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Stupid Column of the Week

The recent earthquake in Bam, Iran would unquestionably have resulted in far fewer casualties had Iran been further developed. Earthquakes of similar scope in the U.S. and Western Europe have not had nearly as disastrous an effect.

In this week's Jewish Press, Daniel Lapin argues that natural disasters in Christian countries cause much less damage because, "those of us who have developed our faith muscle by the religious observance of Christianity or Judaism find that we can count on that faith muscle being ready and available whenever we require its services for more mundane purposes like investment. This helps to explain why the Judeo-Christian-based West is our epochs epicenter of wealth creation...

"The early development of the corporation as a wealth-building device took place
only in the West. Even our insurance companies are directly attributable to Judeo-Christian religious faith."

In contrast, according in Lapin, "In Bangladesh and Bam it is a forlorn hope to get millions of peasants to act in unison and entrust their gold to a capital market. Their religion has produced a culture that encourages greater trust in mattresses than in banks."

In reality, the distinction has much more to do with capitalism and economic development than with religion. For almost two thousand years, Christian societies were no more developed than today's Muslim world. Even in the 20th century, Eastern Europe remained backward. And while it's true that extreme forms of Islam are a factor in the Third World conditions of the Muslim world, it's unlikely that the tenets of Christianity or Judaism (rather than say, secularism) have resulted in the economic success of the U.S. and other economic powers.

The silliness of Lapin's entire premise is proven by the events of this past summer. 35,000 people died throughout Europe, during a "heat wave" in which temperatures were mostly in the 90's. Somehow, Americans in places like Nevada and Arizona get by just fine in the summer, despite temperatures as high as 115 degrees.

In Europe, because of zealous environmentalists who exaggerate the threat of global warming, massive energy taxes are placed on air conditioners, which only the very rich can afford. Would Lapin attribute this too to religion? Is it consistent with Lapin's claim that Christian countries "invest massively in ... protective infrastructures and preventive measures" because "biblical civilization teaches a distinctive emphasis on the value of even one human life?"

I have no problem with Lapin's preaching in favor of "Judeo-Christian values," or with praise with Judaism and Christianity accompanied by criticism for Islam. But Lapin's piece is far off the mark.
posted on 1/11/2004