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Are the poor morally superior to the rich?

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I point out 4 , yes 4, ways you distort Jesus on that
1) it is not riches but the love of riches, avarice, that is wrong. And monetarily poor can certainly be that way. hence the 'poor in spirit' rendering in Luke, which must apply universally regardless of what you have
2) Yes, that is why it is the root of evil because it does give you the 'currency' to indulge perversions of all sorts. But it would be wrong to waste money to be 'spiritual' by just plain not using it. if you have it you have it for a good reason, to help others.
3) Moral superiority is in LOVE and only love. We are judged on love, at best it is what St Augustine famously said about UTI and FRUI
" The element of will or love is also crucial to the distinction between “enjoyment” (frui) and “use” (uti) that is first fully developed in De doctrina christiana, bk. 1 (c. 396) and remains basic for his ethical thought."

4) Finally unless you have a position of responsibility in the Church it is wrong to apply this to anyone but yourself. Not sure where you were going with posting it. Yes, Jesus counsels the evangelical way of life deemed "poverty' bukt what that is is subservient to the Will of God as known in your vocation.
 
No one is morally superior to GOD. Everyone dies one day. Proverbs 22:2: “The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the maker of them all.”

1 Timothy 6:17-18: “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

Deuteronomy 15:11
For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’

Psalm 72:12-14
For he delivers the needy when they call, the poor and those who have no helper.
He has pity on the weak and the needy and saves the lives of the needy.
From oppression and violence, he redeems their life; precious is their blood in his sight.

Proverbs 19:17
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.

Proverbs 22:9
Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.

Proverbs 14:31
Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.

Proverbs 28:27
Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse

Acts 20:35
In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”.

Luke 3:11
John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”

Luke 12:33
Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys

Galatians 2:10
All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.

Galatians 6:2
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Hebrews 13:16
16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

1 John 3:17
If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?
 
bongsaway said:
Whose morals are we using in the judging?
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Good question. 'Morality' varies over time and place. Even in my life time ideas and judgements have changed enormously in Europe. And right now what is thought to be 'moral' in one continent, or country or even region may be condemned in another.
 
Sweden said:
Good question. 'Morality' varies over time and place. Even in my life time ideas and judgements have changed enormously in Europe. And right now what is thought to be 'moral' in one continent, or country or even region may be condemned in another.
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And this is because GOD is left out of the equation, or are some inferior to others? Was Hitler correct?
 
LittleNipper said:
And this is because GOD is left out of the equation, or are some inferior to others? Was Hitler correct?
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That's funny considering god was most certainly in the equation as christians killed untold amounts of people for being savages, unbelievers, heretics and on and on, all in the name of your loving god. Anyway I thought we are ALL god's children so we must be equal?
 
Sweden said:
Good question. 'Morality' varies over time and place. Even in my life time ideas and judgements have changed enormously in Europe. And right now what is thought to be 'moral' in one continent, or country or even region may be condemned in another.
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Morality is what each person makes for themselves. People like trump have very little if any.
 
Slartibartfast said:
The amount of money one possess has zero influence on their morality, excepting that there are going to be more temptations if one is rich.
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If that's true, why are the biggest tax cheats also the wealthiest? You can check that with the irs.
 
Schism said:
Morality was the first casualty of the I-Me-Mine culture.
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If I remember correctly...greed is good was the phrase that made the wealthy giddy. Even today the poorest republicans will defend a ceo making fifty million a year while bitching about raising the minimum wage for the poorest, but they don't vote against their own best interests, just ask them.
 
ecofarm said:
The Bible verse is about the persuasion of money. It's about the desire to do things for money. It's about believing money can do things for oneself. It's about materialism. What Jesus warned against was materialism. It's difficult for the rich to enter heaven because the trappings of materialism haunt them more than the average guy.

Jesus was not saying money is bad. Jesus was not saying being rich is bad. Jesus said materialism is bad. Not exactly a revelation but it's a way to bring philosophy to commoners.
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I have to say I have noticed in my lifetime that most materialistic people are quite the snobs. I dated a woman, for a short period of time whose motto is...all I ever wanted, was more.
 
bongsaway said:
Morality is what each person makes for themselves. People like trump have very little if any.
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Your two sentences are contradictory. The morality that Mr Trump 'makes for himself' is as valid as the one you create for your own use.
 
Sweden said:
Your two sentences are contradictory. The morality that Mr Trump 'makes for himself' is as valid as the one you create for your own use.
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Ok, does he pass your moral threshold? He doesn't mine.
 
bongsaway said:
Ok, does he pass your moral threshold? He doesn't mine.
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My moral threshold is unique to me. I do not think it is some sort of gold standard by which others must be judged. Not Trump, not you or anyone else.
 
Sweden said:
My moral threshold is unique to me. I do not think it is some sort of gold standard by which others must be judged. Not Trump, not you or anyone else.
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Got it, so is everyone else's but the question remains, do you find trump able to pass your morally acceptable levels?
 
bongsaway said:
Got it, so is everyone else's but the question remains, do you find trump able to pass your morally acceptable levels?
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I have tried to explain that I not have "morally acceptable levels". Why not ask if I agree with Trump's position on various issues?
 
Sweden said:
I have tried to explain that I not have "morally acceptable levels". Why not ask if I agree with Trump's position on various issues?
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Let me try asking in a different way. Is everything morally acceptable to you? Or should I ask can/will you give me an example or two of what is not morally acceptable to you.
 
bongsaway said:
Let me try asking in a different way. Is everything morally acceptable to you? Or should I ask can/will you give me an example or two of what is not morally acceptable to you.
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A vast number of things are unacceptable to me but not 'morally' unacceptable. For example I do not much care for sophistry.
 
Sweden said:
A vast number of things are unacceptable to me but not 'morally' unacceptable. For example I do not much care for sophistry.
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That my friend is coming from you and if you have nothing that is morally unacceptable to you, I find that difficult to imagine.
 
bongsaway said:
That's funny considering god was most certainly in the equation as christians killed untold amounts of people for being savages, unbelievers, heretics and on and on, all in the name of your loving god. Anyway I thought we are ALL god's children so we must be equal?
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I think you will find that the savages tended to attack first. Heretics had an option to move away to practice satanic ritual elsewhere. And the vast majority of those killed were actually true Bible believing Christians who were a threat to the authority of a hedonistic group who usurped CHRIST's CHURCH to make it the ROMAN church.
 
craig said:
The rich certainly have the means and opportunity to sin more.
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So does the poor.

Though greed is present even to those who are rich, can we say the poor cannot be greedy............relative to his circumstances?
I wonder, who feel envy the most? The rich or the poor?

Can we say the poor doesn't commit theft or murder?
Can we say the poor doesn't feel lust and covetousness?
Can we say the poor doesn't commit evil?

All we have to do is look to the French Revolution, aka "The Terror," kinda like the grandfather of modern socialism.


History of socialism - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org





Would God use wealth as a reward or blessing (Abraham, Job, David, etc..,) if it is evil?


It is far harder for the rich to get to the kingdom of GOD..........................not because he is rich.
But because many have put priority on wealth.
Wealth has become their master.
 
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Slartibartfast said:
The amount of money one possess has zero influence on their morality, excepting that there are going to be more temptations if one is rich.
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I disagree. I think has a big effect on peoples moral compass. The more you have the easier it is for someone to do the right thing. It's easier to be generous when you're rich.
 
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