jerry-
just thought NOT trying to twist the debate to atheism is religion was more productive than mucking up the flow with rhetorical tap dancing.
Do think attempting to combine the 10 Commandments with Protestant Work Ethic as an amalgamate of our heritage and a stand alone like George Crossing the Delaware is flawed. If the old Testament/10 Commandants/Moses's wanderings is part of the Philosophy class AND other topics of discussion were posted as well.... maybe.
Now the slap that is given all the Glory unto the PWE. Hard workers are not Protestant only, contrary to the myth of Protestants founding the work ethic. Odd thing is the PWE was 'practiced' by Catholic immigrants such as the Irish, Poles, and Eye-talians. It doesn't take a lot of research to find the tenants of Capitalism and the work as vocation in Europe before The Reform. Many historians argue that no matter the religion of any part of Europe it was the secular social structure that helped or hindered capitalism.
Calvinism is given the lead in creating Gawd and work equals good. However factual evidence it did is lacking. I've been to Scotland and seen the buildings designed by the Calvinists and all I can say is we have found the set for '1984'.
Now lets look at the PWE in the USofA-
First the original and somewhat enshrined group of Puritans that landed were city folk. They didn't understand farming in general and in America for sure. Their native neighbors spent little time at what Europeans considered work but never suffered famine like the always toiling Puritans. It is the Protestant Work Ethic turned on it's head. In those early, not oft discussed years Gawd's Grace seemed to not fall on the Puritans but on the natives.... well until after that first somewhat propagandized 'Thanks Giving Feast', 90% of the natives who attended that one were not alive for a second one.
Thus began Gawd's Grace on Thee... soon the Puritans were spreading out into abandoned farms of the now decimated natives and adopting their cropping systems. it was OK, Gawd smote the heathen Natives and now Blessed his new Chosen people. Well, except life was still hard, work back breaking and the 'bounty' pretty thin. The comparison between an indentured servant in the southern and middle colonies and one of Gawd's Chosen folks was easy enough to make. Throw in a Witch Hunt or two due to having to survive on spoiled grain during yet another famine and it is difficult to see just how the work ethic was working out so better.
But things did start in improve, some did start to gain wealth and status. In an effort to explain why all Puritans were working hard but only some were succeeding in stepped the theory of Gawd's Grace on the truly worthy. It was a theory in England but in the colonies it became a sign of salvation itself. Salvation through wealth! Wadda country.
One other reason advanced for why the term for hard work leading to success is not so Blessed-
19th century 'invasion' of Irish Catholics into American cities. Not only were these new people not from the same family tree, they were from one seen as inferior both culturally and intellectually, but of a hated religion. Remember Europe fought for ten decades for the Gawds they made. Those battles came over here,(but we don't talk about that). So soon the new people were lazy, drunken bums who's papalist beliefs corrupted the shining light on the hill of John Winthrop.
Now you can hold to what your atheist teacher said, FYI learning from someone not subscribing to the theory doesn't make it true, anyone can have a flawed lesson plan, can tell the myth as taught unto him.
I chose a rather broader bunch of sources. But like believing the Constitution says nothing about private business discrimination, or the income tax amendment wasn't properly ratified-
to each there own
eace