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Money Is the Root of All Evil

What do you think, is money the root of all evil?

All the Yes points:

  1. The greed caused by pursuit of money is damaging.
  2. spiritual damage
  3. there are alternatives to money
  4. Family damage
  5. If money was such a good thing then IT would serve the people. Instead people serve IT.
  6. Money equals a social status
  7. money causes interest

All the No points:

  1. Money can be donated to a good cause.
  2. some evil clearly nothing to do with money
  3. Money is not the root of all evil. The lack of money is the root of all evil.
  4. More
  5. Money represents positive value
  6. Money is the end product of what you did
  7. Originally, Money was the solution to the problems(/inefficiencies in transactions) arising out of barter exchange system.
  8. Money can’t be dispensed with
  9. There’s no such thing as the root of evil!

The greed caused by pursuit of money is damaging.

Yes because…

No because…

spiritual damage

Yes because…

No because…

there are alternatives to money

Yes because…

No because…

Family damage

Yes because…

No because…

What does greed got to do with money? Even without money, greed still exists.

If money was such a good thing then IT would serve the people. Instead people serve IT.

Yes because…

Money CAN be a good thing but who’s really in control? Do you think you’re in control because, what, you have a good job? You invested in something? Exactly how much control do you have over your own life when all you do is serve pieces of paper and the system that relies on it?

I suggest to watch these if you dont know what I mean.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPWH5TlbloU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXt1cayx0hs

No because…

Money equals a social status

Yes because…

Society often judges people according how much money they have, so money equal status. In some institutions you means nothing if you didnĀ“ t have money.

No because…

money causes interest

Yes because…

No because…

Money can be donated to a good cause.

No because…

Yes because…

some evil clearly nothing to do with money

No because…

There are many roots to acts that would be considered evil – I will assume this means actions that harm others or denigrate the self, but the concept of ‘evil’ itself is by no means straightforward – that are nothing to do with money. For instance, a murder might be motivated by anger, a rape by uncontrollable lust, bullying and discrimination by ignorance.

You don’t need money to commit a crime. You need a big rock or stick to murder someone. You need the other person not to notice to steal something from someone. Crime has been happening before a monetary system.

Religion has also led to a lot of destruction since a long time. Not only this even the greatest of problems dont have their root cause as money.The biggest example being Taliban.Why are they attacking people, they are not getting money from it but it is because they want blood, killing of Indians and Americans. This is called racism.

So money is not the root cause of all evil.

Yes because…

Without money they couldn’t have commited the evil crimes.

and ya “SOME” evil got nothing 2 do with money but most evil got alot 2 do with money !!!

Money is not the root of all evil. The lack of money is the root of all evil.

No because…

I respect both sides and I understand why many people believe that money is the root of all evil. But I have to disagree. The lack of money is the root of all evil. Back in the history of mankind, before money was invented, we bartered. Money was the result of hardworking process. Bear in mind that criminals are all born in poverty and some of them live in poverty. The fear of lacking money haunts them constantly. It is the fear of not being able to feed themselves and their families that make them commit unthinkable crimes. If money is evil, could you live in a world without money? If greed or desire is evil, have you ever wanted something that is not yours? Any of you ever want an Iphone? Any of you can live without computer, electricity and all of modern comfort?

If you think money is the root of all evil, I’d like to recommend the Communist Manifesto for you. Marx talked about an utopia society in which people work based on their ability and get rewarded base on their needs. Money would not be necessary. I like to ask those who think money is not necessary to point out a successful communist example. Im from a communist, aka socialist, country. And we are moving toward a capitalistic market. I strongly believe that if you dont work for yourself, nobody will. Money motivates people to work harder, smarter. Would there be light bub if Edison work for just bread and milk only?

You might say those riches keep getting richer without giving away their money to the poor. I’d like to ask you “Why the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer?” If you find the question somewhat interesting please spend sometimes read the book “Rich Dad, Poor Dad.” It changed a poor college student’s way of thinking, I hope it will be helpful too.

Money is not the root of all evil. The lack of money is the root of all evil.

Yes because…

But if there was no money (such as in the case of communism) the lack of it, wouldn’t adversely affect anyone.

