Democracy without religious beliefs doesn’t work

This is heavy stuff. I’m not sure I’m capable of properly articulating what I want to say (although I have attempted to write about this subject in the past), so I am going to let the “Clayton Christensen Commencement Speech,” which my friend, Bryant Culpepper, sent to me and which Bryant characterized as a “brilliant commencement address” do the talking.

Clayton Christensen in his commencement address at Southern New Hampshire University said this: “…most of us are so eager to formulate the right answer … we often forget to think about whether the right question has been asked…”

I believe that Christensen asked two profound questions (possibly more) in his speech: 1) Are there countries in the world where democracy is not the best form of government; and 2) Can America long endure as a democracy, if there is a continuing decline in religious beliefs and influence?

Here it is, portions of Christensen’s speech:

“America seems to have played a role in the ouster with names like Barista, Duvalier, Marcos, Allende, Ortega, Suharto and others, so that we could help the people in those nations experience the blessings of democracy and free markets. We have spent trillions of dollars and tens of thousands of lives trying to bring the freedoms of democratic governments to Lebanon, the Balkans, Haiti, Afghanistan, Iraq, Liberia, Rwanda, Pakistan and many more countries. We anguish that democracy is giving way to dictatorship in Russia. Trying to make trial-by-jury work in Iraq and Afghanistan is like climbing a mudslide: People are committing heinous crimes at a much faster rate than a legal system grounded in democratic principles can handle.

“All of these efforts have been built upon an assumption that in every situation, democracy is the best form of government. An important question to have asked, however, is, ‘Is there a situation where democracy is the wrong solution?’

… “‘I had no idea how critical religion is to the functioning of democracy and capitalism.’ Though de Toqueville also had observed this, I had never made this association between religion, democracy and capitalism in my mind. But it was like this guy parachuted in from Mars – and this is what he saw, He continued,

“’In your past, most Americans attended a church or synagogue every week. These are institutions that people respected. When you were there, from your youngest years, you were taught that you would voluntarily obey the law; that you should respect other people’s property, and not steal it. You were taught never to lie. Americans followed these rules because they had come to believe that even if the police didn’t catch them when they broke a law, God would catch them. Democracy works because most people most of the time voluntarily obey your laws.

“’You can say the same for capitalism,’ my friend continued. ‘It works because Americans have been taught in their churches that they should keep their promises and not tell lies. An advanced economy cannot function if people cannot expect that when they sign contracts, the other people will voluntarily uphold their obligations. Capitalism works because most people voluntarily keep their promises.

… “’You just think that because democracy works for you that it will work everywhere. It only works where there is a strong foundation of religion.’

“My Chinese friend’s insight has helped me understand that the valuable question really is: ‘Because democracy is possible only when most people most of the time voluntarily obey the laws, what institutions can we rely upon to inculcate this instinct amongst the American people? And how can we strengthen those institutions, so that they do this better?

… “’Because capitalism and the prosperity it brings are possible only when most people most of the time voluntarily obey the laws, what institutions can we rely upon to inculcate this instinct amongst the people, before they arrive in our executive suites and on Wall Street? And how can we strengthen the institutions that teach these things, so that they do it better? When a nation lacks the requisite foundation of extensive obedience to the unenforceable, what form of government will work?’

… “The next time you’re in a taxi with a Haitian cab driver, just ask where things are better now under democracy than they were under the corrupt rule of the Duvaliers. I guarantee that every one of them pines for the day when there was an iron-fisted ruler who had the instinct and ability to stomp his heel into the chest of those who didn’t follow the rules.

“Could I suggest that you take time tomorrow to ask some questions of yourself that are awfully important? The first is, ‘What is the purpose of my life?’ Another would be, ‘Does my behavior reflect that instincts of honesty, integrity, respect and consideration for others that must be my contributions to our nation? If not, what changes must I resolve to make?’ And a third might be the one that President LeBlanc asked you to ask: ‘How can I do for others the things that bring me enduring happiness?’

So there you have it. I believe that Christensen is on to something. And, I agree, democracy is not for all of the countries in the world and we should be careful about trying to impose our will on other people. Especially those with different cultures and those that are not prepared to accept democracy. Like Bryant said, “it was a brilliant commencement address by Christensen.”

IF ANY OF YOU READERS WOULD LIKE A COPY OF CLAYTON CHRISTENSEN’S COMMENCEMENT SPEECH, EMAIL ME AND I WILL SEND YOU A COPY.

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