Miguel D. Lewis: Capitalism Banks & Wealth

Posted by admin on Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Miguel D. Lewis Money Quotation saying the religious connotations of finance and wealth are unmistakable in poverty, banks & God. Miguel D. Lewis said:
 

 

“Capitalism is religion. Banks are churches. Bankers are priests. Wealth is heaven. Poverty is hell. Rich people are saints. Poor people are sinners. Commodities are blessings. Money is God” — Miguel D. Lewis

 

 

In this provocative quote, Miguel D. Lewis seems to be drawing parallels between aspects of capitalism and religious faith or ideology. He portrays capitalism as functioning almost like a religion, with banks serving as churches where financial transactions take place.

Bankers are characterized as priests who oversee and benefit from this system. Lewis also frames wealth as the coveted “heaven” that people strive for, while poverty is the dreaded “hell.”

Rich people are depicted as “saints,” while the poor are viewed as “sinners.” Commodities that can be traded are likened to religious “blessings,” and money itself takes on godlike attributes as the ultimate measure of value and success.

Overall, Lewis appears to be critiquing how capitalism has in some ways taken on religious-like devotion and shaped social hierarchies and worldviews in our society.