Greed is Not Good

Journalists Richard Behar of Time Magazine and John Sweeney of Panorama BBC UK wrote about greed in a "religious" context. Your reflection from a religious standpoint is important.

Journalists Richard Behar of Time Magazine and John Sweeney of Panorama BBC UK wrote about greed in a religious context. Your reflection from a religious standpoint is important.

The Emptiness of Theology

by Richard Dawkins

A dismally unctuous editorial in the British newspaper The Independent recently asked for a reconciliation between science and "theology." It remarked that "People want to know as much as possible about about their origins." I certainly hope they do, but what on earth makes one think that theology has anything useful to say on the subject?

Science is responsible for the following knowledge about our origins. We know approximately when the universe began and why it is largely hydrogen. We know why stars form and what happens in their interiors to convert hydrogen to the other elements and hence give birth to chemistry in a world of physics. We know the fundamental principles of how a world of chemistry can become biology through the arising of self replicating molecules. We know how the principal of self replication gives rise, through Darwinian selection, to all life, including humans.

It is science and science alone that has given us this knowledge and given it, moreover, in fascinating, over-whelming, mutually confirming detail. On every one of these questions theology has held a view that has conclusively been proved wrong.

Science has eradicated smallpox, can immunize against most previously deadly viruses, can kill most previously deadly bacteria.
Theology has done nothing but talk of pestilence as the wages of sin. Science can predict when a particular comet will reappear and, to the second, when the next eclipse will appear. Science has put men on the moon and hurtled reconnaissance rockets around Saturn and Jupiter. Science can tell you the age of a particular fossil and that the Turin Shroud is a medieval fake. Science knows the precise DNA instructions of several viruses and will, in the lifetime of many present readers, do the same for the human genome.
What has theology ever said that is of the smallest use to anybody? When has theology ever said anything that is demonstrably true and is not obvious? I have listened to theologians, read them, debated against them; I have never heard any of them say anything of the smallest use; anything that was not either platitudinously obvious or downright false. If all the achievements of scientists were wiped out tomorrow, there would be no doctors but witch doctors, no transport faster than horses, no computers, no printed books, no agriculture beyond subsistence peasant farming. If all the achievements of theologians were wiped out tomorrow, would anyone notice the smallest difference? The achievements of theologians don't do anything, don't effect anything, don't mean anything. What makes anyone think that "theology" is a subject at all?

"The Emptiness of Theology" by Richard Dawkins published in "Free Inquiry" Spring 1998.

Typo alert: Make that "Dear Professor Kaveny,"

Dear Professor Kavany,

For your perusal and class discussion:

Hmmm, greed?? Everyone knows the definition so let us look for early examples in an interesting domain, the founders and foundations of religions.

In Islam, we have the greed-lust driven, womanizing, warmongering, hallucinating founder of said religion the long-dead Arab, Mohammed.

In Christianity (including Mormonism), the "historic" founder was the simple preacher man, long-dead Jewish fellow, Jesus. Not much greed there but one can make a case for the following steps for the start of greed in the said religion:

Christian economics 101:

The Baptizer drew crowds and charged for the "dunking". The historical Jesus saw a good thing and continued dunking and preaching the good word but added "healing" as an added charge to include free room and board. Sure was better than being a poor peasant but he got a bit too zealous and they nailed him to a tree.

Paul picked up the money scent on the road to Damascus. He added some letters and a prophecy of the imminent second coming for a fee for salvation and "Gentilized" the good word to the "big buck" world. i.e. Paul was the first media evangelist!!! And he and the other Apostles forgot to pay their Roman taxes and the legendary actions by the Romans made them martyrs for future greed.

Along comes Constantine. He saw the growing rich Christian community and recognized a new tax base so he set them "free".

The Holy Roman "Empirers"/Popes/Kings/Queens et al continued the money grab selling access to JC and heaven resulting in some of today's
richest organizations on the globe i.e. the Christian churches (including the Mormon Church) and related aristocracies.

