The Love of Money is the Root of All Evil

[fluffy]

Well, being homeless and bumming for food is a bit of a failure.

That's certainly the way most people see it, isn't it?

[Captain Awesome]

That's certainly the way most people see it, isn't it?

Well, I'm sure there's somebody out there who says it's the best thing ever and people are cowards for living in their cages of homes instead of roaming free and chaining themselves to such archaic things like jobs (modern day slavery), family (archaic church ritual), and responsibilities (take that, mom and dad!).

[fluffy]

I think this tangent is drawing us away from the topic at hand. My point was that whereas the axiom "money is the root of all evil" makes a valid point, I'm suggesting that in general a lust for money has its roots in fear.

[OnTheRoadAgain]

Here Gramma, say this every day.....
some interesting views here too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9VAeluflSY

The Buddha's attitude towards material wealth:

Many people, including Buddhists, believe that Buddhism spurns the acquisition of material comforts and pleasure and is concerned only with spiritual development. The attainment of Nibbana is, indeed, the goal. However, the Buddha was very much alive to the fact that economic stability is essential for man's welfare and happiness.

In the Anguttaranikaya (A.II. (69-70) the Buddha mentions that there are four kinds of happiness derived from wealth. They are:

1) Atthisukha - The happiness of ownership.

2) Anavajjasukha - The happiness derived from wealth which is earned by means of right livelihood, i.e. not dealing in the sale of harmful weapons, not dealing in the slaughter of animals and sale of flesh, not dealing in the sale of liquor, not dealing in the sale of human beings (e.g. slavery and prostitution) and not dealing in the sale of poisons.

3) Ananasukha - the happiness derived from not being in debt.

4) Bhogasukha - the happiness of sharing one's wealth. This kind of happiness is an extremely important concept in Buddhism.

What Jesus says about money:

Although the New Testament does tell us about Jesus and money, it does not reveal whether or not He carried any Himself. We are told that Judas carried the moneybag for the group of disciples ( John 12:5). So Jesus delegated that responsibility to others in the band that traveled with Him, and they bought the bread that was needed for themselves and Jesus.

However, Jesus recognized the importance of money and the proper use of it, and He spoke of that principle many times. When the rich young ruler came to Jesus asking what he could do to inherit eternal life, Jesus told him to sell all he had, and the young man went away sorrowing (Luke 18:18-23). Jesus used this incident to state, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Those who heard this asked, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."(Luke 18:24-27, NIV). It is possible with God for we know that a rich man named Joseph of Arimathea gave his tomb for Jesus to be laid in (Matthew 27:57).

The position of Jesus and money in regards to taxes and giving to God is also made clear through Jesus' teaching. When the Pharisees tried to tempt Jesus to speak out against Rome, Jesus gave them a principle that holds true today when he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's" (Matthew 22:21, NIV). In other words, be subject to the powers over you (Romans 13:1-7) and pay taxes or tribute, as it is required. At another time, God supplied the money for Jesus' tribute or tax through the mouth of a fish (Matthew 17:24-27).

Jesus also gave a parable about the correct stewardship of money in Matthew 25:14-30. Two of the servants who received their master’s talents were wise stewards, gaining more from what they had been given, and were thus rewarded. The one foolish servant who misused the master’s talents, lost that talent and his reward. The principle is that all that we have belongs to the LORD and how we use it, as wise and good stewards will determine rewards. These "talents" are inclusive of all of the details of our lives: time, money, relationships, and gifts. All we have is by the grace of God and being a wise servant who does all to the glory of God is our "reasonable service" (Romans 12:1, KJV).

Jesus' teaching on the details of life, which includes money, was that God would provide for all of the believer's needs. "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33, NIV). This truth is certainly illustrated by the widow's two mites (Mark 12:42). Whereas she gave to God all that she had, there were some rich who cast into the temple treasury from their abundance just for the show of it. The lesson that Jesus gave in all this was that the widow gave more than all of the others. The implication here is that she gave her all to God and trusted Him to supply her need.

[zzontar]

I'd say greed is the root of all evil as having money doesn't always mean one is "bad."

