Can God trust you with his money?

[BeforeThereWas]

Call it what you will, but if you are being (spiritually) fed at a church, you should be paying for your meal.

You appear to have assumed that anyone here demanded that nothing be handed over to organized religion. I know I never said that. I simply stated that what is handed over to them should be a lower priority in the membership's giving. Our FIRST priority is our own families, each other's needs outside one's own house, those of our local communities, and THEN the luxuries of an insitutional church organization.

It's all about our priorities being in the right order.

If you are a member of a church that does God's work and you are not regularly contributing, you are robbing that church and robbing God.

It may be robbing that organization, but it certainly isn't robbing God. I don't believe you're qualified to make that judgement against anyone.

Every cent of your money is actually His money anyway.

I agree.

You are also missing the point that if you give from your heart because you know it is right and are not giving just to get something back, you WILL be blessed by God.

Everybody gives-to-get from what they hand over to organized religion. Anything handed over to organized religion has a direct benefit lavished back upon the giver.

Handing over one's giving to the family down the street after the husband lost his job reaps no direct benefit on this earth to the giver. THAT is doing the work of the Lord, very much unlike what one gives to institutionalized religious organizations, and thus reaping many benefits by way of all the luxuries afforded by institutions for their memberships.

That's a no-brainer.

But if you God is blessing you and you can't manage 10% to help bring others to Christ (just as someone else helped you do), then you are wrong...

I bring people to Christ without the luxuries of those communal buildings, air conditioning, heating, lawn care, parking lots, spires, crosses, chandeliers, etc.

The TRUE Church is a living, breathing entity with no need for money nor the luxuries "churchgoers" routinely lavish back upon thesmelves by way of their so-called "giving" to the institutional model.

But you can't/shouldn't neglect the the church you park your butt in every week.

Ahh, no worries there. I don't attend or support any one of them. I gather together and fellowship with other believers every week without the need for communal facilities, orators, or any of the other trappings of organized religion and its religious ceremonies.

I never could figure out how one fellowships with the backs of other people's heads as members of an audience. That's a trick I never did master.

SW

 

[jiggyfly]

I wonder why it is, that a lot of believers assume....that if a person has money, it must be because its their God.
I think this type of foregone concluding, is very unfair, if not completely unfounded regarding most believers who are financially well off..
I dont mean to sound offensive, but are you someone God cant trust to give a million dollars?
And if he did, would you not use it for his glory according to his will?
Could you not be a channel whereby God flows financial blessing THROUGH to others?
And if you are, then why castigate any believer whom God wants to bless financially?
Isnt it up to God?
And does he not do it based on obedience, faith, and according to his will?

Joyce Meyers and James Robinson are 2 good examples.
Both are rich, and both spend millions on water wells in Africa, Hospitals in 3rd world areas, and in general just feeding the poor.
I think there is a lesson here., and that is........God has "riches in Glory" that are not just spiritual, and he is always looking for a faith channel to pour $$$$$ through.
Why cant you , reader, be such a channel?
Are you saying you will betray God if he gives you a lot of money?
Are you saying that if you cant handle it, then i cant<, or noone can who is born again?
That is fallacy, related to an opinion you have, if you have it.........and it just wrong-minded.

Look, you know what poverty does?
It traps you into a survival situation, and in this situation you are not able to give most of your time to God, because you are spending all your time trying to survive.
Listen, TIME is how you spend your Christianity........understand?
And if you have a life that is spent trying to survive, then most of your time is not being spent for God.
Thats a FACT.
So, having money frees you from having to spend all your time trying to feed yourself/faily and pay BILLS, etc.
And in this, you have TIME for God that you will not have if you are poor.
Dont even try to argue a ridiculous argument about this.
Just face the fact that if you are poor, your life , your time, is going to be spent trying to survive, FIRST,,,,,and then any time you have left over, ...maybe God gets it.
But if you have MONEY, you time changes.
Understand?
So, you think about that........a bit.........before you worship poverty as some God sent invention to enhance "spirituality"..
He didnt send anything that robs your time from him.
Fact.

Its the same with the phony theology that rants... ......"well you know Kidron, sometimes God sends cancer to TEST his saints.".
Well............. HORSEFEATHERS. !!!!!!!!!!!
He does NOT send what Jesus came to Destroy in John 10:10.

