Nose to the grindstone

The post about Americans' on-again off-again Puritanism (mostly off-again, I would say) got me thinking of the pros and cons of the Protestant work ethic.

The Protestant work ethic, sometimes called the Puritan work ethic, is a Calvinist value emphasizing the necessity of constant labor in a person's calling as a sign of personal salvation. Protestants beginning with Martin Luther had reconceptualised work as a duty in the world for the benefit of the individual and society as a whole. The Catholic idea of good works was transformed into an obligation to work diligently as a sign of grace.

"...emphasizing the necessity of constant labor in a person's calling as a sign of personal salvation." Well, you don't hear about that much anymore.

Farming was the chosen profession (perhaps of necessity) for most 17th and 18th century Americans and colonists. The south had the slaves and not a lot of religion. The North was largely the opposite. In the North, farmers toiled the field all day, but knew the crop would amount to nothing unless the weather was good. That was the Lord's job. At harvest time, a bountiful crop was a sign that you were blessed; a bad crop meant you were spiritually frowned upon. So tithing made particular sense, as your profits were literally believed to be a joint-venture with God anyway. I think this connection between profits and grace remained ingrained in American culture through our parents' generation.