|
In my local paper, there’s a picture of a smiling church lady (minus the back molars) putting up a sign on one of those billboards that Florida is so famous for. The sign reads, “Frustrate your enemy, make him your friend.” The sign could have applied to our situation in Iraq, but if it were so, I’m sure it would have been more direct. Instead, I’m inclined to believe that it’s an effort to patch things up on a local political level and I thought to myself, does the church really have the high ground to lead us through this mess after the role they’ve played? Are they really in a position to ask us to forgive and forget what’s happened in the last fifteen years?
Think about it for a minute. Churches have a sweet racket going on. They pay no taxes and in the last six years, they have been supporting the Republican Party in order to get their brand of morality inflicted in our laws and to get a good cut of federal money to their private parochial schools. But on top of all that, they benefit the greatest when one of these corrupt, power-mongers suddenly decide to look for peace of mind and forgiveness. Either they obtained their money from inside information in the stock market, or they abused a political position for personal profit. Something along those lines. Whatever it is, at some point in their life they realize what they did was wrong so where do they go? They go to their local church and donate money because they know the church will embrace them and make them pure again.
It’s a role that’s been played over and over throughout time. Milken did it. Even though the laws finally caught up with him, there was no shortage of people in his community who came out to say what a generous man he was. Even the writers of “V” used it to flesh out one of the villains.
And I’m thinking, when does this racket stop? When does the church finally turn around and tell their new found parish son, GIVE BACK TO THE PEOPLE YOU STOLE FROM. When does the church stop taking the money and do the right thing and stop this crazy cycle of abuse? Maybe that’s what they should be telling their congregation, instead of relying on flaccid charm.
|