Christian Capitalism
Ignorant of the scriptures, many Christians have mingled their current lifestyle and political opinions with tidbits of the Gospel and thought it the order of heaven. They despise the poor as lazy and honor the rich as hardworking.
They have replaced the glory of heaven with the glimmer of gold. And though they profess to worship the living God their hearts are upon their treasures and their money is their god.
I would like to remind them of the rich man and Lazarus.
I'm sure the rich man worked very hard and deserved every penny he owned. And yet he lifts his eyes up in hell.
No mention is made of the poor man's life choices. He could have been as lazy as the curs with whom he associated. Because he had not much to give, much was not required.
The rich have worked hard for what they have, and feel they deserve it. But they base their sense of justice on a twisted worldview, forgetting that the social systems under which we currently live were formed by the god of this world. The social system under which we should live failed to take root, and has been postponed until further notice.
Those who think capitalism is good place trust in the root of all evil. Perhaps they confound righteous acts performed by good people with the system, whereas it was really a manifestation of what is possible under the higher law.
Those who sacrifice a little charity in exchange for a little money are as gelded asses feigning to pass through the eye of a needle.
Perhaps you disagree, and still think that the poor deserve their state, and that they have brought their misfortune upon themselves. Perhaps.
But those who go without are a testimony that our souls are cankered, for there is enough and to spare.
Heaven operates without money. It will come as a culture shock to those who are so preoccupied with riches, and to others it will come not at all.
They have replaced the glory of heaven with the glimmer of gold. And though they profess to worship the living God their hearts are upon their treasures and their money is their god.
I would like to remind them of the rich man and Lazarus.I'm sure the rich man worked very hard and deserved every penny he owned. And yet he lifts his eyes up in hell.
No mention is made of the poor man's life choices. He could have been as lazy as the curs with whom he associated. Because he had not much to give, much was not required.
The rich have worked hard for what they have, and feel they deserve it. But they base their sense of justice on a twisted worldview, forgetting that the social systems under which we currently live were formed by the god of this world. The social system under which we should live failed to take root, and has been postponed until further notice.
Those who think capitalism is good place trust in the root of all evil. Perhaps they confound righteous acts performed by good people with the system, whereas it was really a manifestation of what is possible under the higher law.
Those who sacrifice a little charity in exchange for a little money are as gelded asses feigning to pass through the eye of a needle.
Perhaps you disagree, and still think that the poor deserve their state, and that they have brought their misfortune upon themselves. Perhaps.
But those who go without are a testimony that our souls are cankered, for there is enough and to spare.
Heaven operates without money. It will come as a culture shock to those who are so preoccupied with riches, and to others it will come not at all.
I'm glad you posted something again.
ReplyDeleteWhere on Earth did you find that second picture? I'm so intrigued.
But yea, there are two sides, even to this coin. To say that it is wrong for more productive members to keep their wealth is an oversimplification. Wealthy Americans who vote against higher taxes are unfairly tagged as misers who would not donate money to the poor otherwise, and thus must have their wealth taken from them by force in order to create social justice in the country.
ReplyDeleteYes, there are rebukes for the rich, such as in D&C 56:
16. "Wo unto you rich men, that will not give your substance to the poor, for your riches will canker your souls; and this shall be your lamentation in the day of visitation, and of judgment, and of indignation: The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and my soul is not saved!"
But the rebuke was not entirely for the rich. The section continues:
17 "Wo unto you poor men, whose hearts are not broken, whose spirits are not contrite, and whose bellies are not satisfied, and whose hands are not stayed from laying hold upon other men’s goods, whose eyes are full of greediness, and who will not labor with your own hands!"
Shoot, I have to get going to class again. I never get a chance to finish my comments on your blog.
Thanks Josh. Yes, it is good to not forget that the poor are sinners too.
ReplyDeleteCapitalism isn't evil. It's like a brick. You can build some really wonderful things with it. Also you can hit bloggers in the head with it. What is evil? The brick or the person weilding it?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous. Capitalism is not evil. And it is not good. Thank you for agreeing.
ReplyDeleteSome people think it is good. They are confused.
I guess I am confused then as to what point you are trying to make.
ReplyDeleteWhen there is nothing to gain from your hard work, what is to incite you to keep working?
Do you think of socialist policies as good because the rich are forced to help the poor? And if so is it to meet the bottom line of the poor being helped?
A nony mouse, You nailed it. Without money, people really don't have an incentive to work.
ReplyDeleteWithout the incentive to reap what we sow, we lose the desire to sow. I wrote about that in another post.
I'll write more about this soon.