I think its a dangerous and harmful theology to run around blaming sickness and poverty on The KING of Glory.
And Jesus is a King., and we are heirs of a King.
He didnt come out of that grave the same way he went into it.......did you notice?
He went into it a dead suffering lamb, but he AROSE a KING OF KINGS, and we are the HEIR of this King.,and this KING is INSIDE YOU< and you are "IN CHRIST".
Did you forget?

Did you ever notice that Jesus never made anyone sick according to your bible?
Did he ever cast a demon INTO a person.?
Is he now CHANGED since he started living INSIDE YOU?
Are you thinking?

Yet, Christians today run around today all over the world, all over Christian forms, loaded for bear with their self-righteous theology pack tied to their mouths attributing sickness and poverty to the King and his Father, instead of blaming the DEVIL who came to kill, steal, and destroy......John 10:10
And its our bible that says Jesus came to DESTROY these very.= works.......John 10:10
So, is the bible lying?........or are Christians deceived who blame God for the very works the bible says Jesus came to "Destroy".
Listen, did Jesus The Christ come to give you "Life and that more abundantly".... or did he come to test you with Cancer and a Brain tumor and how it feels to bury a couple of your children before they are 7 years old.?
You need to figure out who is for you and who is against you.
You need to figure that out asap.

I do believe that the Gospel of John says its blasphemy against the Holy Spirit > to attribute to the Holy Spirit the works of the Devil.<

So be very careful , reader, whom you blame for poverty and attribute sickness to in the life of a Born Again Child of God.



AP

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Sounds like the blab it grab it teaching to me.

 

[whitestone]

God doesn't have any money so the point is moot.

Neither do I because I've given it all up for Christ so the point is doubly moot.

Pretty much takes care of that hehe

(Mat 19:21)
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

 

[us2are1]

So be certain that you dont spend your life chasing money....Do not allow it to become your God....but instead recognize that money is a remarkable tool and a fine one in the hand of a disciple of Christ who understands that they can do more for God with money, then they can by pretending that poverty is the road of spirituality.

Keep in mind that its the Lord who gives you the "power to get wealth"........so, WEALTH, is a bit more then just a little money..........but you have to be mature and take responsibility for your money, and use it according to the will of God..
See, God takes pleasure in the prosperity of his Saints..........he has no issue with you having wealth...........just as long as you are able to deal with it.
Maybe you cant?.
I can., and there are many like me.
[background=rgb(247, 247, 247)]There are many Saints like me who understand that we are just channels for God........we are "flow through" devices, through which God flows his goodness and his mercy and his prosperity.[/background]

If you are serving money or any type of mammon, in any way, it already is your God and you are willing to lie and twist the truth on behalf of your God. Money and any kind of materialistic mammon is not wealth but instead a ball and chain that keep those who serve it bound to the grave and destruction.






.

 

[aspen]

If you learn how to be happy and productive without money - you never need to worry about it.

 

[Kidron]

What did Jesus say,

Mat 22:19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.
Mat 22:20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?
Mat 22:21 They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.

Have you ever seeing the face of God or Jesus on currency, its not His money it belongs to the world.

In all His Love

What did Jesus say,

Mat 22:19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.
Mat 22:20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?
Mat 22:21 They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.

Have you ever seeing the face of God or Jesus on currency, its not His money it belongs to the world.

In all His Love

Money is just a tool.
Its only those who have issues with handling it who will attempt to deny a Christian "wealth".

Now, as its the Lord who gives you the power to get wealth, and as its God who delights in the prosperity of his saints and as its God's "riches in glory" that we have access to so that we have our needs met and have available to us all the finances we need to pursue the will of God as necessary, then....my advice is not to deny yourself such a wonderful tool.


K

-- You scripture verses are misleading because they have nothing to do with whether we are to tithe to God or not.
The two verses previous to the verses you listed show that:

Matt 22:17 - "Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”
Matt 22:18 - "But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites?"

They were asking whether they should pay taxes to Caesar, not whether they should pay a tithe to God.



It is all God's money. He controls what is done with it, not man.
Who rises, who falls, who prospers, who suffers, whose pockets are full, whose pockets are empty.

It may be of the world, but it does not belong TO the world. It belongs to Him.

