Precisely why is wealth deplored in Christianity, when King Solomon and others were known for vast wealth?

Yeshmar and Exodus hit it on the nail. The problem isn't money or wealth, but worship of it.

The Bible says that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. It says that we cannot serve both God and money. If money is controlling you, than you are its servant. The Bible is clear that we are a slave to whatever controls us.

The Bible also gives the wealthy a huge responsibility. The Bible says we are not to turn a blind eye to those in need. If God has blessed someone with wealth (and He does), then that person has a responsibility to use it to help those in need.

I will end with one more thing. Paul said that he had learned the secret of being content in every situation, in plenty and in want.... We must learn to trust God and be thankful for everything He provides, whether it is plenty or less. Even if we never become wealthy here on earth, if we follow Christ in His ways, we will find true wealth in heaven.

I do think that if some Christians deplore wealth (though in the US, more of that might be a good thing, I don't seem to see that here much) it's a sign that they are thinking rather gnostically, which is a common heresy that creeps into most people's thinking whereby they think that the spiritual is much above the physical.

But that said, Jesus talked about "the deceitfulness of riches" and not everyone can handle being wealthy. Most can't, I would say. They are lulled into putting their hope and security in their money. There's a verse in Proverbs where the writer prays that the Lord will give him (the writer) just enough --- not too much so that he'll put his faith in his wealth, and not too little so that he'll be prone to stealing. I think that most of us regular folk could benefit from praying that prayer, but the Lord knows who among us has a special gift of giving, and it would be wise also that we pray that those who are gifted in generosity would receive more wealth than those who can't handle it.

Proverbs 30 8 Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9 lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.

Wealth - when it comes to Christianity - is a welcome good thing As Long As that wealth of a/the person is turned over to the church either at or before a person's death, brownie points are built up for that poor soul. The more that was given, the higher the promised standing of the person's soul in heaven. Did the church ever refuse a donation however small or large.... may that be property, land holdings, moneys etc? Nope. One only has to look at the splendor and treasures piled up in the Vatican, cathedrals and churches. What good is it for? They should feed the hungry with that money. Church Inc. (with its doctrines) is a money-hungry greedy outfit I would not touch with a 100 foot pole.

That makes me think of the time when monks, friars and bishops traveled some European lands and sold indulgences. In other words - one could be forgiven any sins for an appropriate sum of money. Small sins cost less and really bad ones cost a hell of a lot of money. One could even pay for sins which were not even committed at the time of purchase... like in the future. The buyer of indulgences got a receipt that he paid for whatever sin he contemplated to commit in the future - which was legally valid in court! A person could not be punished for whatever crime was committed if a receipt was produced.

As to good old Salomon - sure, he had about 600 concubines and vast wealth. Again, he could not take anything with him.

It's not so much that wealth is deplored; after all, Jesus' entire ministry was financed by some wealthy women (possibly Mary Magdalene). The problem with wealth is the temptations that it sets before Christians and that it forms our character in dangerous ways. The primary focus of Christian religion is living in complete dependence, reliance and relationship with the Triune God. The problem with wealth is that it, almost irresistibly, forms us to be autonomous, self-reliant, and independent of anyone else - including God and the community of faith. This nearly-irresistible formation can be combated primarily by prayerful reliance on the Holy Spirit and the practice of radical generosity, in which we give away our possessions as a gift to others, recognizing that all of God's blessings to us are given to us for the sake of 'passing it forward' as a blessing to others.

Wealth is NOT deplored! Wealth is a wonderful thing! The Bible warns us that the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. You see that in society. People kill for money. People marry for money. People divorce for money. People feel better than other people because of money. People walk all over other people for money. People lie, cheat, and steal for money.

Money is for many people ... like a drug. Money is DANGEROUS! Money is like alcohol. Most Christians know that we are free to consume alcohol. But we had BETTER heed the warnings about alcohol. It loosens the tongue. It can be abused. It slows our senses and loosens our inhibitions. We can become drunk jerks! We are NOT free to abuse alcohol. Drink responsibly!

Christians are to treat money the same way! We are to be good stewards of it. We are to be charitable and giving. We are to be wary of it's power to corrupt us.

But that is NOT the same as Christians "deploring" money.

Sorry.

King Solomon fell away from God's Law and into sin because of wealth

Wealth is not deplored; rather, it is what people do with it, or how it may change them to evil. GOD gives us many blessings including wealth. Jesus taught us how to live by GOD'S laws, and we should never let wealth, people or possessions lose our focus from GOD.

Without GOD, we are absolutely nothing!

Wealth is deplored in Christianity?

Then why is the Vatican one of the richest entities on the planet? Have you seen St Peter's Basilica?

It is not deplored. The love of wealth is what causes people to lose their salvation, not the wealth itself. Wealth can be a great blessing, if administered in a GODly way.

GOD bless

It is how money is used. Those who handle their money wisely are not "deplored". A good example is the actress who served 14 days for driving drunk...she is wealthy but uses her money unwisely.