Monsignor Pope Ping!
I would like to debate this line in the story:
“Instead, most of us respond to a pay increase, for example, by expanding our lifestyle ....”
So, is this part of the sentence wrong? I do not think so. Suppose we do expand our life style. Doesn’t that decision expand the economic base by creating new demand that someone else can fill and thus allow that other person to get what they need through capitalistic markets?
Sorry to say, I believe in the Milton Friedman school of thought and expanding one’s lifestyle is not, by itself, a sign of ‘greed’.
There must be more and I trust the second part of the sentence which is, “...and continuing to complain that we don’t have enough.” is the required second piece for it to equate to greed.
In short, you need both pieces of the sentence to make it greed. The first part of the sentence is not sufficient in my mind.
JoMa
What does God say on the matter?
(Proverbs 15:27) Greed brings grief to the whole family, but those who hate bribes will live.
(Proverbs 28:25) Greed causes fighting; trusting the LORD leads to prosperity.
(Jeremiah 6:13) “From the least to the greatest, their lives are ruled by greed. From prophets to priests, they are all frauds.
(Jeremiah 8:10) I will give their wives to others and their farms to strangers. From the least to the greatest, their lives are ruled by greed. Yes, even My prophets and priests are like that. They are all frauds.
(Jeremiah 22:17) “But you! You have eyes only for greed and dishonesty! You murder the innocent, oppress the poor, and reign ruthlessly.”
(Ezekiel 7:19) “They will throw their money in the streets, tossing it out like worthless trash. Their silver and gold won’t save them on that day of the LORD’s anger. It will neither satisfy nor feed them, for their greed can only trip them up.
(Habakkuk 2:5) Wealth is treacherous, and the arrogant are never at rest. They open their mouths as wide as the grave, and like death, they are never satisfied. In their greed they have gathered up many nations and swallowed many peoples.
(Matthew 23:25) “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence!
(Mark 7:22) adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness.
(Luke 11:39) Then the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and wickedness!
(Luke 12:15) Then He said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
(Romans 1:29) Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.
(Ephesians 5:3) Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people.
(2 Peter 2:3) In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed.
(2 Peter 2:14) They commit adultery with their eyes, and their desire for sin is never satisfied. They lure unstable people into sin, and they are well trained in greed. They live under God’s curse.
I don't know this guy, I have long since ceased being a practicing Catholic, but I have serious problems with this statement.
Bill Whittle recently said in his "What We Believe" videos (which I heartily recommend to anyone identifying as a conservative, and anyone not identified as such who is curious about conservatism) said that when boiled down, universally, conservatives fundamentally believe in three things:
1.) Humans are not perfectable and are flawed by nature
2.) Humans are motivated by self-interest
3.) Human nature does not change dramatically
People (particularly leftists, and I think Msgr. Charles Pope specifically) view this as a selfish, jaded, and cynical outlook. I think it is simply realistic. But one could take the obverse of these (that humans are perfectable and Utopia may be achieved, that Altruism is as powerful a motivator as self-interest, and that human nature may be changed) and define liberalism perfectly, with the accompanying historical confirmation going back hundreds (if not thousands) of years, that those assumptions are inherently dangerous and destructive, and have led to more bloodshed than nearly anything else, at least in the last century or so.
I thought that was envy.
Good question. I think there cannot help but always be tension between our trust in God and our desire to plan prudently for our future. It would be nice if there were simple rules to resolve it, but, as with so many other areas of life, there seem not to be. Oh, well.