[grammafreddy]

Here Gramma, say this every day.....
some interesting views here too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9VAeluflSY

From your link ...

For this mantra to be effective, you should:

1. Recite this mantra 800 times the first time
2. Recite it 3 times a day, once in the morning, once in the afternoon and once at night, 108 times each thereafter
3. Maintain a pure mind during recitation

How about I just think it once and move on with my day? I have no time for that!
Sheesh, this religion business can sure render a person useless, eh?

[normaM]

I love money and I'm not at all evil. * off to prepare Satan's lunch*

[xjeepguy]

Money is awesome . Go money !!!

[cliffy1]

Money would be awesome if it was worth anything. Fiat currency is a fiction. It isn't worth the plastic it is printed on.

It kinda makes em wonder why people get so excited about it. It is designed to make us all slaves to the banks.

[Thinktank]

The way I see it, the bible tells us nothing about how much or how little we are
to love money. If Jesus told that rich guy to give away all his money - to be perfect - that
makes no sense. Being broke isn't perfect. When the rich guy was reluctant to give away all his money,
Jesus said rich guys will have difficulty going to heaven. That is confusing, because no sane person on earth
will give ALL his money away. Then Jesus said 'What's impossible with man is possible with God.' More confusion,
because we still haven't settled the original dilemna of whether we should give all our money away or not.

So to be perfect we should be broke, yet Jesus tells a parable, that says the servant that makes the 'MOST PROFIT'
for his master, is the BEST? That's confusing like crazy.

And then the bible says the poor woman gave her last few dollars away. It doesn't say if she gave it to
a church that owns $millions worth of real estate, to a pastor that owns a mansion with a swimming pool on Dilworth Mountain, if she gave her money to God directly, or to a poor starving person. I don't know where the woman
gave her last few dollars, but it's not smart to give your last few dollars away, so I am confused, AGAIN.

The way I see it, the bible tells us nothing about how much or how little we are
to love money.

[Glacier]

I think this tangent is drawing us away from the topic at hand. My point was that whereas the axiom "money is the root of all evil" makes a valid point, I'm suggesting that in general a lust for money has its roots in fear.

I disagree. There is nothing evil with fear. People fear the cops, so they drive the speed limit. Others have no fear of the cops or the laws, so they do what they please. Some people fear death so they drive the speed limit to limit their chances of getting in an accident. Some people have no fear and drive with reckless abandonment. I suppose there are bad fears too, but you get the point - it's not the fear that is evil.

The love of money means you'll do anything and screw over anybody to gain more wealth. It means that you will chose money over morals. There is nothing wrong with wealth or making a profit, but when an obsession with it becomes front and centre in one's life, it's evil - in my opinion.

[Type_O]

Money is NOT the root of all evil.

Just as Poverty is not the root of all evil.

A families survival depends on those around them, regardless of the $ value reported on income taxes this/next year.

[Thinktank]

Several years ago, the newspaper had a big article about a guy who got
people in his church to invest about $200,000 in one of his real estate schemes, and they
lost all their money. One of those people was an old guy who lost all his money, and he died
from the shock of losing his life's savings.

I know all about being in a church where everyone smiles, and the preacher says the name - Jesus - about
a million times, and it's an atmosphere of love and kindness and goodness, and one
of the guys in church caused me to lose thousands of dollars - he imported farm equipment
that was just total crap, it broke after a few months and you can't get parts anywhere.
He said "bring it back here and we'll repair it."
I said " Forget it - you guys are poor mechanics. You put that pruning compressor together - to break down"
and then he just grinned. I can't get parts for it, so $10,000 down the drain.

When you rip off people in church, tha's extra bad in my opinion. It happens every day.

[fluffy]

There is nothing evil with fear.

No, not in itself, fear is a warning system essential to our survival, but peoples' reaction to their own fears often takes on an evil shape due to the self-centered nature of the emotion. Anger, aggression, theft, a cornucopia of evils can be traced back to fear. And greed, well where does that come from?

[Glacier]

Greed is simply another term for the love of money... which is the root of all evil.