Is money the root of all evil?

[MasterOfKrikkit]

Please see my separate post #18: Love for material goods is a strong driving factor in many fields, it is the motive for going to work. This broad demonization of the "love of material goods" implies a thorough paradigm shift.

I think there's a big difference between using money, appreciating money, even working to acquire money and loving money -- the key thing is the use of the word "love" in this context; it speaks to an inner mindset rather than just pragmatics. Love for material goods certainly isn't my motivation for going to work. Of course I work for money (and, by extension, material goods), but that's to feed a higher purpose: whatever it is I want to do with my life. IMNSHO, things have gotten seriously out of whack once that higher purpose is itself just the attainment of more money. I wouldn't necessarily say that (eg) Donald Trump is "evil"*, but I can see where that long-haired hippie rabbi was coming from when he said that such a lifestyle can open a can of worms.


*Well, maybe Trump. But that's more to do with dyed combovers and eye-gougingly awful reality TV than money.

 

[Dysnomia]

I think it is avaricious love of goods/money that casues problems. I simply love being surrounded by soft pillows, blankets, hot tea and a multitude of books, but when I have money (or any of the above) I don't hesitate to share with others or make donations to food pantries or the like. Loving money becomes a problem when it's taken to excess (like loving other things, even people **stalkers come to mind**)

 

[quatona]

I think there's a big difference between using money, appreciating money, even working to acquire money and loving money -- the key thing is the use of the word "love" in this context; it speaks to an inner mindset rather than just pragmatics.

I´m not sure I am the right person to discuss this with.
Initially I responded to the way it was worded in the OP ("money", not "love for money". Next the other poster came and responded to me by changing it into "love of money", initially without further explanation, later by pointing out that he used "money" as a symbol for all material goods, and by equating the strive for material goods to "greed", "greed" to "love for money", and "greed" to "evil".
I think the confusion that results from such general equations is not my problem. You´d have to get that sorted with Faith Guardian.

I don´t know how to determine the inner mindset of other people, and I do not find "love" a quantifiable parameter. Thus, "love for money" in your definition is not more than a buzzword that serves no other purpose than judging people based upon mindreading. Not my kind of thing.

Love for material goods certainly isn't my motivation for going to work. Of course I work for money (and, by extension, material goods), but that's to feed a higher purpose: whatever it is I want to do with my life.

That´s all fine and dandy, but then again I know very little people who subscribe to the ideal of "love for money" as a purpose in itself. Of course, it always serves a supposedly "higher purpose": happiness, feeling good, safety, whatever they want to do with their lives.

IMNSHO, things have gotten seriously out of whack once that higher purpose is itself just the attainment of more money.

It´s funny how we got from the general "money is the root of all evil" (something that would affect all of us) to "the attainment of more money being a higher purpose in itself" (a very specific extreme, and something that nearly nobody would give as their own characteristic).

I wouldn't necessarily say that (eg) Donald Trump is "evil"*, but I can see where that long-haired hippie rabbi was coming from when he said that such a lifestyle can open a can of worms.

I can also also see where someone is coming from who says that the lifestyle of a long-haired hippie rabbi can open a can of worms.

 

[HannahBanana]

My friend says lack of money is the root of all evil.

How does he figure that? You can't do much harm to this world without any money. And it's not like poor people are all malicious or anything.

 

[Soul Searcher]

It seems that the point the bible is trying to make is that greed leeds away from the path and into trouble. It is hard to help others when one tries to hoard things for themselves. It is hard to find the path when consumed with gathering riches. Greed can often cause people to lie, cheat, steal and ingore the needy and other such things. It doesn't matter if the greed is for money, or land, or power, or fame, greed is the issue.

 

[Autumnleaf]

How does he figure that? You can't do much harm to this world without any money. And it's not like poor people are all malicious or anything.

Maybe he figures people without money have to do illegal things to get it so they can eat. Maybe.

 

[HannahBanana]

Maybe he figures people without money have to do illegal things to get it so they can eat. Maybe.

Since when is that evil? Would your friend rather that those people just starved?

 

[Autumnleaf]

Since when is that evil? Would your friend rather that those people just starved?

Would you rather my friend steals food from you so your children starve so he can eat?

 

[HannahBanana]

Would you rather my friend steals food from you so your children starve so he can eat?

If I had children (which I don't), then, no, I wouldn't like that. There's a difference between ethical stealing (in which a poor person steals something that they actually need) and unethical stealing (in which a well-to-do person steals something that they merely want and don't actually need). Can you give me a reason as to why I should consider "ethical stealing" to actually be unethical?

 

[Autumnleaf]

If I had children (which I don't), then, no, I wouldn't like that. There's a difference between ethical stealing (in which a poor person steals something that they actually need) and unethical stealing (in which a well-to-do person steals something that they merely want and don't actually need). Can you give me a reason as to why I should consider "ethical stealing" to actually be unethical?

Yes, my friend stealing from you and your children so he/she can eat while you and yours starve.

 

[HannahBanana]

Yes, my friend stealing from you and your children so he/she can eat while you and yours starve.

That would be unethical stealing, though, since your friend wouldn't actually need food (or at least I'm guessing he wouldn't).

 

[Autumnleaf]

That would be unethical stealing, though, since your friend wouldn't actually need food (or at least I'm guessing he wouldn't).

What if he did? What if it was him and his versus you and yours? People seldom steal if they don't really need it.

 

[HannahBanana]

What if he did? What if it was him and his versus you and yours? People seldom steal if they don't really need it.

So you think that rich people (or middle-class people) never shoplift? Wow. You obviously don't watch the news, then. There are tons of news stories about that sort of thing. Here's proof:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2008/04/former_rmv_cler.html
http://www.wltx.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=61749
http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/conte...008/05/07/mckinney_youths_reportedly_sto.html

And if your friend really did need food, then, sure, I'd share my food with him.

 

[Soul Searcher]

If I may.. lots of bad things can happen due to not having money. Having been raised in a poor family and sometimes hungry I totally understand the meaning even though it is usually meant as somewhat of a joke.

I remember one night my father trying to run over a deer with his car so we would have some food for a few days.

Eeven though not having money can lead people to do bad things, that would be the quest for money in many cases that is the problem, yet not having money can place us in some dire situtations, hungry, naked, homeless and such. Those may not seem evil but it is to those who have to suffer through it.

 

[GeratTzedek]

Evil only exists in the minds of those who see it.

Riiiiighht. The holocaust wasn't really evil, not evil in any objective way. It's only evil in the minds of those who see it that way. Uh huh.

 

[GeratTzedek]

Money is not the root of evil. Lack of money is not the root of evil. The correct quote is the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. Aka GREED. Wanting things we do not have.

 

[Exhausted]

Riiiiighht. The holocaust wasn't really evil, not evil in any objective way. It's only evil in the minds of those who see it that way. Uh huh.

Right. Exactly. Objectively it was just a bunch of humans dying.

No big deal on any significant scale.

As a human, I feel that the Holocaust was a number of things, but not evil. Because evil is just a human idea, and I think it's a very bad idea.

 

[GeratTzedek]

Right. Exactly. Objectively it was just a bunch of humans dying.

No big deal on any significant scale.

As a human, I feel that the Holocaust was a number of things, but not evil. Because evil is just a human idea, and I think it's a very bad idea.

The saddest thing about this post is that you are so unconscious of its lack of ethics and its utter moral depravity, you have no sense of shame, and willingly post it in a public forum for all to see.