Francisco D Anconia In Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged

According to the parables worksheet done in class, the parable of the rich fool is another example of how Jesus instructed us to not live a life focused on money. Luke 12:16-21 is about a life rich in possessions versus a life rich in God. The rich fool built a bigger

Nowadays, money can make most everything happens. People run after money because they think money can give them better life. It is true that we need money to support our life. However, we need to remember that once we have a good quality of life, we should use our extra money to benefit those who have need instead of keep money in our pocket. We need to remember that God rewards us with succeed is because he wants us to take care of our brothers. In addition, if we pursue over luxury life, we will end up being controlled by money.

28). He describes wealth as a “…blessing to mankind,” (Gladden, 8). Gladden’s perspective of causality dissents from Weber and Sellers; he believes that, “…one effect invariably produced by Christianity upon an uncivilized people receiving it is to multiply the wealth of that people,” (Gladden, 5). He argues, Protestantism, and ultimately Christianity, cause people to desire material goods (Class notes, Feb. 28). Thus, Christianity cannot be against capitalism without contradicting itself (Gladden, 8). Gladden’s evidence for his argument stems from the Bible. Gladden contends that there are statements in the Old Testament in which “…the possession and the increase of wealth are adduced as proofs of the favor of God,” (Gladded, 6). Wherefore, the New Testament supplements this argument by clarifying that is expected for men to accumulate wealth and possessions, but also God admonishes people valuing material goods over spiritual good, but not material wealth itself (Gladden,6). That is, people are meant to value spiritual well-being over material goods, but also remember they are commanded to be “fruitful” on earth and thus produce and amass wealth (Gladden, 7). Finally, Gladden realizes capitalism is not the problem; the problem is the unequal distribution of wealth (Class Notes, Feb. 28). He says, “No possible system will remove all

In warning about the evils of greed, Jesus used a parable: “There was a rich man blessed with [fertile land.] He thought to himself, ‘What will I do? I have no place to keep all my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘I know what I will do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger barns! I will put all my good things together in my new barns. Then I can say…Rest, eat, drink, and enjoy life!’“But God said to that man, ‘Foolish man! Tonight you will die!... Who will get [your things] now?’ This is how it will be for anyone who saves things only for himself. To God that person is not rich.” (Luke 12:13 21)

For example, John Rockefeller founded the Rockefeller Foundation, in which they aid people and support causes. Most of the philanthropists attended church regularly and claimed that since “God gave them the money”, they should follow was the Gospel of Wealth says and do more than keep it. The Acre of Diamond claims that every Christian has a divine right to make money and that to be a better person one must own wealth. They justify their action by saying how the bible say “the love money is the root of all evil”, but Russel Conwell refutes it and clarify that everyone should try to earn money because money has power and with power you could help your family or the

The Gospel explained that any surplus revenue that a wealthy man receives should be considered trust funds. Carnegie wrote that these excess funds should be donated and allocated in such a way that the wealthy man believes will best benefit his community. This, Carnegie elaborated, makes the wealthy man into an agent for the poorer people of his community. This wealthy man should give his wisdom and experience to the poor, giving them a gift that they could not acquire on their own. The mindset that the Gospel encouraged helped many see capitalists as people that wanted to help them and make their lives better.

Over fifty years ago, author and philosopher Ayn Rand stood in front of hundreds and delivered the iconic words, “every ugly, brutal aspect of injustice towards racial or religious minorities is being practiced towards businessmen” (Rand, “America's”); she went on to argue that they suffer under a “silent reign of terror” where they are always assumed by the government to be guilty, and thus become “exploited, denounced, [and] defenseless” (Rand, “America's). Rights that others are freely given are denied to them through antitrust laws that effectively strike them down for their success; Rand phrased it “the greater the virtue,” meaning their individual productivity and ability, “the greater the penalty” (Rand, “America's”). Some of her

Scanning the internet the other day was this derogatory article concerning mega churches stereotyped as big business, assessing how thousands of people give huge amounts of money. The article failed to mention how God blesses His people with such huge amounts of money in order for them to return huge amounts of money. Churches need to be big and rich for help people, and when people are helped the church cannot be big enough.

John E. Stapleford, Professor of Economic Development at Eastern College in St. David’s, Pennsylvania, expresses that morals and financial aspects are the ground-level points of this book. Stapleford likewise makes the substantial point that both financial matters and morals created as branches of philosophy. He further watches that throughout the years, barriers between the two disciplines have created with most financial experts maintaining a strategic distance from any express specify of the moral ramifications of the monetary speculations and ideas tended to in mainstream financial writings. Stapleford tries to address this situation

Christians do not think money is a bad thing. However, they believe the way money is earned and used is the issue. Most Christians believe that wealth is a gift from God to benefit others. Christians believe that all money belongs to God and he gives them stewardship of his money to use wisely. The Bible teaches, “You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24). For Christians this means that they must be careful not to replace their love for God with the love of money.

Every so often, an author conceives a story which gives birth to an unprecedented philosophical paradigm shift in the reader. Ayn Rand’s classic novel, Atlas Shrugged, seductively captures the quest of revolutionaries striving to achieve an ideal capitalist system. The producers of the world strike until the existing altruistic society collapses. They strike until they are rid of all the freeloaders who stand to benefit from their work. While the reader’s shift may not originally be in agreement with the extreme capitalistic view presented, Rand captures the reader’s attention with the unyielding motivation, and passion-fueled force her characters exemplify. In particular, she creatively illuminates the desire within a person to transcend

People are created in the image of God and by design all people belong to God. The people who have chosen to accept God’s promise belong to God forever. Psalm twenty-four is a praise to God, “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it”. Everything belongs to God, our life, materials, business, relationships, absolutely everything. God cares deeply about our wealth and health. However, the sin that corrupts our bodies and minds, and there is no guarantee that the Christian business person will prosper. The core of true life is in

It should be highlighted that money may allow one to get all the temporary comforts of life, but it must also be considered as to which type of person benefits from money as well. For example, an individual dying from an incurable illness, cannot be satisfied while being in possession of a great deal of money, when they are not even able to spend and enjoy it to its fullest content. Furthermore, someone with vast riches may be considered lucky by many, but the individual himself only realizes that if there is no one to share the bounties with, there is indeed no sweetness, no matter how ripe the fruit may be. Then again, if you happen to pick out someone from the opposite end of the upper class and elite, someone who belongs to a third class community, having a large family, loving spouse and even the beloved pet, he or

Arguelles tells her story of an eight year old boy who returns an envelope full of money to the bank and is rewarded three dollars by the owner of the lost money. She then goes on to tell us of the boy’s teachers who decide to give him a much bigger reward because they felt that he had been cheated for his honesty. Arguelles tells this story to lay bear the fact that, “in our upwardly mobile world we are on a downward spiral toward moral bankruptcy,” (Arguelles 52). It is not the eight year old boy who has a need for reward, it is his teachers. The young boy turned in the money because it was the right thing to do. For some reason, as people grow older, they become more and more consumed with the idea that they have to get something out of everything; “We all these things incitives, telling ourselves… rewards will follow” (Arguelles 51). Arguelles uses this story to show that as children, people still believe in doing the right thing because of just that: it is the right thing, but as adults, people become more and more focused on what they get; more concerned about the consequences of their

“We have always known that heedless self-interest was bad morals; We know now that it is also bad economics”