All of his employees have full medical insurance w/dental-and no deductible. That's what he says, and I've never heard otherwise. I'd guess they might be paid well too. He says he's looking at capitalism from the viewpoint of growing up Catholic-I don't know what his religious beliefs or affiliations are now but I think there's nothing wrong with that.
To the contrary, Glenn Beck has devoted entire segments of his show to the Second Bill Of Rights and the Progressive ideas of Teddy Roosevelt.
I don't understand why some people are unable to understand that somebody who is wealthy, or who is in an upper income bracket, could advance the position that capitalism today, has wrought many wrongs and that it is the bottom classes that have received the brunt of other people's greed. It is as if as soon as such a view is expressed, somebody counters with "but YOU did great in this capitalist society!" Yes, and that hasn't made the person blind to the realities of the bottom classes.
don't know what his religious beliefs or affiliations are now but I think there's nothing wrong with that.
No. Greed is however. But so is envy Michael Moore. I'll give Mr. Moore a pass on gluttony not knowing his health history but what about lust? Is the product Hollywood is selling really any less sinful than that Wall Street? There are many ways to poison the soul.For Those of You on Your Way to Church This Morning ...a note from Michael Moore
Friends,
(opening skipped)
Amidst all the Wall Street bad guys and corrupt members of Congress exposed in "Capitalism: A Love Story," I pose a simple question in the movie: "Is capitalism a sin?"
Then by that logic the richest 1% are doing the rest of us a truly great favor by, in effect, leaping on the hand grenade of wealth so that the rest of us can one day get our eternal reward in heaven. We should be thanking the rich if I understand Mr. Moore correctly.I go on to ask, "Would Jesus be a capitalist?" Would he belong to a hedge fund? Would he sell short? Would he approve of a system that has allowed the richest 1% to have more financial wealth than the 95% under them combined?
I have come to believe that there is no getting around the fact that capitalism is opposite everything that Jesus (and Moses and Mohammed and Buddha) taught. All the great religions are clear about one thing: It is evil to take the majority of the pie and leave what's left for everyone to fight over. Jesus said that the rich man would have a very hard time getting into heaven. He told us that we had to be our brother's and sister's keepers and that the riches that did exist were to be divided fairly. He said that if you failed to house the homeless and feed the hungry, you'd have a hard time finding the pin code to the pearly gates.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."I guess that's bad news for us Americans. Here's how we define "Blessed Are the Poor":
actually we had just begun our longest period of peacetime sustained growth that lasted from Nov '82 to July 1990. Hundreds of millions of people became richer and "letting the rich keep more of their money" was a part of that if I remember right. And I doubt lowering the taxes of the rich kept Ronald Reagan out of heaven but I can't prove that.We now have the highest unemployment rate since 1983.
Envy Michael.At the same time, Wall Street bankers ("Blessed Are the Wealthy"?) are amassing more and more loot --
and they do their best to pay little or no income tax (last year Goldman Sachs' tax rate was a mere 1%!). Would Jesus approve of this?
If not, why do we let such an evil system continue? It doesn't seem you can call yourself a Capitalist AND a Christian -- because you cannot love your money AND love your neighbor when you are denying your neighbor the ability to see a doctor just so you can have a better bottom line. That's called "immoral" -- and you are committing a sin when you benefit at the expense of others.
When you are in church this morning, please think about this. I am asking you to allow your "better angels" to come forward. And if you are among the millions of Americans who are struggling to make it from week to week, please know that I promise to do what I can to stop this evil -- and I hope you'll join me in not giving up until everyone has a seat at the table.
Thanks for listening. I'm off to Mass in a few hours. I'll be sure to ask the priest if he thinks J.C. deals in derivatives or credit default swaps.
Or miracles existed before CGI technology.I mean, after all, he must've been good at math. How else did he divide up two loaves of bread and five pieces of fish equally amongst 5,000 people? Either he was the first socialist or his disciples were really bad at packing lunch. Or both.
