Does God favor rich people?

[jaiyen]

I’ve quite often heard the sentiment that those who are wealthy are “blessed”. Needless to say, my posting on this subject means I take issue with it.

What do you think? Does God like rich people best?

Thanks for your thoughts

~Jai yen

 

[grampben]

Certainly not! Matthew 23-24:

23And Jesus said to His disciples, "Truly I say to you, (A)it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

24"Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

Ezekiel 16:49

“This was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride of wealth and food in plenty, comfort and ease, and yet she never helped the poor and the wretched.”

Also read Matthew 25:34-45.

The message I get is that wealthy people have a moral obligation to help the poor.
People who hoard wealth primarily for their own gain are sinful. That sin is greed.

 

[Trishie]

Hi Jai yen

By blessed, people probably mean, ‘lucky’.

Jesus made clear His love and compassion for the poor

“Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You; or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and make You welcome; naked and clothe You; sick or in prison and go to see You?” Jesus replies “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.” “In so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least, you neglected to do it to me.” [Matthew 25:37-40, 45-46]
“Is there a poor brother among you, one of your brothers, in any town of yours? Do not harden your heart or close your hand against that poor brother of yours, but be open-handed with him.” [Deuteronomy 15:7-8] “Cease to do evil. Learn to do good, search for justice, help the oppressed, be just to the orphan, and plead for the widow.[then] Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” [Isaiah 1:17-18]

Mary’s words from the bible, God’s word:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit exults in God my saviour;
because He has looked upon His lowly handmaid.
Yes, from this day forward all generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty has done great things for me. Holy is His name,
and His mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear him.
He has shown the power of His arm, He has routed the proud of heart.
He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly.
The hungry He has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away.
He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of His mercy
—according to the promises He made to our ancestors—
of His mercy to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” [Luke 1:46-79]

With regards, Trishie

 

[Tonks40]

The Beatitudes speaks of this beautifully:

Matthew 5:3-12

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me.

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.

 

[stinkcat_14]

I’ve quite often heard the sentiment that those who are wealthy are “blessed”. Needless to say, my posting on this subject means I take issue with it.

What do you think? Does God like rich people best?

Thanks for your thoughts

~Jai yen

There is no doubt that people who are wealthy are blessed and all of us who have wealth should be thankful for what we have. Now, does this mean that God cares for the rich more than the poor? Absolutely not! What it does mean is that those of us who are blessed with more wealth (which is a quite high fraction of us in the US) have an obligation to bless others with what we have been blessed with.

 

[puzzleannie]

I’ve quite often heard the sentiment that those who are wealthy are “blessed”. Needless to say, my posting on this subject means I take issue with it.

What do you think? Does God like rich people best?

Thanks for your thoughts

~Jai yen

that would be saying that because I enjoy one blessing, no one who has received other types of good gifts from God has been blessed. I have been blessed with children, so God hates all those to whom he has not given this gift. That is ludicrous. Read, pray and meditate upon the Beatitudes for the real deal.

 

[Athanasiy]

In any activity its natural to grow.
If you are a teacher or doctor you should grow in your skills.
If you are businessman you should grow in business.
Is it not true that among the U.S. Business Elite there are many dedicated Christians who give a lot of money for the charity projects and other noble purposes ?

A few years ago , I heard about the Argentinian ambassadors of UNIAPAC ( ACDE ) who offered the matter of Businessman Enrike Ernesto Show for canonization.
I do not know if that businessman is canonized by the Church but I think the todays business needs more and more dedicated Christians.
It will be much better for the moral climate of todays business in the world.

 

[vera_dicere]

I’ve met a few non Catholic Christain who said because I was “poor” that GOd wasn’t blessing me, as God loves to bless his people, and He loves to give us money and so if we’re poor it means a) God doesn’t love us, and b) we are refusing God’s blessing, thus refusing God.

Both of which are the most horrifically dengenerate lines of thought. I was poor because I was a student with no income and I had to mooch off the govt and my parents - both of who didn’t or couldnt’ give me much. It certainly didn’t mean God hated or shunned me.

And the way I look at it, if you’ve got money and you’re Christain, good for you, just make sure you give to charity and ensure your family is safe and healthy. If your poor that’s not too good but might not be your fault, but God don’t hate you for it.

Besides, Hugh Heftner, Bill Gates and quite a few others have a poop load of money, they may be “blessed” from a secular point of view, but spiritually… well… I think there might be some concerns. Lets see how their money helps them out when they stand before God and have to defend the lives they’ve led.