How do Christians justify the "bad blood " theory?

Question

In the 21st Century I have noticed that sadly we have not progressed much past the time of Dickens.

He wrote about the poor dying in the streets of London, whilst the rich preached over them, called them "undeserving" and decreed that they "deserved" their fate because their poverty was the result of their own bad blood (laziness, stupidity, immorality etc) - even though many of these rich people were the laziest, stupidest and most immoral people on earth!!!

Time and again I read on here that if a man is poor it is because he is lazy, stupid or immoral and if a man is materially rich it is because he is somehow "superior" in his work ethic, intellect or talent.

This is not true. Yet sadly many of the people who preach this stuff claim to be Christians as well.

What does the Bible have to say on the subject. Didn't Jesus say it was "easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle" than for a rich man to enter heaven. What does that tell us?

Jeff E - sadly I "am" the poor. And I'm not stupid, lazy or immoral.

Why focus on the lazy and ones who won't work? A man who wants to better himself but cannot pay his college fees, a man who loses his job through no fault of his own or becomes too ill to work, a woman whose husband dies or leaves her, someone who would love to set up their own business and work hard at it but has no capital or credit facility with which to do so - these people would all work themselves out of poverty if only given the chance and a little help, not a handout.

Answer 1

Well argued, m'dear. As for the rich people being the intelligent, hard-working people in society....?
1. Paris Hilton
2. Nicole Richie
3. Britney Spears
etc., etc., etc......

I know of some pretty lazy Christians, too....
I'm a Christian, and I neither preach nor subscribe to this theory....

Answer 2

Note: It states that it is "easier" - not impossible ! Jesus also, stated , that there would always be "poor" among us. Why is this so? Perhaps for Christians to respond to the needs of them? On another note; the "health and wealth" gospel is very prominent among some of the teaching out there and sadly, some Christians have bought into this too.
I personally, know Christians, who are sick with cancer or some other illness which are not necessarily, his or her fault.
I know some poor Christians and some wealthy ones ,
also ! Is God a "respecter of persons" - I ask? The answer is an emphatic "NO" !!! The "bad blood" theory is just that -a theory - not to be implemented with God.

Answer 3

I've never heard of the bad blood theory. Unfortunately, we have a sub-culture that has now grown up knowing nothing but subsisting on governmental handouts. They have no knowledge of self reliance, and thier parents have not modeled self reliance. A huge portion of the homeless and poor in America are indeed worthy and deserving of the best help we can give them. A portion is also not interested in help beyond receiving a check every month. It's not a result of bad blood. it's the result of the US government fostering a welfare state with no exit strategy.

Answer 4

Lazarus suffered such things but gained great fruit after he departed. I think we can from suffering and also I think being poor or having any downfall is based on the person's life experiences. It is the same reason I can not blame a man who is a thief due to what he has been exposed to made him that way. We can always change but sometimes we just have not seen how. This may not be understood by many unless you have ventured to both sides of such things much like faith.

Answer 5

curiously you have not heard any "theories" approximately those with darker pores and skin, and all you have heard are ridiculous nonsensical claims (that are actually not "theories"). technology has of course regular with the aid of evidence that each and every person human beings got here from Africa approximately a hundred and eighty,000 years in the past, and we virtually extremely all had extremely dark pores and skin then. Lighter pores and skin is an evolutionary sort that some human communities more desirable as they moved to climates different than the single in equatorial Africa the place all of us got here from. those are scientific theories sponsored with the aid of data and evidence. with the aid of the way the bible does not say this manner of factor. The "mark" supposedly positioned on Cain isn't defined, nonetheless some assume it became into "dark pores and skin." The Mormon "e book of abraham," claimed to be written with the aid of Abraham himself, does say that black pores and skin became right into a curse from god -- yet that e book is a shown fraud, and can be disregarded. Peace.

Answer 6

1 Corinthians 4 ( especially verses 7 - 16 ) the apostle Paul chastised them for their lifestyle while he and others like him were beaten down, hungry, and homeless for the sake of the Gospel. Read it and use it when you encounter so-called Christians like that.

Also, in Matthew 25 : 31-46 Jesus speaks of the kind of Christian you are talking about and explains the outcome of their flawed religion. Read it and use it when you encounter them.

Many people are being deceived by false doctrines that teach the kind of things mentioned in your question so you might help someone see the light and save a soul from dying in the process. :-)

Answer 7

There are poor that are hard working and work hard at what they can do. There are poor that are sick or hurt but would work if they could. Bit then you find the poor that are poor because they do not want to stand. This kind of person can not be helped because they will not help them selves.

Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man how to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime. That is if he is willing to do so.

Answer 8

Many of those poor homeless people are lazy. That doesn't however, change a Christian's obligation to assist them.

There is the issue here that some will bring up of being enablers--if we continue to feed them without making them work for it, they won't have the motivation to try to take care of themselves. Some Christians think that they would be doing a disservice to the homeless by encouraging them to remain in their current station in life. Again, this is not what the Bible tells Christians to do.

And then there's those who are worried about the homeless wasting charity on alcohol, drugs, etc... Donate money to a local shelter, so you know that the money is going directly to feed people rather than inebriate them!

I'm sure that there's other excuses I'm not thinking of, too. That doesn't change God's command to his followers, though.

Answer 9

Jesus also said, "don't store up your treasures on earth, instead store your treasures in heaven".

I agree that some people are poor through no fault of their own, but I don't agree that all Christians accept the 'bad blood' theory.

Answer 10

It is also usually Christians trying to help these people. Yes, some people have their theology mixed up, but it does not make all Christians bad. Some people are poor because of those negative things you mentioned, but some are poor because of where they live and circumstances in their lives. Jesus told us to feed the poor, the visit those in prison and to love everyone. So, what do you do to help the poor?