A Theological Approach on

Attachment and Greed over Material Possession

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in

THEO 400: MORAL THEOLOGY

Presented by:
Ablao, Rey Joseph
Escabarte, Donnabel
Paterez, Elaiza
Santosidad, Mauela

Presented to:
Prof. Michael Anthony Abangan

February 2020
 CHAPTER 1

Background of the Study

Most of us have different possessions, we get attached to them as if they

extend the meaning of ourselves. To be attached to some parts of our
surroundings is to make them a part of our extended self. Belk (1989) stated
that possession involving the extended self can only be achieved when the
basis of attachment is emotional rather than its functionality. That is why
we normally feel emotionally attached to our pets compared to an inanimate
object. Possessions are not only limited to the things that we own legally but
may as well extend to tangibles and intangibles commodities (Belk, 1982).
Csikszentmihalyi (1982) also stated that possession improves our feeling of
being in control, fortify our self-concept, increase our self-confidence, gives
us with feelings of security and be able to communicate our identity to
ourselves and to other people. Maybe this is why in our age today, we have
become too consumed with our possessions and the false relief that it gives
and have become materialistic. To make it simpler, attachment is a deep
and enduring emotional bond that connects one person to another not just a
person but also those stuff which gives meaning to them. Let us take for
example in children having a secure attachment style, these children view
themselves as worthy of love and feel competent to obtain love when they
need it. They view others as reliable, accessible and willing to respond to
their needs. Faiththerapyorg (n.d) says that they seek out an attachment
figure when they feel insecure and will act in ways that effectively meet
their emotional needs.
Greed on the other hand, is defined as an ego-centric desire to have
power, wealth, attention, etc. that exceeds to the point of what is
required for basic human comfort (Robertson, 2013). Greedy people have
this certain feeling of emptiness and discontentment in their lives, trying
to fill this void through acquiring more resources, attention and power,
often at the cost of other people’s happiness. Fromm (1939) stated ‘Greed
is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy
the need without ever reaching satisfaction’. That is why human greed has
been a concern to human society since the beginning of its existance
(Nikelly, 2006). Human greed has
been responsible for a great deal of human suffering both at local and globa
l level. An example of it is the 2008 global financial crisis, a textbook
symbol of human greed, self-indulgence and selfishness. Some of the
terrible effects of the crisis have been mass evictions, foreclosures,
sustained homelessness, crash of global stock markets, key business loss,
slowdown of economic activity, global recession and EU sovereign debt
crises. Thus the global financial crisis of 2008 was largely responsible for
widespread unemployment and underemployment of skilled and unskilled
workers around the world (Baily & Elliott, 2009). But the problem is, this
type of narcissism and self-interest are celebrated in a capitalist society
rather than shunned. Society's growing economic and social disparities can
have serious mental and physical health effects causing people to develop
mental disorders and addictions (Nikelly, 2006). Maybe this is truly the
time, where we need to reconnect with our spiritual self and help stop this
type of crisis in our lives because thinking of our self for too much has done
much harm than good.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The researchers are conducting this study to know about greed and
attachment of material possession. Specifically, this study aims to answer
the following questions:

1. What is greed and attachment over material possession?

2. Why greed and attachment over material possessions become a
mortal sin?
3. What is the church’s perspective and pastoral approach to people
suffering in greed and attachment?

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

Generally, this study aims to know about greed and attachment of material
possession. Specifically it aims to:

1. Determine what is greed and attachment over material possession.

2. Understand why greed and attachment over material possessions
become a mortal sin.
3. Know what is the church’s view and pastoral approach to people
suffering in greed and attachment over material possession.

Significance of the Study

The researchers conducted this study as this will be significant to the

following:

Youth
This study may prompt the youth to be aware of their attachment and greed
to material things that might give them a false sense of security and to
redirect this type of attention towards God.
Adult
This study is significant to the adults to become much more aware of their
actions or motives in doing things. That they will not succumb to the
feelings of greed and will do things that will bring them closer to God.

CHAPTER II

Discussions

Attachment is an emotional bond we feel towards a person or a material

possession. A possession can boost our feelings of being in control or
security, thus will give an impression of our extended self. Whereas Greed
is defined as wanting more than what they already have. It is a state which
can tire a person out, because of its great effort to satisfy a need without
feeling any contentment.

Material possessions is not a sin but it is the perverse attitude towards them
and are put above God in all priorities. That is why greed is sometimes
defined as idolatry (Colossians 3:5; Ephesians 5:5). Whatever the greedy
person has set his/her eyes on money, material possession and so on is
put above our calling as God’s steward, is considered as idolatry. Even
Jesus Christ has expressed his concern regarding our exaggerated love
for earthly riches: “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate
the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise
the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon” (Matthew 6: 19-24;
Luke 16: 13). It is considered as unfaithfulness to God, instead of
trusting and worshipping Him, greedy people will only lean to trust and
serve the riches they possess.

