"Money I the root of all EVIL" Warriors, Do you agree with this?

Seconded.

Also, to much money can also corrupt a person.

I totally disagree. Money is just a vehicle. Greed is the root of all evil. Money does just as much good as it does bad. It all comes down to intentions.

This is like the gun control debate. Guns don't kill people. People kill people. The gun is just a weapon...

Broke people rob, rape, kill, and lie just as easily as the millionaires do.

Yes money is the root of evil!
I dont know what is your age or if you ever worked for someone but you will see people are way different when money takes place for something! :/

i dont agree probably greed is the root of all evil

As said before money can neither be good or bad. As the buddha has taught, greed is wrong, but is not the root of all evil. Ignorance is actually the root of evil, by causing the development of other states of being such as aversion (hatred, anger, violence), delusion (lacking clear understanding, insensitivity), and of course greed.

Now the desire for money is wrong, but money can not be wrong. An object can not be evil because it was created the way it is, has no cognitive ability to decipher right from wrong, and it can be used for both good and bad.

It's a common misconception that money causes people to behave wrongly, but this is just the individuals character showing not money causing them to act any differently than who they actually are.

Francisco D'Anconia's "Money" Speech from Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged." Required reading for any respectable Capitalist.

Here's the video for people who'd prefer listening:

http://youtu.be/LTQqFGLDdJ0

“So you think that money is the root of all evil?” said Francisco d’Anconia. “Have you ever asked what is the root of money? Money is a tool of exchange, which can’t exist unless there are goods produced and men able to produce them. Money is the material shape of the principle that men who wish to deal with one another must deal by trade and give value for value. Money is not the tool of the moochers, who claim your product by tears, or of the looters, who take it from you by force. Money is made possible only by the men who produce. Is this what you consider evil?

“When you accept money in payment for your effort, you do so only on the conviction that you will exchange it for the product of the effort of others. It is not the moochers or the looters who give value to money. Not an ocean of tears not all the guns in the world can transform those pieces of paper in your wallet into the bread you will need to survive tomorrow. Those pieces of paper, which should have been gold, are a token of honor–your claim upon the energy of the men who produce. Your wallet is your statement of hope that somewhere in the world around you there are men who will not default on that moral principle which is the root of money, Is this what you consider evil?

“Have you ever looked for the root of production? Take a look at an electric generator and dare tell yourself that it was created by the muscular effort of unthinking brutes. Try to grow a seed of wheat without the knowledge left to you by men who had to discover it for the first time. Try to obtain your food by means of nothing but physical motions–and you’ll learn that man’s mind is the root of all the goods produced and of all the wealth that has ever existed on earth.

“But you say that money is made by the strong at the expense of the weak? What strength do you mean? It is not the strength of guns or muscles. Wealth is the product of man’s capacity to think. Then is money made by the man who invents a motor at the expense of those who did not invent it? Is money made by the intelligent at the expense of the fools? By the able at the expense of the incompetent? By the ambitious at the expense of the lazy? Money is made–before it can be looted or mooched–made by the effort of every honest man, each to the extent of his ability. An honest man is one who knows that he can’t consume more than he has produced.’

“To trade by means of money is the code of the men of good will. Money rests on the axiom that every man is the owner of his mind and his effort. Money allows no power to prescribe the value of your effort except the voluntary choice of the man who is willing to trade you his effort in return. Money permits you to obtain for your goods and your labor that which they are worth to the men who buy them, but no more. Money permits no deals except those to mutual benefit by the unforced judgment of the traders. Money demands of you the recognition that men must work for their own benefit, not for their own injury, for their gain, not their loss–the recognition that they are not beasts of burden, born to carry the weight of your misery–that you must offer them values, not wounds–that the common bond among men is not the exchange of suffering, but the exchange of goods. Money demands that you sell, not your weakness to men’s stupidity, but your talent to their reason; it demands that you buy, not the shoddiest they offer, but the best that your money can find. And when men live by trade–with reason, not force, as their final arbiter–it is the best product that wins, the best performance, the man of best judgment and highest ability–and the degree of a man’s productiveness is the degree of his reward. This is the code of existence whose tool and symbol is money. Is this what you consider evil?

