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"Limited Good"

The Ancients believed the world was flat, we know it is round, they believed in a three- tiered universe, we now understand that the planet earth is but one minuscule part of one of billions of galaxies, they believed that mental illness was caused by demons taking possession of a body, we know it is an illness just like any other.

But did you know that…..
 ‘...virtually everyone in New Testament times believed that there was only so much “stuff” to go around and that some people had less than they needed because other people had more than they needed’   ...from ”Introducing the New Testament” by Mark Allan Powell


How different this is from the prevalent worldview in the western world!  Based on the economic theory of Adam Smith, who has been called the 'Father of Capitalism', our society is based on greater and greater profits for the corporations from a greater and greater consumption of goods by you and I. As Sally McFague says in her book " Life Abundant”, ‘… the issues of who benefits from an economic systems and whether the planet can bear the system’s burden are not part of neo-classical economics.’


Why is it that this particular worldview of 2000+ years ago has disappeared? Could it be because it does not play into the scenario of 'more is better'?  If I decide to live by it, will it mean that when I decide to drive to the store to pick up just one or two things, I am depriving someone else of having fuel for heat or cooking? When I leave the tap running as I brush my teeth in the morning, I'm depriving someone of the water needed for drinking? When I throw out food because my 'frig' was overstocked, am I depriving someone of food that is badly needed?

Or does it go deeper? Could this be a wisdom that we are just re-discovering? Did those ancient people realize in the world known to them 2000+ years ago, as we are just beginning to realize globally, that there is an inter-relatedness to our humanity, indeed all of creation?

And how does this impact my concept of 'God' ?

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