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Poetry · Chapter
CCVIII explained
A brief aphorism suggesting that the impossibility of serving both God and Mammon is a poor excuse for not serving God at all.
What happens
A brief aphorism suggesting that the impossibility of serving both God and Mammon is a poor excuse for not serving God at all.
Themes in this chapter
Hypocrisy and Corruption
The aphorism critiques the hypocrisy of using the conflict between spiritual and material devotion as a justification for abandoning spiritual service.
Key passages
“That you can not serve God and Mammon is a poor excuse for not serving God.”
The fact that one cannot serve both God and wealth is a weak justification for failing to serve God at all.
The narrator dismisses a common religious excuse, implying that the impossibility of dual loyalty should not lead to total abandonment of spiritual duty.