“But money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish, but it will not replace you as the driver. It will give you the means for the satisfaction of your desires, but it will not provide you with desires. Money is the scourge of the men who attempt to reverse the law of causality–the men who seek to replace the mind by seizing the products of the mind.

“Money will not purchase happiness for the man who has no concept of what he wants: money will not give him a code of values, if he’s evaded the knowledge of what to value, and it will not provide him with a purpose, if he’s evaded the choice of what to seek. Money will not buy intelligence for the fool, or admiration for the coward, or respect for the incompetent. The man who attempts to purchase the brains of his superiors to serve him, with his money replacing his judgment, ends up by becoming the victim of his inferiors. The men of intelligence desert him, but the cheats and the frauds come flocking to him, drawn by a law which he has not discovered: that no man may be smaller than his money. Is this the reason why you call it evil?

“Only the man who does not need it, is fit to inherit wealth–the man who would make his own fortune no matter where he started. If an heir is equal to his money, it serves him; if not, it destroys him. But you look on and you cry that money corrupted him. Did it? Or did he corrupt his money? Do not envy a worthless heir; his wealth is not yours and you would have done no better with it. Do not think that it should have been distributed among you; loading the world with fifty parasites instead of one, would not bring back the dead virtue which was the fortune. Money is a living power that dies without its root. Money will not serve the mind that cannot match it. Is this the reason why you call it evil?

“Money is your means of survival. The verdict you pronounce upon the source of your livelihood is the verdict you pronounce upon your life. If the source is corrupt, you have damned your own existence. Did you get your money by fraud? By pandering to men’s vices or men’s stupidity? By catering to fools, in the hope of getting more than your ability deserves? By lowering your standards? By doing work you despise for purchasers you scorn? If so, then your money will not give you a moment’s or a penny’s worth of joy. Then all the things you buy will become, not a tribute to you, but a reproach; not an achievement, but a reminder of shame. Then you’ll scream that money is evil. Evil, because it would not pinch-hit for your self-respect? Evil, because it would not let you enjoy your depravity? Is this the root of your hatred of money?

“Money will always remain an effect and refuse to replace you as the cause. Money is the product of virtue, but it will not give you virtue and it will not redeem your vices. Money will not give you the unearned, neither in matter nor in spirit. Is this the root of your hatred of money?

“Or did you say it’s the love of money that’s the root of all evil? To love a thing is to know and love its nature. To love money is to know and love the fact that money is the creation of the best power within you, and your passkey to trade your effort for the effort of the best among men. It’s the person who would sell his soul for a nickel, who is loudest in proclaiming his hatred of money–and he has good reason to hate it. The lovers of money are willing to work for it. They know they are able to deserve it.

“Let me give you a tip on a clue to men’s characters: the man who damns money has obtained it dishonorably; the man who respects it has earned it.

“Run for your life from any man who tells you that money is evil. That sentence is the leper’s bell of an approaching looter. So long as men live together on earth and need means to deal with one another–their only substitute, if they abandon money, is the muzzle of a gun.

“But money demands of you the highest virtues, if you wish to make it or to keep it. Men who have no courage, pride or self-esteem, men who have no moral sense of their right to their money and are not willing to defend it as they defend their life, men who apologize for being rich–will not remain rich for long. They are the natural bait for the swarms of looters that stay under rocks for centuries, but come crawling out at the first smell of a man who begs to be forgiven for the guilt of owning wealth. They will hasten to relieve him of the guilt–and of his life, as he deserves.

“Then you will see the rise of the men of the double standard–the men who live by force, yet count on those who live by trade to create the value of their looted money–the men who are the hitchhikers of virtue. In a moral society, these are the criminals, and the statutes are written to protect you against them. But when a society establishes criminals-by-right and looters-by-law–men who use force to seize the wealth of disarmed victims–then money becomes its creators’ avenger. Such looters believe it safe to rob defenseless men, once they’ve passed a law to disarm them. But their loot becomes the magnet for other looters, who get it from them as they got it. Then the race goes, not to the ablest at production, but to those most ruthless at brutality. When force is the standard, the murderer wins over the pickpocket. And then that society vanishes, in a spread of ruins and slaughter.

