exerpt taken from The Jungle, written by Upton Sinclair :
"Why should Jesus's words and life have no authority among those who profess to adore him? Here is a man who was the wolrds first revolutionist, the true founder of the Socialist Movement; a man whose whole being was one flame of hatred for wealth, and all that wealth stands for - for the oride of wealth, and the luxury of wealth, ang the tyranny of wealth. Who was Himself a beggar and a tramp, a man of the people, an associate of saloon- keepers and women of the town; who again denounced wealth and the holding of wealth: (New Testament) " Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth!", "Sell that ye have and give alms" , "Blessed are ye poor, for yours is the Kingdom of heaven.", "Woe unto you that are rich, for ye have recieved your consolation", "Verily, I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven!"
When I read The Jungle, it made me open my eyes a little wider. How can the "American Dream" be against the will of the Lord? Everything we, as a society, strive for is the exact thing that rebukes us in His name. Or is it how the rich stay rich and let everyone else fall to comparison? Is it up to the rich to support those who cannot reach that high of a plain in society? Jesus felt what the poor and homeless felt because he lived as they did. Can we really believe that every person can become rich and have the ultimate luxury. And if you do have the luxeries in life, are you sinning? Are you being gluttoness and did you give in to temptation? Please let me know what you think!
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Is your stomach your god? Are your possessions the most important things in your life, or more important than you worship of God? Those who have nothing can see God more easily, because nothing material is keeping them from thinking about God; Those who are rich can easily think that they have no need of God.
The American Dream isn't against God's will.
Money isn't evil. The LOVE of money is the root of evil. (Especially since the love of money detracts from the love of God.)
there is nothing wrong with having things or money, it just shouldn't be the focus of your life.
Remember that Matthew was a tax collecter, Luke a Doctor, a few were fisherman. Jesus himself, prior to ministry, was a Carpenter.
None of those were 'poor' jobs, though a case could be made for the fishermen being poor.
However, when the call came, they were willing to leave everything behind and do what needed to be done.
They were more attached to God than their things. THAT is the moral to hold dear.
No, you aren't sinning when you buy that mustang, though many of our materialistic purchases are fairly unwise.
Remember, always, that the borrower is a slave to the lender. (proverbs)
Yes, I believe that every person can become wealthy and have the ultimate luxury because its like this phrase, "There's always light at the end of the tunnel". Also another reason why I believe that is because if you really work hard at your jobs, you can earn a lot of money.