Foreigner, you made a valid point.
My only issue with what you said, is regarding your idea that God controls the money.
Well, if that were true, then missionaries would not be broke and Donald Trump would not be rich.

Let me tell you what controls money.
"Faith."
See, God set up a system called the Kingdom of God, and its a spiritual kingdom and we are in it and it is in us.
And, the entire system operates for you or against you based on what you believe.
It all functions according to your faith.
You are saved by faith, justified by faith, redeemed by faith, and have the righteousness of God imputed to you by faith....and you are blessed or cursed by faith.
Do you want to know why a lot of Christians are sick or broke or both???
Its because they have faith to be both......as they have BELIEVED that spirituality for them, is based on suffering.
So, they believe this, and that is their faith, and they get it, coz they BELIEVE..
Your faith controls/dictates how the Kingdom of God system functions for you or against you.
Your future is being planted by the faith you have today.
Thats a fact.
When Jesus said........"let it be done unto you according to your FAITH"....he was not just playing with grammar.




K

I bring people to Christ without the luxuries of those communal buildings, air conditioning, heating, lawn care, parking lots, spires, crosses, chandeliers, etc.

The TRUE Church is a living, breathing entity with no need for money nor the luxuries "churchgoers" routinely lavish back upon thesmelves by way of their so-called "giving" to the institutional model.

So, you personally dont have any issue with money, or possessions, but you dont agree that a church should have any?
Do you have clothes, shoes, a car, a laptop, cell phones, any Apple products, ?....Do u have a savings account or a checking account?
Do you have a TV, or a home stereo? Musical instruments?..........Do you use air conditioning at work or at home?
Do you have any bills that you pay?

So, is it ok by you if a church has AC, carpet, a sound system, pews, and pays their bills, or would you consider all this ok for you personally, but not ok for a "church"?

And if its ok by you for a church to have the things i mentioned in the list, would it be ok by you if the attending members of the church pay it all?


Just curious.



K

Sounds like the blab it grab it teaching to me.

Thats because you are confused.
im certain its not the first time.



K

God doesn't have any money so the point is moot.

Neither do I because I've given it all up for Christ so the point is doubly moot.

Pretty much takes care of that hehe

(Mat 19:21)
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

Well a few things, whitestone.
We need money, and God meets our needs according to his "riches in Glory".

Also,
You say you have no money, as you gave it all to "Christ", so, how is it you are online using a computer?
Did the internet become free since the last time you paid the bill with money????
So, i wont call you a liar Whitestone as your post has taken care of that..., but know this......today when you are buying yourself something to eat.....just remember that that money, is......according to you....."Christ's".

And also, as all your money is "Christ's", then this means you dont have any to pay for rent, mortgage, or gas for your car.
Right?
So, if you like, u can post your address that you dont have, because you are homeless having given all your money to "Christ", and perhaps a few of us here will send you a few dollars so that you can pay that Internet bill.


Have a great day.



K

 

[us2are1]

Money is just a tool.
Its only those who have issues with handling it who will attempt to deny a Christian "wealth".

Now, as its the Lord who gives you the power to get wealth, and as its God who delights in the prosperity of his saints and as its God's "riches in glory" that we have access to so that we have our needs met and have available to us all the finances we need to pursue the will of God as necessary, then....my advice is not to deny yourself such a wonderful tool.


K




Foreigner, you made a valid point.
My only issue with what you said, is regarding your idea that God controls the money.
Well, if that were true, then missionaries would not be broke and Donald Trump would not be rich.

Let me tell you what controls money.
"Faith."
See, God set up a system called the Kingdom of God, and its a spiritual kingdom and we are in it and it is in us.
And, the entire system operates for you or against you based on what you believe.
It all functions according to your faith.
You are saved by faith, justified by faith, redeemed by faith, and have the righteousness of God imputed to you by faith....and you are blessed or cursed by faith.
Do you want to know why a lot of Christians are sick or broke or both???
Its because they have faith to be both......as they have BELIEVED that spirituality for them, is based on suffering.
So, they believe this, and that is their faith, and they get it, coz they BELIEVE..
Your faith controls/dictates how the Kingdom of God system functions for you or against you.
Your future is being planted by the faith you have today.
Thats a fact.
When Jesus said........"let it be done unto you according to your FAITH"....he was not just playing with grammar.




K

Money is not a tool that God or Christ uses or ever used. Christ let the devil carry the money belt.

