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cynic
Guest
…worth 10 million, gave 8 million of it to charity, kept the rest, lived off the interest and spent your time travelling, sightseeing and generally living a cushy life… would that be a sin?
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Milliardo
Guest
Long and short, no. The only problem I have with your statement is that you’ll give 8 million; I’d give 2 million to charity and the Church, and the rest I’ll save and/or invest. 
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Dale_M
Guest
Not if you shared some of it with me.
Seriously, I think being independently wealthy is not sinful. Being unable to work and eking out a living on disability payments isn’t sinful either.
But I think we all need to be contributing to the wellbeing of our neighbors. Having the leisure to do so in many ways doesn’t remove the obligation to do it in some way.
Seriously, I think being independently wealthy is not sinful. Being unable to work and eking out a living on disability payments isn’t sinful either.
But I think we all need to be contributing to the wellbeing of our neighbors. Having the leisure to do so in many ways doesn’t remove the obligation to do it in some way.
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Tantum_ergo
Guest
Maybe. . .maybe not.
Living off the interest of 2 million (and after paying the taxes for winning the 10 million in the first place, don’t forget) might not be all that ‘cushy’. Banks can fail, most only offer ‘protection’ for a limited amount of funds, cost of living can increase. Further, just because you might ‘only’ include ‘sightseeing’ doesn’t mean that will be ALL you do. And don’t forget, you’ve ALREADY (by your scenario) donated a very large ‘proportion’ of your winning to charity–presumably so out of love. A person who has already done this, IMO, is probably going to CONTINUE doing this sort of thing, and not just ‘rest on the laurels’. Maybe the ‘security’ of having money in the bank will have them start out sightseeing–and lead them to places where they can volunteer, can bring in things like rosaries or other goods to the poor.
Let’s not be so quick to judge just HOW MUCH ‘another’ person HAS to give lest he be ‘sinful.’
Living off the interest of 2 million (and after paying the taxes for winning the 10 million in the first place, don’t forget) might not be all that ‘cushy’. Banks can fail, most only offer ‘protection’ for a limited amount of funds, cost of living can increase. Further, just because you might ‘only’ include ‘sightseeing’ doesn’t mean that will be ALL you do. And don’t forget, you’ve ALREADY (by your scenario) donated a very large ‘proportion’ of your winning to charity–presumably so out of love. A person who has already done this, IMO, is probably going to CONTINUE doing this sort of thing, and not just ‘rest on the laurels’. Maybe the ‘security’ of having money in the bank will have them start out sightseeing–and lead them to places where they can volunteer, can bring in things like rosaries or other goods to the poor.
Let’s not be so quick to judge just HOW MUCH ‘another’ person HAS to give lest he be ‘sinful.’
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cynic
Guest
Love or getting rid of guilt? Couldn’t it be argued that keeping anyof it is a sin? Especially if your going to use it for recreation. Imagine what 2 extra million could do for the poor.
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Semper_Fi_1
Guest
If after taxes cleared I had 10 mil, I would put 5 in investment properties and live off the equity/dividends/interest. I would then seutp a will and a trust and have my money in an account which would accumulate interest and payout to the charities I like every year (I would of course help my family first). I would donate a tenth of the earnings (1 mil) to the Cardinal Kung Foundation and another cool mil to our local seminaries.
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RobHom
Guest
It would be a very poor argument. I don’t recall that God said you had to be broke or just getting by. Nor do I recall that He said you have to spend your entire life with your nose to the grindstone.
I think the sin would be hoarding it, and not using a fair amount for good works. Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, housing the homeless, educating the illiterate, and otherwise helping the poor.
Failing to be philantropic would be the sin. But under current tax laws in the US, $10M will net you $5M, and if you properly invested it in $100,000.00 CD’s with a good return, they would be insured federally…and the interest over the long term would do much good. The secret again is not hoarding…and spending foolishly.
Me, I think I would like to keep our parish’s St. Vincent DePauls food pantry full all the time, and set up a fund that would make sure that kids from poor families would be able to get properly educated, all the way through college.
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Catholig
Guest
If after taxes I had $10,000,000 ideally I would give a large portion to the Church - maybe even to the Institute of Christ the King.
$3,000,000 to ICRSS
$3,000,000 to some charity for the poor maybe Aid to the Church in Need.
And hopefully I’d keep the rest, i.e. $4,000,000.
