Poverty Is Not Virtuous, Nor Is It Immoral

Conservatives might look down on the poor, and liberals might treat them as if they have some intrinsic virtue by lacking financial/material security.  There are many reasons why certain people might be rich or poor that in both directions have nothing at all to do with their ideological and moral status.  Even if, as Christianity teaches, the poor are be rich in commitment to God (James 2:5), no one is or could irrational or unrighteous just because they are poor--no additional Biblical example of this are needed to know this logical truth, but Job was specifically blessed with wealth for his righteousness.  Still, no one is rational or righteous because they are wealthy (a Christian version of a relevant heresy is the delusion of the prosperity gospel).  There are many amoral reasons why someone could be poor, or rich, but I will focus on those reasons related to moral standing.

Someone could descend into poverty because of their rationality and righteousness, yes.  This does not contradict axioms, so it is automatically possible.  For an example, they might not have complied with vile, emotionalistic, unjust schemes that would have made them rich, such as partnering with a wealthy but exploitative employer to take advantage of others.  In this case, their potential partner could have retaliated to ruin their wealth, hurting their ability to generate an income or find social support.  This is one way that someone could become poor for doing what they should.

Alternatively, someone could be plunged into poverty by their own stupidity and selfishness.  They might be unwilling to lift a finger for professional or non-professional labor despite being able-bodied, quick to waste money on asinine pastimes or for mere emotionalistic gratification (thinking that whatever they desire must be rational or permissible or even good), and opposed to doing anything to change their circumstances.  An individual like this is not poor because of oppression, or at least in large part for other reasons.  Charity could be shown to them out of mercy, but they do not deserve to exist, having neglected the necessary truths of reason that are inherently true, much less receive aid they will squander or try to use manipulatively.

In neither case is poverty what makes someone good or evil, rational or irrational.  It is their beliefs, their motives, and their deeds that determined this, all of which are up to them no matter their social situation or personal preferences.  The Bible both is consistent with this and affirms it, as it is and does with many other necessary truths that are reality independent of Christian theism.  Poverty, as well as wealth, is neither virtuous nor immoral, and there are many who are eager to deny this truth in accordance with whatever their social conditioning would have them do or whatever their subjective perceptions and preferences would lead them to.  Slaves to emotionalism and cultural norms of all economic classes are intellectual and moral insects.