All the fears you refer to only exist because we need ‘money’ to buy stuff but if there was no money and resources were distributed freely and equally there would be no need for petty cash or even less liquid monetary equivalents.

No-one is free of evil/desires, your argument is just as crudely sufficient as saying ‘lying isn’t bad because everyone has done it at some point’. The fact that we sin and/or are tempted to, doesn’t not make it right/good.

More

No because…

To be fair the lack of money is one of the roots of evil. But still money is not the root of all evil :)
ā€¦
Complaint: My opponent is not being clear about his views.
ā€¦
“Now you might argue that lust and the want of possessions is not the same as the want/need of money, but money is a means to that end. “

Imagine no money here in this situation. No money means either you don’t want to ever buy/ sell anything ever in life; withdraw yourself from society n go become a sage (not 99.99% people ever would wanna do it) OR you wanna go back to the days of barter exchange- as for the drawbacks of barter, I’ve briefed on it as a separate point 3 blocks down- check it.

Yes because…

The desperation and greed caused by unlimited wants, unequal distribution of resources and a restrictive means(money) of getting anything. Is the sole and ultimate cause of stress,frustration,anger,rage and thus all crimes.

Now you might argue that lust and the want of possessions is not the same as the want/need of money, but money is a means to that end. Everything has a price tag. Everything/person can be bought. If someone won’t marry you because s/he finds you unattractive, you cosmetically/surgically alter your appearance using ‘money’. The one you want does not like your personality : you can change your personality by paying for a course or workshop. Get private investigators, bribe the police, bribe lawyers or hire extremely expensive onesā€¦you can spit in the face of justice/morality. You can get anything and everything.

‘Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely'[[Lord acton]]
Money is power.

Money represents positive value

No because…

It is a great American contribution to world culture, that they have coined the phrase “to make money”. Money is made, by effort of muscle, willpower, and intelect. There can be no society composed entirely of thieves, as there will be no value to steal.

Money represents the confidence of parties that the value of their efforts can be traded for the value of others’ efforts. It is a recognition of the importance of society based on trade, rather than the only real alternative: violence.

To be clear, money contributed to charity is also traded, for the value of achieving a social goal – this in contrast to taxes, which are forcefully taken.

Yes because…

Were the soviets, who sent the first dog,man and woman into space, devoid of intellect, creativity, willpower, effort, muscle and the rest of it? P.O.A no they were not.

The notion that money is the sole motivator is a great fallacy.If the notion were true, social/pro bono/charity work would not exist. Why are there unpaid interns? Why do students pay for courses? you might argue that everything is done to ultimately make money but the point is, making money is not why people are motivated to perform well and outperform others. Some other reasons are recognition,fame,responsibility,habits( being a workaholic) and competition.

The need for money is artificially created in a capitalist world. Outside of that universe of discourse, where money is banished and resources are equally and fairly distributed, all the frustration over not having your needs or wants met, would diminish.

Having more money than another person is similar to having the ability to cheat him/her. Historical rhetoric propounds: people with higher salaries exploit people who work under them, The rich exploit the poor and so on.

It is quite possible to have money without earning it through your own competence. very rich people often inherit it from their family, order other people to make money for them, and then money generates more money through interest rates. people on Income Support get money directly through being unable to make money, although it isn’t really their fault.

Money is the end product of what you did

No because…

Money is the end product of something that you did that you think its enjoyable to you. For example, if someone started invest into a company or firms, it is because of the excitement not because of money. It is the excitement that make people invest and this excitement will leads to the end product, money. Therefore there is no reason to say that money is the root of all evil. Money is just the end product of what you did that excite you

Yes because…

money can be the end product of theft. theft is evil. therefore money is the root of evil.

Cozmo — more often people steal for money, pick-pockets, theives, burglars, crazy people. Money CAN be good but most people dont know how to use it so they use it for their own satisfying needs.

Cozmo — 90% of crimes are based on money.

Originally, Money was the solution to the problems(/inefficiencies in transactions) arising out of barter exchange system.

