ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
August 2, 2022
How has religion used guilt and fear? Sadly, such things are woven into a lot of religions, or certain passages of holy text are used to impose guilt and intensify fear. You can attract a lot of followers with guilt and fear. In Exodus 30, there is a deeply troubling passage. It says:
The LORD spoke to Moses: When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each of them should pay compensation for their life to the LORD when they are counted. Then no plague will descend on them when they are counted. Every one who is counted should pay a half shekel according to the official shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs). The half shekel is a gift offering to the LORD. Every one who is counted, from 20 years old and above, should present a gift offering to the LORD (Exodus 30:11-14).
Let’s begin with the words, “The LORD spoke to Moses…” Whenever someone suggests God said it, it’s sort of hard to argue… assuming you accept such phrases without question. But it’s interesting how the one who will potentially benefit from the required offering to keep divine plagues at bay is the one who is suggesting that God gave these instructions. It is hard for me to fathom that the God of the Universe, the One who is holy and just, full of mercy and kindness, would say to the people, “I need you to pay an offering as a way of keeping you free from disease.” Could the institution have, by chance, taken what Moses had shared with them—the need for a census—and over time, added a little something extra to encourage a special gift. Or maybe God wanted people to pay an offering at the time of the census to help cover the cost, but after some folks were hesitant to pay, one of the editors or scribes added the part about the plagues. Remember, guilt and fear are good motivators.
My cynicism is pretty high here, and I’ll name it. This cynicism is born out of my concern as a church leader whose job, in part, is to raise money for the ongoing work and mission of the church. Stewardship must have integrity, and how the church receives and uses its resources must reflect the church’s belief in God. And since God, in my opinion, does not use tactics of fear and guilt, I do not believe we should ever do such a thing. Yet we have to wrestle with passages like the one from Exodus. Maybe I’m taking the easy road and blaming a slightly greedy and lazy Priest or Religious Leader who took the easy road of guilt and fear when it came to fundraising. I would much rather have us grow our stewardship because people are passionate when it comes to the vision and mission of the church. I believe people can and will get excited about helping create a training center for the Love First Life.
May the work of your church, O Living Christ, always be done with the highest integrity and the utmost respect for how people’s generosity is honored. Amen.
