Prismatic wrote:This "blessed are the poor" stuff may have been OK in its time, but this old world has spun around a few times since then and that crap no longer cuts the mustard. People want something upbeat, more in tune with the times. Joel Osteen's view is what sells today. No one can deny there is money to be made in Christianity and the prosperity gospel. That is something people can believe in, a religion that is easy and fun and helps you get rich.
Always remember what the Bible says in Luke 19:26: That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.
That's the ticket.
I'm not sure whether you were being serious or sarcastic. I've heard some try to seriously argue that the teachings of Jesus were about compound interest and not spiritual parables. I'll assume you are serious, or that some may take you seriously.
The parable of the pounds is also told in Matthew as the parable of the talents. All 4 gospels are similar, but some explain deeper, to put the parable in context, as Matthew 25 does. Let's put the PARABLE of the talents in context... (Matt 25) Before teaching it, Jesus taught about the 10 prepared virgins... about reponsibility & keeping the big picture in mind, in our priorities. Then he taught the parable of the talents - how 2 used their talents wisely, but 1 did not. What does "wisely" mean? He explains in the next parable of dividing the sheep from the goats... He says to the sheep,
"Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was hungred, & ye have me meat: I was thirsty, & ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, & ye took me in: Naked, & ye clothed me: I was sick, & ye visited me: I was in prison, & ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, & fed thee? or thirsty, & gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, & took thee in? or naked, & clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, & came unto thee? And the King shall answer & say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil & his angels: For I was an hungred, & ye gave me no meat: I was thristy, & ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, & ye took me not in: naked & ye clothed me not: sick, & in prison, & ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, & did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you,Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the rightous into life eternal."In the parable of the talents, Jesus was teaching the Lord who was mad at the one who hid his talent was not mad at him for not making money, but for not using his money to bless others as himself -the 2 greatest commandments, which "hang all the law & the prophets"/profits.
"According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty. And they “die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death."
http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/ ... -and-stats
May 19th, 2012, 3:04 am