No because…

Read on the history of money. Originally, Money was the solution to the problems(/inefficiencies in transactions) arising out of barter exchange system. Ex: In barter exchange there had to be a double co-incidence of wants. A man selling milk who wanted to buy rice had to find someone selling rice & wanting milk. GOOD LORD! Just imagine how time-consuming & frustrating. Also, there was a need for a standard to objectively measure the value of all types of goods like cows, milk, foodgrains, clothes, ornaments, etc. Imagine feelings of doubt & being cheated arising out of selling 1 kg rice in exchange of 3 litres milk (when later you met someone offering you 4 litres in exchange for the same value)! Moreover, money is the best & most liquid store of value & has legal tender – so you sue someone legally if cheated. Money solved the problem & also avoided all the confusion.

Money is an indispensable part of our lives. Money has to be earned! The root of evil is people who want the unearned money. Saying “MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL” is like blaming your tools; it’s very embarrassing. A similar statement: “Computers (or tech) is a curse.”

Ex: You condemn the car for it lead to a terrible accident & you landed up in hospital. So is car the cause of the accident? Or are there other things to consider- like did you repair & maintain it regularly? Why did you buy it? Were you drunk? Were you daydreaming while driving? Did another car hit yours? I’d say that anyone with minimal level of intelligence should get the gist of it & should be in a position to discern the fact that car per se didn’t create the problem. In the accident scene, car was the passive factor while the man driving it was an active factor & another car hitting it was the causal factor. Money too is a passive factor. How you approach it makes all the difference! Just as how you use Internet & Computer decides whether it be a curse or a boon.

My smartass opponent may say car was purchased with money- so again money is the root of all evil. Alright then, could you dispense with your car? Could you dispense with anything else having money value? But this is different issue altogether.

Yes because…

Money can’t be dispensed with

No because…

see the essence of of what I mean by “money” — anything that is or acts as money i.e. anything that performs the recognized functions of money or serves the recognized purpose of money. I’d quote a definition “Money is a good that acts as a medium of exchange in transactions. Classically it is said that money acts as a unit of account, a store of value, and a medium of exchange. Most authors find that the first two are nonessential properties that follow from the third. In fact, other goods are often better than money at being intertemporal stores of value, since most monies degrade in value over time through inflation or the overthrow of governments.” Now think– can you do without money? Do you wanna go back to the days for barter system? Imagine no banks, no recognized/ standard medium to transact.

Yes because…

There’s no such thing as the root of evil!

No because…

Evil can take different forms & types and also has different causes most of them-psychological.

Yes because…

This allegation is completely wrong. Satan is the root of all evil.

Cozmo —Satan is the root of all evil but Satan is also the one who made people use money to do bad deeds. he used people so they can satisfy their own needs however horrible so Satan IS the root of all evil, but also money because if Satan didnt have control over money, we would all use it for good wouldnt we? but nooooā€¦ we think its wuch a waste to use so much money on Salvation army blah blah blahā€¦ get my point? It’s all Satan’s doing

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THe dude
3 years ago

totally wrong if all criminals are born in poverty why do politicians have so much of itšŸ¤£šŸ¤£šŸ˜…

Rose
5 years ago

Money is NOT the root cause of ALL evil. The only reason ‘evils’ like world hunger and poverty exist is because of a lack of money so it could be argued that it is the cause, but in reality, did hitler suddenly decide to start a war with the world because of money? No, he didnt, he did it for power. Evil people do evil things and use money to aid them but the money itself is not the cause. Even something as small as a one pound coin can make someone happy. The truth is that different people have different reactions to money, some share, some keep and others use it to cause pain in others but once again its the individuals decision on what he or she would like to do with that money. Other evil deeds are not caused by money, but by the person who decides to cause suffering in others.

THe dude
3 years ago
Reply to  Rose

totally agree, someone knows what they are talking aboutšŸ˜šŸ˜‘

Jane obanla
5 years ago

yes money is d root of all evil my fellow debators has said everythin but I just wanted to add a little point to it d real question is what is money being used for? is it being used for God’s glory? or is it being for pleasure, is it being used for pride, to support dictators, and for the purchase of arms with which to kill people or is it being used for a higher places? when all dis r being answered we c dat money is not used d right way so its because people LOVE money more dan any thin n did is very bad especially as a christain.

