Thursday, February 12, 2015

In Guns, Germs, and Steel, how does Diamond's perception of the function of religion in a kleptocracy make the mission for Catholics difficult?the...

The meaning of your question is a bit unclear.  Diamond's
perception of religion really does not have an impact on Catholics unless they believe
Diamond's thesis.  The existence of Diamond's thesis does not force Catholics or anyone
else to behave in any given way.  It's also not clear as to what you mean by "the
mission for Catholics."  I will talk in this answer about what Diamond says the role of
religion is and then try to suggest ways to connect that to
Catholicism.


Diamond argues that religion is used by the
leaders in societies to justify the power that the leaders have.  The leaders create
"kleptocracies," in which they take things from their people through taxes or tribute. 
They need a way to justify what they are doing and a religion that says that they have
the right to do this (perhaps because God has given them that right) is helpful. 
Diamond also argues that a religion tends to create social solidarity among people who
are not related and, therefore, who have no reason to care about one
another.


If you believe this, it makes it harder to
perceive the mission of the Catholic Church (particularly in the past) as one that is
wholly good.  The Catholic Church has been closely connected to the rulers of various
countries at various times (crowning Holy Roman Emperors, for example) or has actually
ruled in a temporal way (in the Papal States).  If Diamond's thesis is true, then the
Church has simply been acting as (in Marx's words) the "opiate of the masses," making
them willing to let their leaders steal from them.  If you believe this, it makes it
hard to truly embrace the historical role/mission of the Catholic Church and to think
that it has been a force for good.

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