“Do you wish to know whether that day is coming? Watch money. Money is the barometer of a society’s virtue. When you see that trading is done, not by consent, but by compulsion–when you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing–when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors–when you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don’t protect you against them, but protect them against you–when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice–you may know that your society is doomed. Money is so noble a medium that is does not compete with guns and it does not make terms with brutality. It will not permit a country to survive as half-property, half-loot.

“Whenever destroyers appear among men, they start by destroying money, for money is men’s protection and the base of a moral existence. Destroyers seize gold and leave to its owners a counterfeit pile of paper. This kills all objective standards and delivers men into the arbitrary power of an arbitrary setter of values. Gold was an objective value, an equivalent of wealth produced. Paper is a mortgage on wealth that does not exist, backed by a gun aimed at those who are expected to produce it. Paper is a check drawn by legal looters upon an account which is not theirs: upon the virtue of the victims. Watch for the day when it bounces, marked, ‘Account overdrawn.’

“When you have made evil the means of survival, do not expect men to remain good. Do not expect them to stay moral and lose their lives for the purpose of becoming the fodder of the immoral. Do not expect them to produce, when production is punished and looting rewarded. Do not ask, ‘Who is destroying the world? You are.

“You stand in the midst of the greatest achievements of the greatest productive civilization and you wonder why it’s crumbling around you, while you’re damning its life-blood–money. You look upon money as the savages did before you, and you wonder why the jungle is creeping back to the edge of your cities. Throughout men’s history, money was always seized by looters of one brand or another, whose names changed, but whose method remained the same: to seize wealth by force and to keep the producers bound, demeaned, defamed, deprived of honor. That phrase about the evil of money, which you mouth with such righteous recklessness, comes from a time when wealth was produced by the labor of slaves–slaves who repeated the motions once discovered by somebody’s mind and left unimproved for centuries. So long as production was ruled by force, and wealth was obtained by conquest, there was little to conquer, Yet through all the centuries of stagnation and starvation, men exalted the looters, as aristocrats of the sword, as aristocrats of birth, as aristocrats of the bureau, and despised the producers, as slaves, as traders, as shopkeepers–as industrialists.

“To the glory of mankind, there was, for the first and only time in history, a country of money–and I have no higher, more reverent tribute to pay to America, for this means: a country of reason, justice, freedom, production, achievement. For the first time, man’s mind and money were set free, and there were no fortunes-by-conquest, but only fortunes-by-work, and instead of swordsmen and slaves, there appeared the real maker of wealth, the greatest worker, the highest type of human being–the self-made man–the American industrialist.

“If you ask me to name the proudest distinction of Americans, I would choose–because it contains all the others–the fact that they were the people who created the phrase ‘to make money.’ No other language or nation had ever used these words before; men had always thought of wealth as a static quantity–to be seized, begged, inherited, shared, looted or obtained as a favor. Americans were the first to understand that wealth has to be created. The words ‘to make money’ hold the essence of human morality.

“Yet these were the words for which Americans were denounced by the rotted cultures of the looters’ continents. Now the looters’ credo has brought you to regard your proudest achievements as a hallmark of shame, your prosperity as guilt, your greatest men, the industrialists, as blackguards, and your magnificent factories as the product and property of muscular labor, the labor of whip-driven slaves, like the pyramids of Egypt. The rotter who simpers that he sees no difference between the power of the dollar and the power of the whip, ought to learn the difference on his own hide– as, I think, he will.

“Until and unless you discover that money is the root of all good, you ask for your own destruction. When money ceases to be the tool by which men deal with one another, then men become the tools of men. Blood, whips and guns–or dollars. Take your choice–there is no other–and your time is running out.”

I don't believe money is the root of all evil. More over money is the fuel of many movement. There are other forces that drive people to do evil deeds. But money is not the only thing.

