General Discussion

Ken Burch

(50,254 posts) Thu Dec 25, 2014, 09:08 PM Dec 2014

Christmas questions: How did it EVER become acceptable in this country... [View all]

...for the wealthy to presume to judge the "morality" and "character" of the poor?

...for even man of the not-wealthy-but-still-under-the-delusion-that-they-someday-will-be-wealthy to assume that wealth is acquired in direct proportion to virtue and rectitude?

...for so many of those who are lucky enough to be at least financially comfortable day-to-day to simply decide that the poor, essentially, stopped being human at some point...stopped being worthy of respect and fellow feeling of any sort?

And why does all of this happen even on a day like today, on which the birth of the person Christians see as the Savior, a person who himself was raised in poverty, is celebrated?

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Christmas questions: How did it EVER become acceptable in this country... [View all] Ken Burch Dec 2014 OP

It always has been, since the beginning Spider Jerusalem Dec 2014 #1

I call that tangible justification. If there is a better name for it please let me know. Sweeney Dec 2014 #18

"Predestination of the elect" (those not among the elect were "reprobates"). Spider Jerusalem Dec 2014 #21

agreed. he as born, lived in, helped, died for the poor. roguevalley Dec 2014 #41

Puritan work ethic Jesus Malverde Dec 2014 #2

Nail meets hammer swilton Dec 2014 #10

Good book, read it. Got it. Sweeney Dec 2014 #19

In modern times: Jimmy Bakker, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and their idol Ronald Reagan. jwirr Dec 2014 #3

Reagan(in a speech in liberal Olympia, Washington, of all places) Ken Burch Dec 2014 #4

Thank you. His speech on the value of greed and hate. Imagine what we would be if that man had jwirr Dec 2014 #6

"I am not my brother's keeper" was first said by history's first murderer, Cain, to cover up the world wide wally Dec 2014 #9

Of course but that did not make it wrong. His murdering ways did. What he said was fact - he did jwirr Dec 2014 #38

I've always considered Mormonism another step down that same road: truebluegreen Dec 2014 #11

I would guess that somewhere in the Morman roots there was a deep connection to Calvinism. I jwirr Dec 2014 #39

Even regular people who are alright financially show indifference or outright contempt appalachiablue Dec 2014 #16

it's almost as if to say sweetapogee Dec 2014 #24

What they believe, Jesus never said. Sweeney Dec 2014 #22

One quibble, I don't think the wealthy do that so much as the treestar Dec 2014 #5

Public Charity is a reflection of private caring. Sweeney Dec 2014 #23

Great wealth is a direct result of immense immorality. Dont call me Shirley Dec 2014 #30

No doubt Sweeney Dec 2014 #35

Christ was not raised in poverty. former9thward Dec 2014 #7

He did, however, have something to say about the poor and marginalized. delrem Dec 2014 #12

By the time of John's Gospel Sweeney Dec 2014 #15

Well, y'know, I don't really give a shit. delrem Dec 2014 #20

Bible history is more fascinating than the Bible itself. Sweeney Dec 2014 #26

i just googled that book, which I'd never heard of, and am now planning or reading it. yodermon Dec 2014 #37

One of the few books I ever made time to read twice. Sweeney Dec 2014 #47

This song seems fitting Ken Burch Dec 2014 #27

There was a class of people descended from Phineas Sweeney Dec 2014 #25

They stayed in a stable because they couldn't afford an inn. and jews were under the NewDeal_Dem Dec 2014 #33

The inns were full, no place left but the stables, iirc. Lars39 Dec 2014 #36

There was a census going on which was why Joseph was in Bethlehem. former9thward Dec 2014 #40

There were also all those expensive gifts from the wise men. nt. Mariana Dec 2014 #43

Which really kinda says something about how we treat a lot of tradesmen these days Posteritatis Dec 2014 #44

In those days skilled manual labor was something people aspired to. former9thward Dec 2014 #45

'wealth is acquired in direct proportion to virtue and rectitude' elleng Dec 2014 #8

Actually, tangible justification, Sweeney Dec 2014 #17

Wealthy people focus on the "king of kings" crap.... Spitfire of ATJ Dec 2014 #13

+1 Dont call me Shirley Dec 2014 #31

Honestum is moral good Sweeney Dec 2014 #14

In other words you can't make many Americans reason, because it's their religious or cultural belief AZ Progressive Dec 2014 #28

Like Erasmus told Luther: Sweeney Dec 2014 #49

The biggest "secret" about Christmas is that we are all miracles. Life is miraculous. Dont call me Shirley Dec 2014 #29

Shirley you want to be my friend. Sweeney Dec 2014 #50

Surely. :-) Dont call me Shirley Dec 2014 #51

Like I told my grandaughter Sweeney Dec 2014 #53

Since about 1517. WinkyDink Dec 2014 #32

Pete Townshend said it this way: Manifestor_of_Light Dec 2014 #34

How did it become acceptable? JEB Dec 2014 #42

Swift's "A Modest Proposal" did not invent the meme. Orsino Dec 2014 #46

The funny thing about Swift's satire is that so many educated people took it seriously. Sweeney Dec 2014 #48

Aren't you sort of surrendering to the very viewpoint you would fight? True Blue Door Dec 2014 #52