Catholig
$3,000,000 to ICRSS
$3,000,000 to some charity for the poor maybe Aid to the Church in Need.
And hopefully I’d keep the rest, i.e. $4,000,000.
Catholig
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Hastrman
Guest
Not sure I’d give to these specific things, but that seems like about the right breakdown.
Of the 4 mil, I’d invest half in something fairly safe. With the other…I’d buy me a Tesla Roadster and have it painted like the General Lee, to start with.
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Proletarian
Guest
Yes! If someone has no need to work in order to support themself that person has no excuse for not committing their entire life to the Church and the Kingdom of God. How does “travelling, sightseeing and generally living a cushy life” glorify God?
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manualman
Guest
I would:
- Quit my current job.
- Fix up the house a bit.
- Get a nice conversion van and camper and spend the summer months touring America.
- Make it my day job during the rest of the year to find, research and seed-fund effective and holy catholic apostolates. Not be their permanent sugar-daddy, but give enough to launch them and gain enough exposure to either sink or swim on their own fruit. That would be incredibly cool, and I think it would greatly magnify the effect of the giving versus becoming a steady supplier for a few organizations.
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DebChris
Guest
When my mother was asked this question, she said she would have the Statue of Teresa in the Holy Rose Shrine in San Antonio sandblasted.
When I received an unexpected inheritance, I sent 10% to the shrine in her name. I knew it was what my mother would have wanted.
The question is one that I have considered. I come from a large family and thought of splitting it with my brothers and sisters. Legally a person can only receive $12,000 a year as a gift without any tax liability. How I would distribute the money has changed.
Few Catholic churches have transportation for those without a vehicle. I have thought about different parishes for each year and donating the cost of a vehicle plus one year’s fuel costs to provide transportation to Mass. The parishes would be ones to which I have belonged in the past.
Of course, I am not leaving myself out. My debts would be cleared. I would vacation someplace special, inviting my siblings whom I have not seen in years for a family reunion. I would build a small house for myself and possibly a larger one for my daughter and her family. This home might be on a ranch where I could have horses cared for by a caretaker.
Since I am frugal by nature, I would most likely invest the money, living off the dividends earned.
When I received an unexpected inheritance, I sent 10% to the shrine in her name. I knew it was what my mother would have wanted.
The question is one that I have considered. I come from a large family and thought of splitting it with my brothers and sisters. Legally a person can only receive $12,000 a year as a gift without any tax liability. How I would distribute the money has changed.
Few Catholic churches have transportation for those without a vehicle. I have thought about different parishes for each year and donating the cost of a vehicle plus one year’s fuel costs to provide transportation to Mass. The parishes would be ones to which I have belonged in the past.
Of course, I am not leaving myself out. My debts would be cleared. I would vacation someplace special, inviting my siblings whom I have not seen in years for a family reunion. I would build a small house for myself and possibly a larger one for my daughter and her family. This home might be on a ranch where I could have horses cared for by a caretaker.
Since I am frugal by nature, I would most likely invest the money, living off the dividends earned.
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CarrieH
Guest
We are asked to give of our time and talent, not just our treasure. IMHO, giving a huge amount in one category doesn’t cancel out the need to give from the others. If the “cushy” post-lottery life is completely self-involved and doesn’t include service to the Church and others, then yes, I would think it was sinful. But if the newly-rich person strikes a balance between his golf games, vacations, etc. and doing good works for his church, family, and community, then let him enjoy his riches in peace.
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legeorge
Guest
I always thought that if we hit the lottery, we would open a business like a nursing home. One that was really good, took great care of the patients, pay the employees good wages and benefits, and take in patients who couldn’t pay. That’s also something that my kids could eventually take over.
Of course I would also make sure the Shrine down the road never wanted for anything, and we would probably build a new home (not too big, just what we need), buy a new van (cause we’ve never had a brand new vehicle we didn’t have to worry about breaking down), help out our family members, and take a trip to Italy and the Holy Land (always one of my dreams).
Beyond that, I would make nice sized donations to the charities I already support and perhaps open a crisis pregnancy center. That is another dream.
Of course, I will never hit the lottery, because I never play it!
So this is all a fantasy.
Of course I would also make sure the Shrine down the road never wanted for anything, and we would probably build a new home (not too big, just what we need), buy a new van (cause we’ve never had a brand new vehicle we didn’t have to worry about breaking down), help out our family members, and take a trip to Italy and the Holy Land (always one of my dreams).
