Sunday, January 27, 2008

Why I became a Catholic: The Economic Principles That Led Me to Religion Part 1

Through my studies in economics, I have met many individuals who hold no faith towards religion. Some claim to be atheists while others agnostic, and yet I appear to be one of the limited few who turned to religion as my understanding of the science grew. The questions perhaps should be addressed why is it that I have turned to faith while others who study economics do not?

The Catholic faith believes that all of the citizens of the world are Catholics. (What religion would not see the world as its children?) Catholic, in fact, means universal therefore all men are called to go to Heaven by imitating Jesus, but this is only the tip of the faith which means I could not discuss all of it in one blog.
Economics is the study of individual's choices among a world of scarcity and the affects of their choices both intended and unintended. Think of a decision you made this morning of getting out of bed rather than staying in it. That is one extra person awake, breathing, eating, whatever other acts you may want to consider. That one extra person is breathing in that air that could have been for another, ate the food that could have gone for another, and even taking up an amount of space that could have been for another. Just one choice of getting out of bed has many side effects which would cause others to make decision likewise. If someone is in a spot you want to be in, you have a choice to make from asking them to move, paying them to move, or even moving to another spot themselves. Through actions individuals interact, and by cooperating with one another we reach our desired ends. Thus everyone in the world is tied to one another by the choices they make which affect the choices that others make.

The Catholic faith as it is universal sees the people within the Church to be the body of Christ and Jesus as the head. As the body, the people interact with one another each trying to imitate Christ and reach Heaven. Each making their own choices to reach heaven which affect others abilities to make choices and the Church tells Catholics to always look out for one another.
How fascinating that the world filled with individuals with different goals work together in such a constructive way for most individuals to actually achieve this goal. The world socially cooperates without any control mandating each individual how to do it. This symbolized to me the citizens of the world to be acting as a body, The Body of Christ.