Comments on: A Few Words on Poverty

By: Deborah Kelly

Deborah Kelly — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 18:03:50 +0000

Christianity created poverty through support for colonization and genocidal practices. None of the traditional indigenous cultures I know of and have studied even have a "poverty" construct and none of their languages have word for "poverty." Turning everything into property and then creating the idea that it can then be bought, sold, or taken by those who consider themselves to be chosen people, came directly from Christianity.

By: T-man

T-man — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 15:53:12 +0000

Just a question. I come from South Africa, here there are a number of other reasons for wide spread poverty, besides idleness. One of them is the apartheid regime which seperated blacks and whites and gave black people limited to no opportunities, so many of them are in a state of poverty (as well as in the rest of Africa) due to colonisation in the past that resulted in people being born in poverty, thus having less opportunity if any. Is this not also a factor? My recent post Malawi- Human Rights and Peer-Pressure

By: JesusNotMoney

JesusNotMoney — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 00:29:49 +0000

I read the article. Please show me where he covered my objections. It speaks volumes that someone who obviously disagrees with one of AmericanVisions' authors, not on one point but on many, has their objections deleted rather than rebutted. Edit: Thank you for restoring my statement.

By: visiontoamerica

visiontoamerica — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 03:10:31 +0000

How about re-reading or actually reading the entire article?

Joel covers your objections quite well within this one article. Only so much can be covered in such a short amount of space but these areas were at least touched on.

By: JesusNotMoney

JesusNotMoney — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 23:44:51 +0000

This article's line of reasoning is very consistent with views held by 19th Century Industrialists who worked children to death or to a state of parlysis. Feel free to investigate the Sadler Commission's investigation into the working poor. Another problem with this article is the assumption that poor folks are lazy and aren't working. Nowhere does this article address the fact that historically there have always been hard working poor people. Poor folks may indeed sometimes be the victim of sin but it is as often a matter of the sinful greed of wealthy people who manipulate the economy and financial laws for their own gain as anything else. I'm waiting for an article explaining what sin a victim of a violent crime carried out to be punished by an assailant. It is a dangerous thing to assume that those who succeed materially are spiritually stronger than those who do not.

By: Elisabeth Sheats

Elisabeth Sheats — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 02:56:52 +0000

Please excuse me for being the first to post a possibly negative comment, but I would like Mr. McDurmon to clarify one point: near the end, you seem to me to be saying that "opposition to women’s work outside the home" is one of those things which "go directly against what has been called the 'Protestant Work Ethic'", "trade responsibility for ease", "prefer a handout over putting their own hand to the plow." Do you really mean that? And, if so, would you please expound. I agree with the author on everything else in the article, but I would like this point clarified.

By: Hank

Hank — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 18:34:08 +0000

A superb article, contemporary and right on point. If this idea could again be instilled in the minds of the public, we would throw out the bureaucrats clogging the system like cholesterol in our veins along with their many, many useless and wasteful programs. A "Can do" spirit would once again spring forth and, soon, we would no longer have an overwhelming debt and deficit plaguing our nation. Society, in general, would soon rise above its current baseness and moral destitution and, rather than exhort the "Lady Gagas" of the world, they would heap them with the contempt and disdain such perverts richly deserve. In the 1950s and early '60s, it was fairly commonplace that someone in a restaurant would get up from his seat and go tell someone using foul language to cool it because he didn't want his family to be subjected to such vulgarity. Since he usually had the wholehearted support of everybody else eating there, that was usually all it took. It was also fairly common that if someone, thinking they were brilliant or "cute", gave a politically radical or overtly sexual speech with the idea of appealing to that baseness, many members of the audience would simply get up and walk out, leaving the speaker much diminished and abashed. When was the last time you saw either of those occur? We have traded our moral certitude for relief from the possibility of a minor conflict or for a momentary giggle inspired by the ramblings of a desperate comedian. We have made a bad trade and need to again begin to censure those who find it entertaining to publicly exhibit and exploit the lowest and most base elements of humanity.

By: MTM

MTM — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 01:02:52 +0000

This is a sound article, but don't get carried away with P.T. Bauer. The Bible both teaches a "preordained, unchanging and unchangeable universe" (Proverbs 16:33) and emphasizes the "performance of duties and acceptance of obligation, rather than… achievement of results" (Psalm 15:4).

By: Gene

Gene — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 18:57:12 +0000

People need to read the great book by Lyndon H. LaRouche. "Science of Christian Economics" will bring new meaning to the mess this country is in at this time.

By: Gene

Gene — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 18:14:37 +0000

Why people in the US (including Christians) want to promote economic systems that are NOT American is beyond me.
Search GOOGLE: American System of Economics
Click on the third result and read the WHOLE THING
PS
If you won't post this, email me and tell me why.
Long time supporter.