Greed will never have a definition of enough as evidenced in the book of

Ecclesiastics which states: “Whoever loves money never has money
enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.” To simply
put, this means that greedy people are never satisfied with what they have,
they will always seek something more, better and bigger. They don’t pursue
these things out of need but of greed. That is why Apostle Paul considers
the love of money to be the root of all evils due to people committing sins
just to acquire material possessions (1 Timothy 6: 6-10).
In the passage of Matthew 6: 19-26, it teaches us that we are not to focus
on building a fortune here on earth but instead should concentrate on
building a fortune of spiritual rewards that we will receive in heaven. But
with all the warnings against having earthly riches, it does not mean the
aim of having one is a sin. An example of it are Isaac, Abraham and Jacob
who were with rich resources, even King Solomon was regarded as the
richest king in the world as a gift from God. In the passage of Luke 8:3, it
states that the wealthy people at that time supported Jesus’ ministry and
when Jesus died on the cross to save us from sin, it was the wealthy
brethren who asked for his body and buried it at their expense. In 1 Samuel
2:7, God uses both the rich and the poor for His work on this earth. But the
challenge that the wealthy people will have to face is the temptation of
arrogance and haughtiness, and must use the earthly riches they received
from God to do good things.

That is why we must remain faithful to our commitment to God as Proverbs

28:20 says “A faithful man will be richly blessed but one eager to get rich
will not go unpunished”. But the meaning to be richly blessed does not
equate to the material riches one can have but instead it means to be
blessed with God’s gifts and favour. The Sacred Scriptures advice people
to stay away from trying to “get rich quickly” (Proverbs 13:11; 23:5;
Ecclesiastes 5:10). For their focus will only be placed on money or
material possessions, this will then makes it a sin to go after riches.

The Lord has blessed us with many gifts for us to live abundantly and are
encouraged to give back to the Him and share to the less privileged people.
This is one of the ways that we can counter Greed. By entrusting our faith to
God, He will guide us meet our needs, including finances. But if our appetite
is endless, we will always feel unsatisfied. With this Jesus reminds us of our
desperate need for the knowledge of God – to seek the heavenly treasure.
This need for God’s wisdom can be satisfied by knowing the Bible and
reflecting on its teachings by heart. For the words of the Scripture become
more prized compared to the worldly riches, that we happen to discover
ourselves wanting more to be fed with the wisdom of God. This is the time
when we move from being carnally minded to a spiritual one, in which our
greed is changed towards a heavenly avarice.

CHAPTER III

Summary

Attachment is an emotional bond to a person or a material possession. A

possession can give us a boost of feelings of control or security. While greed
on the other hand is the desire for wanting more than what we need and
already have. This thirst becomes a mortal sin when one’s tendency to
idolize the material possession thus creating idolatry to it. Breaking one of
the commandments of the Lord, “Thou shall have no other gods beside me”
instead of revering and trusting God, unquenchable people will put their
worship and trust to the things rather than His grace. And instead of
sharing what God has blessed them with, they rather kept it to themselves.
It does not only put a strain to the relationship between him and God but to
other people as well.
One of the ways we can counter greed is by doing charity works to the less
fortunate people. Another is by entrusting our faith to God, that He will
guide us to meet all our needs. Lastly, by internalizing the Holy Bible and
learning everything by heart, our insatiable needs will finally be met and
contented. Thus these are the ways that we can use to slowly change our
mindset from a carnal one to a spiritual mind. To seek not the treasures of
the world but to the ones that will lead us to heaven.

Conclusion

To want something is never wrong, to be in a better position than before is

also never wrong. But the moment it became the sole purpose in doing
things and neglecting our spiritual life, it is the time when we need to
reflect. In everything that we do, must be used in glorifying God, if He will
give us many blessings, we ought to proclaim and share it instead of
keeping it to ourselves. Poor or rich, everyone is loved and valued by God.
Let us be the shepherd he intended us to become, give love as God has
loved us.

CHAPTER IV

References

Baily, M. N., & Elliott, D. J. (2009). The US financial and economic crisis:
Where does it stand and where do we go from here. Brookings Institution,
Jun.

Belk, R. W. (1982). Acquiring, possessing, and collecting: Fundamental

processes in consumer behavior. In R. F. Bush & S. D. Hunt (Eds.),
Marketing theory: Philosophy of science perspective (pp. 185-190). Chicago:
American Marketing Association.

Belk, R. W. (1989). Extended self and extending paradigmatic perspective.

Journal of Consumer Research, Volume 16 (pp. 129-132).

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1982). The symbolic function of possession: Towards

a psychology of materialism. American Psychological Association,
Washington, DC.

Fromm, E. (1939). Selfishness and self-love. Psychiatry, 2(4), 507-523.

Nikelly, A. (2006). The pathogenesis of greed: Causes and consequences.

International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies, 3(1), 65-78.

Phillips, D. (2015). Greed or Heavenly Avarice. Retrieved from

https://www.holytrinityutrecht.nl/sermons/greed-or-heavenly-avarice/

Robertson, A. F. (2013). Greed: Gut feelings, growth, and history. John

Wiley & Sons.

Biblical Answers for the Problems, Treatment, and Counseling of

Attachment. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.faiththerapy.org/answers-
by-topic/attachment/

Dodds, E. (2006). The Sin of Greed in Today's Church. Retrieved from

http://controversialchristianissues.blogspot.com/2006/09/sin-of-greed-in-
todays-church.html

Frunzaru, V., & Frunzaru, E.M. (2017). MATERIALISM AND LIFE

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