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Jesus was NOT a capitalist

Was Jesus in favor of monetary gain?

  • He taught a gainful life

    Votes: 6 20.7%
  • He taught a life of abstinence

    Votes: 23 79.3%

  • Total voters
    29

Corvus

Feathered eyeball connoisseur
The Rich Young Man
(Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-30)

16Just then, a man came up to Jesus and inquired, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to obtain eternal life?”

17“Why do you ask Me about what is good?” Jesus replied, “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

18“Which ones?” the man asked.

Jesus answered, “‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness,19honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.’d

20“All these I have kept,” said the young man. “What do I still lack?”

21Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”

22When the young man heard this, he went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth.

23Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

25When the disciples heard this they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

26Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

27“Look,” Peter replied, “we have left everything to follow You. What then will there be for us?”

28Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wifee or children or fields for the sake of My name will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.
 

Kemosloby

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
He taught to give up wealth in this life for wealth in the next life. "Giving to the poor is laying up treasure in heaven"

Do Not Worry
2Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves with purses that will not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.…

So Jesus was a Capitalist, teaching people to invest their money in Heaven.
 

The Holy Bottom Burp

Active Member
That passage that @Corvus quoted is a remarkable one for a number of reasons. Does Jesus hint at salvation through good works? Does he deny his own divinity by “Why do you ask Me about what is good? There is only One who is good."?

Anyhoo, of course the person of Jesus in the bible advocates a life of abstinence and poverty in materialistic terms, but he values "spiritual wealth". The prosperity gospel crew have completed some impressive mental gymnastics to turn that message on its head.

There is a problem with what Jesus says if you take it to its logical conclusion. If everyone gave up everything to the poor, the only people who wouldn't be poor any more would be those who were previously poor before the Christians gave them everything! Then the previously poor people would have to give up all the wealth given to them by the new poor people who follow Jesus (who are now poor) so they would have to give up everything again..etc.
 

Jedster

Well-Known Member
Who thinks he's a capitalist?
Seems to me he was a leftie.
If he was a capitalist he wouldn't have thrown out merchants & money lenders from the temple. I see nothing wrong in providing services in a place where many travelled long distances to be and it was gathering place.
 

Corvus

Feathered eyeball connoisseur
That passage that @Corvus quoted is a remarkable one for a number of reasons. Does Jesus hint at salvation through good works? Does he deny his own divinity by “Why do you ask Me about what is good? There is only One who is good."?
Ah a clever one eh? We shall have to watch you. ;)
 

Corvus

Feathered eyeball connoisseur
Anyhoo, of course the person of Jesus in the bible advocates a life of abstinence and poverty in materialistic terms, but he values "spiritual wealth". The prosperity gospel crew have completed some impressive mental gymnastics to turn that message on its head.
Hehe, indeed. Amusing watching them attempt to do so. Not sure Jesus would laugh though.
 

Corvus

Feathered eyeball connoisseur
Holy Bottom Burp, I see or infer that you support Tottenham Hotspur or as I call them The Scum. Can you explain yourself?
 

BSM1

What? Me worry?
He taught to give up wealth in this life for wealth in the next life. "Giving to the poor is laying up treasure in heaven"

Do Not Worry
2Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves with purses that will not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.…

So Jesus was a Capitalist, teaching people to invest their money in Heaven.


Obviously he knew that you had to earn to give it away.

Seems to me he was a leftie.
If he was a capitalist he wouldn't have thrown out merchants & money lenders from the temple. I see nothing wrong in providing services in a place where many travelled long distances to be and it was gathering place.


Throwing the money-changers out of the inner sanctum of the temple had absolutely nothing to so with economic theories. You might want to investigate to story a little deeper. Also, there were no merchants involved in the butt whippin'.
 

Jeremiahcp

Well-Known Jerk
The Rich Young Man
(Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-30)

16Just then, a man came up to Jesus and inquired, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to obtain eternal life?”

