I would suggest that western civilization based on the Bible have flourished economically because they understood the role of private property and the importance of law in protecting that property. Most churches accepted this principle. The Bible records how Abraham purchased a family burial site from Ephron. Its borders were then precisely recorded and it remained in the possession of Abraham's descendants. When the Jews entered the promised land, the land was divided and apportioned to individual families. No part of the holy land was retained by the government. Sactuaries were established that belonged to God, not to the king or the government. Kings were even punished when they seized property that belonged to citizens.
Now lets look at the philosophy that drives the bureaucrats of the welfare state. And consider the drab developments of identical apartments that we call "public housing", but which greatly resemble homes in Moscow and other old atheistic states. Were low income Americans granted ownership of these apartments? Of course not. And not surprisingly the homes deteriorated quickly.
Religious inspired people try and grant freedom and independence to all, through the church and faith-based projects that provide a means of acquiring food and housing, medical assistance, a job, and ultimately, property of their own. "Habitat for Humanity" is a perfect example of this. I struggle to remember one atheistic organization who's goals are aligned with private property? For some reason it seems to take a religious worldview to recognize the wisdom of private ownership of all property.
Additionally, which segment of our society tries to slander those who have worked diligently for their success? Leading to a perception that the rich got that way by stealing from the poor. This perception includes the notion that wealth-producing activities are unseemly and that free-market economic activity causes, rather than cures, poverty.
Just as it is wrong for a zookeeper to allow one chimpanzee to eat a lot more banannas than another, so it must be wrong for the government to allow one human to acquire significantly more than another. This view is consistent with the view that humans have no spiritual side, and we are simply another species of animal. So are government zookeepers try and repair the mistake by taxation and the pursuit of people deemed "too successful".
Michael
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