A lot of Protestant (i.e. Western Christian) understanding in morality and ethics, and what is right or wrong is couched in the language of money.
Debt. Trespass. Owe. Forgive. Purchase. Treasure. Profit.
No accident, a lot of the source material and translation drives it this way… the bible was clearly written and translated into English from the perspective of a society that values money. And the a Western/Protestant morality and ethics developed fully embedded in a capitalist society. The idea of Hermits or Stylites being holy people, or money-free religious communities being an expression of God’s will for humanity… is very alien to Protestants.
Most Protestants can probably name at least two or three teachings from the gospel that focus on money. Two of the ten commandments are about owning things. Most Protestants are probably very aware of prayers and verses involving money-language to explain the faith and belief.
So: is it possible to disentangle the protestant understanding of morality, and being in a society based around money? What would this look like? How would key phrases and teachings of Protestantism be retranslated to accommodate this?
And, if this is a problem for Protestantism, does it follow that it must be a problem for all of Christianity?
Sir Tainley
Article URL : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercy