Buddhism regards wealth as a source of desire and attachment which necessarily creates suffering.
* Christ took issue with the Temple money changers and also said, "Ye cannot serve God and mammon". (Matt 6:24)
 *Lao Tzu proclaimed, "Searching for precious goods leads astray." (Tao Te Ching chap. 12)  The great religious traditions seem to agree: divinity and dollars shouldn't mix.  Although no faith forbids using money most frown upon, and many outright prohibit, charging money for spiritual teaching & wisdom.  They believe that since money was made by man it is of the material world and thus true spiritual teachers should avoid contaminating themselves with the filthy lucre: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake. (Titus 1:11) So...Buddhist monks beg while Benedictine monks take a vow of poverty.  While money can be a source of greed and materialism distracting us from our spiritual path it can also be a tool for personal development and assisting others.  It appears intention and awareness determine ones rhythm with the divine purpose of prosperity.
Please join us as we explore the historical connection between money and spirituality and whether past beliefs might still be influencing us today.  Then we'll push faith & finance into the future hoping to glimpse their next level of evolutionary progress towards balance.