- cross-posted to:
- atheistmemes@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- atheistmemes@lemmy.world
geteilt von: https://feddit.de/post/3766285
Years after my R.E. teacher said, “I will never fall lower than into God’s hands,” I finally came up with the retort, “Let’s go on the roof and check.”
I am not even remotely Christian or any other religion, so the following is meant to be nothing more than a thought exercise.
Suppose somebody in the United States took Jesus up on his word and sold all their possessions, gave it all away to the poor, and spent their remaining days helping others.
In the US economic and social environment, how would they even survive?
Reiterate: I am not Christian and I do not support religion of any kind. I’ll add that the foundation of this thought is my general disdain for this late stage capitalism in which we exist.
They’d go to the food bank, soup kitchen, sleep on a tent in the street or a homeless shelter, start a ministry and receive donations. The question though is what if every christian did that, and that’s a very complex economic question.
I was raised with a couple different approaches to Christianity, first the boring going to church every Sunday sitting between my parents and listening to the droning of the pastor, then in my teens introduced to the “exciting” world of evangelicalism. Long story short, there’s so many interpretations and means which people have used the Bible to control and abuse, I can’t support many of the “Christians” or their churches based off of their messages and their actions.
Instead I just live my life best I can with the foundational messages and what I think God really wants of me - to be in service, love, and support others to the best of my ability. I’m a massage therapist that works in hospice. I make a modest living bringing comfort and kindness to others. I also volunteer at a food bank every month. My Jewish boyfriend isn’t religious, but culturally follows many Jewish traditions. Which oddly enough makes his behaviors and lifestyle line up much closer to my own values than any other “Christian” man I’ve dated in my 51 years.
While there may be those who feel called to drop everything and travel to spread the word - you’re right, economically it wouldn’t fly. If I did that, ultimately my welfare would be reliant on creating a burden for others. As long as I can continue to provide for myself, I can use any additional resources and time I have to help and support others.
I’ve thought of that in philosophy as well. I once pointed out to a professor that it was a mathematical impossibility for every person to be completely altruistic. He mostly stopped speaking to me for the remainder of the semester.
I’m not well-versed in philosophy, so I don’t know what’s commonly defined as ‘altruism.’ If you define it as ‘exclusively working for or giving to another person’, then you’re right. But what if we defined it as ‘exclusively working for or giving to the commonwealth’?
I think the plan is to not just distribute your wealth to specific individuals, but to a broad spectrum of soci- oh, wait, that’s socialism, which is fine.
Would it matter? If they died living well according to Jesus’s teachings they’d be rewarded in heaven. Their mortal death would be inconsequential.
That said, they could probably survive as many homeless do through donations and begging.
That’s the thing, in theory they’re playing for the ultimate stakes, the greatest possible reward.
Clearly almost none of them actually believe that.
Taxes, money, and life on earth is irrelevant for christians. That’s the whole point, it’s written all over the bible.
Google Franciscans
If they do as the bible says and it isn’t all a big grift, God should bless them with the means to live.