The Mormon Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
At The New Republic, Jackson Lears analyzes the relationship between Mormonism and capitalism. Lears suggests that Mormons have never had a problem being involved in capitalistic enterprise. “The Mormon ethic merges easily with the spirit of capitalism,” writes Lears. However, Lears studies Mitt Romney’s past business practices, and claims that “[Romney] may use the rhetoric of productivity to reconcile his faith with his economic practice, but the rest of us have reason to fear that we are back in Joseph Smith’s world of confidence men—of smiling scoundrels, earnest frauds, and Nauvoo bogus.”