Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. Luke.9:15 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness. Matt.6:33
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. Luke.6:38 There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it. Prov.11:24-26
Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. Jas.5:4 For the labourer is worthy of his hire. Luke.10:7
In the kingdoms of the world, position meant self-aggrandizement. The people were supposed to exist for the benefit of the ruling classes. Influence, wealth, education, were so many means of gaining control of the masses for the use of the leaders. The higher classes were to think, decide, enjoy, and rule; the lower were to obey and serve. Religion, like all things else, was a matter of authority. The people were expected to believe and practice as their superiors directed. The right of man as man, to think and act for himself, was wholly unrecognized.
Christ was establishing a kingdom on different principles. He called men, not to authority, but to service, the strong to bear the infirmities of the weak. Power, position, talent, education, placed their possessor under the greater obligation to serve his fellows.
The Lord would place a check upon the inordinate love of property and power. Great evils would result from the continued accumulation of wealth by one class, and the poverty and degradation of another, Without some restraint the power of the wealthy would become a monopoly, and the poor, though in every respect fully as worthy in God's sight, would be regarded and treated as inferior to their more prosperous brethren. The sense of this oppression would arouse the passions of the poorer class. There would be a feeling of despair and desperation which would tend to demoralize society and open the door to crimes of every description. The regulations that God established were designed to promote social equality...
These regulations were designed to bless the rich no less than the poor. They would restrain avarice and a disposition for self-exaltation, and would cultivate a noble spirit of benevolence; and by fostering good will and confidence between all classes, they would promote social order, the stability of government. We are all woven together in the great web of humanity, and whatever we can do to benefit and uplift others will reflect in blessing upon ourselves. The law of mutual dependence runs through all classes of society. The poor are not more dependent upon the rich than are the rich upon the poor. While the one class ask a share in the blessings which God has bestowed upon their wealthier neighbors, the other need the faithful service, the strength of brain and bone and muscle, that are the capital of the poor.
There are many who urge with great enthusiasm that all men should have an equal share in the temporal blessings of God. But this was not the purpose of the Creator. A diversity of condition is one of the means by which God designs to prove and develop character. Yet He intends that those who have worldly possessions shall regard themselves merely as stewards of His goods, as entrusted with means to be employed for the benefit of the suffering and the needy.
The principles (embodied in the laws of Moses) which God has enjoined, would prevent the terrible evils that in all ages have resulted from the oppression of the rich toward the poor and the suspicion and hatred of the poor toward the rich. While they might hinder the amassing of great wealth and the indulgence of unbounded luxury, they would prevent the consequent ignorance and degradation of tens of thousands whose ill-paid servitude is required to build up these colossal fortunes. They would bring a peaceful solution of those problems that now threaten to fill the world with anarchy and bloodshed.
If men today were simple in their habits, living in harmony with nature's laws, as did Adam and Eve in the beginning, there would be an abundant supply for the needs of the human family. There would be fewer imaginary wants, and more opportunities to work in God's ways. But selfishness and the indulgence of unnatural taste have brought sin and misery into the world, from excess on the one hand, and from want on the other.
- E.G.White, The Desire of Ages, pp367,550; Patriarchs and Prophets, pp534-536
The quiet path leads toward a more conscious existence. The busy path creates an exaggerated materialism... Becoming more conscious leads toward God and a sense of the unity of all creation. But excessive consumption is only possible by exploiting someone... Owning lots of possessions does not come from God. People get it by manipulating other people... Material simplicity gives one an abundance to share... It is a mistake to rationalize that excessive consumption contributes to the well-being of others by giving them employment.
- The Tao of Leadership, pp105 & 133
Webmaster's thots...
The Stock Market is simply legalized gambling... a nation-wide game of hot potato. Stock has no intrinsic value beyond the ratio between dividend earnings and prevailing interest rates for other investments. Any such excess value is reckless speculation, easily manipulated by the most vaporous of fears. America as a whole, the protest of those who presently benefit from the prevailing shell game not with standing, would be much more financially stable if the entire charade was declared illegal.
Property tax should be computed only from the most recent sales figure for the property in question. Virtual capital gain resulting from inflation and/or improvements is of no value to the property owner until the time of sale or the securing of an equity loan based on current estimated value. Taxation should be computed on hard numbers... and not by a government tax assessor with an obvious conflict of interest.
A user fee structure would be more equitable than the present across-the-board tax system. Keeping the "tax" at the end user level would place the burden most heavily on those who use the publicly funded service while bringing to an end the double, triple and more taxation of productivity. How many times does the State have the right to collect sales tax on one specific vehicle?
Present IRS Tax Code regulations are largely to blame for fraudulent and ambiguous financial reporting by businesses and individuals. A cash accounting only structure, with the expensing of any cost in full at the time of incurrance, would give the bottom line credibility. If the cash is spent, it should be expensed. If the cash hasn't been collected, then it doesn't count as revenue. Depreciation and amortization should be abolished.