There are limits to what politicians can do

I appreciate the relatively civil tone in Jacques Rousseau's comments on my article on prayer, but he misrepresents me. I am not outsourcing my job to God, but acknowledging that there are limits to what politicians can do in improving society.

Religious faith can play a major role where government cannot. The historical examples I gave showed how religious revivals have inculcated civic virtue and curbed social ills like drunkenness.

I refer Rousseau to Paul Johnson's "A History of the American People" for an assessment of the role played by the "Great Awakenings" in American history. According to Johnson: "The (American) Revolution could not have taken place without this religious background."

The great genius of the American separation of church and state is that it allowed freedom for religion, not freedom from religion. There is a lot of literature on the decisive influence of the Bible on America's founders as they wrote "God-given" rights into the Constitution. The French thinker Alexis de Tocqueville remarked on how Americans "have succeeded in combining admirably the spirit of religion and the spirit of liberty."

Sociologists since Max Weber wrote his famous work "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism" have written how Judeo-Christian values like thrift and deferred gratification have assisted economic growth.

A striking assessment has been made by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences after it was requested to discover how the West, having lagged behind China for centuries, came to a position of world pre-eminence. As described by Nial Ferguson in his book Civilisation, the scholar said that at first we thought it was because you had more powerful guns. Then we concluded it was because you had the best political system. Then we realised it was your economic system. "But in the past 20 years, we have realised that the heart of your culture is your religion: Christianity. That is why the West has been so powerful. The Christian moral foundation of social and cultural life was what made possible the emergence of capitalism and then the successful transition to democratic politics. We don't have any doubt about this."

Certain very secular societies do indeed score well today on moral indices, but they live off an accumulated moral capital built on a Judeo-Christian foundation. It remains to be seen how sustainable this is in the longer term, especially since demographic disaster looms as birth rates plummet.

I am opposed in principle to religious parties as it is arrogance in the extreme to claim that God is represented by any political party, and power inevitably corrupts religion. Faith-inspired people are to be found in all political parties. I recall an ANC public representative telling me that meetings of his SA Communist Party branch were always opened with a prayer.

While Rousseau acknowledges the high religiosity in South Africa, he ignores the huge social capital that this can represent in solving our social ills. This is particularly needed in rebuilding families and social institutions that suffered huge damage under apartheid.

The mocking of religion is typical of elite university culture around the world, and also amongst most journalists. So I am not surprised that Rousseau scoffs at the efficacy of prayer.

Prayer works at many levels, including self-improvement. People who work with drug and alcohol addicts will tell you that belief in a Higher Power is an essential step in recovery.

I cherish the free society that South Africa has become. It is difficult to find the answers to our deep-seated ills, but a dismissive secular arrogance is as counter-productive as arrogance in religion or in any other field.

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fallacy Perhaps it would be great if Jack can explicitly define "things" that should be left to religion and only religion, so we keep politicians out of them. This argument is neither here nor there, unless of course we see its results in a failed state like . .more Somalia...Its hindsight bias in its of the worst order . .less by Extremist on January 11 2012, 12:34 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

fallacy Religion waits for results and then "Claim Victory" while ignoring other instances that yielded the opposite of those "Victories"...After all, if the results are not forthcoming, the answer you get is simply that you're not praying hard enough by Extremist on January 11 2012, 12:37 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

@Extremist..... .....it is neither hardness of prayer effort, nor length, nor erudity, nor complexity, nor polish, nor volume..... .....but the prayers of an honest man, uttered in earnest humility, & in obedience to the will of God; these prayers He will . .more hear & will answer - in His way. Seek first the way of the Lord, Extremist, the rest will follow. For it is written: "He is a fool who says there is no God" ChikurubiVaPastori . .less by John Austin on January 11 2012, 13:07 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

not convinced Since we're in Africa, perhaps we should also invoke African practices to "solve" some of the issues that politics "cannot solve" - why should religion own a monopoly in this regard? by Extremist on January 11 2012, 14:12 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

