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Money-theism or the worship of wealth is the new religion in the 21st century.
By Melson Chun
We have heard the saying “money makes the world goes round” many times in our lives. In fact, it has become even more prevalent in today’s world where money can literally buy you anything that exists. In the past, it is often said that money cannot buy happiness. However, this view has become obsolete when the sole existence of wealth is enough to make a person beam. Hence, instead of turning to invisible allies in the sky for spiritual guidance, many people now seek money as their new pillar of support. The power of money is indeed inexorable but whether it has become a new religion is still a debatable issue. The pursuit of monetary wealth is prevalent in developing and developed countries. Government and business organizations constantly pump in large sum of money to strive for smaller chips and larger profits. Money provides incentives for innovation and research, as well as stimulates the advancement of science and technology. As such, the world is progressing at such a speed that if one stops to think about the implications of their actions, someone more efficient will whip past in a blur. Hence, they move on without knowing about the blind faith they place in pursuing monetary gain. This is similar to the people in the past who wholeheartedly believe in their God without question. This had lead to the growing power of greed in the human psyche today. A person victimized by greed will not be able to achieve satisfaction no matter how much wealth he accumulates. Therefore, it will force him to exploit others and strip them of their basic rights and needs. UNICEF statistics shows that hunger kills a person every 3.6 seconds. It caused the deaths of about 15 million children every year. To satisfy the world’s sanitation and hunger needs only require US$13 billion – what the United States and European Union spend on perfume each year. The irony of greed is that a greedy person forces others to die of starvation while causing the person himself to die from anxiety. If money-theism has become the new religion, it would have brought great well being and alleviate the sufferings of these people, and not become the cause of a rising income gap and poverty problems. Next, the worship of money can also be due to the high level of material comfort it brings to mankind. With rising affluence, we can buy technology that relieves us from disease and drudgery. We can have a vast array of gadgetry that provides us with entertainment and convenience. Money has become omnipotent, like a visible God in modern society. While the existence of God is still a controversial issue, worship of money has become a commonplace activity. People work hard to earn their income and take on drastic measures to protect their earnings. People also fight among each other to obtain greater wealth. However, these people do not realise money is only a material aspect of living. It is not everything. When people plow on blindly in the quest for greater monetary wealth, they may find themselves void of spiritual comfort. A religion is supposed to make one’s inner world peaceful and find direction in their lives. However, people in the 21st century are probably most unhappy in the history of mankind. The World Health Organisation (WHO) found out that mental and stress related diseases will become the most serious health problems of the century. Rising promiscuity has caused families, the essence of a successful and sustainable economy, to be torn apart. In US, a survey shows that two out of three marriages end in a divorce within three years. Ruptured marriages are devastating for both spouses and children and leave lifelong scars. WHO statistics shows that death accrued to tobacco usage is predicted to rise to 12% in 2020 which is much higher than HIV, road accidents and murders combined. Many people in this money driven society are living in a comfortable state of misery, which is self inflicted. If money-theism is the new religion, the suffering seems to be contradictory. How can people find peace and happiness worshipping money when money brings distress and suffering upon them? Many religions aim to act as a voice of balance in this world spinning out of control. When advancement in technology led to the creation of weapons of mass destruction, religious leaders travel the globe beseeching the use of restraint. When science encourages the use of modern communication devices to interact, religious teachings reminds us to commune in person as we are meant to do so. However, money-theism seems to act otherwise. In fact, money has provided the incentives that propagate such activities of science. Many scientific researches become profit-motivated giving rise to unprecedented consequences, such as the development of nuclear weapons and deadly combat technology. Globalisation and industralisation, which had led to the deterioration of the environment, are processes propelled by material gain. When mankind is jolted by the revelations of crisis like ozone depletion and deforestation, we realize money-theism has become the newest addition to mankind’s already burgeoning arsenal. Hence, it is agreeable that the worship of wealth is a prevalent and unsurprising phenomenon of the 21st century. However, money is only able to bring material comfort. Ultimately, mankind’s dependence on money is for survival in this rapidly progressing world. Money-theism therefore cannot be a religion. What kind of God gives a child fire to play with but does not warn the child of its dangers?
Author is a person who have successfully combated acne. For more information, visit http://www.homeacneskincare.com on tips how you can banish acne forever too!
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Contributor's Note
Author is a person who have successfully combated acne. For more information, visit http://www.homeacneskincare.com on tips how you can banish acne forever too!
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