Jay
5 years ago

no because it is how u see and use money…. and u got used to it… it is in men that made money evil…. it is men who lose control and dont use it properly…. blame yourself…. it is in you…. not the money

Fiona Jenkins
5 years ago

Greed cause many problems in this world, but it’s extremely simplistically to take this wise saying at face value. This saying excludes other roots of evil: Love of power, cruelty, psychopathy, obedience, conformity, stupidity, failing to see the significance of our very brief journey on earth.

Moses Wynn
6 years ago

Money is not the root of all evil, it is the product of evil.

Daniel
7 years ago

Money is not the root of all evil. To LOVE money IS the root of all evil. That is what you are trying to say.

\"The Eternal Light\"
7 years ago

Money is not the root of evil but money is not the truth. All the resources on planet earth are free to use, nobody owns them. If people stop being selfish and care for each other then we can live in a healthy environment without fear or worries. Well money is a system used to compensate someone for their work they have performed to produce final goods/products rather than barter/ exchange which might create disparities/differences. Social Status, religions that enforce conversion, ethnicity, gender is the root cause of evil, but how did these factors came into play. Let’s find out, people who want easy money and control resources to avoid scarcity, created such differences so that a few may be privileged to enjoy the spoils. That is why wars take place to control resources.
The victors take it all and the losers suffer. People who are born in poverty commit crime because people won’t give them a chance to have a decent life. I rather suggest people stop showing off and stop being selfish because of your infidelities. Money can never buy you happiness only temporary satisfaction. Money does not come along with you when you die and money can be destroyed, it just takes seconds. The Ultimate Truth is you want to be remembered for who you are and loved. No Greater joy than being loved and showing compassion.

my Overlord
7 years ago

I like how the ppl who say money is not the root of evil have to support their argument in several elaborate paragraphs (some of which contradict themselves) .

Andreas Htid
9 years ago

money is the root of all evil u know why society is greedy hungry for money killing each other for it..not only. Money is causing problems in young talents around the world it is restricting young talent from achieving there dream because of fucking money I have talent in racing but cant cause of fucking money..MONEY SHOULD BURN AND EVERTHING SHOULD BE EQUAL AND FREE

Hello
10 years ago

The Bible says that “The LOVE of money is the root of all evil”, not that money itself is bad. Even Jesus used money -He told the Pharasies to pay to Ceaser what was his and to God what was His. It’s what people do with money that is the problem, not money itself.

JoeM3838
10 years ago

Everything in this material world has a direct impact on our spiritual side. Some more than others. Money has the biggest impact of all. It brings us further into this world and further out of the spiritual world. It is predefined and no one can carry a perception of money that is contrary to the popular concept. Only small children have a more innocent perception, as they do with all things due to their inability to understand.

In other words, the more affected by money a person is, the less spiritual they are. And we often hear people talking against it. But put money in their hands and watch the hypocrisy reveal itself. It’s called temptation. Satan’s number one weapon of choice. No man on Earth is above it. It has been told that only Jesus Christ was an exception to the rule. We are to flee from Sin, not act as if we are invulnerable to it. Money is inherently sinful. And I fully agree 100% with a previous comment that stated that if money was good, it would serve us. But in reality, we serve it. I als noticed a previous comment stating that “lack of” money was the root of all evil. What a silly notion. The only time I heard that before was on an episode of the Jeffersons. Lol. And it is funny in a sad kinda way.

Money has done more wrong than right. Just having it in this world paves the way for needless technology and other pointless things. It enables the greedy to hijack resources for unethical resale or reckless use. Having it around dramatically increases greed which causes crime and disregard. There is absolutely no virtue to be found where money is concerned. The hypocrites in the world send their $5 to charity thinking it helps people. They should instead be getting off their behinds and literally taking money and buying things people need. And then delivering those things in person. TIme and again, charities have been abusing trust and squandering money away. Because at least one person in any organization is greedy enough to take advantage. Even in churches. All people of the Earth stink and cannot measure up to GOD. No matter how hard they try. Because it is in us to do wrong. It is in us to feel proud of ourselves and of others. We worship idols and children, and one another. We devote ourselves to doing good deeds with family and friends, while letting the homeless guy in town rot to the ground. We sit by and watch our communities decay, expecting corrupt politicians to care. Instead, we should be doing something about it. And why do we not?

