commit cf52416690495ca28716334c39a9b2190b4595bcad0f02293412da5c08d2e992 Author: Discsearcher Date: Thu Aug 27 23:42:56 2026 -0400 recreate master. diff --git a/usury.md b/usury.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..73aa3bb --- /dev/null +++ b/usury.md @@ -0,0 +1,205 @@ +# Usury: The Forgotten Sin + +**A historically demonized practice, now defended by modern Christians.** + +By [Biscuits](https://substack.com/@biscuits) | June 10, 2025 | The Dollar Store Analysis + +--- + +## Table of Contents + +- [Usury? What is That?](#usury-what-is-that) +- [Financial Arguments](#financial-arguments) + - [Part 1: Only Usury if Predatory](#part-1-only-usury-if-predatory) + - [Part 2: You Don't Have to Accept a Bad Loan](#part-2-you-dont-have-to-accept-a-bad-loan) +- [Biblical Arguments](#biblical-arguments) + - [Part 1: Jews Lending to Non-Jews](#part-1-jews-lending-to-non-jews) + - [Part 2: The Parable of Talents](#part-2-the-parable-of-talents) +- [Protective Arguments](#protective-arguments) + - [Part 1: Lenders Should Make Money Off of Loans](#part-1-lenders-should-make-money-off-of-loans) + - [Part 2: What Protects the Lender From Non-Payment](#part-2-what-protects-the-lender-from-non-payment) + +--- + +## Usury? What is That? + + +Usury has historically been understood as the practice of "charging interest" when loaning goods or services to someone else. Loan someone $1,000? Expect them to pay monthly and charge a percentage for every month that the total balance is expected to be unpaid. + +Many might say that interest is completely reasonable. Some actually argue in defense of it, usually citing one of these six arguments: + +1. Interest is only usury when the rate is predatory +2. People don't have to accept "bad" loans +3. God said Jews can charge usury to non-Jews +4. Jesus said usury was OK in the parable of the talents +5. Lenders should make money off of loans +6. What protects the lender from non-payment + +My intention is to prove these assertions wrong and to cover how, and why. + +--- + +## Financial Arguments + + +### Part 1: Only Usury if Predatory + +Let's evaluate an atypically low mortgage, with an atypically low interest rate, and couple it with a very standard loan term. This is what most modern day Christians would consider acceptable usury: + +- $200,000 loan amount +- 3.37% interest (compounded monthly) +- 30 year term + +We know it is going to take at least 30 years to pay off, barring any payment deferrals due to job loss, hospitalization, death in the family. In short….life. So it will probably be more like 30 years, 3 months. For now we'll assume you don't need to defer a single payment. Here's what your total bill is going to be for that $200,000 loan: + +**$318,110.03** + +[Credit: Lake City Bank, Standard Loan Calculator](https://www.lakecitybank.com/tools-calculators/standard-loan-calculator/) + +| Metric | 3.37% Interest | +|--------|----------------| +| Principal | $200,000 | +| Interest Rate | 3.37% | +| Total to Pay | $318,110.03 | +| Term | 30 years | +| Monthly Payment | $883.63 | +| **Total Interest Paid** | **$118,110.03** | + +The borrower has to pay back $118,110.03 more than what they borrowed. That $318,110 requires a monthly payment of $883.63 just to pay off in the 30 years that the loan is being amortized for. + +How does it compare if usury was not going to be levied against the borrower? Here are two scenarios: + +| Metric | Scenario 1: Interest-Free | Scenario 2: Interest-Free (30yr) | +|--------|---------------------------|----------------------------------| +| Principal | $200,000 | $200,000 | +| Total to Pay | $200,000 | $200,000 | +| Time to Pay Off | ~11 years | 30 years | +| Monthly Payment | $883.63 | $555.56 | +| **Savings** | $118,110/lifetime | $328/month | + +The borrower has either: + +1. Avoided debt for an additional 11 years of their adult life and saved over $118,000. That is massive. What could you accomplish with an additional decade of debt free life and enough money to invest back into your household, or community? + +2. Saved over $118,000 dollars, still kept the long amortization schedule, but had an additional $328 every month to save, invest, or reallocate towards other needs. That's 30 years where those rough months, aren't so rough anymore….. + +Ask yourself a very simple question. If the Holy Spirit has compelled you to loan someone money, and a rate of 3.37% is considered phenomenal (it is), but it costs the borrower >10 years of their life and an additional 60% of the total loan amount, how is usury NOT predatory? + +### Part 2: You Don't Have to Accept a Bad Loan + +Now is a good time to mention the current, average 30 year rate. It's 6.88% (April 2025 info). That's more than double what we calculated against. That's what the average family with decent credit is going to be dealing with. + +A 6.88% interest means you elected to borrow $200,000 and will be expected to pay back 237%. The interest owed is more than the amount you are trying to borrow. + +| Metric | 3.37% Interest | 6.88% Interest | +|--------|----------------|----------------| +| Principal | $200,000 | $200,000 | +| Monthly Payment | $883.63 | $1,310.40 | +| Total Paid Over 30 Years | $318,110.03 | $471,744 | +| **Total Interest** | **$118,110.03 (59.1% of principal)** | **$271,744 (135.9% of principal)** | + +If you agree that the example rate of 3.37% is predatory, by now you are most likely trying to figure out what rate isn't predatory. Good luck with that. There are no actuary tables to be found in the Word of God, and what one finds acceptable, another will find abhorrent. + +--- + +## Biblical Arguments +### Part 1: Jews Lending to Non-Jews + + +This particular "proof" is found in the book of Deuteronomy. + +**Deuteronomy 23:20** (KJV) +> Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand to in the land whither thou goest to possess it. + +This is unique in that