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pio_s
Guest
is jealousy ever ok?
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TOP
Guest
I can’t think of any time it would be ok. Isn’t envy a capital sin? Tim
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Windmill
Guest
“You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God” (Exodus 20:4-5).
Jealousy is not evil unless the object of desire is evil. The confusion lies is the lack of distinction in our vocabulary between “jealousy” and “envy.” Jealousy is desiring what antoher person has. Envy is desiring what another has, and not wanting the other person to have it. Envy is accompanied by hate while jealousy is not necessarily.
So, for example, I may be jealous that my neighbor has a nice car. So, I work hard, save my money, and get one for myself. However, if I am envious, I would go and scratch my neighbor’s car with my keys.
God is a jealous God because he wants our hearts which, all too often, are given over to earthly things. He wants that which these idols possess: US.
Jealousy is not evil unless the object of desire is evil. The confusion lies is the lack of distinction in our vocabulary between “jealousy” and “envy.” Jealousy is desiring what antoher person has. Envy is desiring what another has, and not wanting the other person to have it. Envy is accompanied by hate while jealousy is not necessarily.
So, for example, I may be jealous that my neighbor has a nice car. So, I work hard, save my money, and get one for myself. However, if I am envious, I would go and scratch my neighbor’s car with my keys.
God is a jealous God because he wants our hearts which, all too often, are given over to earthly things. He wants that which these idols possess: US.
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NoxSineStellae
Guest
Are jealousy and envy the same thing though? I know envy is a deadly sin…
I can’t remember where I heard it, but someone once said that jealousy is wanting what someone else has, while envy is wanting what someone else has and for them not to have it.
For instance - I’m jealous of some women’s perfectly flat stomachs. I’d really like to have one, but even at emaciated thinness, I always have a little swell. Or really great, curly hair. But I’ve never looked at a woman and thought, “Oh, I wish I had her hair and that she didn’t”.
I will say that the darkest emotion I’ve ever felt was when I found out that a former friend was teaching kindergarden. You see, when we were in school, for over 8 years, I was her only friend, I stuck up for her when she was bullied, I supported her in everything…I gradually lost most of my other friends because they couldn’t stand her (I couldn’t see why not, and valiently defended her). The instant I needed her, when I became seriously ill, she not only abandoned me, but told me that if I was sick, it was punishment from God, and besides, I was faking anyway
Her dream had always been to teach kindergarden, mine had been to teach Latin. She achieved hers, while I went through years of agonizing pain and loneliness.
There is still a hardened part of me that I think would celebrate if I found out she lost everything. And I hate it, but it won’t go away. It is most definitely a terrible sin of envy.
I can’t remember where I heard it, but someone once said that jealousy is wanting what someone else has, while envy is wanting what someone else has and for them not to have it.
For instance - I’m jealous of some women’s perfectly flat stomachs. I’d really like to have one, but even at emaciated thinness, I always have a little swell. Or really great, curly hair. But I’ve never looked at a woman and thought, “Oh, I wish I had her hair and that she didn’t”.
I will say that the darkest emotion I’ve ever felt was when I found out that a former friend was teaching kindergarden. You see, when we were in school, for over 8 years, I was her only friend, I stuck up for her when she was bullied, I supported her in everything…I gradually lost most of my other friends because they couldn’t stand her (I couldn’t see why not, and valiently defended her). The instant I needed her, when I became seriously ill, she not only abandoned me, but told me that if I was sick, it was punishment from God, and besides, I was faking anyway
Her dream had always been to teach kindergarden, mine had been to teach Latin. She achieved hers, while I went through years of agonizing pain and loneliness.There is still a hardened part of me that I think would celebrate if I found out she lost everything. And I hate it, but it won’t go away. It is most definitely a terrible sin of envy.
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puzzleannie
Guest
no if by that word you mean the sin of wishing evil on another person because of what they have (envy) or the sin of wanting for yourself all the attention of another person focused on you (jealously) because both are sins of the ego, jealously against the first commandment, placing God above all else, and sometimes against the 9th commandment if it includes sexual jealously, and envy against the 5th and sometimes 10th commandment.
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