Greetings.
Ms. Isanhart is correct to say that I was mainly discussing historical Protestantism. Of course, religions end up being much more than their official doctrine – and the doctrine itself changes over time to adapt to a particular cultural and intellectual environment. As I like to say to encourage a bit of reflection in my religious friends, “Religions evolve.” Hence, various kinds of Protestantism – especially the Calvinist strains – which in their doctrines denied the necessity of good works for salvation – actually developed the famed “Protestant work ethic.”
Of course, one can do a lot of elaborate theological argumentation to justify such changes – but I believe that the real cause for the emergence of said work ethic was much simpler. Upon coming to the New World, various Protestant sects – including the Puritans – were faced with an incredibly hostile environment, always on the verge of starvation and Amerindian attacks. In order to survive, they had to work extremely hard – and naturally, theological justifications for doing the imminently and obviously right thing were readily forthcoming. A highly brutal natural selection process selected in favor of those Protestants who took matters into their own hands, rather than leaving them in God's.
Sincerely, Gennady Stolyarov II
Editor-in-Chief, The Rational Argumentator: http://rationalargumentator.com
Writer, Associated Content: http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/46796/g_stolyarov_ii.html
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