Religious Delusion

Economics professor Walter E. Block distinguishes

good capitalism (freedom with property rights),

bad capitalism (crony capitalism),

good socialism (monastery, kibbutz, commune, and family); and

bad socialism ("Venezuela, East Germany, Maoist China and the U.S.S.R.").

WSJ letter writers were quick to pounce upon Professor Block's efforts to find a pony somewhere in socialism. Excerpts: [bold added]

The only “good” socialism Prof. Block cites involves voluntary arrangements among small groups of people, such as in convents, cooperatives or even families, in which members know each other and feel accountable to the group. Today’s debate about socialism and capitalism, however, takes place at the country level, not at the level of the kibbutz or commune, and there are no countries in which socialism has worked on a large scale. At the country level, capitalism works and socialism doesn’t—ever.

Prof. Block says convents, Jesuit seminaries and kibbutzim are examples of successful socialism. But how many of their members were dragged in by a majority vote? I have chosen not to join a convent or Jesuit seminary or kibbutz. When the votes are counted in the 2020 election, will I be allowed to decline membership in Sens. Sanders’s or Warren’s socialist state?

The Episcopal Monastery in Santa Barbara will close
in 2021 due to lack of interest.

It has always perplexed your humble blogger why leaders of the Episcopal Church are overwhelmingly socialist. Now I have a glimmer of understanding.

I will never forget that, when the Bishop of my Diocese recited Marx's famous "from each..to each" principle, his face became as beatific as when he read the Gospel. Perhaps the Bishop's socialism experience---and that of other clergy---consisted of the spirit of the monastery, likely to be very positive.

It's nearly impossible to scale the monastic religious fervor necessary for socialism to work to the country level (unless you want to go the "National Socialism" route--any takers, Progressives?). The person at the DMV doesn't love us, and the food-stamp screener probably doesn't consider us a child of God but as a case number. Sure, keep the Church out of the State, but let's leave the State out of the Church as well.