The last sentance is the meat... dismissive secular arrogance is as counter-productive as arrogance in religion or in any other field. Agreed... by . on January 11 2012, 19:46 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Repatriate all Liberals who left SA in 1994... I actually think that Mr Bloom is making a very good case here about the nature of politics. There are indeeds limits on what a politician can achieve. While there are many politicians who are in it for themselves, an equally large number do . .more slave away to improve matters. This laudable. But many are idealistic liberals, and in their misguided attempts to do good, they end up doing bad (for example, SAcan Liberals between 1940 and 1994). Liberals uniquely have a secular arrogance about the goodness of their politics -- which they argue must be correct because it is good (apologies to Mr Bloom for borrowing his phrase). However, the laws of unintended consequences are always at work even for liberal politicians. Frequently by trying to do good a politician will end up creating a disaster. This for example is the case in Zimbabwe -- I am sure Jimmy Carter tried to do good, but the outcome is a catastrophe, which I am sure he would not acknowledge today as being his. And this is the issue with Liberals -- in their haughty heights of being good, they always dismiss realistic warnings and villify the messengers and are blind about the natures of vile men, and of course, when they have screwed up, they leave others to bear the results of their politics. (All the liberals who left SA in 1994 must be repatriated) . .less by JVR on January 11 2012, 21:48 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

it's the bloody libs again @JVR,do unintended consequences only plague libs? If not what's your point? by Pedro on January 11 2012, 23:07 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Really? You've got to love references which read "A scholar from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences". Really? A 'scholar' said that? Well, that's some strong, hard evidence right there... by RM on January 12 2012, 00:46 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Here's a good standard for what government can do and should ... Here's a slght over-simplification: The banks have become an industry--financial services should be a resource to business and industry, similar to transport services, energy, security ... In stead, financial services has gone on a rampant . .more expansion, it has become is an industry in itself and it has led to a massive world economic crisis. Government should provide ifrastructure, it should be small, and it should not be self-serving an be there to enrich the public SERVANTS. . .less by Honkey on January 12 2012, 07:05 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

prayer Prayer is self-talk, and anyone who thinks that there is a so-called higher power that hears them is tasked with proving that claim. The truth is that people who mumble prayers engage in the post hoc fallacy. They choose to believe results that they . .more want and ignore those that they don't. If one claims that the Bible is a valid source of morality, they must not have read it. . .less by Steve Weiss on January 12 2012, 07:09 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

@ . and the comment about the "last sentence" .... It is true, arrogance is a closedness that pushes aside the talent and contribution of skilled people in this land--arrogance and hubris are extravagances that will bring down the ruling party. by Honkey on January 12 2012, 08:37 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

@Steve Weiss on January 12 2012, 07:09 >>"If one claims that the Bible is a valid source of morality, they must not have read it." Thus, in your view the Bible is a source of immorality. You are "tasked with proving that claim." Those that studied the Bible and . .more understand especially the New Testament will attest that it is in fact a "source of morality". You made nonsense statements. Leave true Christians alone please - with amongst others their work ethic they are the salt of the earth. . .less by TheDrake on January 12 2012, 08:38 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

@Pedro on January 11 2012, 23:07 >>"do unintended consequences only plague libs? If not what's your point?" The point is that many South-African liberals only poses as non-racial libertarians whilst they are in fact the local representatives or reminiscent of one of the . .more most class-sensitive and class-divided nations on earth. Moreover, the consequences of their local policies and endeavors were not in the least "unintended". Do you now understand the resentment of those that were apposed to the communist inspired so-called "common voters role in a unitary state" as replacement for white minority rule and independent kingdoms? The ANC opened the borders and invited millions of poor people from failed states to come and settle freely amongst us. Furthermore, powerful kings and their people today enjoy banal rights and special immuties that one can only dream of whilst they successfully avoid taxation and the payment for services such as health care and education. They unproductively occupy millions of hectares of the best arable land in the country. They are the ones that complain bitterly and loudly about their self-induced poverty, lack of quality services and inequity. And how do these outspoken "libs" propose to undo all this? They ran away. These bigots should practice what they preach and come back to face the intended consequences with us . .less by TheDrake on January 12 2012, 09:16 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