John 6
70 Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"

John 12
4 Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said,
5 "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"
[background=rgb(246, 246, 152)]6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.[/background]

Those who call money or belongings wealth have missed it and don't understand anything as they should.

When Christ told you to store up your treasures in heaven. He didn't mean for you to imagine that all that your flesh lusts after would be awaiting you in heaven.
But that you should find out and understand the true riches of heaven.

Matthew 6
19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Heaven is Gods throne. God is Spirit. There is nothing in heaven but God sitting on God's throne.
Ask God for His Spirit. The true riches and wealth.







.

 

[aspen]

Money is not a tool that God or Christ uses or ever used. Christ let the devil carry the money belt.

John 6
70 Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"

Those who call money or belongings wealth have missed it and don't understand anything as they should.

When Christ told you to store up your treasures in heaven. He didn't mean for you to imagine that all that your flesh lusts after
would be awaiting you in heaven. But that you would find out and understand the true riches of heaven.

Matthew 6
19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Heaven is Gods throne. God is Spirit. There is nothing in heaven but God sitting on God's throne.
Ask God for His Spirit. The true riches and wealth.

indeed

 

[Kidron]

If you are serving money or any type of mammon, in any way, it already is your God

Can you hear me yawning?
Its an auto response to any Christian who writes on my Threads and tries to sound "spiritual".
This nearly puts me to sleep.

Now, i will ask you a simple question?
Do you have a job?
And why do you have one?
Is it to get a paycheck?
Is a paycheck money?

ahhhhhhhh.

so, how many hours do you work for a paycheck (money) per week, vs, how many hours do you read your bible, pray, and witness per week?

So who is your "God"?


keep smiling.



K

Money is not a tool that God or Christ uses or ever used. Christ let the devil carry the money belt.


And now we carry it.
That explains why you have money in your wallet and in your bank account.
And that explains why you have a job to get more money...
Isnt that right, "mr devil"?


It seems the more you write the more you expose yourself.



K

 

[aspen]

I have two jobs - 55 hours a week. I work for a ministry and with people who are terminally ill. I make enough money to live in a small apartment - it is enough.

If I were to guess, I spend about two hours in daily prayer, at work and at home and at daily Mass.

All I need money for is to pay for basics - enough to not be dependent. Why do we need anymore?

 

[Kidron]

I have two jobs - 55 hours a week. I work for a ministry and with people who are terminally ill. I make enough money to live in a small apartment - it is enough.

If I were to guess, I spend about two hours in daily prayer, at work and at home and at daily Mass.

All I need money for is to pay for basics - enough to not be dependent. Why do we need anymore?

Good, u are working to make money, which gives you the liberty you need.
Thats great.

And regarding the "basics"....well, thats different for all of us Aspen.
Im a professional musician, as well as a minister, and i need to be able to create professional musical product.
See, im working for the King of Kings, and 2nd best is the first loser.
3rd rate, is not even in the game.
For the work, i need good instruments and good equipment, and these are not free.
They are my need, and God has supplied my need for all this since i was 17 years old.

There is a strange mentality out there in phony Christian land that supposes that all Christians are supposed to live in shacks, walk to work,
have ribs showing from starvation, change their name to St Francis or R. Wurmbrand.... and they are never to have any fun, or have any life that is not related to suffering..
And that is exactly what the Devil would have you to believe.
Because if he can get you to believe it, then your influence in the world, for the sake of the cross will always be very local and small.
The devil is fine with that........dont you think?
Dont you think he would rather that you help 15 then 15,000?
However, if you think money is the devil, then he is happy to keep you at 15.
no worries.
But on the other hand, if God wanted you to be poor and sick, he would not have told you to feed or lead.
So, once again, money is just a tool, its not a source, and as long as a believer understands that they are to be a flow of blessing , then money will always flow from
the hand of God right through the heart of the believer according to the will of God.
Its the love of money that is the snare.
Same with anything.
Know the snares, know the truth, = no prob.



K

 

[us2are1]

Can you hear me yawning?
Its an auto response to any Christian who writes on my Threads and tries to sound "spiritual".
This nearly puts me to sleep.

Now, i will ask you a simple question?
Do you have a job?
And why do you have one?
Is it to get a paycheck?
Is a paycheck money?

ahhhhhhhh.

so, how many hours do you work for a paycheck (money) per week, vs, how many hours do you read your bible, pray, and witness per week?

