It is now official. Archbishop Desmond Tutu in an article in the Financial Times of April 4th, says that it is now just as easy for the rich man to pass through the eye of the needle as a camel. There is no contradiction between faith and mammon. You no longer have to live a life of austerity to prove your faith. The Russian oligarchs, the Arab rulers, the hedge fund managers, Donald Trump and our very own Vijay Mallya, I am sure, will be greatly relived.
I have to confess that I have never seen the contradiction, since the Church ( or the Temple, Synagogue, Mosque, Pagoda or the Gurdwara or other places of worship ) never had any issue accepting donations from the rich. In many religions the tithe or its equivalent is compulsory. You could be a robber baron or just a plain robber, and still be a man or a woman of faith if you donated to the Church. Over the centuries the Church has grown rich through donations from kings and nobles, who were responsible for terrible massacres and rape and pillage as a result of their conquests.There has always been a nexus between the rulers ( whether they are kings or politicians ) and the priests , who work out an arrangement of back scratching to suit their purposes.
It is not my intention to discredit religion, since it does play a very important role in setting some ground rules for civilized behavior, even if most of them are not carved in stone or in a golden book . It is also something you turn to when you are desperate and have no where else to go.
However over the centuries religion has been hi-jacked by its guardians or interpreters who insist that religion is too complicated for it to be understood by the layman.They become the enforcers and have over a period of time enjoyed the power and privilege that they refuse to let go. There are stories from every religion whether it is the Popes who had mistresses or the Brahmin priests who took advantage of the temple maidens or the Mullahs who extort their flock that jihadism is the only way to salvation , where they will have unlimited earthly delights in the form of vestal virgins.The priests have created heaven and hell and they have become the gate keepers.
Every religion has parables as to how the various prophets always favored the poor against the rich. I remember my grandmother telling me one about the founder of the Sikh religion Guru Nanak. In one of his frequent travels he was invited to have a meal and to rest at the house one of the richest man in the province, yet he chose to spend the night in a poor man's hovel and share his meal. When one his followers questioned him, he is supposed to have picked up the food offered by the rich man in one hand and the poor mans offering in the other. He then squeezed both. Out of one flowed blood and out of the other milk.
Just as the the kings and emperors built huge palaces, the priest have encouraged their believers to contribute to building larger and larger edifices to glorify God. Look at the holiest of holy places of all religions and you will see the amount of money which has been lavished over the centuries.The religious institutions are among the worlds wealthiest institutions. And yes while some of them use part of the wealth to benefit society such as building hospitals, schools and other institutions, but at the same time large amounts are siphoned off by the minders or in the case of the Catholic Church to defend misdeeds by the priests. A lot more could be done in using the daily collections by these places of worship for the betterment of the society or prohibit the people from making financial or other rich offerings. Raise money only for a specific cause instead of building ever grander edifices.
While the paths might be different, one thing all religions seem to agree on is that God is within you. If so why do we need to have such ostentatious places to worship ? I quote below from Kabir one of the mystic poets who preached the universality of religion.
Are you looking for me?
I am in the next seat.
My shoulder is against yours.
you will not find me in the stupas,
not in Indian shrine rooms,
nor in synagogues,
nor in cathedrals:
not in masses,
nor kirtans,
not in legs winding around your own neck,
nor in eating nothing but vegetables.
When you really look for me,
you will see me instantly —
you will find me in the tiniest house of time.
Kabir says: Student, tell me, what is God?
He is the breath inside the breath.”
I have to confess that I have never seen the contradiction, since the Church ( or the Temple, Synagogue, Mosque, Pagoda or the Gurdwara or other places of worship ) never had any issue accepting donations from the rich. In many religions the tithe or its equivalent is compulsory. You could be a robber baron or just a plain robber, and still be a man or a woman of faith if you donated to the Church. Over the centuries the Church has grown rich through donations from kings and nobles, who were responsible for terrible massacres and rape and pillage as a result of their conquests.There has always been a nexus between the rulers ( whether they are kings or politicians ) and the priests , who work out an arrangement of back scratching to suit their purposes.
It is not my intention to discredit religion, since it does play a very important role in setting some ground rules for civilized behavior, even if most of them are not carved in stone or in a golden book . It is also something you turn to when you are desperate and have no where else to go.
However over the centuries religion has been hi-jacked by its guardians or interpreters who insist that religion is too complicated for it to be understood by the layman.They become the enforcers and have over a period of time enjoyed the power and privilege that they refuse to let go. There are stories from every religion whether it is the Popes who had mistresses or the Brahmin priests who took advantage of the temple maidens or the Mullahs who extort their flock that jihadism is the only way to salvation , where they will have unlimited earthly delights in the form of vestal virgins.The priests have created heaven and hell and they have become the gate keepers.
Every religion has parables as to how the various prophets always favored the poor against the rich. I remember my grandmother telling me one about the founder of the Sikh religion Guru Nanak. In one of his frequent travels he was invited to have a meal and to rest at the house one of the richest man in the province, yet he chose to spend the night in a poor man's hovel and share his meal. When one his followers questioned him, he is supposed to have picked up the food offered by the rich man in one hand and the poor mans offering in the other. He then squeezed both. Out of one flowed blood and out of the other milk.
Just as the the kings and emperors built huge palaces, the priest have encouraged their believers to contribute to building larger and larger edifices to glorify God. Look at the holiest of holy places of all religions and you will see the amount of money which has been lavished over the centuries.The religious institutions are among the worlds wealthiest institutions. And yes while some of them use part of the wealth to benefit society such as building hospitals, schools and other institutions, but at the same time large amounts are siphoned off by the minders or in the case of the Catholic Church to defend misdeeds by the priests. A lot more could be done in using the daily collections by these places of worship for the betterment of the society or prohibit the people from making financial or other rich offerings. Raise money only for a specific cause instead of building ever grander edifices.
While the paths might be different, one thing all religions seem to agree on is that God is within you. If so why do we need to have such ostentatious places to worship ? I quote below from Kabir one of the mystic poets who preached the universality of religion.
Are you looking for me?
I am in the next seat.
My shoulder is against yours.
you will not find me in the stupas,
not in Indian shrine rooms,
nor in synagogues,
nor in cathedrals:
not in masses,
nor kirtans,
not in legs winding around your own neck,
nor in eating nothing but vegetables.
When you really look for me,
you will see me instantly —
you will find me in the tiniest house of time.
Kabir says: Student, tell me, what is God?
He is the breath inside the breath.”
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