What Is Our Heritage?

There's no question that Europe - primarily England - was the crucible for our American culture, and in this new millennium we remain a recipient of foreign cultures - now even beyond Europe.

Nevertheless, no one ethnic group overwhelmed the U.S. during the early 19{+t}{+h} and 20{+t}{+h} century waves of immigration, so fortunately, assimilation, rather than multiculturalism, became a reality.

It seems that in the reporting of "news" - and maybe because of the kind of people who write it -- the focus is always on the arts, literature, movies, sex scandals, McEverthing; all the "pop" stuff of our everyday existence. Nothing serious - such as economics, unless you read the business page.

And on the serious side, it is popular nowadays to reflect upon our Judeo-Christian roots. We have talked about our religious heritage more recently because we are becoming more like Europe - secular, more agnostic or apathetic, more confused - or even more openly anti-religious if you are on the far left. (Churches in Europe are museums, some of which charge admission because they are falling into disrepair.)

This not meant to be a critical analysis, but observational. The more devout bring attention to the religiosity of our founders. Others say wait - not so fast. Some of these guys were not believers. Whatever - our founders' utilized religious language regularly in their writings and public pronouncements. While some may not have been conventional 18{+t}{+h} century Christians - some were considered religious liberals - they were clearly believers in God. Then again, they were also crafty politicians.

At the time of our founding we were consumed by the Protestant ethic which was both fundamentalist and worldly at the same time. It was the ideal environment to foster the development of capitalism. We were not encumbered by an economically stagnant feudal "business" model, cluttered with monarchs and lords of the manor. We were jump started by a coincidence of history - the publication in 1776 of the Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith - the father of economics and native of Scotland.

Smith introduced the notion of an individual guided by his own self-interest promoting the greater good "of the society more effectively than when he really intends to promote it which was no part of his intention." (The immutable law of unintended consequences.) And the funny thing is that Smith, like our founders, advanced an economic system grounded in "natural law" (more of a self-regulating economy), which was based in part upon the wisdom of God as perceived by man, and ironically best expressed earlier by that practical colonial sage Ben Franklin who observed: "God helps them that help themselves." (But, thought Smith, not to the point of selfishness.)

It would naturally follow for Smith to see government as an impediment to economic success: "Natural law implies a restriction on the functions of government, in the interests of the liberty of the individual." That sure sounds like the mindset of our founders too.

We cannot say that religion caused capitalism, anymore than it "caused" our constitutional republic, but it certainly looks like it accelerated or facilitated both systems in the U.S. - one of economics; the other government. All this is a part of our heritage.

Now a confession. My brilliant son (and yes, biological) is an economics major, and we get into all sorts of weighty debates when he's home - Iraq, same sex marriage, religion, politics, economics and so on. As to the later, compared to him, my knowledge is pitiful. My interest in economics is that of a dilettante. He sees it as a rigorous branch of applied mathematics. About all the math I know, is how to spell the word "calculus." He applies it.

So I couldn't resist asking him why both Adam Smith and our founders had such an obvious religious dimension to their writings. It seems that all these folks were committed to social justice, ethics and morality. In fact Smith was also a moral philosopher.

My son's quick answer was essentially that biblically drenched speech was the lexicon of those days; both here and in England. How depressing - the first thought in my son's already jaded new millennium mind.

But then my mind wandered back to that picture of Bill Clinton carrying around a Bible under his arm as though it were a body part, bringing religious leaders to their feet in a thunderous ovation when he gave his famous "I have sinned" Lewinsky apology speech.

Come to think about it, all of the above are a part of our economic, political and social cultural heritage.