Mammon, A Jealous God

At the Financial Times blog, Shaomin Li, Ilan Alon, and Jun Wu report on their research into the relation of religious freedom and economic performance. 

One of their key findings is fairly obvious: sectarian violence inhibits economic growth. Another finding is more surprising: “countries with stronger government restrictions on religion tended to have faster economic growth.” Government limitations on religious freedom had a positive effect on economic growth, while discrimination against certain religions inhibits economic growth.

How do these two findings cohere? The authors give an example from a recent report that Islamicists in Iraq were forcing Christians to convert or die: “From the Islamist insurgents’ view, they are practising their religious belief. But their freedom to do so causes harm to others who do not practice Islam. There is little dispute that such ‘freedom’ must be limited by the government; otherwise the unrestrained freedom of practising one’s religion may cause violence and disruption to economic activities. In this regard, government limitations on religious freedom may be necessary and conducive for economic growth.”

The authors conclude that, for the sake of economic growth, “governments must guarantee non-discriminatory, universal freedom of religion to all, and at the same time regulate religious freedom so that no religion should get preferential treatment or be allowed to impose its views and practices onto others.”

Which sounds reasonable enough. Yet it’s worth noting that the authors do think that one set of values should get preferential treatment: the values associated with economic growth. They’d probably resist the notion that this amounts to an establishment of a religion of Mammon, but to a Christian this seems to be precisely what is going on.

So let’s reframe their conclusion: Governments must guarantee universal freedom of religion but ensure that no god, except Mammon, receive preferential treatment. 

Like Yahweh, Mammon is a jealous god, who tolerates no rivals.