A Review of God
Bless Bitcoin by Olszyk
Distribution Service: Online for Free Here
MPAA Rating, Not rated at the time of this review
USCCB Rating, Not rated at the time of this review
Reel Rating, Four Reels
When I was
a kid, money was magical; it was like a gift certificate for everything! When
my parents told me I couldn’t have money for Ninja Turtles or Power Ranger
toys, I didn’t understand. Why didn’t they just go to the bank and get some? However,
as life progresses money gets more complicated: income, deductions, interest,
etc. The digital age only added to the confusion with credit cards, online
stocks, and endless phishing schemes. Lastly, the rise of cryptocurrency in the
2010s became the most important financial innovation since the advent of fiat
money. God Bless Bitcoin argues not only for the economic benefits of
this technology but the spiritual and moral possibilities as well. It is eager
and has plenty of good arguments but often overextends its reach. At the least
this is a utopia that involves God and responsibility.
Bitcoin was
the first cryptocurrency and the current industry standard. Even after watching
this documentary, I still don’t feel adequate to describe how it works, but
basically it is a form of hard money that’s difficult to make, copy, or
counterfeit but easily divisible and transferable. Best of all, it is not
controlled by any government like the peso or lira. The main focus of God
Bless Bitcoin is found in the title. These principles, the filmmakers
argue, make it the ideal currency to realize the Judeo-Christian vision for
economic justice. Money isn’t a magical electronic signal but a representation
of a person’s labor, effort, and ingenuity like the Parable of Talents. A sound
monetary policy that isn’t prone to manipulation would be fair to all.
Governments couldn’t freeze
bank accounts of protestors or increase the money supply
causing inflation, making it difficult to buy basic necessities. Numerous
philosophers and clerics describe how sound economic theory can lift people out
of poverty and reform societies.
The
production of God Bless Bitcoin is fantastic, especially considering its
independent nature. The talking heads are reasonable with plenty of sources to
back up their claims. Directors Brian and Kelly Estes do an amazing job using cute,
animated segments to visualize difficult abstract concepts. It effectively exposes
major problems in our current financial system like Food Inc or Waiting
for Superman. Unfortunately, it often lays the praise on far too thick. The
segments are hosted by journalist Natalie Burnell, who often utters hyperbolic
phrases like “Bitcoin fixes everything” and Bitcoin will bring “world peace and
harmony.” While the content is great, the presentation often comes across as a
bad MLM commercial that promises a total serenity if only Bitcoin were adopted by
all eight billion people and every governing authority. While occasionally the
odd objection is raised, it is quickly explained and dismissed. Instead,
Bitcoin solves every problem humanity has ever created. There’s even a
suggestion at the end that Bitcoin should be a “one world currency.” At its
worst moments, it was in the same vein as The Secret or an overwrought
Scientology Youtube video.
Despite
this hype, the Estes must be given enormous credit for reaching out to average
religious folks. Especially nice was the inclusion of Fr. Sirico of the Acton Institute, which has done wonderful
work looking at the complimentary nature of free market theories and Catholic
social justice. It can be easy to fall into the dualistic trap of either
unrestrained corporate greed or centralized social dependency. Sirico reminds
the audience that Christ focuses on the dignity of the person (Matthew
22:15-22), and Bitcoin attempts to put the power back into our hands. Yet just
like gold, silver, or the hyperinflated
Zimbabwean dollar, the problem lies primarily in the heart of man. Bitcoin
can’t change human nature, but it can align itself with realistic principles to
guard against our worse excesses.
Despite
Burnell’s insistence that Bitcoin is without fault, humans are humans, and some
day someone will figure out how to crack the system to his benefit. Yet the
movement is more than just Bitcoin, but a whole new platform, a fresh way of
exchanging labor. In this light, it is an exciting development, just like the
printing press or antibiotics. Adding Bitcoin to our society has great
potential, and, as the documentary wisely suggests, if we use it for God’s
kingdom, it could bring great economic relief to those who need it most.
Post-Script – I was fortunate to have an interview with
Brian and Kelly Estes, the directors of God Bless Bitcoin. You can
listen to it on my Spotify podcast Catholic Cinema
Crusade.
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