Many years ago, as a youngster, I watched a powerful priest praying in church.
His eyes were closed. His hands were raised. His voice trembled with devotion. Anyone watching him would have imagined that heaven had reserved a special seat for him.
But many of us knew another story.
Church property had disappeared. Money entrusted to the institution had allegedly been misused. Questions were whispered in corridors, but never asked aloud.
I remember wondering, “Is he not afraid of God?”
Perhaps he believed that God, like the congregation, could be silenced. Perhaps he thought a long prayer could erase a long list of wrongs. Perhaps he imagined that if he sang loudly enough, heaven would not hear the sound of money being counted.
But God is not deaf.
While reading 2 Chronicles Chapter 12, I came across King Rehoboam. Once his kingdom was established and he had become strong, he abandoned the law of the Lord. The people followed him. Then Shishak, king of Egypt, marched against Judah, captured its fortified cities and advanced towards Jerusalem.
At that moment, the prophet Shemaiah delivered God’s message: “You have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak.”
Those are frightening words.
They tell us that when people repeatedly reject righteousness, dishonesty eventually presents its bill. Unfortunately, the bill is rarely paid only by those who committed the wrong. Ordinary people pay too.
When religious leaders steal, manipulate accounts, grab property, misuse donations or turn sacred institutions into private kingdoms, an entire community suffers. Its witness is weakened. Its young people become cynical. Its honest members feel ashamed. Its enemies are handed ammunition.
But before we blame these corrupt religious leaders, we must examine ourselves.
Who protected them?
Who remained silent because the priest was powerful? Who accepted favours? Who discouraged questions in the name of preserving the Church’s reputation? Who said, “Let us not create trouble,” while wrongdoing continued?
There’s a well-known Christian Chartered accountant who represents cases in the charity commissioner’s office who when I pointed out corruption of four priests running a religious magazine, told me, “This is only a pimple!”
Corruption is not a pimple. It is a volcano!
And silence in the presence of corruption is not peace. It is permission.
There is hope, however. When Rehoboam and the leaders humbled themselves, God said, “They have humbled themselves, therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance.”
Our response must also begin with humility and repentance. We must demand transparent accounts, independent inquiries and responsible leadership. Those guilty must never be hidden beneath robes, titles, influence or pious language.
Let us speak up and condemn these men and women, not only because youngsters are losing faith, but regain His protection for His people, as churches get vandalised, congregations threatened, and Bibles burnt…!
———————————–
Become an author… Click here
————————————-
Would love to hear from you in the COMMENTS section below…and IF YOU WANT TO RECEIVE BOB’S BANTER EVERYDAY, PLEASE SEND YOUR NAME AND WHATSAPP PHONE NO TO [email protected]
————————————————–
Robert Clements is a newspaper columnist and writes a daily column, which has graced the pages of over 60 newspapers and magazines, from a daily column in the Khaleej Times, Dubai, the Morning Star, London, and in nearly every state in India, from The Statesman in Kolkata, to the Kashmir Times in Kashmir to the Trinity Mirror in Chennai.
“Apathy” is a huge problem afflicting our society. People can be dying of hunger or whatever and we don’t care to intervene.
We see things that are hugely wrong – e.g. people being oppressed – but don’t want to incur the displeasure of peers or seniors by speaking out, and so becoming complicit by silence, asserting to the wrongdoing.
Example: how many of our homes had (or still have) a practice of requiring domestic servants to work seven days a week, like slaves? Decades ago, my parents bucked the trend by giving our servant a weekly holiday. Our neighbours or friends who also retained this maid as their servant were very displeased with us. It requires courage to speak up and say “no” to injustice. We didn’t have the courage to ask them why were they exploiting their maid by enforcement of a seven day work week.
More sinister was the silence when the secretary of a sitting CJI accused him of sexual harassment. The facts were troubling. The consequences for her family (taken to jail and interrogated, at least two persons in her family lost their government/police jobs, she was accused of corruption) were appalling. She complained-appealed to the justices of the SC. The CJI convened a bench and presided over a case where he was the accused!!!! The investigation that followed found no basis in her complaints! Finally some resolution was worked out where she was moved and allowed to keep her job, working in obscurity.
This was a sad, sad betrayal of the principles of law and the rights of women in the workforce. Only a couple of Judges had the courage to speak up and oppose this travesty of justice by the Chief Justice of India. The CJI was then supported by the powers that be and grew close to the establishment. He retired and was awarded a plum position. The nation betrayed the lady secretary who had the integrity to complain. What a shame. We sorely lack courage to speak up against those in authority who contravene principles and rules meant for all.
It is a sad truth that fear causes even good people to look the other way or stay silent. I know that the opinion of the family plays a role too. Some members feel that there’s no point to speaking up. They point out that it will be like pouring water over a duck’s back. Especially when it involves people in power!
In 1981, I was a victim of sexual harrasment at the workplace. I was a Manager in the Hotel industry. As I did not encourage or respond, this man who was a Senior Manager in the same Department, made a false allegation of moral turpitude against me with support of the General Manager and the Vice President of the hotel. Long story in short, I filed a case of defamation, then for wrongful termination, and the case went on for 17 years, with a final conclusion that the Labour Court was not the Appropriate court. The defamation case was closed, as my Lawyer was absent on the day when he or I should have been present!!
The Judges who sided and abetted with the Hotel, did pay a price in different ways, for being partisan to an injustice done.
I moved on, and this case is what made me to turn my life into one of service to women and children who don’t have a voice or guts to fight for justice.