So who is your "God"?


keep smiling.



K




And now we carry it.
That explains why you have money in your wallet and in your bank account.
And that explains why you have a job to get more money...
Isnt that right, "mr devil"?


It seems the more you write the more you expose yourself.



K

Do you know what Spirit you are of?

Is everyone faithless?

If you work for God, Won't He take care of you?

1 Corinthians 2
4And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, [background=rgb(246, 246, 152)]5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.[/background]

Matthew 21
21 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.

Matthew 14
20 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.

 

[whitestone]

Well a few things, whitestone.
We need money, and God meets our needs according to his "riches in Glory".

Also,
You say you have no money, as you gave it all to "Christ", so, how is it you are online using a computer?
Did the internet become free since the last time you paid the bill with money????
So, i wont call you a liar Whitestone as your post has taken care of that..., but know this......today when you are buying yourself something to eat.....just remember that that money, is......according to you....."Christ's".

And also, as all your money is "Christ's", then this means you dont have any to pay for rent, mortgage, or gas for your car.
Right?
So, if you like, u can post your address that you dont have, because you are homeless having given all your money to "Christ", and perhaps a few of us here will send you a few dollars so that you can pay that Internet bill.


Have a great day.



K

A "few things" K ...

First, don't even suggest I'm a liar. That is the quick way to hell for you.

Secondly, no I don't need money.
Thirdly, no, money has nothing to do with "riches in glory", whoever told you that is of the devil. You telling others makes you, well...
Fourthly, I take care of my 96 year old grandparents who have internet provided for me. Thank Jesus.
Fifthly, the laptob I use was a gift from a sister in Christ for the ministry. Thank Jesus.
Sixth, I take care of my family and have food and shelter and gas and expenses taken care of in return. Thank Jesus.

Because I've given up all and have taken up my cross and follow Jesus to crucifixion.

I live in an RV next to my grandparents who stay in a relative's guest house so no, I do not have an address except for a P.O. Box.
145 Merlin, OR 97532. You are welcome to donate as you say but I know you have no intention to do so. Your manner of speech and your teaching clearly display the mark of the beast imprinted firmly in your forehead concerning buying and selling and it makes you very ugly. Your spirit as reflected in your post "against" me is one of contention and very mean and ungodly, I welcome nothing from you.

Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins and go and sin no more.
Otherwise, burn with your money.

 

[aspen]

You seem pretty proud of yourself, Kidron.

Do you realize that the first will be last and the last will be first?

 

[Arnie Manitoba]

I have two jobs - 55 hours a week. I work for a ministry and with people who are terminally ill. I make enough money to live in a small apartment - it is enough.

If I were to guess, I spend about two hours in daily prayer, at work and at home and at daily Mass.

All I need money for is to pay for basics - enough to not be dependent. Why do we need anymore?

You have my admiration . Thanks.

A "few things" K ...

First, don't even suggest I'm a liar. That is the quick way to hell for you.

I am concerned about you whitestone.

You tarnish yourself by your own words.

The White Stone mentioned in the bible was never like that.

Hope you have some better days in the future.

 

[Strat]

The thing i find strange in regard to money is the contrast between the way people who have it are judged and the way those living sinful debauched lifestyles are judged...the latter are almost always portrayed as helpless vicitims while the former are almost always portrayed as evil and greedy no matter how honestly they may have earned their money...one is a victim the other is a perpetrator...one we are told is not to be judged while the other is judged in the harshest of terms regardless of any evidence to support such judgement....make sense ? of course it does when you consider that hardly anyone is envious of the down and out while many are extremely envious of the wealthy...we must also keep in mind that both "rich" and "poor" are relative terms and that we may be rich to somebody while being poor to somebody else.

Where does the bible say that sin is the exclusive burden of the rich or poor ?
The Bible does say that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil...the love of money drives the drug dealer,prostitute,the petty theif,organized crime,pornography ect etc etc but these people are treated by the church most often as helpless victims of circumstance,bad homes,ect etc which all may be true but they are no less sinners and no less accountable to God than the corrupt businessman or wall street tycoon.

