Is wanting to be rich a sin?

[bèlla]

So do you have any objections to what I’ve said?

Truthfully, yes. I'm a single parent who left the workforce before most two-parent households can conceive it. I worked in wealth management. My client's wealth was akin to a small corporation. You find that disconcerting. Is not the Most High still in control?

He never promised you wealth or riches.

 

[gaara4158]

Truthfully, yes. I'm a single parent who left the workforce before most two-parent households can conceive it. I worked in wealth management. My client's wealth was akin to a small corporation. You find that disconcerting. Is not the Most High still in control?

He never promised you wealth or riches.

No, there is no Most High, but if that’s our point of disagreement this discussion is going to veer in a direction more appropriate for a different sub forum. As it happens, I stand to inherit more wealth than I could ever expect to earn or need and it’s nowhere near the billions. I can tell you right now I don’t intend to merely sit on it. The people who do have that much in liquid assets and aren’t investing or running businesses with it are literally hoarding.

 

[bèlla]

No, there is no Most High, but if that’s our point of disagreement this discussion is going to veer in a direction more appropriate for a different sub forum. As it were, I stand to inherit more wealth than I could ever expect to earn or need and it’s nowhere near the billions. The people who do have that much in liquid assets and aren’t investing or running businesses with it are literally hoarding.

Whether they're hoarding isn't the issue. You have freedoms that others may not agree with. You have a right to your humanism much like they have a right to their money. If they don't want to share a morsel it's their right to do so. They are exercising their liberty much like you have done. No one is entitled to anyone's money. Ever.

Case closed.

 

[gaara4158]

Whether they're hoarding isn't the issue. You have freedoms that others may not agree with. You have a right to your humanism much like they have a right to their money. If they don't want to share a morsel it's their right to do so. They are exercising their liberty much like you have done. No one is entitled to anyone's money. Ever.

Case closed.

I suppose that’s the case legally, but ethically it’s a different story. Case closed.

 

[bèlla]

I suppose that’s the case legally, but ethically it’s a different story. Case closed.

You have your moral compass and your neighbor has their own. This issue only matters if they're seeking your validation or approval..

Give it away if you wish. But don't expect people to follow suit. As you've wisely noted, "a mind is a terrible thing to waste."

 

[gaara4158]

You have your moral compass and your neighbor has their own. This issue only matters if they're seeking your validation or approval..

Give it away if you wish. But don't expect people to follow suit. As you've wisely noted, "a mind is a terrible thing to waste."

I’m aware that my judgment of billionaires won’t affect them, but my votes will

 

[bèlla]

I’m aware that my judgment of billionaires won’t affect them, but my votes will

I think it's good to vote according to your conscience. We are in possession of some measure of indifference within us. And we're unbothered by that in many instances.

It is only troublesome when combined with wealth and power because of the magnitude of its results. Their lack of care is more catastrophic than the man who has less. But it hails from the same place. Empathy is rarely inspired by negativity or judgment.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

But none of these money amounts are indicators in-themselves of what kind of person you are.

True. You are what you are regardless of your wealth or lack of it. I'm the same person whether rich or poor. That said I've always known that I would prosper so I never gave it much (anxious) thought. There is a natural tendency to prosper as one goes through life if one can avoid foolish mistakes and take advantage of opportunities.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Some people can't 'move on' until they have a certain amount of wealth. Personally I have a financial 'comfort' level that I must reach before I retire ( that's why I'm still working).

 

[RDKirk]

Is "wanting to be rich" a sin?

The problem is the existential desire.

A man wants to be rich. Wealth is what he wants as his being. He wants wealth to be a personal characteristic, like a good head of hair and being over six feet tall.

This is different from someone who wants to be in the position of having the resources to feed all the poor in his city. That person doesn't want to be rich. He sees himself doing good things with money, he doesn't see himself as a rich man. He sees himself as a good steward.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Wanting to improve the circumstances of your life and the lives of those you care about isn't wrong. Having money isn't the problem either.

The problem lay in ourselves, what Western theologians have called concupiscience--lust/desire, but is used to refer to the inward desire to pursue ourselves selfishly and destructively. In Lutheran parlance we use the Latin phrase homo incurvatus in se, man curved or bent inward upon himself. The inwardly facing pursuit of ourselves, in contrast to God's will that we look outside of ourselves toward Him and our neighbor.

The problem with the rich young ruler wasn't that he happened to be well off financially, but that when push came to shove, his wealth was more important than anything else.

That's why the love of money is said to be "the root of all evil", the root problem is in our desires for power, strength, wealth, and so forth; which are frequently exercised in harmful ways, because the human condition is inwardly bent and broken.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[He is the way]

I believe it is important to seek the kingdom of God first. Then if a person desires to help other people God can help that person to have the means to do so. After all being rich is not the root of all evil, it is the LOVE of money that is the root of all evil. What did the rich man do for Lazarus the beggar? The dogs had more compassion on him than rich man did. Perhaps wanting to be rich for the wrong reasons could indeed be sin. God knows our thoughts and desires.