"For the love of money is the root of all evil; which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." 1 Tim 6:10
Capitalism, an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state. In short a system based upon money. Our unrestrained spending and consumption has led to many severe problems. One is debt, which almost every single American is affected by directly or indirectly. Credit card debt is the largest totally somewhere in the trillions and as the politicians whore themselves to the major banks filing for bankruptcy is virtually impossible anymore. This also comes with an increase in predatory tactics used by banks to sink more people deeper into debt. These companies are unforgiving and relentless, even demonizing the borrower to justify their unmerciful approach. Oddly enough our own government is in debt is somewhere around 13 trillion dollars, and counting. What is unique is how the U.S. government persuades countries like China to be merciful, and jumping through hoops for the Federal Reserve (which is not federal) in order to avoid paying outrageous interest and other compounded fees. Christ speaks of this very same thing in Mt. 18:32 in which a servant begged his master to forgive his debt, and the master did. The servant had then gone out and found a fellow servant who owed him money, and would NOT forgive his debts. This is the exact same thing the U.S. government is doing and it is unacceptable.
If we borrow money in order to buy a house, a car, or other unnecessary things, we then become a slave to the lender. (Prov. 22:7) Can we serve God and our banks? According to Christ in Mt. 6:24 and Lk 16:13 we cannot serve two masters, can we serve God and mammon? Mammon meaning wealth as evil influence or a false object of worship. Christ tells us no, yet we still try. Why is it a necessity to buy something we cannot pay cash for? Our system is based on spending. If we stop spending our economy will collapse. Therefore they want us to spend, they want us to be in debt and they want us to do this our whole lives, its another form of slavery.
Let us say that you buy a house. To buy that house, assuming you have not saved for 30 years, you would need someone to loan you the money. Therefore you go the bank, who determines your worth and your trustworthiness and then gives you a loan with a hefty amount of interest added to the principal. Let us also say that you never re-finance your home, which is possible but increasingly rare. It will take you approximately 30 years to pay off that house, assuming you make your payments on time every month. For 30 years you are basically part of a feudal system in which you do not own the land, the land owns you. This is also assuming that the bank who lent to you does not use any shady business practices to get you further into a mess. For atleast 30 years you will attempt to serve two masters, because "the borrower is servant to the lender." (Prov. 22:7) and therefore you have no choice in the matter.
This exchange of goods and services is equivalent to financial prostitution. You pay more money than the house is worth because of the added interest, granted you may eventually own that house but at what cost? Just as a pimp takes an unfair percentage of her money, so too does the bank take an unfair percentage of the borrowers money. If a pimp does not get his money or his whore tries to escape, he will hunt her down at all costs and punish her severely. The banks also hunt you down with such sophisticated techniques it is impossible to hide. These banks show even less mercy than the pimp, they will take everything without thinking twice, and the law is on their side giving them an unfair advantage.
Yet we subscribe to this system based on money. A system that turns the average person into a materialist, desiring the most useless and unneeded of things. Over consuming and being proud of it, flaunting it to the world.
Once caught in this cycle of spending and over consuming, it is virtually inescapable. Our minds have been taught to spend, to over consume so we know no other way. We must reject the worldly and understand our spirituality. "All is vanity" (Eccl. 1:1) And it is true, everything worldly is worthless. Why do we strive to attain these things that have no spiritual value whatsoever? Why do we beat it into our childrens head that they must be successful in the world? We send them out to an un-Christian world and expect them to be un-phased. Simplicity is the answer. We are waiting for the second coming of our Lord, which is not far off based on the deteriorating conditions of this world, so why are we busying ourselves with worldly distinction, and attaining worldly things? It is the weakness of man, doing what he wants to as opposed to what he should do. Trusting in himself more than the God he claims to believe in. Giving in to his own personal desires instead of casting them to the wayside.
This blog is a precursor to the upcoming book "All is Vanity".
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