Sekou Williams
FCIQ 101
Professor Ann Marie Klotz
Interdisciplinary Project Article Summation
Topic: Money and
Religion and Corruption Within
Over the years there have been many scandals that have
rocked the very foundations of many religious institutions all over the world,
many of the scandals which concern money. Some have stated that this is a
circumstance which is associated with many business, organizations, and
governments over the years, and that there is nothing new with scandal or corruption.
I feel that there is more of a problem than simple greed in the church and that
the report before you opens this “door” and further examines the issue, Does
Money corrupt religion? Is there a correlation between Religion and Money and
Corruption? There are, I am sure, no lack of examples in the subject I have
brought forth. Many of the authors and articles and topics I will list in this
Interdisciplinary project will show this to be a relationship that has
embarrassed, weakened and disgraced many houses or religion, people and high
ranking officials in different churches across the globe. Even the Pope from
the Catholic Church has been attacked on this issue on several occasions and
continuously deals with this issue constantly. It is an undeniable problem and
I intend to show the reader why this is so.
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As in philosophical, theological and moral applications,
corruption is defined by Wikipedia as a spiritual or moral impurity or
deviation from an ideal. In the religious aspect, this definition cannot really
be accepted because the church, religious institution or center of belief is
usually a powerful entity which is perfect. There cannot be corruption within
this because it belies the very foundation of what people are believing in and
praying for. Therefore the church cannot be corrupt so it must be the people
inside of the church that bring scandal. In a way this Interdisciplinary
project is setting the blame for actions that corrupt and bring “impurity” to
purity. Each church or religion has a distinct way of dealing with unjust
actions by their members, and each will handle whatever financial misdealing’s
exist. Many churches, though, in many situations, has not reset their policies
or changed their views, mostly due to their beliefs. Therefore the “hole in
their defenses” is left open and the possibility of a repeat situation can and
will exist. There is a point that the rules, regulations and faith itself may
be a weakness that the church may constantly face. Sociology, one of our
disciplines, which is the scientific study of social behavior, origins,
development and institutions, would apply to this.
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Clayton R. Douglas, who wrote the article “The Corruption of
our Churches” was raised a Methodist preacher. His father and grandfather were
preachers as well. He found it very interesting that over the years that there
were many problems with organized religions he came into contact with, even his
own Methodist church. He found many connections with the church and government,
citing the “new world order” and its attempts to dump the constitution and
influence the church. He asks, in the article, how many historic situations of
the bible have its influences on and off church philosophy and government laws,
notably the Crusades and the Inquisition. These horrific scenarios should not
have happened but years ago people in power in the church had been led by their
own devices, not gods. There are still a few religious leaders that might
command an audience of thousands, but their followers will not necessarily
invade anther land and kill and attack men and women in the name of their god.
What could have possessed people to do such a thing in any age and time? Thou
shall not kill is a main commandment from the Christian religion and many
others. With that in mind did the orders to kill in the Crusades and the
Inquisition come from god or were there men associated with the church that
gave orders contrary to god’s wishes? There seems to be many who used their own
will and power within the church to achieve ends that only aid them. Political
Science would, in this situation, would be the discipline that connects much of
this report, being the study of government, political institutions, processes
and behaviors. Many times it has been stated that the church and government
should be separate but there are too many instances where they are not. In many
of these instances, corruption ensues and the church and government involved
are riddled with controversy.
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Even in modern times there is a struggle to maintain the
confidence of the people in many religions. The church must keep order when it
comes to scandal, within and without. In the article by David Burke entitled
“Pope faces threat from the Mafia”, the Pope and the Catholic Church have a
crusade against the corruption that I speak of. They are in a constant correction
and overhaul of the Vatican Bank which oversees much of the accounts of the
church. That bank has much scandal in the many years of its existence and much
is still being done to correct loss, access and reform. Money laundering seems
to have affected the Vatican bank as well. Many people involved in the Mafia
has associated themselves with the Catholic Church, not only giving money but
repairs to the organization as well as funding festivals. According to this
article a priest was arrested for trying to smuggle money from the Catholic
Church in his position as a Catholic Church analyst. Why the church has not
more openly refuted this is a big question with many. As stated in the article,
“the church never raised the issue” and “the church never excommunicated a
mobster”. Why would people that only fear god not repel evil? There are too
many circumstances where this has happened. It points to an allowance of evil
by good people. People who should have rid the church more straightforwardly of
problems that plague it.
