Anglican and Roman Catholic leaders say the market is lacking morals

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I wonder what threat to achieve compliance the church can come up with that might prove successful. The threat of eternal damnation doesn't cut it with the current batch of sins...

Noone expects the Spanish Inquisition...

[HAL 9000 96]

Williams told the session, attended by several hundred people, that the implicit lies leading to the economic crisis require a moral response.

He also said those untruths included a belief in unlimited growth on a planet that has limits.

I would certainly agree with the last statement - we need policies to encourage sustainable growth - not growth at all costs.

But I've never understood these calls for a "moral response" in economic matters. Morality is important. Compassion and concern for the fellow man are indeed vital to being a good human being. And churches, charitable organizations, government and individuals can and should have such compassion. Corporations also may choose to do so - to make philanthropic contributions, support their employees donations of time and money to good causes, etc. But it should end there. Putting any notion of obligation onto the competitive businesses of our free market system makes no sense and is counterproductive. We've demonstrated time and again throughout history that a competitive marketplace leads to overall higher standards of living and levels of employment than systems which artificially curb that with other policy objectives (aka "moral responses").

Business ethics.

Social capitalism. Its going on on a microscale across the globe... and its working to get people moving. Too bad when the scale pushes up greed gets in the way.

[Peikko 1,575]

I wonder what threat to achieve compliance the church can come up with that might prove successful. The threat of eternal damnation doesn't cut it with the current batch of sins...

You don't need fear to arrive at moral truths about ethical behavior.

No, but it would be helpful if instead of passing the buck, we accepted that we as a species are responsible for our ethics and there be a requirement to teach fundamental ethical truths instead of mumbo jumbo. The church and ethical behaviour have a conflict of interests. Thus far, the result of that is a belief by most people that morals can be picked up and thrown down as it suits.

I wonder what threat to achieve compliance the church can come up with that might prove successful. The threat of eternal damnation doesn't cut it with the current batch of sins...

Noone expects the Spanish Inquisition...

Well, quite

[NickD 203]

Probably shouldn't bring up the fact that the church also wants a piece of the action, not your time, skills, nor talents, just cold hard cash and plenty of it.

[Peikko 1,575]

It's an excellent time to bring up that very point NickD.