Yours,
Michael Moore
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 5:3
...is how the Bible defines the "poor" that we should, as Christians, really be concerned about.
BLESSED ARE THE POOR ...for they shall inherit the earth.
and assumed in Luke
just don't edit or take out of context biblical quotes to backup your beliefs to Christians is all I would ask.
What do you think the purpose of the Beatitudes are?So it's ok to assume, just not edit? That's rich(pun intended).
How many times are "the poor" mentioned in the New Testament? Are we to assume, none of the mentions have to do with money or belongings? So the "sell your jewelery" thing is just an analogy?
What I am saying is you can't take the micro morality of most of Jesus' teaching about interpersonal relationships and extrapolate from those the macro morality of how a nation or economy should function.
I just attended a sermon on this, it's interesting to me that no matter how common the text is, the "purpose" seems to be not so easily agreed upon by all Christians.What do you think the purpose of the Beatitudes are?
The blessings in Luke refer to external situations while those in Matthew refer more to spiritual or moral qualities. Biblical scholar and author Andrej Kodjak has stated that this opening of the sermon was designed to shock the audience as a deliberate inversion of standard values, but this shock value has been lost today due to the commonness of the text.
Didn't say that did I?
What I am saying is you can't take the micro morality of most of Jesus' teaching about interpersonal relationships and extrapolate from those the macro morality of how a nation or economy should function.
Would you argue that our national defense policy should be to simply "turn the other cheek" if attacked?
Would you argue that our national defense policy should be to simply "turn the other cheek" if attacked?
First you would have to define "poor" as the poor in this country would not be seen as such in much of the world today or even here say 60 years ago. Now would the world be better off if everyone practiced a form of compassion and charity towards those less fortunate than them? Sure, but on a personal level, it's the whole third-party arbiter thing of Robin Hood or the redistributive economics of Michael Moore I have a problem with. They don't grow the pie (or loaves of bread if you will) in a way to truly feed the hungry.So what should we do with the poor, Indy? Not the country, not the government, just the five of us reading this thread right now.
I do believe that being poor and being poor in spirit go hand in hand, so there's a nice kickstart to your response.
Someone needs to watch It's A Wonderful Life again. What is it that makes George Bailey the "richest man in town." Money? And doesn't Mr Potter prove that the rich often suffer from a poverty of the soul.
You need to watch the movie. Seriously. You may be surprised. He features a co-op factory that runs very efficiently, makes great stuff, has happy employees who care about what they make and do because they are the owners and yes they make a profit. What's wrong with that? They vote equally on issues and all have an equal say in what happens to them.it's the whole third-party arbiter thing of Robin Hood or the redistributive economics of Michael Moore I have a problem with. They don't grow the pie (or loaves of bread if you will) in a way to truly feed the hungry..
First you would have to define "poor" as the poor in this country would not be seen as such in much of the world today or even here say 60 years ago. Now would the world be better off if everyone practiced a form of compassion and charity towards those less fortunate than them? Sure, but on a personal level, it's the whole third-party arbiter thing of Robin Hood or the redistributive economics of Michael Moore I have a problem with. They don't grow the pie (or loaves of bread if you will) in a way to truly feed the hungry.
Someone needs to watch It's A Wonderful Life again. What is it that makes George Bailey the "richest man in town." Money? And doesn't Mr Potter prove that the rich often suffer from a poverty of the soul.
i tell this to the homeless people i meet in DC in December every year. i'm like, "sure you're freezing and sleeping on a subway grate, but i'm sure you're rich in the holy spirit! elevation!"
Why, yes, yes I would! But I don't expect you to ever get that, and that's just fine. It's idology, and you are never going to see eye to eye with me, so whatever man.
But here's the quote exactly as it is in KJ:
I don't see how you can how else to interpret this verse but maybe you can enlighten me?
King James Bible:
MATTHEW 5:44
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you
Why, yes, yes I would! But I don't expect you to ever get that, and that's just fine. It's ideology, and you are never going to see eye to eye with me, so whatever man.