Nov 10 2009

Jesus and The Money Changers

I can’t really put it any better than Wikipedia does–

The narrative of Jesus and the Money Changers occurs in all four Gospels in the New Testament. It occurs near the end of the Synoptic Gospels (at Mark 11:15-19, 11:27-33, Matthew 21:12-17, 21:23-27 and Luke 19:45-48, 20:1-8) and near the start in the Gospel of John (at John 2:12-25). As a result some biblical scholars think there may have been two such incidents.

I’m doing ‘God’s work’. Meet Mr Goldman Sachs

John Arlidge, The Sunday Times

November 8, 2009

“Is it possible to have too much ambition? Is it possible to be too successful?” Blankfein shoots back. “I don’t want people in this firm to think that they have accomplished as much for themselves as they can and go on vacation. As the guardian of the interests of the shareholders and, by the way, for the purposes of society, I’d like them to continue to do what they are doing. I don’t want to put a cap on their ambition. It’s hard for me to argue for a cap on their compensation.”

So, it’s business as usual, then, regardless of whether it makes most people howl at the moon with rage? Goldman Sachs, this pillar of the free market, breeder of super-citizens, object of envy and awe will go on raking it in, getting richer than God? An impish grin spreads across Blankfein’s face. Call him a fat cat who mocks the public. Call him wicked. Call him what you will. He is, he says, just a banker “doing God’s work”

As you might guess from my handle and my Buddhism I reject Christianity entirely, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know it.

What Blankfein is embracing is a particularly warped and narrow view of Calvinism.

Since everything is predestined by God who knew you in the womb, your material success is an indication of God’s favor.  It shows you are among the elect.

This is sometimes also called the Protestant Work Ethic.

The richer you are the more Godly.

Now how you square this with Camels and Needle Eyes and Saul’s Unmerited Favor through Grace is a job for a real theologian.

You know, someone who believes in original sin.

(h/t Digby)

26 comments

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  1. I claim every vice, unless you have something inventive you’d care to share.

  2. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

  3. . . . is doin’ God’s work.  We can’t count on the liberals to do it!  Where is God supposed to go when He needs a credit default swap?  That immoral Barney Frank?  

    The Old-Testament God that I love with all my heart (not that wimpy New-Testament one with all His “love thy neighbor” foolishness) taught us that strength and power are required to smite all your enemies on the path to Heaven.  Money IS power these days, so naturally Mr. Blankfein is doin’ God’s work and being rich equates to being holy.  

  4. Wow. now I am curious and I want details….

    • TMC on November 10, 2009 at 15:37
    • #

    It seems he has introduced a bill that would give the Treasury Secretary the power to break up financial entities that are too “big to fail”. This is the entire bill


    To address the concept of ”Too Big To Fail” with respect

    to certain financial entities.

    1     Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-

    2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

    3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    4     This Act may be cited as the ”Too Big to Fail, Too

    5 Big to Exist Act”.

    6 SEC. 2. REPORT TO CONGRESS ON INSTITUTIONS THAT

    7 ARE TOO BIG TO FAIL.

    8     Notwithstanding any other provision of law, not later

    9 than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the

    10 Secretary of the Treasury shall submit to Congress a list

    2

    1 of all commercial banks, investment banks, hedge funds,

    2 and insurance companies that the Secretary believes are

    3 too big to fail (in this Act referred to as the ”Too Big

    4 to Fail List”).

    5 SEC. 3. BREAKING-UP TOO BIG TO FAIL INSTITUTIONS.

    6     Notwithstanding any other provision of law, begin-

    7 ning 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the

    8 Secretary of the Treasury shall break up entities included

    9 on the Too Big To Fail List, so that their failure would

    10 no longer cause a catastrophic effect on the United States

    11 or global economy without a taxpayer bailout.

    12 SEC. 4. DEFINITION.

    13     For purposes of this Act, the term ”Too Big to Fail”

    14 means any entity that has grown so large that its failure

    15 would have a catastrophic effect on the stability of either

    16 the financial system or the United States economy without

    17 substantial Government assistance.

    This is the link to the pdf file of the bill.

    There is also a petition to Secretary Geithner

    Petition to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner

    Good Luck Bernie

  6. must be spinning like a top. Having been raised a Catholic and sent to Catholic schools I have a grudge against organized religions. Interesting links to the riffs the off the Holy Roman Church of Jesus Christ without Jesus, conceived by nasty men calling themselves theologians. Their demon’s turned into gods will. Vices are a dime a dozen, this is quite another.          

