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Is Materialism a Sin?

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
“Our God is a consuming fire. He consumes pride, lust, materialism, and other sin.” Leonard Ravenhill
Speaking only from my understanding.

Materialism in it self is no sin, what is important (in spiritual lifestyle) is to be detatched to any materiallistic objects, and spend time focusing on the spiritual aspects of life.

To call it a sin, is maybe pulling it to far :) but it can become an obstical in life of a spiritual person.
 

exchemist

Veteran Member
“Our God is a consuming fire. He consumes pride, lust, materialism, and other sin.” Leonard Ravenhill
First, a definition of materialism is needed. This is a much abused term. Who the hell is this Ravenhill person, anyway? Do we care what he says?
 

George-ananda

Advaita Vedanta, Theosophy, Spiritualism
Premium Member
materialism

NOUN

  1. a tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values.

Is Materialism a Sin?

Well if we consider sin to be behavior and temptations that takes us further from our spiritual goal, then I would answer 'Yes'.
 
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Brickjectivity

Turned to Stone. Now I stretch daily.
Staff member
Premium Member
“Our God is a consuming fire. He consumes pride, lust, materialism, and other sin.” Leonard Ravenhill
Leonard Ravenhill - Wikipedia

Leonard Ravenhill's association with Last Days Ministries is telling, because I am familiar with Keith Green's music and the biography about him No Compromise. I feel like it gives me some sense of who this quotation is from.

View materialism as an extreme.

Keith Greene's music is at the opposite extreme. At one time Greene was giving away his music for free in order to get people to hear his message. He produced it and distributed it to Christian music shops and had them charge 0 dollars, but he didn't need to do so as he was already popular (at least according to what the book said about him).

Keith Green lives his life like Icarus. Keith Green dies in a plane crash, but that is not what I am talking about. He's trying to be extremely close to God, to be like Elijah or Moses. He drives himself to extremes, melts himself. He believes all the stories by people who pretend like they hear God constantly and who always talk about personal miracles on stage. His music is doleful and introspective and guilt ridden. He hates being a human being and is constantly singing about his own weakness and failure to do what God wants him to, to speak out and reach out and to believe and to keep his love hot.

I've known a lot of people like him and have been in the same condition before, in my teens and twenties. I have friends like him on FB. If he were alive I might advise him to read several verses about being a human and being content, not to go towards extremes.

Materialism is an extreme, and few people are pure materialists. Most are somewhat soulful, think about other things. There is some truth to Maslowe's Hierarchy of Needs.
 
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Wildswanderer

Veteran Member
Do you see it more about greed than philosophy?

The philosophy of materialism is basically there is no spiritualism/supernaturalism, only materialism.

Is rejecting the spiritual/supernatural/divine a sin?
I think what Jesus was referring to is putting material things above God in your life. It's not that they are wrong in themselves. Stuff is just stuff but we should not love it more than people or God.
 

exchemist

Veteran Member
materialism

NOUN

  1. a tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values.

Is Materialism a Sin?

Well if we consider sin to be behavior and temptations that takes us further from our spiritual goal, then I would answer 'Yes'.
Yes but that is only one definition of it. Why don't you quote them all, to give a proper impression of the importance of saying which one is meant?

To show you what I am talking about, here is is the Wiki article on materialism: Materialism - Wikipedia

This is a philosophical position: nothing to do with obsessing about a new sofa or flat-screen TV.
 
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mikkel_the_dane

My own religion
Do you see it more about greed than philosophy?

The philosophy of materialism is basically there is no spiritualism/supernaturalism, only materialism.

Is rejecting the spiritual/supernatural/divine a sin?

It depends on how you do materialism in connection with other claims.
 

George-ananda

Advaita Vedanta, Theosophy, Spiritualism
Premium Member
Yes but that is only one definition of it. Why don't you quote them all, to give a proper impression of the importance of saying which one is meant?
I was using the definition intended in the OP quote. That is what this discussion is supposed to be about.
 
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