Robert Nelson on Lutheranism and Nordic Social Democracy

tonygill — Sun, 08 Oct 2017 08:00:20 +0000

The Nordic nations of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden have long been known for maintaining quality governance, high levels of socio-economic equality, and high levels of happiness amongst the population. While political economists have been pressed to explain the success of these countries, Prof. Robert Nelson, a professor of public policy at the University of Maryland, suggests that it may have something to do with its “Lutheran Ethic.” We begin this discussion with a retrospective of Prof. Nelson’s career, which had him completing a PhD in economics and focusing on land use issues for several decades. The curious question for listeners becomes how he began writing on issues related to religion, to which he gives a very interesting and introspective reply, including a bit of discussion of his own thinking on whether a god exists. We then move into his definition of religion, which tends to be broader than used by other scholars. The conversation turns to a discussion of the “Protestant Ethic” as famously noted by Max Weber, and Bob’s corrective which points out that Weber was really talking about a Calvinistic ethic, which was different than the theological culture that Luther himself gave rise to within Lutheranism. We talk about who Luther was, what he considered to be important virtues, and how he viewed “free market capitalism” (to the extent that something like that was explicitly known in Europe at the time). Prof. Nelson notes that Luther was hostile towards the idea of “self-interest,” had a strong sense of community (more so than, say, the Calvinists), emphasized the virtue of “calling” and the need to serve community, and was big on the Golden Rule. He provides some insight into how this translates into Finnish culture about “general rights,” a notion of property that is different than what is thought about in the United States. Bob covers a few other differences that Lutheranism has with respect to Calvinism, including that Lutheranism was more “top down” in in application of community. We also review Luther’s changing attitudes towards governmental authority, particularly in light of the “mob rule” of the Peasants’ Revolt. The next topic up involves a survey of “social democracy,” and what that means in contemporary Scandinavia. We briefly review the history of the Nordic social welfare states, how these nations jettisoned the class warfare mentality of early 20th century socialists, and how it is viewed culturally as “The People’s Home.” Dr. Nelson notes that over time the notion of “economic progress” by way of social science came to replace many of the Lutheran ideas that were inculcated in those countries in centuries earlier, but how this new secular ideology has much in common with previous Lutheran theology. We go through a number of key points within Lutheranism and compare them to contemporary social values and norms within Nordic society. The interview concludes with some of Bob’s thoughts on where Nordic social democracy is today, and why it may be headed into crisis. Recorded: October 2, 2017.

Robert Nelson on Environmentalism as Religion

tonygill — Mon, 21 May 2012 08:00:29 +0000

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Can environmentalism be considered a religion? And if so, what are the implications for the separation of church and state when it comes to the contemporary environmentalist agenda? Prof. Robert H. Nelson, professor of public policy in the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland and a Senior Fellow at The Independent Institute, answers these questions in a fascinating interview that is a bit different than our normal fare. After Bob details his background working for the US Department of the Interior and how he came to write about environmentalism as a religion, we engage in a debate about what constitutes “religion.” Tony presses Prof. Nelson about the issue of whether or not a “religion” requires a transcendental being to be truly a religion, a characteristic that Bob doesn’t see as necessary. Our discussion covers how other secular ideologies, such as Marxism, can be construed as religions. We then begin to look at why environmentalism qualifies as a theology, documenting the Christian origins of the modern ecology movement. We review a number of the important figures in the environmental movement — including Henry David Thoreau, Aldo Leopold, David Brower, Rachel Carson, and Paul Ehrlich — and how some of these individuals (particularly Thoreau and Leopold) overlayed a moral and spiritual ethos over the natural environment giving it a different status than how economist of the past viewed it as a set of natural resources to be developed. Through the course of this discussion, Prof. Nelson discusses how environmentalist thinking develops ideas about creation, “end times” (often apocalyptic), and various rituals and sins that the movement has created. We conclude by looking an interesting argument Prof. Nelson has made about the separation of church and state and how it applies to the environmental movement. To the extent that environmentalism is a religion, what is the role of proselytization in schools and the state ownership of public lands that may be thought of as “holy shrines.” Recorded: May 7, 2012.

Research On Religion » Marxism

Robert Nelson on Lutheranism and Nordic Social Democracy

Robert Nelson on Environmentalism as Religion