When Christ proclaimed “The Kingdom of God”, everything was turned upside-down. An entirely new world was revealed. In that world, the poor widow who gave her mite to the poor suddenly outranked the trillionaire Caesar who spend billions on aqueducts and arenas.
The Proclamation of The Kingdom made it cleat that God saw all human beings as equal. Each person was not to be judged on what he did, but on what percentage of himself that he gave. God, it seemed, “graded on a curve”.
Rich People were offended by Jesus, The Kingdom, the widow, and her mite. They just couldn’t stand the notion that poor, smelly slobs could have any redeeming value at all, much less outrank them in this new, bizarre scheme of things.
Suddenly, in a world that deified the wealthiest, percentages became important. “Giving one hundred percent of a fortune consisting of a dime.” outranked “I’m giving a hundred million out of fifty billion to build an aqua duct.”
States and religions that judged charity on amounts given were shaken. Those thought to be generous suddenly saw that they were miserly. Each had to make a choice, amassing gold, or obeying the God Who programmed gold.
At the same time, the poor saw that God had given them hope. They had as much right to Heaven as their richest neighbor.
Most people do not believe in the Kingdom of God enough to give all their money to the poor and follow Him, but many of us can see the advantages, and are rewarded for subsidizing the process to some degree.
Rich people, Part 4
In Democracies, large numbers of people have the opportunity to steal from those poorer than themselves. At first, those who steal have to pretend to be helping the less fortunate. As the need for money becomes greater, the lies are dispensed with.
Those who love money more than their souls do not steal and kill as directly as a mobster with guns and bombs. They rob and kill at long distance. They use malaria and corrupt political processes to loot whole continents of their riches and labor.
They support international organizations that deny basic rights, like the ownership of private property. Money flows like water to all but those in the greatest need. Nations die of various diseases, wars, and revolutions.
Rich people do not care about the swarms of people moving over the earth. They aim for the mineral rights.
