A comment was recently overheard that was a bit perplexing and worth thinking about.
That is what these posts are for, anyways.
The person said,
"People say money is the root of all evil. I think poverty is the root of all evil."
This sounded perplexing, yet interesting enough to engage and write about. To the author it seems to reflect a part of the disconnect between the world's thinking and religion's thinking in general.
This posts attempts to show how the opposite statements could be considered true. In other words, the point of this post is more to show:
[The love of money is the root of evil. Poverty is NOT the root of evil.] First things first. Since it is one of the most misquote verses in the Bible it is worthwhile to briefly review it.
What Is The LOVE Of Money?
It is not MONEY that is the root of all evil. It is the LOVE OF MONEY. (from 1 Timothy 6:10). There is a gigantic difference.
Realistically money (or something of value) is necessary for basic essentials of life. The money used for these essentials is not what is in question. The love of money is focused more on the "wants" in life than the necessities.
More specifically, the love of money is putting wants in your life before God. When Adam put God second we all know what happened. If the love of money is the driving force in your life then that is what the quote is referring to.
When people value things like status, power and greed before God's word they are inviting evil.
By the way the Bible is God revealing himself to you for your own good. When you put God second, like Adam did, it results in problems in the long term. Sure there is such a thing as fleeting happiness.
The message is that earthly things do not fulfill you. Rather, they make you want more.
Is Poverty The Root Of Evil?
The second part of the quote at the beginning of the post is about poverty being the root of evil. There has been much debate over the years regarding the connection between the two.
The assumption is that people will do bad things if they think they have to for survival.
Jesus himself commands in the Gospels to,
“Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor,E)"> and you will have treasure in heaven.F)"> Then come, follow me.”G)">E)"> - Mark 10:21
As mentioned above the Bible is meant to be a guide to maximize your fulfillment in life. Would Jesus command people to sell everything if he thought crime was a necessary result? Jesus thought the lack of attachment to possessions was good for spiritual development.
Author's Commentary
In modern American society there seems to be a decline in basic values. In this author's opinion the decline of America has already begun. The mindset of the average American now seems to be, "What is the least I can do, but I want to be a multi-millionaire?"
Money is not evil in itself. It is when it consumes your life for the wrong reasons that leads to problems. The Bible foresaw that hundreds of years ago and offered guidance.
What is that guidance? It is to put God first in your life.
From a Christian standpoint a statement like "Poverty is the root of evil" does not mesh.
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