Debt

Maybe this sounds odd, but I'm beginning to think that debt is becoming one of the biggest spiritual issues of our day. I hadn't heard of this particular group until recently, but apparently there is an organization called Debtors Anonymous that, like Alchoholics Anonymous, helps people get out of debt by recognizing their reliance on a higher power. Here's an encouraging article on people making their way out of tough spots.

But it's not just people who are catastrophically addicted to debt who are affected by debt. Lots of us coming out of college and graduate school have crazy loans to pay off. Credit cards are a tremendous source of temptation to overspend. And there's a middle class assumption that part of becoming an adult is buying a house, but often times people buy houses based on what they think they will be able to afford in the future, rather than what they are currently able to afford, and then are stuck with a huge mortgage payment. Oh, and don't ever get sick if you don't have health insurance!

You might be interested to know that in the middle ages it was illegal for Christians to charge interest on loans because of certain Bible passages. Obviously, if we were to follow those standards now, capitalism as we know it would crumble. (Perhaps another argument against taking the Bible literally?) And clearly there is a lot of convenience in being able to swipe a credite card rather than carrying cash everywhere.

But I think the old practice does shed some light on the spiritual problems debt creates. By allowing us to live beyond our means, easy credit can make us more materialistic. And then once we're saddled with crazy interest rates, it keeps us from spending money on good causes. And that's not even considering human toll debt takes. (Speaking of protecting marriages--how many fall apart because of money problems?)

So, maybe it's time to roll it back a little bit--less abundant credit and fewer credit card offers in the mail from the credit card companies. And more effort on our parts to live within our means. A debt sabbath, perhaps?