Beyond that, I would make nice sized donations to the charities I already support and perhaps open a crisis pregnancy center. That is another dream.
Of course, I will never hit the lottery, because I never play it!
So this is all a fantasy.
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ALLFORHIM
Guest
LOL— My family and I daydream about what we would do if we won the lottery. The problem is we NEVER playOf course, I will never hit the lottery, because I never play it!
Cant win it unless your in it!!!
Im such a goof dreaming about something that will never happen
I suppose it is human nature:shrug:
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Genesis315
Guest
Man is made to work–even before the fall, Adam and Eve were to work as stewards of creation. It is the sin of sloth to refuse to work when you are able. If you were going to subsist off the interest, you could take time for recreation, but you should also set aside time to work in some way–perhaps volunteering for a charity.
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cynic
Guest
I’m curiouse about this, say for example, there was no poverty in the world, everyone was a practicing christian/catholic, what then? I mean this is the ideal. What would we do with our spare time then? Sit there and meditate on our sinful nature and how Glorious God is? Did he make us just for that (off topic)
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Linnyo
Guest
So did you win the lottery? I have an excellent way for you to invest the money… . Can you guess how?
. Can you guess how?
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phil8888
Guest
I don’t think it would be sinful to save up a bunch of money to do the things you enjoy. Obviously if you are frequenting this board you are interested in apologetics and defending the truth. I have been off work for a couple of months now, and I am very interested in doing church activities and so on. After a while, sitting back and doing nothing is not that interesting, and I think people who do not need to worry about their financial future have the potential to contribute greatly to society.
I don’t think you NEED to live a life of poverty or even of hard labor or whatever else. Some of the comments I have read here almost seem to suggest that unless you are torturing yourself, you are not really living God’s word, but I disagree with that. I think you can have a happy life and do what you love doing and still serve God. Shouldn’t we love what we do anyway?
I don’t think you NEED to live a life of poverty or even of hard labor or whatever else. Some of the comments I have read here almost seem to suggest that unless you are torturing yourself, you are not really living God’s word, but I disagree with that. I think you can have a happy life and do what you love doing and still serve God. Shouldn’t we love what we do anyway?
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ChinaDad
Guest
cynic,
I play on a regular basis, not much, but I calculate the numbers to better the odds. I think what most are saying here is correct. Just because you donate a large portion to the church or some other charity it doesn’t desolve your duty/obligation to God to help others…when you can…on a continual basis. I don’t believe that means you can’t travel or have fun by any means. btw - 2 million, even after ttaxes isn’t going to get you very far for very long.
I do play. If I ever hit a large pot, I go and ask Father for a dime, and then I tell him what I’ve done with his money. He/the church gets 10% off the top. A large majority of the rest goes into a non-profit philanthropic foundation that I would direct…on a daily basis. I can’t think of any better job in the world than to be able to help people on a daily basis. Of course my main focus would be to help the orphans of China and other places with medical costs and daily needs. And also help Christian families here adopt that may not be able to otherwise.
I guess I would recommend you do something to help others that you feel passionate about, but what you can’t do, and what I think would be a sin, is to try to pay your way out of having to help others on that daily basis, and I could be wrong, but that’s what your question sounds like you’d be trying to do.
Remember, it’s harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.
Good luck!
I play on a regular basis, not much, but I calculate the numbers to better the odds. I think what most are saying here is correct. Just because you donate a large portion to the church or some other charity it doesn’t desolve your duty/obligation to God to help others…when you can…on a continual basis. I don’t believe that means you can’t travel or have fun by any means. btw - 2 million, even after ttaxes isn’t going to get you very far for very long.
I do play. If I ever hit a large pot, I go and ask Father for a dime, and then I tell him what I’ve done with his money. He/the church gets 10% off the top. A large majority of the rest goes into a non-profit philanthropic foundation that I would direct…on a daily basis. I can’t think of any better job in the world than to be able to help people on a daily basis. Of course my main focus would be to help the orphans of China and other places with medical costs and daily needs. And also help Christian families here adopt that may not be able to otherwise.
I guess I would recommend you do something to help others that you feel passionate about, but what you can’t do, and what I think would be a sin, is to try to pay your way out of having to help others on that daily basis, and I could be wrong, but that’s what your question sounds like you’d be trying to do.
Remember, it’s harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.
Good luck!
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