Because we think its more important to get up, go to work to a 9 to 5 slave job, working for a rich man to help him get richer, while we come home and use that money to give it to another rich man. And we do it over and over again every day. So yes. We are serving money. That is an indisputable fact. And only a person who wears money as a crutch would deny this Truth. I personally have family and friends who wear that crutch. And they are fools. Not wise at all. Hence the reason why the Bible talks about fools more than anything else. It has been told that children are fools. That is true. We can fool a child into anything. And it is extremely important that they be raised with a wise person. For only a wise person can rear a wise child. A fool can only raise a fool. So yes. Not only is it possible for an adult to be a fool. The Earth is full of them! And most are caught up in a cycle of having children and raising their own kids as fools (of course). If the people who call themselves Christians learned to sacrifice and set the example Jesus did, the fools in the world would have something to guide them out of their ignorance. But I see 99.9% of all churchgoers as hypocrites who think Sunday service will save them. GOD cares far more about what happens outside the church. He made us to live life, not hang out in million dollar social clubs, while wearing Christian name tags. Our growing should mostly take place in the Bible itself. Not under the influence of a single misinformed and misled pastor. He is bought and paid for by the church. It is a political institution that keeps itself hidden from the public. And it thrives on money most of all. Jesus didn’t go around begging for money to build a church. He was more likely to pick a big rock to stand on as a place of congregation to draw people to. Nothing fancy. Nothing that costs money. Just a gathering for the Truth to be heard. But today, money is driving the churches. It needs to look a certain way. it needs to suit a hundred purposes outside that of GOD. They play sports. They go on fun trips. They worship food. They act like its a social club. They do absolutely NOTHING for anyone but themselves. A complete falling away of the churches has already happened!!

Jesus had money. But He lived in poverty. The only man who could have money and not use it for himself!! It was strictly used to suit GOD’s purpose in His pursuit to bring others out of society. The good will of others would have made it unnecessary. But money was too precious to them. Saving that last dime was far more important to their own bellies than that of others!! That applies 100% today as well!!

Carter Dave
10 years ago

the opposite of empathy (whatever that is) is the root of all evil – if at the moment of evil taking place one stopped and thought “would i want to be on the receiving end of this? no” and therefore stopped their evil doing then there would be a drastic drop in evil if empathy was at the beginning of every thought process humans made. empathy is what should be first taught at school along with learning to talk.
money certainly brings evil out of people – it makes people selfish (either for themselves or their particular group/family), it plays with emotions (makes people both happy and sad) and worst of all in my opinion it is the divide that it creates between people with money and people without – that two babies born at exactly the same time, even in the same hospital can have such different upbringings due to money

JoeM3838
10 years ago
Reply to  Carter Dave

Wrong and right. You are right about what happens to people when money is around. But you are wrong in the cause. Money doesn’t cause this to happen. It only reveals what is already there. If money caused evil, Jesus would have been corrupted because He had money. The rason it did not affect Him in any ill way is because His entire heart and soul was upon GOD. Something most people fall short of. Many Christians exalt Christ to separate Him from the rest of us. They deny the fact that while He was human, He was one of us. A mortal man. He was a sinless man because of the way He was conceived. And his parents knew the importance of this. Therefore, He was raised to combat Sin in His own life. He was raised truly wise. it wasn’t divinity that gave Him the strength to resist temptation. It was His devotion to GOD. And people have the ability to eradicate their own Sin. They just aren’t doing it. Because the sacrifice is too great for them. Money is the biggest pitfall of all. And until they realize that they need to live a life without it, they will never learn at all. Churches have fallen away because they are led by people who haven’t lived a truly GODly life like Jesus. The Bible is the only true Church in existence. And its right on your coffee table.

Healen Rose
10 years ago

Money is damaging because it corrupts people and
governments and has been the driving force behind all of the worst man-made
disasters in the world. Of course, it is arguable whether money is the root of
all evil, but while it could and certainly should be used for good causes, the
fact remains that most money simply is not used to help others or the Earht.
Instead it has made us greedy and thoughtless. Money is the root of all evil.

