Is Poverty Gods Punishment for being wicked?

Question

All the rich people I know are really nice. Friendly, well dressed, well adjusted people who just light up a room when they enter it. I find poor people quite depressing and am always checking to see if somethings gone missing when they leave. A friend recently suggested that their plight might be Gods retribution for something that they did. If this is the case, merely giving money to the poor might be seen as an attempt to thwart Gods good judgement. Anyway, My friend paid for lunch and cocktails, which was really pleasant, but I thought about our conversation in the days since. I'm certainly not what one would call "devout", but I wouldn't want to get God upset with me unneccesarily.

I'm new here and I am simply appalled at how rude some of you are. I'll have you know that I donate substantially to the local church donation baskets every year! All I did was observe that all of the really nice people that I know have lots of money and nice clothes and manners, and all of the poor people I have met were kind of sullen, or even downright rude to me! And I'll have you know that I am not narrow minded. I know some of the absolute best people around. You should see my parties! I think that a lot of you are those "See the glass half empty" kind of people. Know what I mean?

Answer 1

Poverty is a consequence of committing sin. When we commit sin, we walk out of God's canopy of protection and provision. When we walk out of God's canopy of protection, we walk into the devil's jurisdiction. The devil is the author of all bad and destructive things, including poverty.

Answer 2

If I were rich, I could see being a really nice person myself. Why wouldn't I be, I don't have to worry about finances, I can enjoy life without worrying too much about mundane things (like do I pay my rent and gas or my rent and electricity this month, since I can't pay both) and I am surrounded by other people of similar backgrounds?

Yeah, I can't understand why poor people are depressed. So what that they live in squalor or even the worst neighborhoods, get hit twice as hard in all areas (living conditions, income, education, life opportunities in general), and are so completely ignored by most that only other poor people pay attention to them? Not only that, but rich people then turn around and say that they must 'deserve' it for something they did.

Like every instance of life is about people getting what they deserve? What happens when rich people get robbed, beaten, stabbed, whatnot? Doesn't that fall under the 'guess they deserved it' banner? It can go both ways, you know.

Answer 3

If poverty is a punishment do you think rich people are healthy and leading a good life? HONEST IN POVERTY IS GOOD. But HONESTY IN RICH PEOPLE IS NOT A WONDERFUL THING. God gave money to rich people to test them whether they help poor. He gave food and clothing to rich for the same purpose. The rich can be honest because they have every thing. So no need for them to loose their honesty.God Himself was born very poor. He is God the almighty. and He has all the riches in the world , but why He choose a poor carpenter"s house? He loves the poor. He came into the world for the NEEDY. Read in the Bible in Mathew chapter 19 verses 23 and 24.

Answer 4

I just love it when rich people show so much compassion for those less fortunate than themselves. It warms the cockles of my heart.

Of course rich people are happy, well-dressed & friendly. Why not? If God punishes people by making them poor then why wasn't Ken Lay, Jeffery Skilling & their ilk made poor? Please do not say they were made poor. Not by a long stretch. I sometimes think that the rich speak of the poor in this manner to excuse themselves from contributing to their welfare & to make themselves feel superior. So many of the rich nowadays are greedy & recompense themselves for a job well done (or not) to extremes. They provide well for themselves while decreasing the standard of living for their employees by not providing decent health insurance or a pension plan which is superior to 401k's.

Don't any of your rich friends have mentally ill or physically ill children who are unable to work? Where do you think they'd be if their parents didn't have money.

The poor are depressing? Do they depress you because they show you "there but for the grace of God go I?" Not all people who are poor are depressed & thats a miracle. Life is hard when you're poor. Not having enough money to make ends meet for necessities let alone luxuries.

You are doing them a great injustice in believing they all will steal from you. I think God favors them & will look upon them kindly & with love when their time comes. Much more so than the rich who tend to be arrogant & feel they are above the law. Ken Lay didn't see that he did anything wrong in destroying the retirement & savings of so many people. If he didn't atone, I wouldn't want to be where that rich man ended up.

Shame on you for being poor in spirit. And, by the way, I am not poor but am quite comfortable.

Answer 5

First of all, have you ever thought about the fact that if you're wealthy, you're probably going to be in a much better mood than somebody who's dirt poor? Wealthy people can afford to be friendly and well-dressed; they own the world, so why should they be upset?

Secondly, I think you'll realize the huge flaw in your logic if you think about how there are so many children and babies living in poverty. An infant born into a poor family in Africa can hardly be blamed for his lack of wealth. You'd have to be truly sick to believe that an infant could be "wicked" while some fat rich guy is an angel.

Answer 6

in case you investigate jap faith, suffering is a fact of existence, without all people offering any explanation for it. not even God. until, you suspect in reincarnation. yet that doesn't clarify all of it the two. this is what this is. do exactly the appropriate you may, with what you have, the place you're, good now. that's not heaven or nirvana or something better than this is. i don't likely think of he's a sadistic what-you-form-of stated, nonetheless I even have had the same question myself. this is purely the way issues are. It breaks your heart, and somewhat some others. Be a good guy or woman, and you're turning out to be alleviated somewhat some suffering. And that, hon, is a sturdy factor. Yay good issues!

Answer 7

What a ridiculous and harmful attitude. We are all Gods children, and God loves us all the same. The reason there are poor people is because of people with your attitude. God made this world wit enough for everybody, and everybody is meant to have their basic needs met, at the very least. Every thing in this world actually belongs to everybody, not just the "elite" few. but literally everybody. But, it is people like you, with that attitude, that refuse to share, because they think that they have some right to withhold and not share. Of course you think that rich people are more pleasant, and poor people are unpleasant. Don't you think that poor people know, that rich people are rich because they are withholding? It is God's intention that everyone be taken care of, so you don't have to worry about God getting upset if you share. On the contrary, He will be pleased with you if you share.

Answer 8

On the contrary, God actually favors the poor. That way, there is no money to get in the way of worshipping Him, and they are generally very humble, meek people. In His sermon on the mount, Jesus talks about this, saying the poor in this world will inherit all the riches in Heaven.

Answer 9

Remember what Christ said about the chances of a rich man getting into God's Kingdom? What you are saying is that you would rather have pleasure now than life later.

Answer 10

this is from the first page of a great book called "imitation of Christ." which can be read online at this link.
< http://www.ccel.org/ccel/kempis/imitation.toc.html>

"This is the greatest wisdom—to seek the kingdom of heaven through contempt of the world. It is vanity, therefore, to seek and trust in riches that perish. It is vanity also to court honor and to be puffed up with pride. It is vanity to follow the lusts of the body and to desire things for which severe punishment later must come. It is vanity to wish for long life and to care little about a well-spent life. It is vanity to be concerned with the present only and not to make provision for things to come. It is vanity to love what passes quickly and not to look ahead where eternal joy abides.

Often recall the proverb: “The eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the ear filled with hearing.”11 Eccles. 1:8. Try, moreover, to turn your heart from the love of things visible and bring yourself to things invisible. For they who follow their own evil passions stain their consciences and lose the grace of God."

Answer 11

There are many people born into poverty and since Jesus himself lived a life of poverty and rejected wealth I'd find that hard to buy.

No pun intended