17“Why do you ask Me about what is good?” Jesus replied, “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

18“Which ones?” the man asked.

Jesus answered, “‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness,19honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.’d

20“All these I have kept,” said the young man. “What do I still lack?”

21Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”

22When the young man heard this, he went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth.

23Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

25When the disciples heard this they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

26Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

27“Look,” Peter replied, “we have left everything to follow You. What then will there be for us?”

28Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wifee or children or fields for the sake of My name will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.

It is still motivated by greed if you are giving up your riches in life because you expect to get something better in death. That passage not only makes Jesus and his followers look desperately greedy for the wealth of Heaven and eternal life, but it also makes them look like suckers for being taken in by such nonsense.
 

Nakosis

Non-Binary Physicalist
Premium Member
let's go for it
use His own words if you can

Perhaps Jesus was not a capitalist but the Church was...

"Capitalism, it is usually assumed, flowered around the same time as the Enlightenment–the eighteenth century–and, like the Enlightenment, entailed a diminution of organized religion. In fact, the Catholic Church of the Middle Ages was the main locus for the first flowerings of capitalism."

How Christianity Created Capitalism | Acton Institute


dffj0.jpg
 

metis

aged ecumenical anthropologist
And remember that the apostles shared their income in common, and I do believe we all know what that means. And Jesus was no more a capitalist than I am George Clooney. :cool:
 

The Holy Bottom Burp

Active Member
Holy Bottom Burp, I see or infer that you support Tottenham Hotspur or as I call them The Scum. Can you explain yourself?
How dare you sir, please don't tell me you're a Gooner? I've now gone right off you...
My old Mum was born in Edmonton, supporting Spurs is in the blood! ;)
 
Last edited:

leibowde84

Veteran Member
let's go for it
use His own words if you can
Given that we have no way of knowing what Jesus' actual words were, as he didn't write anything down himself, it is tough to "use his own words". But, by his actions, he seems to have preferred a more socialistic society where the main concern was that everyone is taken care of by their neighbors. Certainly capitalism would not fit into his worldview. But, he apparently did not teach abstinence. He provided alcohol to others, there is no claim in the Bible that he abstained from alcohol, and, back then, alcohol was sort of a necessity. But, when it comes to money, he said that his followers should give up all of their possessions and follow him. So, abstinence when it comes to buying nice things and such seems off limits.
 

leibowde84

Veteran Member
Perhaps Jesus was not a capitalist but the Church was...

"Capitalism, it is usually assumed, flowered around the same time as the Enlightenment–the eighteenth century–and, like the Enlightenment, entailed a diminution of organized religion. In fact, the Catholic Church of the Middle Ages was the main locus for the first flowerings of capitalism."

How Christianity Created Capitalism | Acton Institute


dffj0.jpg
The middle ages were more than a thousand years after Jesus. The early Church was not capitalist.
 

BSM1

What? Me worry?
Given that we have no way of knowing what Jesus' actual words were, as he didn't write anything down himself, it is tough to "use his own words". But, by his actions, he seems to have preferred a more socialistic society where the main concern was that everyone is taken care of by their neighbors. Certainly capitalism would not fit into his worldview. But, he apparently did not teach abstinence. He provided alcohol to others, there is no claim in the Bible that he abstained from alcohol, and, back then, alcohol was sort of a necessity. But, when it comes to money, he said that his followers should give up all of their possessions and follow him. So, abstinence when it comes to buying nice things and such seems off limits.

I think the point you are missing is that Jesus' father was a carpenter. He had to sell his goods to provide for his family. He didn't give them away, nor did he simply share his creations with every loser that showed up at his door. Also, all the disciples were workmen in some form or another. They were not socialist by any means. They sold their fish for money and Matthew worked for the government; he collected taxes on this money earned. I can find nowhere were Yeshua told his followers to live in a commune. Nor could I find anywhere when He compelled others to share their stuff. As I have said before many of his parables high-lighted entrepreneurs. Jesus was no Pinko.
 
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