Great Ideas warriors!

Yes, money is merely a vehicle. It is the intention of how to use it which lies of course on human beings, is the root of all evil. it is lifeless, it cannot think nor even whisper to you to do horrible things. But the lack and abundance of it sometimes clouds an individuals perception of right and wrong.

It all end up to people's principle, intentions, goal and outlook in life.

More ideas please

For me it depends on how you use your money. If you are using it for good then i think there is no evil with it.

In my religion, it is taught that making money as your God is the root of all evil

I agree with the person who revised the original statement. Greed is the root of all evil. Money does equal power. Power CAN easily lead to greed. Evil comes in many forms. The root will vary depending on the person, as Joe pointed out. For some people, it IS money. For others, it's something completely different.

Money is a smokescreen. The rich commit the same crimes as the poor...

Anyone who's read Rich Dad, Poor Dad will understand that being 'rich' is just a mindset. It has nothing to do with your bank balance.

"They say, money is the root of all evil, funny how it feeds my people" best song ever - theme song of ThisWeekInStartup.

Its all about the person. Can corrupt you entirely or make you a thief.

But no Money is not good or bad.

Money is definitely not something bad.
The more money I have the more charity I can provide to people and animals in bad situations. As someone said in a previous post greed is the root to evil. Money and a heart at the right place can be the root to good.

I love money. Money is freedom! Freedom and prosperity are two very important things in life (I think).

Money is a mechanism. It's also a mirror for who we are. Their are good rich people, and good poor people. There are also bad rich people, and bad poor people.

Learning how to be content is tough. Real tough, to me at least. But I try. I like to think of that study (forgot where I heard it) that at all income levels people reported (on average) that "just 20%" more would make them happy/content, whatever.

That means the person making 20% more than you isn't content yet either, even though that would supposedly do it for you. Profound.

Money and what people will do for them... Just look around!
Money and the economy we all live in are nothing but our prison.
Money is just a tool to manipulate masses.
Anyone heard of The Venus Project?
Jacque Fresco promotes the ideea of a resources based economy which is feasible, the only problem is that nobody will benefit, not in terms of money.

This is a dangerous belief. If one believes money is the root of evil, unless he sees himself as evil, he will run away from money.

I prefer to think about money as a tool, neutral. You decide how to use the tool. All that really matters is the meaning that we attribute to the money itself or to having money.

I agree somewhat.. Because there are many people out there that will go to any length for a little piece of money.. You know, armed robbers, drug dealers.. etc.

However, whilst this is true, actually 'having' some money only leads to a more comfortable and fulfilling life.. It gives you the freedom to do the things that others less fortunate may not be able to.

"Money Is the root of all EVIL" - I do not agree with this. Money is just an excuse for EVIL PEOPLE to do evil things. The real & primary root is the people using money as a tool for their dark purposes.

If you had money, there's not really much of a reason to be evil.

Money is not on its self evil, is the love of it from larger international organizations that has reduced the value of human life. That is the root of all evil!

As has been said above, the Lack of money is the root of all evil. Unfortunately, the common denominator here is MONEY.

Money is not the root of all evils but the love of money is.

Money is the root of all evil but then we cannot do without money, Can we?

Money is not the root of evil.
Its our way of using money that makes it looks evil.
So the root of evil is our mind.

Money can be used for great things too. If all you care about is money, then you are living an unbalanced life. You cannot ignore that life is multi-faceted. So long as you realize that money is important, but other things are important too like your health, family and friends, it;s all good. Saying that money is the root of ALL evil is inaccurate and an oversimplification of the many different factors of evil.

Others here on this thread brought up good points such as greed and jealousy being factors of evil. Money is the means by which you can do good, create the lifestyle that you want for yourself and your family, help others, purchase things that can allow you to experience life fully, do business, live life, etc. Money is necessary to trade goods and services in other words. Ciao for now folks!

I do not agree with this. Money is not the root of all evil. The LOVE of money is the root of all evil. If you love money more than anything else then everything else will be secondary to you and you will treat it as such.