An added note: As per R.B. Stewart in his introduction to the recent book, The Resurrection of Jesus, Crossan and Wright in Dialogue, ( Professors Crossan and Wright are On Faith panelists).

"Reimarus (1774-1778) posits that Jesus became sidetracked by embracing a political position, sought to force God's hand and that he died alone deserted by his disciples. What began as a call for repentance ended up as a misguided attempt to usher in the earthly political kingdom of God. After Jesus' failure and death, his disciples stole his body and declared his resurrection in order to maintain their financial security and ensure themselves some standing."

Judaism - Because the foundations are so mythical, it is impossible to be historical about greed in said religion. The historical King Herod and his off-springs were with the assistance of Rome, however, were a very greedy bunch.

Hinduism and Buddhism- A Google search will take you to many instances of greed in the leadership of said religions even though like other religions greed is a major sin and disorder.

The story of the rich young ruler, Bgone improperly understood as per usual. Don't feel bad though most Christians don't get it either.

So, "Greed Is Not Good." I am so thankful for these religious people who tell us these insightful things -- without sacred Scriptures and dogma, we would never figure this stuff out on their own. Where is the collection plate so I can contribute?

Sebastian J:

You brought to mind a case where an individual used his money and the social status it brought with it in perhaps the worst kind of way as I saw him. He seemed to me to live in fear that other members of his family would be more successful than him and used his wealth to hamper their business efforts. He was a big contributor to religious building projects with his name appearing on "doors" occasionally. Of course he was a righteous man that appeared to not just spout righteousness but practice it as well. No one can see inside another's mind so his real self is hidden. My view is given what I could see from the outside so I could be completely wrong about him but it sure looks that way to me.

He led me to realize that wealth has another and more than a little obscure side. Perhaps it's greed and then it may just be natural consequence. Money does seem to follow money and defend it's territory like a fat wolf. Capitalism is all about money put at risk and growing making the wealthy even more so. It's no surprise that limiting the risk, patents, hedge funds and so on is a big part of the game. It's far from perfect but capitalism beat the socks off communism.

I'm still looking for the religious person that had done what Jesus said, "sell all your earthly possessions and give to the poor." Mother Teresa? Maybe "God helps those who help themselves" is a better way to run a railroad? That has greed built in doesn't it? Maybe greed is good fer ya? The greedy used to "cry all the way to the bank" they were so ashamed of themselves and now they go to the bank to swim in the tears so nobody's perfect.

With money brings status to people in society. What happens is that people become a slave of this status. There is no such rule that people with high status should move about in so and so manner. But people become addicted to the status, which make them to follow a particular way of life and they will not compromise anything that affects this way of life. With money people change unknowingly and follow the paths the world shows. They become blind to God and divine wisdom. This is opposed to what Jesus said 'Do no be comformed to the world'.

This topic doesn't seem to be getting a lot of comments. Not just this thread but others. You don't suppose that there is a general disagreement with the notion that greed is even a sin much less a deadly one? After all, greed is the heart and soul of capitalism.

Folks with more money than they could ever spend still get up at a very early hour hoping to make more with the least possible effort. Millions were made today by simply selling oil not owned, (shorting oil) and then buying, (covering the shorts) at a lower price, just one easy to understand example.

I was looking over the list of deadly sins and noticed two not there that I expected to be at the top of the list, lying and worshiping Lucifer calling Him God. We know that the R-Catholic church champions lies that cause people to have faith so they must not be sins. Then there is that thing about declaring the being in the burning bush to be God, and the father of Jesus too. I notice how you encourage faith in God as a giver of happiness instead of money. You do mean the supernatural being Moses made the deal with to gain that which is priceless, become the most important man that ever lived?

Just wondering. Is "Dante's Inferno" sacred scriptures? Sacred meaning burned then probably so.