Tuesday, November 29, 2011

A stinging criticism- Approaching Zion

"The Hebrew word for financial activity of any kind is mamonut, and the financier is mamonai, that is, financing is, quite frankly, in that honest language, the business of Mammon. " p20

"Are their eyes single to the building up of the Kingdom of God? No; they are single to the building up of themselves." (I would add their own kingdom) p40
Yet they want to be good and rich at the same time, and so they reach a compromise called respectability, which is nothing less than Babylon masquerading as Zion. p46 Work does not sanctify wealth

It is much harder to be a Michelangelo than to work enough to buy a chisel and some stone." (I would add it is easier to get enough money to buy a Michelangelo than be one.)

Hugh Nibley's Approaching Zion is full of such criticisms of money and the Saints, and I'm only 1/3 of the way through. He sets it up as an "either-or" situation, not one to be balanced. You work, the Lord provides, anything in excess of your needs (which are met VERY soon) He gives you goes straight back to the poor and building up the kingdom. Food for thought. It appears that the full book is online and can be found here:
http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/books/?bookid=75

Go on, read a few chapters. You may laugh out loud as I did, or seriously consider the course your life is taking. Either way, it will be well worth your time.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for the recommendation! I've always thought I could give so much more.

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