    “a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming it’s blood funnel into anything that smells like money”. Matt Taibbi

    Too bad we the people seem incapable of removing it. We have the means but seem to lack the will. Obama is not Jesus and he invited them in to set up shop. Glass Seagal restored and some trust busting would be a start but not even Bernie Sanbder’s reaches for the weapons all ready there. To much sympathy and not enough restraint.

    Just as every cop is a criminal

    And all the sinners saints

    As heads is tails

    Just call me Lucifer

    ‘Cause I’m in need of some restraint’    

     

    • pfiore8 on November 10, 2009 at 22:31
    • #

    to rationalize the irrational is monumental.

    i’ve come to believe this: it is not about tearing down that which i do not believe. nor disputing red necks, wingnuts, fundamentalists.

    this doesn’t get it done. in fact, it keeps us distracted.

    imo, focusing on the goal and moving that way is what would really make a difference.

    regaining local influence. regional power. zoning boards and school boards. education is still under state control. we can have influence there.

    we? not democrats. but concerned citizens. progressive thinkers who use their differences to form more complete solutions.

    buddhism? christianity? islam? ho hum.

    i’m not looking for those kinds of answers. anymore.

    hi ek.  

    • robodd on November 11, 2009 at 00:09
    • #

    particularly if I get away with it, that’s just providence at work.

    Hmmm, what other crimes should I try to see if this same theory applies?

    BTW, used to be in a band called Jesus and the Money Changers.

    • Inky99 on November 11, 2009 at 03:27
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    • Miep on November 11, 2009 at 07:46
    • #

    vice is always like dogs chasing cats around. No way is it ever gonna mate. It’s just about raising a ruckus and posturing.

    I’ve been reading “Infinite Jest” by David Foster Wallace,” who took himself out in his 40’s last year. He was teaching at Pomona College at the time.

    DFW wrote for Harper’s. He was a killer essayist.

    He wrote like a madman, within the constraints of “Infinite Jest.” But it wasn’t really a novel. He was really just an astoundingly talented essayist, who was messing around.

    It was all just stunningly written bits and pieces.  Yeah, okay I only have read 300 odd pages.

    But it’s ALL like that.

    DFW was this hotshot Harper’s guy who was a teacher about literature at Pomona College, which is really upstream, from 2002 to 2008 and then he took himself out ANYWAY because after all those years of illegal drug usage (he was in his mid 40’s when he left last year) and all that informational time he spent learning about halfway houses and Alcoholic Anonymous, and writing this massive book anyway, he just decided to leave anyway.

    I have read several hundred pages of this book and have had to stop. Yeah, he was brilliant. But it’s like reading a novel written by someone who yelled it out while running full steam around  track. One is impressed, but simultaneously scared.

    The tennis stuff is interesting too. But damn, what do you do when everything is always whipping you up into broken bits? What do you do when you’re generally directed to avoid all of that maelstrom? When everything else bores you to small furious fragments?

    When people are always telling you to be something smaller? To submit?

    To be quiet?

    To not be quite so crazy?

    To be nice?

    • Miep on November 11, 2009 at 08:09
    • #

    • Miep on November 11, 2009 at 08:20
    • #

    still here, trying to sort myself out.

    I hates me the evil. You are right on that.

    I don’t want the left to break. We can do this, we can get it together. Yeah, it’s hard. It’s a fucking  bitch.

    Maybe we can just do small things now.

    I don’t know I hate it.

    Ek, you are. I always told you, that you were. When it came up.

    You are. I am. The anger and rage is all over the place.

    But you are. I am. Buhdy and the other peoples here are.

    We’ll wake with wings.

    This is all really wonderful for me.

    I think about you, and I laugh. Because I’m happy about my seeing you as a new creature flying above.

    • Miep on November 11, 2009 at 08:20
    • #

    still here, trying to sort myself out.

    I hates me the evil. You are right on that.

    I don’t want the left to break. We can do this, we can get it together. Yeah, it’s hard. It’s a fucking  bitch.

    Maybe we can just do small things now.

    I don’t know I hate it.

    Ek, you are. I always told you, that you were. When it came up.

    You are. I am. The anger and rage is all over the place.

    But you are. I am. Buhdy and the other peoples here are.

    We’ll wake with wings.

    This is all really wonderful for me.

    I think about you, and I laugh. Because I’m happy about my seeing you as a new creature flying above.

    • Miep on November 13, 2009 at 07:41
    • #

    for being here.

    I have stuff to do here and so do you. Thanks for putting up with my shenanigans. I know I approached badly, initially. I was insensitive. That was wrong.

    But now, we all must roll on.

    Maybe not with so many dams, though. But I’m sure Woody would have worked that out if he’d lived his lifespan a little later on down the line.

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