Corruption in the Church?
373418
One pastor once told me: people are like sheep and where sheep are, stinks.\n\nWhile there will be people in churches there will always be corruption, because we are human. We all should check the beam in our eyes.\n\nMy church also went through a church split but hey, no matter how many "crumbs" of churches are, the message of Salvation is still preached and in Heaven there will be no denominations, thank God.\n\nNevertheless, we are called to follow God, not a church, denomination, idea, book, man, etc. By prayer we will know which church we should go to and if we are kicked out - hey, there are LOTS of churches out there! \n\nJust pray about where God wants you to be.
320388
Isnt it funny how the bible says that and yet the church is the biggest corporation in the world? They bring in billions of dollars every year.... they must be filled to the brim with evil.
718997
I wouldn't hold your breath, even though the church is supposed to give back to the community. I find it odd that the church teaches us not to seek the things of the world, and then pass the plate to collect the money of the world.
841564
a very sad situation but wonder why the minister of the Church couldn't do something about this. what bothers me the most is the confidentiality issue along with others being hurt if the information fell into the wrong hands.\n\nselling these letters on e - bay might cause great personal trauma and harm to those involved. in my opinion these letters should not be sold but prayed over and then either shredded or burned.\n\na legal issue may be involved here depending on the laws rules and mores of the state.
884542
There will be corruption with or without religion. Religious people that are involved in corruption are more obvious because of the hypocritical nature of what they are doing.
1125119
I agree. Just like if you want to know about baking a cake, don't ask your local plumber, as a baker of a bakery that makes cakes. But don't just ask someone in the church that may not have a perfect understanding of their religion, not everyone thats catholic are scholar on Catholism. Ask someone who are in authority. Like a bishop or a missionary, or whoever else who should know alot.
702217
Two wrongs don't make a right.  The church is the worst thief though because they tell every one it is going to god.\nTammi Dee
901540
hahaha!\n\ni used to belong to a catholic church, and i didnt go for a couple of weeks, so they sent me a letter saying that i would be forgiven for not attending if i paid something like $100. then, i didnt go again, and they sent me a letter saying they wanted to increase my donation to $220. \n\nwhat, am i paying a protection fee?
1049666
Seems like some pretty messed up things happened, I agree,  according to this they have plenty of stolen money.\n\nCheck this out:\n\nThe Vatican Bank was a successful and profitable bank. By the 1990s, the Bank had invested somewhere over US$10 billion in foreign companies. Part of what made the Bank so profitable was that it offered certain illegal services; for 5%, the Bank would launder industrialists' money, or money of those well-connected with the Catholic Church. The money laundering scandal leaked out in 1968 due to a change in Italian financial regulations, which would have mandated more transparency. To prevent the scandal that would occur when the public learned that the Vatican Bank (which was supposed to funnel all profits directly and immediately to charity) had in fact retained most of its profits and expanded its operations, Pope Paul VI enlisted Michele Sindona as papal finance advisor to sell off assets and move money overseas to hide the full extent of Vatican wealth. It was Sindona who was chiefly responsible for the massive influx of money when he began laundering the Gambino crime family's heroin monies (taking a 50% cut) through a shell corporation "Mabusi". This laundering was accomplished with the help of another dirty banker, Roberto Calvi, who managed the Banco Ambrosiano. Interestingly, both Calvi and Sindona were members of the P2 Lodge.\n\nWhen Pope John Paul I became Pope, he learned of the Bank's doing, and instructed Cardinal Jean Villot (papal secretary of state and head of the papal Curia) to investigate the matter thoroughly. Curiously, a month later, after informing Villot that he was going public with the scandal (and firing Villot among others), John Paul I died. John Paul II ignored the matter, and allowed Sindona free play for a number of years after.
44228
If this is a serious question, then it deserves a serious answer.\n\nThe religion itself is not the source of the problem.\n\nThe problem lay very much with the institution of the church and its relationship with society.\n\nTo 'believe' and follow the religion requires a strong faith in teachings that cannot be proven by facts (even a google search won't help on this one!).\n\nA follower depends on the teachings of the church.  The church, in practicality, becomes the center of moral authority.\n\nSo, when someone with a human failing becomes a priest, he not just a priest, he is part of the moral authority mechanism.\n\nThere was (and in some cases still is) a huge misplaced loyalty to the institution of the church.\n\nAny challenge to the authority of the church was interpreted as a potential challenge to its position and therefore its teachings.\n\nIndividual children and parents were powerless to challenge the authority of the church.  Bishops and Cardinals faced the issues with total denial, or, even worse, simply moved the offenders to new areas to begin an new series of abuse.\n\n(You may recall an incident when the Irish singer Sinead O'Connor tore up a picture of the previous Pope on live TV (over the church child abuse issue), she was vilified for years afterwards - hardly anyone took any time to even ask what she was protesting about!  Radio stations and stores were too busy boycotting her music)  \n\nThe links that the church had in society often meant that a priest or Bishop could have a quiet word to the police, lawyers and judges to reassure them that the abuse was simply the figment of an overactive imagination.\n\nThis aspect reasonably explains the high abuse incidence.  The church, in effect, allowed its latent abusers to abuse, whereas out in society latent abusers were restrained by less opportunity and a far higher probability of being caught. \n\nHaving said all that, the situation has been turned around.  The lone voices built up into a giant roar and finally attracted the attention of very many church followers who genuinely did not understand what had gone on.  They have forced wholesale changes and cleared out the gatekeepers who were complict in hiding the abuse.\n\nWhy stick with the religion?  Well, if you believe in its teachings, then you believe that it is the right path to take.  Good did finally triumph over evil.\n\n(Having said all that, I didn't stick with the religion because it just doesn't ring true for me any more).
143994
SHB...isn't it strange how all (or I mean most) answers talk about how clergymen spread the word, ie- visiting the sick, writing surmons, marrying people and such. Do they have real jobs, making real money? Or do they keep the bills paid by the churches offerings? WOW! \n\n(I shoulda thunk o' that!!)
707466
Money, greed, and religion.
712269
Hi\nNice to hear you are starting to look again...\nI know, it is very hard to find the right church and all.\nSoo much corruption etc, however if you meditate on the word of God (kjbible) and listen to what the Spirit is pressing upon your heart, He will help you in making a good decision.\nSeek God first, not religion, where people can make mistakes.\nGodbless you as you seek the truth! -LIVE4TRUTH=]\nhttp://www.evangelicaloutreach.org/
8463
(This is a short letter, since I am unsure of the details)\n\nIt has been a time for mourning for the past [insert time span here] since the church caught on fire. Our church has done a magnificent job in spreading the word of God yet now, as a crisis arose, there is not enough funds and prayers to keep the church alive. It will be an honor to recieve your help in this plea. Thank you very much for your help. - [insert parish here]
171695
Absolutely.  Even though I currently live in Canada, I've always wondered why everyone has to pay except churches.  It's not like they don't make money.  They certainly do.  Now, maybe the church members are getting fleeced, but a lot of those pastors live mighty high.  And to the poster above, most legitimate churches do teach morals.  Anyway, thanks for the two points.
1055944
Rich televangelists have their rewards right now.\n\n(boy, did that sound pompous!)
274530
:}\nHe was a gay-affirming parish priest. The “nalert” (news alert) is that he has been ousted for inappropriate finical dealings