What is the "Cause" of poverty?

[_Daheshist]

According to Mormon bishops.....if you are rich it is because God has blessed you, and if
you are poor, and Mormon, it is because you have "not been living the Gospel" and God
has not showered blessings upon you because you're a secret unrepentant sinner.

The real reason is many. Has to do with luck, education, opportunity for education, personal
motivation and stamina, and charisma or lack thereof.

[_subgenius]

there is no "none of the above" option, why?
War, colonialism, and slavery are the most historically accurate "causes" of poverty. It seems that many would like to discuss the factors of poverty, or those issues that perpetuate poverty once it is in place, like ignorance, corruption, disease, etc..

And like many threads in this forum, what does the OP or the poll have to do with the Celestial Forum and Mormons?
Does rule #5 no longer apply?
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=26

[_subgenius]

According to Mormon bishops.....if you are rich it is because God has blessed you, and if
you are poor, and Mormon, it is because you have "not been living the Gospel" and God
has not showered blessings upon you because you're a secret unrepentant sinner.

not accurate..."according to Mormon bishops" is a claim that you will likely need to support with actual facts. The generalized nature of your claim is nefarious at best.
The prosperity gospel is a doctrine of the apostate evangelicals of our day.

The real reason is many. Has to do with luck, education, opportunity for education, personal
motivation and stamina, and charisma or lack thereof.

these are not causes of, but rather factors of poverty.

[_Droopy]

I am reminded of the movie "It's a wonderful life" where George Bailey gets to see how the world would be if he had never been born. Oppressors such as Mr. Potter conspired to keep people poor without the checks and balances of some who choose to raise others up.

Although he was an "oppressor" in some sense, he could not "keep people poor." in a free market context without, in the end, impoverishing himself. This is one of the places where leftist economic concepts always break down and disintegrate entirety when taken out of the purely theoretical/moralist realm and actually nailed into some real world wood.

Is it your assertion that our free market economy in the USA is not tainted by the acts of some who may want to increase their wealth even if it costs the possibility of others to achieve wealth?

No. This can be the case, especially from within government. In the private sector, its called fraud or theft.

You have to remember that these people do have money and they can buy almost anything with it.

How does a multibillionair buying a tropical island in the Caribbean harm me?

I also think that the context of the film, a small down at the height of the Depression, is a rare and extreme context, a context in which someone like Potter could exercise much more discretion and control of others than under normal circumstnaces undre free market conditions.

So during good economic times and under normal free market conditions as found here in the USA, it is impossible for Gadianton robbers to seize any real control that could thwart a persons ability to rise above poverty? ( I used the term Gadianton because it seemed to fit the definition of those who secretly oppress others).

I'm not sure what you're talking about here. In their original form the Gaddianton Robbers were a mafia; they were a roving band of thieves and brigands. In their later incarnation, they became the Nephite government, and robbed and plundered legally through the apparatus of the state.

Yes my cynicism about US politics and economics seems quite bleak at times. I simply have a difficult time believing that wealth and power is not the largest motivation for those who want to rule over us.

I have no doubt that it is. The Book of Mormon teaches as much. The only exception I would take to that general rule is that I would put power before money as the primary aphrodisiac. Donald Trump has no power over me whatsoever. He can't make me buy anything he's selling, or support any of his industries if I do not choose to do so.

Congress does. The courts do. Barack Obama does. Henry Waxman does. The EPA does.

[_Wisdom Seeker]

So government comes up with Sarbanes-Oxley act to put businesses and banks on notice that corrupt financial behavior will not be tolerated. Yet when under the microscope these past few years, it is clear that there is much fraud going on, particularly in the banking industry. And where is government to protect us and arrest those who have caused such great harm? But, I don't see this as a priority of either the Democrats or Republicans.

But back to your original poll: Poverty can hit anyone. Even my rich relatives who filed for bankruptcy after owning too much Southern California real estate.

[_harmony]

According to Mormon bishops.....if you are rich it is because God has blessed you, and if
you are poor, and Mormon, it is because you have "not been living the Gospel" and God
has not showered blessings upon you because you're a secret unrepentant sinner.

No. Mormon bishops do not say this, teach this, or expect this.

This is not Mormon doctrine.

However, this quite possibly may be the deduction reached by many members, when judging their neighbors' worthiness. Which is why paying tithing should NEVER be used as a judge of worthiness.

[_bcspace]

According to Mormon bishops.....if you are rich it is because God has blessed you, and if
you are poor, and Mormon, it is because you have "not been living the Gospel" and God
has not showered blessings upon you because you're a secret unrepentant sinner.

No. Mormon bishops do not say this, teach this, or expect this.

This is not Mormon doctrine.

However, this quite possibly may be the deduction reached by many members, when judging their neighbors' worthiness.

This is very true.

Which is why paying tithing should NEVER be used as a judge of worthiness.

This is not true. Tithe paying is an excellent judge of worthiness because it's strongly tied to belief and faith. I would agree generally that the amount of tithing should not be judged unless it's quite obvious that the individual is holding back from a full tithe.

Both tithing settlement and TR interviews are considered "self-certifications", only things that you choose to confess or obvious and glaring deficiencies are going to be explored. This is why, in part, membership in the Church and holding a TR are not considered automatic tickets to heaven and why "good standing" in the Church does not qualify one's political views for example.