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Conference lgp30::christian-perspective

Title:Discussions from a Christian Perspective
Notice:Prostitutes and tax collectors welcome!
Moderator:CSC32::J_CHRISTIE
Created:Mon Sep 17 1990
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1362
Total number of notes:61362

756.0. "Lifestyles of the Poor and Anonymous" by CSC32::J_CHRISTIE (Pacifist Hellcat) Tue Nov 09 1993 16:42

    Robin Leach never interviews them or profiles their exotic vacations.
    Nobody envies them.  Yet Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor."  Who
    are these people?  And why are we so unintrigued with them?
    
    Richard
    
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756.1CVG::THOMPSONWho will rid me of this meddlesome priest?Tue Nov 09 1993 17:175
    Becoming poor is easy. All you have to do is stop working. Not that
    many poor people pick that life but all of us could if we wanted to.
    Rich is harder to become.
    
    			Alfred
756.2depends on who you areTHOLIN::TBAKERDOS with Honor!Tue Nov 09 1993 17:4115
>    are these people?  And why are we so unintrigued with them?

    Actually, I disagree.  There are a large number of people who
    monger after news about the homeless as there who monger after
    the new of the rich.  The lifestyles of the rich are "entertainment"
    and those of the poor are "news".

    Those who envy the poor can often make that choice and become
    poor.  The Buddha gave up the throne to become a begger.  Jesus
    certainly didn't collect a lot of wealth, either.

    The monks, priests and sisters of the Roman Catholic church
    have chosen poverty.

    Tom
756.3CSC32::J_CHRISTIEPacifist HellcatTue Nov 09 1993 18:5219
    I've heard there are more millionaires right now than there have ever
    been.  But then, a million dollars isn't as much as it used to be,
    either.
    
    I guess you're right about the rich being entertainment.  The
    popularity of "Dallas,""Dynasty,""Burke's Law,""Falcon Crest,"
    "The Millionaire,""Bonanza,""The Big Country,""How to Marry a
    Millionaire," and many, many others would tend to substantiate your
    assertion.  And I can't think of a single TV program for sheer
    entertainment which features people who scrounge from dumpsters.
    
    I think we fear the very poor, almost as if their condition was
    a contagious disease.  Often, we blaim them for their own situation.
    They're frequently accused of being shiftless.
    
    In contrast, the rich are usually considered lucky or ambitious.
    
    Peace,
    Richard
756.4my viewTFH::KIRKa simple songTue Nov 09 1993 19:1540
Interesting question.

I lean with Tom on this.  I don't think that becoming poor is easy.  I'd say
that it is *simple*, but not easy, in the sense that yes, all one has to do to
become poor is stop working, but it is extremely difficult in Western culture
to actually choose to take that step.  (If one does not have that choice, it
becomes an entirely different matter, and that is often news.) 

But as for people who *choose* to be poor, I actually find that quite 
intriguing.  The examples that Tom mentioned; the Buddha, Jesus, monks, 
priests, and sisters of the Church, all gave up material wealth, yet they seem 
quite contented, blessed even.

As far as becoming wealthy, that too is simple, but not easy.  I could double 
my current yearly pay, *simply* by taking another full time job, and work 16 
hours a day.  (Assuming 8 hour days to be the norm. .-)  It's that simple, but 
it's not that easy.  I could add another 50% onto that by working 10 hours 
each Saturday and Sunday.  (Yes, I could also become wealthy by some windfall
against any choice I make, but that is a different matter, and would again be
news.) 

So, given that I have such a choice, to be poor or to be wealthy, I find it 
much more intriguing to wonder what my life would be like poor versus what it 
would be like wealthy.

I've heard several times in sermons that a middle road is best.  To be so poor 
as to constantly concern yourself with when you'll next eat and where you'll 
sleep is to focus on material things instead of God.  Often times, to be rich 
means one concerns oneself with protecting and growing your fortune, again, 
focusing on material things instead of God.  In the middle, one can be 
comfortable enough so as not to worry about mere existence, yet not so rich 
that wealth becomes your god.  Within that middle ground is quite a range, 
one person's middle may be another person's poverty and still another person's 
rich beyond comprehension.

Of course, your mileage may vary.

Peace,

Jim
756.5Blessed are the poor in spirit...WELLER::FANNINSun Nov 14 1993 05:4930
    From _Prayers_of_the_Cosmos, _Meditations_on_the_Aramic_Words_of_Jesus,
    by Neil Douglas-Klotz:

    "Jesus said:

    Tubwayhun l'meskenaee b'rukh d'dilhounhie malkutha d'ashmaya.

    (KJV version: Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom
    of heaven.)

    Happy and aligned with the One are those who find their home in the
    breathing; to them belong the inner kingdom and queendom of heaven.

    Blessed are those who are refined in breath; they shall find their
    ruling principles and ideals guided by God's light.

    Tuned to the Source are those who live by breathing Unity; their "I
    can!" is included in God's.

    Healthy are those who devotedly hold fast to the spirit of life;
    holding them is the cosmic Ruler of all that shines and rises.

    Resisting corruption, possessing integrity are those whose breath forms
    a luminous sphere; they hear the universal Word and feel the earth's
    power to accomplish it through their own hands.

    Healed are those who devote themselves to the link of spirit; the
    design of the universe is rendered through their form."
    
    -- Ruth
756.6CSC32::J_CHRISTIEInciting PeaceSun Nov 28 1993 18:436