Abraham Kuyper's The Social Problem And The Christian Religion
980 Words4 Pages
One of the most ignored problems today is the problem with the general people and the response to poverty. Abraham Kuyper put forward an approach to this issue in his speech “The Social Problem and the Christian Religion”. Kuyper put forward the belief that sin and human depravity cause the problem of poverty. The human mistreatment stems from the ignorance of eternal destiny, according to Kuyper, and the disregard for those who are an image-bearer of God. For this reason, it is the task of the church and not the government to take care of the impoverished. The government’s task is to administer justice, not to involve itself the redistribution, Kuyper argues. The government should not infringe on the rights of others except when those who…show more content… This is why the government should allow and enforce labour unions to operate outside of the sphere of influence of the industry. The spread of class struggle has increased since the French Revolution, and has undermined the individualistic focus. The bourgeoisie must have the moral conscience to avoid the issue of desiring more property for that individual. They ought to recognize that the land that they are on is not their own, and as stewards of the land they should not prevent others from residing on and utilizing the land. Kuyper advocates for many rights of the individual worker, such as the right for a day of rest every week, labour unions, and a way to eat when the strength has failed the worker. Kuyper also emphasized the push of separation between the government and the society of the people, with the reasoning being that the duality prevents one from overpowering…show more content… Through the industrialization of most productions, the destruction of the uniqueness of the individual occurs. There is an overproduction occurring, where the fulfillment of the bourgeoisie transpires, while the proletariat are left wanting. These problems stem from the feudal system, where the king would force his views on his people, and the rest would suffer. This is an issue also with Kuyper, as he attempts to force his ideas on the Christian Social Congress. If the church attempts to side with the side of reason and rationality, as Marx view is, they will realize that there is incompatibility as Marx states that the Christian view as presented by Kuyper is not worthy of much examination, and that there is no morality or no absolute truth. If the hierarchy of the system is abandoned, then everybody has an equal chance of improvement, and no exploitation of the individual will exist thus getting rid of