Solution to the Current Global Economy: Judaism and Economic Reform, by Norman Solomon

As Christians our answer should be a world that reflects Christian values to love one another and to seek justice for all. Secondly, as Stephen Long points out, a theological economics must deal with the ends or goals of human life. For the Christian that involves bringing about God’s kingdom on earth. A kingdom where every person is treated with love and justice. When we recite the Lord’s Prayer we say “thy kingdom come thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We need an economic theory that reflects God’s kingdom, not human greed and

John Stapleford’s book, Bulls, Bears, and Golden Calves, provides a thorough overview with a Christian perspective of economic and ethical analysis. He reviews the moral challenges of macro, micro, and international economic issues. Stapleford covers a variety of important public policy issues such as self-interest, economic efficiency, and private property rights. He begins the book by laying a foundation of ethical thought and an analytical framework. Stapleford provides a Biblical perspective on the practical issues facing our current society. For example, there are three billion people in the world who live on less than $2 a day (Stapleford, 2009). The wealthy Americans continue to get richer. The greed and lawlessness of

The pivotal second chapter of Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations, "Of the Principle which gives occasion to the Division of Labour," opens with the oft-cited claim that the foundation of modern political economy is the human "propensity to truck, barter, and exchange one thing for another."1 This formulation plays both an analytical and normative role. It offers an anthropological microfoundation for Smith's understanding of how modern commercial societies function as social organizations, which, in turn, provide a venue for the expression and operation of these human proclivities. Together with the equally famous concept of the invisible hand, this sentence defines the central axis of a new science of political economy

In "Natural Capitalism," Paul Hawkins replaces the world's economy to its respectful position within the larger economy of natural resources and ecosystem services that sustain us. This is done simply by giving value to things not normally found on , from human intelligence and cultures to hydrocarbons, minerals, trees, and microscopic fungi.

McFague and Solomon both relate religion to the current economy. Both authors seem to agree that there is something that can be done to help enhance our current economic state. Both authors advocate for the consideration of religious influence in the economy, and they both use different examples from religious texts to support their statements. McFague and Solomon use Christianity and Judaism respectfully. One of the points they both bring up is the way the poor is treated. McFague says".... how we treat needy bodies gives the clue to how a society is organized."(pg. 132) Along with this, Solomon says " No permanent remedy is readily available to heal the sickness of poverty and maldistribution of wealth."(pg. 114). In contrast with each other,

The Israeli place in the global economy has been growing since its beginning, and there are only signs of more exponential growth as the US and Chinese economies grow into an even bigger asset. Ever since Israel’s jump start in the global economy due to valuable economic partnerships with the west, they have been in a good spot. Having the United States as an economic partner has brought them together in many senses, and as Israel continues to develop their relationships with other world powers, especially in the East, China specifically, Israelwill gain a new economic security that puts them in a place where they only have to worry about advancement. Nonetheless, they continue to develop with the values and goals of OECD, and economically, the continued development of Israel is secure and bright and will continue to be a source of wealth to the globalized

In Wealth of Nations, self-interest seems to be synonymous with selfishness, and be the driving force of capitalism and the necessary ingredient for personal and economic wealth. This is, however, and partial and superficial view. Although in Wealth of Nations Smith does declare that human’s primary motive for most actions is self-love, all of their actions are still made within the moral parameters of society, which were created because of sympathy. A man, for example, will not pursue his self-interest at any cost to the people around him. He has to be ethical and fair in his interactions in order to be seen as morally and socially acceptable. In this way an understanding of, and cooperation with the sympathetic nature of society proves to further one’s self-interests. Therefore, to act morally and sympathetically is in fact an act out of self-interest.

Global economic justice will produce the best possible economic outcomes for all inhabitants of our planet. The U.S and other developed nations should share resources with poor nations. Through a framework of common economic goals and open borders, global suffering will decrease and world peace will begin to take shape. Indeed, the U.S and other developed nations have a moral obligation to decrease global economic hardships, since the adequate resources are available.