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Many more religious institutions have also faced scandal and
they are very recent with questionable practices in their religion. The article
on “The Business of Religion” shows the power and ethics of one such church,
The Church of Scientology. Established in 1952, has been accused of taking
monies from vulnerable people and charging extortionate fees. They claim to
have hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and assets. This particular church
has, in my view, certain questionable practices but in a way can one question a
church? Each one has its own beliefs and I believe that we can argue what they
are trying to achieve and believe. If anything goes against their doctrine,
faith and beliefs then it should be considered wrong and does not follow what
they state to worship. That would be a fallacy of their belief and could be
considered a “built in corruption”. Can an outsider judge what happens with the
inner goings on of a church? Yes, especially if the church shows me something
contrary to its practices. If I am a supporter of this church, temple or
synagogue, I would expect more openness and trust.
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“We give Religions More than 82.5 billion a Year” by Dylan
Matthews talks of the people that go to these institutions and make donations.
Based on the information in this article the people that go to these houses of
worship have in many cases just made the heads of these religious organizations
very rich and wealthy. Much of these funds would be cut short if the religion
in question paid taxes or lost their exempt status. Televangelists and many
faiths fall to corruption due to an influx of cash they have never seen before.
This aids in the specific church falling prey to exorbitant lifestyles and situations
that do not put the church in a good light. There are many of these modern day
ministers who rise and fall on their follower’s backs, some of which began to
show flaws in their practices. People are beginning to see that one of the many
elements of corruption is the money they themselves bring into the church may
lead to the corruption that brings it down. A similar article by Kevin
Phillips, “American Theocracy”, also shows corruption in a similar fashion,
thought it details more with political parties than religious organizations.
The scandals, connections and allowance of impropriety are there in full force.
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Not all people believe that corruption is only the cause of
the church or its leaders, as stated by Lisa Keister in the article “Faith and
Money: How Religion Contributes to Wealth”. Keister, a sociologist, claims
religion affects wealth and economic outcomes for many Americans. “Religions
shapes values and priorities” in many lives, much more than it corrupts. The article later shows a definite difference
in many of the separations of different religions and even similar religions,
people, and areas. There may be a difference in values from Southern Baptists,
for instance, than Baptists in the north. Hispanic Catholics may see and value
differently ideals from Irish Catholics. African Americans may feel or have
distinct differences from churches that have the same faith but no African
Americans attend. This is a valid point from my topic due to many differences
in the people that follow that particular belief. If people are from an area
where there is little or no corruption they will feel their faith has strength
and will avoid situations where mass amounts of corruption will force them to
rethink their values. Weakness exists and they will deal with them on a step by
step basis. A “housecleaning” may not be necessary. The foundations of many
churches and their differences by creed, color, or race may test values in
different ways.
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The articles I have gathered show a pattern in many of the
religions that we worship. We, our religious leaders or the church itself have
what I believe is a weakness. Human, religious or otherwise, this weakness has
kept many religions in a cloud of blame that belies the foundations of that
belief. My topic, Money and religion and Corruption Within, does not mean to
insult any following. It merely shows that corruption, to a degree, is part and
parcel with the church, any church, and must be watched, managed, and weeded
out. We are human beings and make mistakes. Even in our religious practices, we
must strive to make sure our house is not falling down around us. Our religion
supports us, aids us and in many cases keeps us alive. For it to fail is a
question that we must ask, is this right. Are there people or conditions that
bring impropriety to what we hold dear? This is something each and every church
must examine for itself and protect what it has, especially in this financially
wavering world. We know, or should know, that god is not at fault, but where
does that leave us? Allowing corruption may be equal to causing the corruption.
Of course, nowadays, whenever there is corruption the news circulates this
information for all to see. We then
judge what situation we feel caused the corruption.
