They also started having doubts about religion, so they started discussing Bible with others, improving their debating skills. Finally, the rule made people more responsible, because with no intermediaries they felt directly responsible to Jesus for their actions.
- Counter-argument: Bible should be explained by learned men. People aren't smart enough to interpret bible properly.
I understand this argument as nothing more than "No one would need us, Church hierarchs, if people started reading Bible and thinking for themselves".
Worth reading:
"The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism" by Max Weber
historia.wp.pl/title,Reformacja-w-Polsce-stracona-szansa-na-rozwoj,wid,18015422,wiadomosc.html?ticaid=116119&_ticrsn=3
According to the article at Wirtualna Polska and a bunch of studies, protestant countries experienced an explosive growth for 2 centuries compared to the catholic countries in Europe.
Reformation was held back in Poland particularly by Piotr Skarga. He called the law allowing religious tolerance predatory, unfair, savage, hellish, tyrranical etc.
It is a fact that in Europe Protestant countries left the Catholic countries in the dust. What isn't entirely clear why it happened. The article proposes that it was because of Protestant ethics:
+ Protestantism praises hard work, and becoming very good at one's craft
+ Protestantism discourages spending money on yourself
The two above put together resulted in raise of Capitalism. In Catholic countries, money was immediately spent. In Protestant ones, because it was discouraged to spend it on yourself, it was invested.
+ Bible is the sole source of faith
This means all believers should read Bible. This means all believers should able to read. People felt compelled by God to read, so illiteracy died a swift death. People started thinking for themselves instead of waiting to be told what to do. They also started having doubts about religion, so they started discussing Bible with others, improving their debating skills. Finally, the rule made people more responsible, because with no intermediaries they felt directly responsible to Jesus for their actions.
- Counter-argument: Bible should be explained by learned men. People aren't smart enough to interpret bible properly.
I understand this argument as nothing more than "No one would need us, Church hierarchs, if people started reading Bible and thinking for themselves".
Worth reading:
"The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism" by Max Weber