I guess who is self-serving is another matter of opinion.
You're trying to justify wealth for yourself. That makes your position self-serving; you certainly aren't arguing against your self-interest.
I have given multiple scriptures in support not to mention how I showed how you applied it wrong.
You gave some scriptures that can be interpreted to support wealth. You didn't do anything to show how I applied anything wrong.
ABSOLUTELY!!
Worry is another matter of the heart as is faith. Faith goes beyond what one sees in the natural and bring the supernatural into bear. But notice he didn't say "wealth" was a problem but rather worry and scurrying to try to fix it like most people do.
I've yet to meet a business person who didn't put a lot of worry and effort into making a profit.
Hardly a big if. Most Universities and hospitals in the beginning of the creation of the United States were started by wealthy christians.
Most universities and hospitals that were started by donations were not higher priorities than their donors' comfort. They were also often used to buy prestige and power in the community as much as they were about helping people.
But as far as lifestyles, I know quite a few people in Honduras who would call your living an expensive lifestyle.
Indeed: pretty much any middle-class Christian in North America is a hypocrite when held up against the standard of the Gospels. Anything more than the shoes on your feet, the clothes on your back, and a begginh bowl signifies a lack of real trust in God and a desire for Earthly comfort.
Now, as an atheist, I think that earthly comfort is the only comfort I'm going to get, but this behaviour for a Christian is irrational.
It is a matter of the heart. If you spend at the expense of helping your neighbor, it is wrong.
ALL of your spending is at the expense of your neighbour.
Certainly your luxury is someone else's poverty level. I remember my daughter who went to Florida Tech say "I don't know how they live in Palm Bay in such small homes. For us, she was in luxury, for her she was normal living and luxury was beyond her living.
If you're in Florida,
having a roof and walls is luxury. There are some places where being caught outside can kill you; unless there's a hurricane, Florida generally isn't one of them.
But, to be more specific and at the risk of repeating myself, there is no problem with luxury if you are still helping your neighbor.
And at the risk of repeating myself as well, the scriptures disagree with you:
24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your comfort already.
25 “Woe to you who are well satisfied with food now, for you will be hungry.
“Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.
With the passage, or with my interpretation of it?
How do you interpret that passage? Jesus says that the woman who is already poor and gives what she can't afford, which is a pittance, has given more than the great amounts that the wealthy had given comfortably. Jesus praises the destitute who give with no regard to their own well-being and downplays the peope who follow the model you're advocating.
Yes... it is a matter of the heart. Anti-wealth versus deal with bad hearts. Pro-wealth verses deal with hearts.
You're inserting your own meaning into the text. If Jesus had meant to say "woe to you who value wealth too much," he could have said it; instead, he said "woe to you who are rich."
Only according to an atheistic perspective who wouldn't agree with anything I say in reference to it.
I won't agree to bad arguments. My atheism has nothing to do with it.
As I mentioned, wealth is neither bad or good, it is the heart that makes it bad or good.
Reconciled!!!
I don't doubt you think so.
Is that what he told Zaccheaus?
Are you talking about the story in Luke 19? Zacchaeus promises to immediately give away half of his possessions to the poor and apparently plans to use the other half to compensate people he cheated. Where do you see any praise from Jesus for material wealth in that passage?
Did he said to the one that had five talents of gold "get rid of 4 of them" or did he say "negotiate" and then the man made 5 more. Then the one who did nothing (poverty mentality), he took it away from him and gave it to the man who made 10.
First off: it's a parable. It's not about actual money.
Second: the servant who hid the one talent was the one who hoarded his wealth.
Third: none of the servants used the talents to enrich themselves.
Jesus didn't go against what the prophets wrote or what God said. Ergo, you have to balance the whole of what was said in the context of what he was trying to address and the message is, as stated by Paul and other scriptures, " 1 Tim 6:
17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy
18 That they do
good, that they be
rich in good works, ready to
distribute*, willing to
communicate;.
Wait - you think Paul wrote 1 Timothy? Why?
Not get rid of wealth but not get high minded and trust in the riches (heart) but do good with it. use it for good works and giving
Did you read the rest of the chapter? Emphasis mine:
8 But if we have food and shelter, we will be satisfied with that. 9 Those who long to be rich, however, stumble into temptation and a trap and many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.10 For the love of money is the root of all evils. Some people in reaching for it have strayed from the faith and stabbed themselves with many pains.
11 But you, as a person dedicated to God, keep away from all that. Instead pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, endurance, and gentleness.
For the life of me, I can't see how you could look at a passage that tells you to be satisfied with just food and shelter, to not pursue wealth, and to keep away from money, and take away from this that it's telling you to be rich. Those are some very impressive mental gymnastics
.
