by Gary Betts

Created on: January 09, 2010   Last Updated: July 18, 2011

The phrase, "money is the root of all evil" is an incorrect quote from 1 Timothy 6:10 in the New Testament of the Christian Holy Bible. So we must check that verse first to see what was really written before we can judge the title of this article. But we have two Bibles to choose from - the old Bible and the modern Bible. Each of these Bibles have different wordings and different meanings for this verse.

Quoting 1Timothy 6:10 in the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible, "For the love of money is the root of all evil." This simply says that it is the love of money that is THE root of ALL evil. This Bible was completed in 1611 by the Church of England (Anglican) under instructions from King James 1. This version has been the principle Bible used by Anglicans and Protestants around the world for over 350 years.

Quoting 1 Timothy 6:10 in the New King James Version, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." This is a very different meaning from the KJV. It says that the love of money is "a" root of...evil as opposed to "the" root of all evil. This would mean that the love of money is only one of many roots of evil. It also says that "all kinds" of evil as opposed to "all" evil. This would mean that the love of money leads to evil, but not all evil.

The New King James Version (NKJV) was completed in 1979 by Baptists and some Presbyterians in 1979. It has been in use, although not universally, among Protestants for only 30 years. Other new versions such as the New American Bible and the Contemporary English Version have similar wording as the NKJV.

I would have to side with the NKJV of the Bible. The love of money does not cause ALL evil. The love of money has nothing to do with offences such as rape, murder-suicide, drunk driving, to name but a few.

Now, to finally answer the title of this article, "Is money the root of all evil?" The simple answer to that question is no. How can an inanimate object with no soul and no life cause evil? It can't. Evil is caused by life forms with the knowledge to tell right from wrong. And since money has neither life nor knowledge, it cannot cause evil.   

   

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