Saturday, July 19, 2025

Discrimination Against Neither The Poor Nor The Rich

The Bible is very clear about its commands regarding the treatment of the poor.  Agricultural communities should not touch the very edges of their fields or go over their land a second time to take every bit of the food the land has produced (Leviticus 19:9-10).  Poor workers, like all laborers (Leviticus 19:13), are singled out as deserving to be paid their wages each day before the sun goes down (Deuteronomy 24:14-15).  Every seven years, all debts are to be annulled within a nation's borders (Deuteronomy 15:1-3), which would tremendously help the poor, and it is sin to withhold assistance from someone by not loaning to them because the year of debt cancellation is near (Deuteronomy 15:7-11).  A poor man or woman is not to be exploited in lawsuits (Exodus 23:6).  Poor men and women have the option of selling themselves into a temporary slavery where they are to be treated well (Exodus 21:26-27, Deuteronomy 5:12-15, and so on) and released every seven years with liberal amounts of physical resources (Deuteronomy 15:12-18).  The poor are never to be charged interest (Exodus 22:25), and their pledges, items taken as security for debts, are to be returned each day before sunset (Deuteronomy 24:12-13).

All of these commands of Yahweh, which are to be kept always even according to the New Testament unlike what some culturally relativistic "Christians" would pretend (Matthew 5:17-19, 15:3-9, etc.), provide a default safety net for the poor.  If agricultural industries intentionally saved food for the poor, accessed free of charge, if debts were cancelled without concern for profits moreso than people, if Biblical slavery was practiced as the alternative to crime and an escape from dire poverty, there truly would not have to be anyone poor, or at least anyone dying of hunger or thirst because of their class.  Storing up wealth would be much easier when payment is delivered the day of one's work and when one's collateral is not snatched away at the first opportunity.  Having at least some mandatory sources of food would greatly alleviate the psychological burdens on the poor that could obstruct doing something to escape.  While for reasons I will list below, partiality to the poor or the rich (in other words, classism in either direction) is of course irrational independent of the Bible (for it is rooted in the philosophical errors of stereotypes) and would still be condemned by the Bible, there are verses in the Torah that directly focus on the evil of discriminating against one or the other.  One of the verses I mentioned above, Exodus 23:6, is provided here in its full wording.


Exodus 23:2-3--"'Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong.  When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, and so not show favoritism to a poor person in a lawsuit.'"

Exodus 23:6--"'Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.'"

Leviticus 19:15--"'Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.'"

James 2:1-4--"My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.  Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in.  If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, 'Here's a good seat for you,' but say to the poor man, 'You stand there' or 'Sit on the floor by my feet,' have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?"


Now, classist stereotypes and inherent philosophical hypocrisy, at the heart of all discrimination against someone based on their socioeconomic class, are as I said irrational independent of the Bible's veracity.  It does not logically follow from having no money/wealth, little money, or a great deal of money that one has a certain worldview or personality.  Having or not having wealth does not mean that someone will make assumptions about those who are not in their economic class, or in any way prioritize money more highly than its metaphysical status merits.  If the Bible said otherwise, it would not even be possible for that part of the Bible to be true.  These are necessary truths of reason, and thus experience and the Bible have to be consistent with them to even potentially be correct.  Though the absence of the verses I listed would not mean the Bible is classist, it does explicitly condemn this in all directions.  Also, the poor and the rich are both made in God's image (Genesis 1:26-27, 5:1-2), neither wealth nor poverty is condemned in itself (Deuteronomy 4:2 and 12:32 even say not to add to God's commands), and there are obvious examples of material wealth being a direct reward/blessing from God (Deuteronomy 15:4-6, 28:1-14, Job 42:10-15).  Without the other passages from the likes of Proverbs and the New Testament that also address wealth and poverty to varying degrees, the Torah is extremely clear.

No one is to be treated better or worse as a perpetrator or victim because of their class.  This is also taught indirectly in other ways.  If the Bible only said, for instance, that nonsexual assault without permanent injury is to be punished with monetary restitution that ensures the victim's healing and compensates them for missed work (Exodus 21:18-19), then it would already not matter if the offender or victim alike is rich or poor.  Justice would require such compensation if this is truly from God.  Thus, like how the obligation to not punish people for the sins of others (Deuteronomy 24:16) is already required by that of, say, executing an offender himself or herself when they sin accordingly (as with Exodus 22:20-22), it is not as if the Bible would teach that classism is just or permissible if not for Exodus 23:3, 6, and Leviticus 19:15.  Furthermore, it would in no way be ambiguous in light of Genesis 1:26-27 or other verses whether favoritism towards anyone because of their class is an injustice.  The contrary is logically impossible; the Bible agrees with reason.

There are no exceptions to what reason and justice require for the equal treatment of the rich and the poor in these ways.  Just as men and women are to be treated equally as victims (Exodus 21:15, 17, 20-21, 26-32, Leviticus 20:9) and as offenders (Leviticus 20:10-12, 14-16, 27, Numbers 5:5-7, Deuteronomy 13:6-10, 17:2-7), and just as foreigners (Exodus 22:21, 23:9) and the native-born are to be treated identically (Exodus 20:8-11, Leviticus 17:8-16, 24:13-22, Numbers 15:13-16, Deuteronomy 24:14-15, and so on)--with a small number exceptions for foreigners abroad (for instance, contrast Deuteronomy 15:1-3 with Leviticus 19:33-34)--the poor and the rich are to be recognized as people having the same human rights.  To show favoritism to one or the other is unjust.  It is irrational even apart from this.  Someone who thinks themself a Christian and discriminates against another person on the basis of class is guilty of a serious wrong.

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