Is money the root of all evil??

Glug…..Glug…..Glug…..

(My condolences for the image, I find the view in the shaving somewhat alarming at the best of times!)

Regards

Patrick

The dumbest question is the one you don’t ask.

Wish I could help you out there Patrick but as you can see I had to settle for Garfield…

Cheers
Sonja

ohhhh another point if you are a shop-a-holic be carefull with a credit card…..it could be more trouble then its worth some people forget that they have to pay it off they think its paid in total plastic and no $$$$$ what so ever…..dont fall into this trap

Money is the root of all evil…..

Was there ever a more ‘sour grapes’ statement

Wealth leads to options.

Lack of options leads to crime.

Cheers,

Aceyducey

– Jan L.A. van de Snepscheut

“Money is the root of all evil” (‘ Love of’, is always conveniently left out).

“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to go to heaven”
(camel is mistranslating for rope)

“You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

The above scripture passages must be the most misused misinterpreted and also most quoted passages in the whole bible… to a point that even people who are openly agnostic or atheist, will use them and quote them.

Why?

Because they tuch a point that for generations has been a controversial subject. Wealth.

In the old testament days, no-one had a conflict with wealth. Prosperity was universally accepted as originated in God and given by God as a blessing. Poverty was understood as a curse and a punishment and this was so for millennia.

The New Testament develops in a narrow historical context of a few decades. Israel is under an occupying force, the Roman empire. A pagan polytheist force that sacrifices to different pagan idols. Never in his history was Israel in a worst position.

The teachings of Jesus regarding wealth, money and “rich people” must be understood in such context.

A “rich” person in Jesus days refers in the first place to an Israelite. There where two ways for an Israelite to remain rich or become so, in an occupied city. One way was to become a traitor to his own and align with the Romans, become a person in power collaborationist and exploiter of his co-nationals. Another was to collect taxes from…again his fellow citizen to give to Rome, pocketing all the excess he could in the process.

The “Love of money” quote is from Paul and from a few decades later and when it has a more universal application it is based in the same context and background. The rich and abusive people Paul and Jesus talk about, are not the Salomon and the David’s from the old testament but a new generation of people who have betrayed all that was sacred to the Israelites for an addiction to exploitation and abuse.

Does the scripture teach that we must sell all and give to the poor?
Not according to the parable form the Master himself:

For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and dug in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: and I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundantly: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:14­30).

Our mandate is to excel, each according to his/her ability. How can we reconcile this with the instructions given to the young ruler, go and sell all etc?

The instructions were given to a person in power who came to ask a question: How can I go to heaven? Jesus gave an answer tailored to this persons individual needs.
What I really hate a lot is the assumptions made as to what the person did afterwards.
There are no reference in the bible to this, only that he was sad.

Now this is how I picture the outcome:
He went away sad because he had many possessions…product of a long time of abuse of authority and dispossession of the weak. So when he arrived home he conference with his father and convened to return all the product of his pillaging to their rightful owners, and started a completely new life in the light of the scriptures.

In our days we must excel and use our talents to the limit of our ability. It is for those ability that we will be called into account.
Unfortunately this days there is a lot of preaching what I call “poverty gospel”, an inclination from the pulpit to reach out and generate sympathy from the underachievers and give a justification for their failure.

“It is wrong to strive, It is not right to long for achievement because money is the root of all evil. Rich people go to hell whilst poor are spiritual since they leave the ways of this world and follow Christ. “

Wrong and misleading, an argument full of holes that keeps more people in poverty then wars and abusive governments.

Yet picture this. You are in front of a crowd that statistic tell 95 % of them have too much week for the money they earn.
What will go down better:
a) It is someone else’s fault, the greedy rich,the corrupt government, your parents, your children.
b) It is all the result of what YOU think, you say, you do.

May God prosper you always.[biggrin]
Marc

The is more evil created from the lack of money ?? or is there ?? your comments