it is defining usury as a permitted action, but not necessarily as an encouraged, let alone mandated one. Further, it is only permitted against a specific demographic of "stranger". But what does that mean? Are the Edomites considered strangers? + +**Deuteronomy 23:7** (KJV) +> Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land. + +That seems like 2 ethnic groups that can be excluded from the list that Jews are actually permitted to charge usury. However……is ethnicity what is actually being discussed? "Jew" is both an ethnicity, and a religion. Which are we talking about here? + +We can confirm ethnicity matters at least by Deuteronomy 23:7. Strong's Hebrew is widely regarded as an authoritative source on ancient Hebrew, and this is what it says about the word for "stranger" found in Deuteronomy 23:20: + +**Strong's H5237 - נכרי (nokrîy)** [nok-ree'] +> From [5235](sword://StrongsRealHebrew/05235) (second form); {strange} in a variety of degrees and applications ({foreign} non-relative {adulterous} {different} wonderful): - {alien} {foreigner} {outlandish} strange ({-r} woman). + +In short, this is referencing three additional non-Jewish groups: + +1. The foreigner +2. The one that does NOT adhere to the customs of the land (strange, outlandish) +3. The spiritually unclean woman (adulterous female) + +That narrows things down quite a bit now, doesn't it? Our list of those Jews may charge usury against grows smaller upon every inspection. + +Finally on this point, we should consider other scriptures as a guide in regards to how God views the practice. Here is my personal favorite: + +**Ezekiel 18:8-9** (KJV) +> He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man, hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord God. + +Ezekiel was a prophet divinely chosen by God, so it's safe to assume that passage as the most authoritative statement on God's view of usury overall. If Ezekiel is not sufficient for you, there's plenty more condemnations of the practice found in the Old Testament. Here are just some of them: + +- Leviticus 25:35-37 +- Exodus 22:25 +- Nehemiah 5:6-10 +- Psalm 15:4-5 +- Proverbs 28:8 +- Isaiah 24:2-3 +- Jeremiah 15:10-11 +- Ezekiel 18:16-17 +- Ezekiel 22:12-13 + +### Part 2: The Parable of the Talents + + +**Matthew 25:24-28** (KJV) +> Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, "Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents." + +Jesus is telling a parable where a master gives 3 of his servants each an allotment of talents: + +- To the 1st servant: 5 talents +- To the 2nd servant: 2 talents +- To the 3rd: only 1 talent + +Both the 1st and 2nd servant took the talents given to them, and successfully doubled them. The scripture specifically says the 1st did so through trading, NOT usury. Now let's examine why this matters. We can look back to Genesis for a real-world parallel to the parable that Jesus uses. + +**Genesis 22:9-13** (KJV) +> And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. + +Just as God spared Isaac, so would the master have spared the 3rd servant had he done anything in his power to grow what was expected of him to grow. This is a consistent belief when contrasting the two scriptures. Abraham was spared from sacrificing his own son ONLY because he trusted God, and feared what would happen if he failed him. Abraham was going to do what he was expected to do, despite it standing in contrast to what God eventually condemns: + +**Exodus 20:13** (KJV) +> Thou shalt not kill. + +Given that, I believe the call to usury is done so out of frustration. That frustration is reiterated in the next passage when the punishment for failure is put out, and the talent is taken away from the 3rd servant, and given to the 1st, the most successful. There does not seem to be any justification given to support a belief that, in the middle of receiving the master's wrath, the master took the time to calmly detail how the servant could have been successful. It does not track with the full tone of the parable. + +In short, if God commands you to do something, DO IT, even if you are unsure of how to do it correctly. Abraham was willing to take the life of his own son. The 3rd servant didn't even try to grow the talent, but instead buried it, afraid he would fail and receive the wrath of his master. He received it anyway, and it was not for failure, but for lack of following the master's command. + +--- + +## Protective Arguments + + +### Part 1: Lenders Should Make Money Off of Loans + + +This argument is the weakest of them all. We are NOT supposed to profit on loaning to others what God has blessed us with. This is reiterated across scripture numerous times. I have already provided one such passage from Ezekiel: + +**Ezekiel 18:8-9** (KJV) +> He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man, hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord God. + +### Part 2: What Protects the Lender From Non-Payment + + +This has been a solved issue for quite some time. Here's the guidance that can be found in scripture: + +**Matthew 18:15-17** (KJV) +> Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. + +So there's directly addressing the issue, followed by societal pressure, followed by spiritual community pressure. If they respond to none of these, they are lost, and you should cut your losses. I don't mind this approach. Never loan unless you make sure God is forefront of your agreement. Always loan with compassion and understanding. God will make sure you are covered if those you have loaned to fail to hold up their end of the bargain. + +**Matthew 18:18-20** (KJV) +> Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. + +In short, God protects the lender that lends the way God has deemed appropriate. That protection might not occur in this life, but it will certainly be in the next. + +Finally, assuming a secular-only view, late fees are still a thing.