-The opinion of Healene Rose

whatsfair
11 years ago

in my point of view evil and world problems started in our problems with scarcity and which cause us to greed to steal and hate and make economy out of war . . haha just guessing.

steven
11 years ago

Money is a root of evil yes, but money is NOT the root of all evil because it says so in the bible. The bible DOES NOT say money is the root of all evil, but, ‘love of money is the root of all evil’.

money
11 years ago
Reply to  steven

Whether it is the love of money or it is the money itself that is the root of all evil is of little difference. Without the existence of money, there would not be a love of money. And so the existence of money is a root cause of the love of money. If the love of money is the root of all evil, then so too is money itself.

JoeM3838
10 years ago
Reply to  money

Certainly it has the same meaning. The Love of Money is another word for GREED. And where there is money, there is greed. A poor person doesn’t see money for very long. It come and goes quickly. They are always behind on paying bills. And its a good thing really. As long as they are pursuing GOD’s wisdom. Otherwise, its only a matter of time until they hit the lottery and become a long term heathen.

Lol
9 years ago
Reply to  money

Ummm…. You do know why money was created in the first place, right? If there was no money, things would go into chaos, worse than the “chaos” you are talking about. Just think and you will understand.

Weston
11 years ago

Shall I refer every one to a book by Any Rand? Atlas Shrugged, on page 412 a character in the book, SeƱor De Anconia, made a speech about money. He stated that money is the way to show production, is production what you consider evil? “Wealth is the way to show a mans capacity to think.” I agree. Now tell me again, money is evil why? Because we kill each other over it? Could you not also say that the fact that man has the ability to act upon conflict evil? And, in any case, if money truly is evil, what do you suggest what we do about it? How do we fix it?

money
11 years ago
Reply to  Weston

Fixing it by not using money means barter and charitable sharing within communities. Barter requires a lot of effort in negotiating and having long standing trading relationships. Sharing also requires relationships. We love our money because we don’t require all these relationships. We are able to remain more disconnected from each other, requiring less to have positive reputations as well. But money allows even greater social cost in that money is able to be controlled. Monetary inflation and deflation may be manipulated to extract wealth from the economy and if desired bring nations into conflict. Debts are used to make the masses tenants as in the days of serfdom. Most are enslaved to debt; and debt is the primary means of the creation of money. Debt is only a promise to pay, created from nothing but an agreement and typically agreed upon interest which is usury when ten times financial reserves are lent out at even tiny interest rates. Commodity backed notes are a promise of exchange of a commodity such as gold in exchange for bills. Whether money is created from debt or backed by commodity is of little concern, both debt and commodities can be controlled. In time all of the world becomes controlled by a plutocratic society. One main requirement to gain and maintain control is to be willing to allow or even cause horrible evils.

EfM
6 years ago
Reply to  Weston

It is AYN Rand, and she was a complete loon. Atlas Shrugged is possibly the most deluded piece of fiction ever written.

monty
11 years ago

Money is something that we compete for like chips in a game. In game theory John Nash wrote a mathematical proof that when everyone is competing for the same resources the result is a zero sum game. If we continue to compete for money we will use all of earth’s resources. So we should ask the question: ‘Why do we actually need money?’ Most people will answer that it is to advance civilization, develop technologies to make our lives easier or to get people that don’t get along to work together. Ultimately, the answer is to get people to do jobs that they would otherwise not do. Technology has for the most part been stalled by money and caused people to abandon the craft of programming in order to rush something out before someone else make money on it. If you ask anyone in the Free Software Foundation they will tell you that they write code because the enjoy it and work because the need to eat. We all need to stop working so hard to avoid work.

rica
11 years ago

Money is the root of all evil. why is said this because many of the famous stars and people now dying from killing them to take their money and everything they have. if they do not have any money i know there will be no killing and paying others to kill someone for money.

Lol
9 years ago
Reply to  rica

I would rather call it lack of money is the root of all evil.
If you don’t have money of course you can easily get bribed,etc.

Daniel
7 years ago
Reply to  rica

To LOVE money is the root of all evil. I think that is what you are trying to say.

Sara
6 years ago
Reply to  rica

Blaming money for the cause of all evils prevailing in every field is totally wrong ..
Its not the money rather the greediness and dissatisfaction is the only main cause of all evils..

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