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Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Hebrona: Money-making, wealth-building the Christian way
By Bronx Hebrona
Mind Your Business
OUR brand of Christianity has been blamed by some sociologists and economists as among the reasons why most Filipinos lack the entrepreneurial spirit and remain poor.
When the Spanish friars were lording it over our forefathers, the latter were taught to embrace poverty as a means to cleanse their soul and be saved from sin. They were discouraged from being enterprising and, as if to nail their point further, were levied very heavy taxes on all their income-generating activities. They also had great contempt of the entrepreneurial Chinese, who were seen as aliens and greedy usurers who aim at extracting the most out of the Indio's pocket.
Our forefathers, in turn, taught the same lessons to the next generations, discouraging the latter from dreaming 'too much' and teaching them to accept their 'fate' of being poor. The next generations thereby did not dream beyond getting a stable job, preferably in the bureaucracy.
I remember being reminded by my late father not to become "over-ambitious" and not to aspire to the "arrogant, profligate and extravagant ways of the rich." Such points definitely trace their roots to the friars' teachings some centuries past.
Unfortunately, many Filipino parents still teach their children the same "rich people don't go to heaven" values. And they wonder why their kids don't aspire for much in life, and are just content with lining up with others to apply for low-paying jobs.
Despite having had my share of "rich people don't go to heaven" indoctrination, I was never convinced that Christian teachings look at wealth-creation as a sinful activity. My long-held 'rebellious' belief was confirmed when I came across a book by Ed Lapiz, a Christian pastor, whose main premise is "God wants you to be rich," and cites several Bible passages to prove it.
According to the Bible, so the Pastor says, God wants us to gain wealth and enjoy them. This is, for instance, written in 1 Timothy 6:17: God... richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
God also teaches us three ways to gain wealth: First, by working for it. Proverbs 14:23: All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. In 2 Thessalonians 3:10-11, the apostle Paul teaches: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." The point is further supported by Proverbs 10:4: Lazy hands make a man poor.
Second, by saving and allocating for future needs. Proverbs 21:20: In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.
Lastly, by planning our finances. Proverbs 27:23-24: Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever. Also, in Proverbs 24:3-4: By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.
Also, in Proverbs 21:5: The plans of the diligent lead us to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.
The Bible also teaches five points about money: One, that money is to be earned. Proverbs 13:11: Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.
Two, that money is to be multiplied. Matthew 25:16: The man who receives the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. Also in Matthew 25:27: "You should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I wou7ld have received it back with interest."
Three, that money is to be offered to God. Mark 12:4-44: ... "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others..."
Fourth, that money should be enjoyed. Isaiah 55:2: Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
And fifth, that money is not to be loved and not to be served. Ecclesiastes 5:10: Whoever loves money never has money enough. Whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. Also, 1 Timothy 6:10: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
If God has even taught us ways to make money and build wealth, those friars have been fooling us all along!
You may write Bronx Hebrona at P.O. Box 46430, Gen. Santos City 9500 Philippines, or email him at binexglobal@yahoo.com. He hosts Radyo Negosyo, a weekly radio program that promotes entrepreneurship and financial literacy, every Sunday at 9-10 am over DXBB AM (RGMA Superadyo) at 1107 KHz. He is President-Convenor of the Socsargen Financial Intelligence Network, Inc., which promotes financial literacy and entrepreneurship in the region.
(October 3, 2005 issue)
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