While walking through the Goizueta Business School the other day, I happened to notice the scripture from the book of Philippians engraved on a fountain in the courtyard — and laughed out loud at the irony. Considering all the issues that the financial sector has caused of late, from migraines to murder-suicides, who knew that God and business were so intimately acquainted? In all the scriptures I’ve read and sermons I’ve heard, I don’t recall a message about God’s ideas on improving the bottom line or cost-cutting, but perhaps I wasn’t listening.

Having recently seen Michael Moore’s so-called documentary, I was reminded of one of his main queries: “Would Jesus be a capitalist?” Despite the movie’s several faults, this particular focus was still thought-provoking. I do not take the apocalyptic view that he does of capitalism; I see capitalism (like science) as a system in which people can make decisions that manipulate it for selfish, ill-conceived pursuits but also have the opposite option. We, however, have quite efficiently created and maintained a system in which the burdens of exorbitant profits for a few lie mostly on those reaping the fewest rewards. It also quite effectively maintains a near-insurmountable separation between those who shoulder the burden and those with the most wealth. In consideration of this, I believe the question should be amended to: “Would Jesus be a ‘capitalist’ in our system?”

Though it is often ignored in “mainstream” American Christianity, Jesus was a working-class (most likely not blue-eyed, and definitely not “white” as we define it) minority who helped the poor, ill and suffering and was murdered because of it by the rich ruling class. Would Jesus have so blindly sought profits that he would set in motion events that would cause thousands of people to lose their jobs every month? Would he take a bonus, after receiving a handout from the government on the backs of working people whose savings he just demolished? Would he head a business that profits from war or prevents workers from forming unions? Even with my limited theological knowledge, the answer is clearly no. If you replaced Jesus with any similarly relevant religious figure, the answer would likely be the same; I can just imagine Mohammed heading Halliburton and Buddha running Big Pharma.

Maybe those are extreme, so how about an everyday Jesus? Would he buy clothes made in countries that don’t enforce fair labor laws? Would he eat food that used nonrenewable fossil fuels to travel an average of 1,500 miles to reach his plate? Would he yell outside of town halls so that others can’t hear the facts of a bill meant to give more people health care?

This is a vilification of neither religion nor business. “What Would Jesus Do?” is a legitimate moral code that, when actually followed, likely results in ethical decisions in consideration of the needy. The search for profit has resulted in many innovations that I greatly appreciate, and actual capitalism would be interesting to see. Until then, some honest introspection is in order. How effective is any belief system if our own loudly-touted Christian nation has an entire populace that perpetuates increasingly differential qualities of life? How effective is an economic structure that allows some to rise so high while others fall so far, but tells us not to worry because there are always tax-deductible charity donations?

The great thing about how important money is to us is that beginning to fix the issues is as simple as being more cognizant about where it is spent. With every dollar, you cast a vote: for fair trade or exploitation, local businesses or large corporations, sustainability or environmental decay. Businesses want your money and they will change their practices to get it, so every time you hand a cashier your credit card, you are engaging in a political act with ethical implications. If we are unwilling to consider the outcomes of our actions, let us at least be honest about whose moral code we follow, because if Jesus is watching he’s probably upset at our running his name through the mud.

So, yes, God bless America — and everywhere else that accepts Visa or has a McDonalds.

Sarah White is a College senior from Los Angeles.