McFague poses the question “Is the environment a religious issue?” Many Americans believe that our deteriorating planet can be solved by science and new technology. It isn’t that simple. The environmental crisis involves all people with all areas or expertise and religions. It is about applying “household rules” to keep the planet flourishing: take only your share, clean up after yourself, and keep the house in good repair for those to come. There are two worldviews, neoclassical economics and ecological economics. McFague presents reasons why ecological economics is more beneficial to flourishing the planet. Neoclassical economics sees humans on the planet as individuals drawn together to fully make use of natural resources. Ecological economics sees the planet as a community that survives only through the interdependence of all its parts, human and nonhuman. Ecological economics concerns the health of the whole planet. This view helps us to picture ourselves not as isolated individuals but as housemates. McFague response to the environmental crisis is in four steps. First, we should become conscious of neoclassical economics as a model of how to allocate scarce resources. Second, we need to suggest some visions of the good life that are not consumer-dominated, visions that are just and stainable. Third, we need to publicly advocate the ecological model as the more just and sustainable one for our society. Lastly, we should rethink what the ecological economic context would mean for the basic doctrines of Christianity. The planet will flourish with this ecological

While the Jewish population is small, its impact on the economy is extensive. For a group of people making up less than two percent of the United States populace, Jews are certainly a topic of much conversation and controversy. For a race so often targeted negatively and used as a scapegoat, it is surprising to realize the Jewish hand in America today. A question circulating for a while is whether or not Jews control America; Jews rule the film industry, the news and communication business is a Jewish kingdom, the American financial industry is essentially a Jewish franchise, and the professions are so dominated by Jews its shocking, so where does their influence run out? While the idea that America is run by

Huntington’s thought parallels the observations of Mordecai Kaplan, a famous American Jew. In 1934, Kaplan wrote Judaism as a Civilization in which he described Jewish identity withering away among second generation Jewish immigrants in the United States as they were assimilated into American culture. Kaplan wrote this book fourteen years before the creation of Israel. I would argue that, contrary to Huntington’s opinion, the relatively recent addition Israel has revitalized the Jewish sense of common identity. Kaplan’s observations have become dated. With Israel as its core state, Judaism has a legitimate claim to civilization status.

Jewish people have long been known for their role in finance and banking, for better or worse. The Jewish presence in the highest legions of financial gurus is so prevalent, that the stereotype of Jews and Money is deeply ingrained in most people’s minds. The success of these Jews is admirable, but the negative stereotypes that have been generated as a result of this are not. The aim of this paper is to investigate and find out the Torah’s and Judaism’s viewpoint on money, wealth, and charity is, and provide a historical understanding of why Jews and Money seem to be synonymous with each other in the public’s eye, even though money is equally as important to everyone.

In Jesus' time there were many forms of currency. It seems that most Jewish communities would use bartering as there main form of currency or trade, while still using coin currency. Bartering was so popular at this time because it was so easy to do. Bartering is trading to put it simply, but bartering wasn't there only means of currency. Another mean of currency were coins called denarius or "pennies" said by Matthew. Denarius are like pennies just worth a lot more, bigger, look nothing alike, and are made of silver, unlike the American penny which is made of copper.

There are differing views about the origins of the world economic system. Dr. Janet Abu-Lughod is an influential voice in the arguments regarding views that the economic system emerged before 1492. Dr. Abu-Lughod, an urban sociologist has experience with other cultures and the economic developments that stem from those regions. Dr. Abu-Lughod taught at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. She also has personal ties to Palestine, her husband was a Palestinian academic. As a result of these many differing influence, Dr. Abu-Lughod wrote Before European Hegemony. Besides personal examples, Abu-Lughod’s reasoning for writing the book was Immanuel Wallerstein. Although he’s a fellow sociologist, Wallerstein believes that¬ the first world system

Ancient Israel, a land of prosperity and wealth, can attribute its success to one secret, their religion. That religion, Judaism, helped the Israelis create their great nation and survive for millions of years. Judaism and its people have been around for over four million years or ¾ of the history of civilized humanity. They have kept improving their society and religion until recently. In America, Jews have lost the old customs and religious practices that shaped Israel and continue to shape Israel. Jewish religious practice in America has declined due to an over exaggerated sense of religious duty, Reform Judaism, and Americanization.