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The key verse here is 1 Timothy 6:10
1 Timothy 6:10
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted
after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through
with many sorrows.
Look at this verse closely. Is it saying money is evil? Clearly not. It
says the love of money is the root of all evil. The better word for,
"love" here is, "covet." It is the coveting of money which is the root
of all evil.
The Barnes Notes commentary gives the meaning as the love of money is
the root of all kinds of evils, rather than every evil on the planet.
One look at the history of mankind sees that the coveting of money is at
the root of many evils. Most of what happens in this world and most of
what is talked about in this world politically and in the streets is
money, investments and the economy. Where there is money, there is a
constant seeking of control. Money is power and power usually corrupts
because of human nature and worldliness.
When we look at, for example, the Vietnam War we find that it was
manipulated primarily to maintain a war economy. We are a consuming
world and nothing consumes products at a greater rate than war. I heard
one philosopher state that major countries exist and endure based on its
ability for war. We saw the 20th Century preoccupied with great world
wars and even a long-term cold war after World War Two. Look at the news
of the last 30 years or so. What has been the primary news story? The
answer is war. The US has been involved in warfare somewhere virtually
every year since 1945. Take Iraq as another way to explain this.
Look at the listed wars in the region since 1914.
Mesopotamian campaign (1914–1918)
Anglo-Iraqi War (1941)
Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988)
Gulf War (1990-1991)
Iraqi no-fly zones conflict (1991–2003)
Iraq War (2003–2011)
Now we could talk about hatred and politics as cause for continual war,
but at the root of war is the ability for powerful people and
corporations to make money.
We could also talk about inventions that have been made that replace our
need for conventional elements such as oil and electrical power. These
inventions have not seen the light of day so that those corporations
controlling oil and power can continue.
These are just a couple of examples of how the coveting of money is at
the root of many evils. President James A. Garfield once said, "He who
controls the money supply of a nation controls the nation." We see that
most governments of the world, including ours, spend a lot of time and
resources to control the money and the economy.
So we can now see that money is not the problem. Rather it is the love
of or the coveting of money that is the problem.
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