No. I don't. Money is not evil. Nothing is. Evil is a relative term. One man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist.

Those who agree with this saying are not mentally prepared to be rich.

Evil has been with man before we developed money. How can money be the root of all evil? Evil, for me, is when we hurt/harm other humans/animals or nature. We have the capacity to do what is evil or what is right. That freedom of choice is an intrinsic part of the human spirit. How people treat us is really not an issue. It is not proof that money is bad or good. It is neutral. What's key is the meaning we attach to it, or what we use it for. It's a terrific servant...but a terrible master. You're right, it is power...we can build cathedrals with it. We can also build bombs, with it.
Evolved, driven and clarified people would not bow down to anyone just because they're loaded. I disagree with the assertion-

Money has no will to tell what to do. Its a matter on how you going to spend it or how badly you need money.

Money is not the root of all evil. Although some money commit awful acts in order to acquire money, the majority of people acquire money via ethical means. They seek to obtain the money so that they can enhance the lives of their loved ones. I personally believe that it is a noble thing.

The need for money is not evil, it's when you become obsessed by it to the point you stop caring for others.

Who said that money is evil?
Some people are evil though! And money on their hands can become an evil tool!

Money has the power what ever we say. Money can make a person as well destroy a person.

Money when donated and used for humanitarian purposes doesn't seem so evil, Does it?

Money only enables a person express his character in a better way. If the person is bad at heart he will commit more evil once he gets rich. The same goes for a good.

Definitely not true... Money can help you do great things... But loving money too much to the point that greed overpowers good intentions, then that is where evil starts.

Money is not the root of evil, but the lack of money can make people do things that they would never do otherwise

"Money is the root of all evil".......

Sure it is, If you don't have any!

Money isn't evil. Money is natural and it is good. It is people who are evil.

How you use your money will determine if it causing you evil or not. Money is design to help humanity as a means of exchange.

Agreed! Money is important BUT being consumed by greed or extremely lacking money will push you towards the wrong path. Although ultimately it depends on the character of the person.

You can have someone lacking money and won't notice because they are so positive about life. The same goes for someone who has all the money in the world, still wants more in order to contribute more and help more. Just because you have a lot of money doesn't mean you're evil.

=-) The saying has a little truth to it but should be, "Your own character determines whether money will be the root of evil or a very useful resource"

The "saying" as you mention, comes from: the Bible, Timothy 6:10 (King James Version) However, That's NOT exactly what it says. :confused:The proper quote is: "For the LOVE of money is the root of all evil"

And then it goes on to say: "which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."

The misquote without the LOVE part has been handed down by grandparents, to parents and unfortunately, then passed on (without correction) to children, who then grow up to believe that being rich and successful is a sin. however, in many cases, those who pass on this misquote, have never even touched the book, in which it is written.

My interpretation of the quote as a whole, is that when all of a sudden people win the jackpot and have everything they need, they tend to become preoccupied with their wealth, so much so that they spend less time praying, and wander away from their faith and their contact with God.

Some people may also only spend the money on themselves and their own luxuries, and or make some really bad judgements / investments with their money, and in the end, if they LOVE money and worship it,
it then tends to come back and bite you.

I believe that if a large part of your money goals are to become financially successful so that you can also help others as well, as in, feed the children in poor countries, contribute to disasters, help the local homeless, etc, then how can there be anything wrong with trying to earn as much of it as you can?

Arnold Stolting.

Money is not the root of all evil; the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. The problem lies in the nature of the human heart.

Its already been mentioned here" is the LOVE of money that is the root of all evil. It is not money itself.

Money is just a tool. You can use it for good or for bad.

The Seven Deadly Sins:

1.Pride is an excessive belief in one's own abilities.
2.Envy is wanting what others have, be it status, abilities, or possessions.
3.Gluttony is the desire to eat or consume more than you require.
4.Lust is a powerful craving for such as sex, power and money.
5.Anger is the loss of rational self-control and the desire to harm others.
6.Greed is the desire for material wealth or gain.
7.Sloth is laziness and the avoidance of work.

Greed with the six others compete for the root of all evil.