The Bible says it's easier for a Camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a "rich" man to enter the kingdom of God...are the rich the only ones that lie,steal,fornicate,gossip,commit adultery ? does the Bible not say that those who commit these things will not enter the kingdom of God...does a Camel not have the same chance of getting through that needle as those who commit such getting into heaven.....the issue is sin,not money or lack of money....it is sin!!!

 

[aspen]

Strat - you have a point. People who have wealth should not be automatically judged for it. Many rich people are quite generous. I am in a bible study with several professional people who are quite rich, but they are also extremely generous people - two of them run ministries. Rich does not equal greed. And even if a rich person is greedy (some are) they should not be judged anymore harshly than people engaged in other types of sin.

The problem I have with some rich people is

1. The creation of legislation that promotes hoarding of money
2. A lack of empathy for the poor.
3. The attitude that they deserve their money - and poor people deserve to be poor.

That is it. And I certainly do not believe all rich people believe these ideas.

 

[BeforeThereWas]

Giving, as portrayed within scripture, is vastly different from most of what we see going on today.

People claiming to be followers of Christ have historically handed over the primary (largest) portion of their "giving" in support of institutionalized religion's real estate and hirlings, some of whom have become financially wealthy from that "giving", which is something nowhere exemplified within the Bible.

Many also teach that every Israelite handed over a tenth of their income to the Levites...another false teaching among so many within institutionalized religion that continues to this day becuse so few make the effort to read scripture for themselves without organized religion's blinders on either side of their eyes, creating the tunnel vision that misleads so many.

The historic and modern, socially engineered theologies that stagnate the waters of modern belief within what is called "christendom" is an affront to any sensibilites firmly rooted upon the foundation of biblical TRUTH.

Ahh, but money and pseudo-spirituality will continue enjoying the loudest voices within most of institutionalized religion's purview...at least until the Lord declares an end to it all.

SW

 

[Strat]

Strat - you have a point. People who have wealth should not be automatically judged for it. Many rich people are quite generous. I am in a bible study with several professional people who are quite rich, but they are also extremely generous people - two of them run ministries. Rich does not equal greed. And even if a rich person is greedy (some are) they should not be judged anymore harshly than people engaged in other types of sin.

The problem I have with some rich people is

1. The creation of legislation that promotes hoarding of money
2. A lack of empathy for the poor.
3. The attitude that they deserve their money - and poor people deserve to be poor.

That is it. And I certainly do not believe all rich people believe these ideas.

The creation of legislation that promotes the hoarding of money ? there is also the creation of legislation that allows one to give away someone else's money while keeping your own....this is the M.O of most politicians

The lack of empathy for the poor ? this cannot be legislated......you cannot force people to care about the poor and like i said "rich" and "poor" are relative terms and each individual must decide for themselves..someone just barely hanging on with three fingers being taxed to pay for someone barely hanging on with two because they have an extra vote or voice won't work,all it does is breed strife and resentment.

You cannot legislate against attitudes God help us when they begin to try because that will truely spell the end for America....rich and poor alike.

 

[aspen]

The creation of legislation that promotes the hoarding of money ? there is also the creation of legislation that allows one to give away someone else's money while keeping your own....this is the M.O of most politicians

The lack of empathy for the poor ? this cannot be legislated......you cannot force people to care about the poor and like i said "rich" and "poor" are relative terms and each individual must decide for themselves..someone just barely hanging on with three fingers being taxed to pay for someone barely hanging on with two because they have an extra vote or voice won't work,all it does is breed strife and resentment.

You cannot legislate against attitudes God help us when they begin to try because that will truely spell the end for America....rich and poor alike.

I forgot to mention that there are also poor people that are greedy.

I understand that we cannot force people to feel empathy, but we can force rich people to give away some of their wealth to help people who are less fortunate.

Here is another thing that bothers me - why is it that we have no problem with military waste? We wasted - gave away - padded someone's pockets with billions of dollars during the Iraq war and continue to do so in Afghanistan. Sure, some poor people are greedy and lazy and take advantage of the system - not only do I believe it is must less than military waste; I would never want to trade places with anyone who is poor and greedy.

From the way some people I know, complain, I am beginning to think that they are jealous of the bum holding a sign on the street corner.

I am not interested in opening the door for another homosexuality thread, all I want to say is that your post is a great argument for not banning homosexual marriage in this country - just substitute 'homosexual marriage' for the word 'rich'.