@The Drake I recently watched the SA movie called "Spud" for the first time. It is a charming story but the political part was very sad. 'Spud" ashamed of being white.... The black guy putting the "right-winger op sy plek"....! 'Spud", the liberal, towers . .more above the other characters. He is the glorious saviour.... "These bigots should practice what they preach and come back to face the intended consequences with us." There is a school where i live in an liberal area. After 94 the school became more diverse. The end result is that 90%-95% of the school's white children now goes to the "better" private school. Another guy once told me that he supports AA. I then asked him to "fire' himself out of a job and to ask his employer to put an AA candidate in his place. I am not starting a black/white fight here. The point that i make is that liberals love to be the moral guys by asking for equality. When it is however expected from them to practise wat they preach then they fail.... Liberals thus demand 'justice" as long as he is not affected. "Justice" is only for other people...... . .less by Republican on January 12 2012, 10:49 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

I really love Jack Blooms writings.The depth and inspiration.Jack, when is the DA going to rule Gauteng so that we can take this province to a higher level and kick out these clowns called Nomvula Mokonyane and the ANC.VIVA DA> by Jabulani on January 12 2012, 11:34 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Religion and Politics Agreed.... politicians cannot do everything, but a more pertinent question in this country is.... can they do anything, at least anything that is consistently positive for the people they are supposed to serve. I would always advocate real action by real . .more people over prayers to imaginary deities. . .less by JADe on January 12 2012, 12:04 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

@ Republican on January 12 2012, 10:49 >>"I recently watched the SA movie called "Spud" for the first time." The English media for selfish purposes created the internationally dispised Afrikaner caricature. >>"Liberals thus demand 'justice" as long as he is not . .more affected." The sick "high-road and low-road" mine and media proprietors that abused the ANC to defraud South-Africa. The ANC was not smart enough to see through them and aloud them to transfer their companies and billions of Rands offshore. These bstrds for the second time created a scourged earth in SA. The toxic mine dumps and rapidly rising acid water as well as the bleak political and economic prospects are left for those that do not have another home to sort out. These British-owned companies cannot afford to return and the economy is steadily shredding jobs because of their ongoing disinvestments. And today the members of the affluent liberal community in SA that have not yet participated in the chicken run, live in safety in gated communities. Who do they want to keep out? They are specialists in all sorts of grandstanding, nepotism, secret organisations and old boys clubbing. They have a zero unemployment rate and appoint their women in senior positions and call it AA. They abused BEE to get rid of nonproductive assets. And then some have the cheek to plead "unintended consequences". . .less by TheDrake on January 12 2012, 13:29 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Anti-Liberals Hey, guess what guys, JVR and the Republican are still anti-Liberal in the Year of Their Lord,2012. And still I don't know what either of them propsoses as an alternative political philosophy. I am a liberal and I'm still right here to "suffer the . .more consequences" and so glad that the proponents of the glorious Afrikaner aparthed have been put in their place. . .less by Jeff on January 12 2012, 15:05 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Arrogance "...a dismissive secular arrogance..." Come on Jack nothing is comparable to the dismissive arrogance of people who believe that they are especially chosen by God. I am not getting at the Jewish religion or people here, but I find all the Abrahamic . .more religions . .less by Jeff on January 12 2012, 15:38 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

@ Jeff on January 12 2012, 15:05 >>"suffer the consequences and so glad that the proponents of the glorious Afrikaner aparthed (sic) have been put in their place." There can only be one reason for your defiant attitude. The current situation in SA must perfectly . .more suit your personal aspirations and dreams. In other words you suffer no negative consequences. You "suffer" in style with a handsome income whilst thousands of the Afrikaans families that you so intensely despise are without any income due to cadre deployment, nepotism and racist legislation. >>"... either of them propsoses (sic) as an alternative political philosophy." I cannot believe that you are so simpleminded that you are unaware of any of the federal (USA) or con-federal (Europe) models that can prevent the "unintended consequences" of our seriously flawed unitary state and slated electoral system. I however seriously doubt it that you are true liberal. Your attitude is questionable. True libertarians understand that the fact that they and the pan-Africanists of SA differ with passion from Afrikaners, cannot equate to the latter being denied their basic human rights and the same own community life and self-determination that you enjoy do to your privileged position and/or dual citizenship. . .less by TheDrake on January 12 2012, 16:35 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

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