Bernie Madoff, Bill Cosby, Jeffrey Epstein

[MrWonderful]

What does it profit a man if he gains the world but loses his soul.

 

[Felis Leo]

What does it profit a man if he gains the world but loses his soul.

Did they ever have souls to begin with?

Was it incredible wealth and success that gave these men their wicked appetites? Or did wealth and success allow them to indulge in them on a level that they never would have been able to attain had they remained poor or middle class?

 

[MrWonderful]

Did they ever have souls to begin with?

Was it incredible wealth and success that gave these men their wicked appetites? Or did wealth and success allow them to indulge in them on a level that they never would have been able to attain had they remained poor or middle class?

Your questions make no sense. Do you think that people "grow" souls somehow? I have never before heard such an absurd proposition before you made it.
Are only the wealthy and successful wicked? Also absurd. Nobody can plead in any court anywhere "Innocent by reason of (poverty or wealth, your choice)".

The degree to which they indulged their wicked appetites may well have been enhanced by fame and fortune. This is no doubt contemplated in the Biblical admonition to wish not for wealth nor poverty.
But having food and raiment be content therewith.

 

[gone fishin']

I thought that you were leading up to ".........walked into a bar......"

 

[Slartibartfast]

What does it profit a man if he gains the world but loses his soul.

'bout tree fiddy

 

[zyzygy]

Your questions make no sense. Do you think that people "grow" souls somehow? I have never before heard such an absurd proposition before you made it.
Are only the wealthy and successful wicked? Also absurd. Nobody can plead in any court anywhere "Innocent by reason of (poverty or wealth, your choice)".

The degree to which they indulged their wicked appetites may well have been enhanced by fame and fortune. This is no doubt contemplated in the Biblical admonition to wish not for wealth nor poverty.
But having food and raiment be content therewith.

No doubt you can provide proof for the existence of the soul and show that the question makes no sense. If you have no proof then the post is merely your opinion and can be disregarded.

 

[zyzygy]

Your questions make no sense. Do you think that people "grow" souls somehow? I have never before heard such an absurd proposition before you made it.
Are only the wealthy and successful wicked? Also absurd. Nobody can plead in any court anywhere "Innocent by reason of (poverty or wealth, your choice)".

The degree to which they indulged their wicked appetites may well have been enhanced by fame and fortune. This is no doubt contemplated in the Biblical admonition to wish not for wealth nor poverty.
But having food and raiment be content therewith.

So you have no wealth and make do with food and clothes?

 

[Felis Leo]

Your questions make no sense. Do you think that people "grow" souls somehow? I have never before heard such an absurd proposition before you made it.
Are only the wealthy and successful wicked? Also absurd. Nobody can plead in any court anywhere "Innocent by reason of (poverty or wealth, your choice)".

The degree to which they indulged their wicked appetites may well have been enhanced by fame and fortune. This is no doubt contemplated in the Biblical admonition to wish not for wealth nor poverty.
But having food and raiment be content therewith.

We seem to be talking at cross purposes, MrWonderful.

First, I am an atheist and I do not believe in the existence of the metaphysical "soul." When I use the term, I use it in a colloquial sense referring to one's goodness and moral fiber, or lackthereof.

Second, my contention is not that wealthy people are somehow automatically wicked or that wealth necessarily transforms an otherwise good person into a wicked person. My contention is that people with wicked desires who become wealthy are able to use their wealth to attain the object of their wicked desire more easily than if they remained poor.

 

[beancounter]

It's all about camels and needles.

 

[RAMOSS]

What does it profit a man if he gains the world but loses his soul.

Out of all the wealthy people or celebraties that were convicted of a crime, why are you narrowing it down to these three people?

 

[Angel]

No doubt you can provide proof for the existence of the soul and show that the question makes no sense. If you have no proof then the post is merely your opinion and can be disregarded.

Mere opinion, like your post as well, yes?
And like your post, disregarded as well, yes?
Boom!

 

[NWO_Spook]

No doubt you can provide proof for the existence of the soul and show that the question makes no sense. If you have no proof then the post is merely your opinion and can be disregarded.

Yes, it's a question contingent upon an unproven belief in a nebulous construct.

 

[bearpoker]

Did they ever have souls to begin with?

Was it incredible wealth and success that gave these men their wicked appetites? Or did wealth and success allow them to indulge in them on a level that they never would have been able to attain had they remained poor or middle class?

Although the soul is a theological concept, it can still be discussed in a secular terms. I think of the soul as the core of a personality. The essence of who he/she is. There is both strength and weakness, good and evil; there are values and desires. These are present in all of us. The question of whether or not the soul is immortal or not is not the subject here, but whether some are more likely to give in to their desires in a way destructive to others if they are given the wealth an privilege to do so, or would they behave the same without wealth and privilege, but on a different scale and with different consequences.

 

[Felis Leo]

Although the soul is a theological concept, it can still be discussed in a secular terms. I think of the soul as the core of a personality. The essence of who he/she is. There is both strength and weakness, good and evil; there are values and desires. These are present in all of us. The question of whether or not the soul is immortal or not is not the subject here, but whether some are more likely to give in to their desires in a way destructive to others if they are given the wealth an privilege to do so, or would they behave the same without wealth and privilege, but on a different scale and with different consequences.

I agree, bearpoker. Again, I use "soul" in a colloquial sense without reference to the Divine or theological. With regard to men such as Madoff, Cosby and Epstein, I am given to think of the aphorism typically attributed to Abraham Lincoln: "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power." Because money is power, we can really see a person's true character when they have a massive amount of it. I think Madoff, Cosby and Epstein's true selves were made all the more apparent when they were given the means to indulge in their worst desires.

 

[zyzygy]

Although the soul is a theological concept, it can still be discussed in a secular terms. I think of the soul as the core of a personality. The essence of who he/she is. There is both strength and weakness, good and evil; there are values and desires. These are present in all of us. The question of whether or not the soul is immortal or not is not the subject here, but whether some are more likely to give in to their desires in a way destructive to others if they are given the wealth an privilege to do so, or would they behave the same without wealth and privilege, but on a different scale and with different consequences.

It's all in the brain.

 

[MrWonderful]

I agree, bearpoker. Again, I use "soul" in a colloquial sense without reference to the Divine or theological. With regard to men such as Madoff, Cosby and Epstein, I am given to think of the aphorism typically attributed to Abraham Lincoln: "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power." Because money is power, we can really see a person's true character when they have a massive amount of it. I think Madoff, Cosby and Epstein's true selves were made all the more apparent when they were given the means to indulge in their worst desires.

And yet so very many men have power and wealth and do not pursue evil. Libraries, schools, scholarships, gifts, bequests, college and high school wings, hospitals and museums among many other generous contributions mark their generosity and goodness to fellow man. On that note, how many hospitals have the word "atheist" in them? How many colleges have an atheist charter? Name one orphanage constructed in the name of atheist generosity and love? Just one? A home for unwed mothers? Shirley you jest.

 

[MrWonderful]

Mere opinion, like your post as well, yes?
And like your post, disregarded as well, yes?
Boom!

KABOOM!
All he and his kind ever give is arrogant, condescending, pretentious opinion. They're smarter than you and therefore THEY are right as well as morally superior.
It's Leftist Think. They have no idea that their intellectual pretensions are misguided and erroneous in two ways.
First, they make the CLAIM of superior intellect with no proof or validation of it.
Second, even IF they had superior intellect, such as the Unabomber has, this is the Fallacy of the Argument From Authority.
Lord Kelvin, president of the Royal Society, said "Heavier than air human flight is impossible" in 1895. Two bicycle mechanics flew a scant eight years later.
Q.E.D. This is but one of countless examples. "640K of memory should be enough for anyone." - Bill Gates, very smart guy, in his own field of expertise

 

[Casper]

Did they ever have souls to begin with?

Was it incredible wealth and success that gave these men their wicked appetites? Or did wealth and success allow them to indulge in them on a level that they never would have been able to attain had they remained poor or middle class?

Don't know, ask the donald.

 

[OldFatGuy]

What does it profit a man if he gains the world but loses his soul.

A hell of a good time.

 

[Noodlegawd]

What does it profit a man if he gains the world but loses his soul.

What does it profit a man if he spends his whole life repeating meaningless prayers to save his soul, only to find out there's no such thing as a soul.

 

[Angel]

Yes, it's a question contingent upon an unproven belief in a nebulous construct.

You must have aced the SAT verbal!

 

[NWO_Spook]

You must have aced the SAT verbal!

My score was in the top 5% of my state for the university entrance exam in the English comprehension section, and in the top 10% in the mathematics section. My GPA was 6.75 out of 7 for my Ancient History major, and 7 out of 7 for my Latin major. I went on to do honours in Ancient History, and later I returned to do a journalism degree and studied electives in English Literature and Philosophy throughout both streams.

 

[Daisy]

What does it profit a man if he spends his whole life repeating meaningless prayers to save his soul, only to find out there's no such thing as a soul.

You're here, aren't you? You are a living soul and when you die, you'll be a dead soul...search as you may, you will not find any Bible text that uses the expression “immortal soul"...

"...and man became a living soul." Genesis 2:7

 

[Noodlegawd]

You're here, aren't you? You are a living soul and when you die, you'll be a dead soul...search as you may, you will not find any Bible text that uses the expression “immortal soul"...

"...and man became a living soul." Genesis 2:7

I don't recall referring to the Bible.

 

[Daisy]

I don't recall referring to the Bible.

You responded to a topic OP that does...