Business Teaches Churches Morality?
IN ANCIENT Bible times the people were instructed in what was right and what was wrong by the Levite priests. “The priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of Jehovah.” There were instances, however, when the priests sank so low that they outraged the moral sense of the people whom they themselves were supposed to instruct in what was right and wrong, a case in point being the delinquent sons of priest Eli.—Mal. 2:7; 1 Sam. 2:12-17, 22-25, AS.
The facts today indicate that the leaders of religion in Christendom furnish a modern counterpart to those wayward sons of Eli. These likewise occupy the position of teachers before the people and yet are willing to stoop to such questionable methods that others are impelled to preach morals to the religious leaders. An instance of this appeared in the April 11, 1955, issue of Advertising Age.
The editorial said, in part: “It continues to amaze us that those whose conduct in all regards should be above suspicion are so willing to use fund-raising devices which smack of the carnival come-on. Most commercial advertisers wouldn’t dare touch this sort of thing, because they know they’d be severely censured. But religious and charitable groups apparently believe it’s all right for them to use devices of doubtful ethical virtue because they’re being used ‘in a good cause.’ This strikes us as a moral sophistry of the highest order, if there is such a thing.”
Big business has no monopoly on morals, to put it mildly. However, corrupt as big business is, it at least is serving some purpose, as industry and commerce are necessary, whether conducted honestly or not. And it must also be admitted that even a corrupt government is better than none at all. But when organized religion, which has arrogated to itself to represent God and teach the people morals, becomes hypocritical, of what use is it?
The foregoing calls to mind God’s judgment on ancient Jerusalem. Because of its wayward course, its failure to bring forth righteous fruits, Jehovah likened it to a scorched vine that was good for nothing but to be burned, for one could not make any work with it such as a peg on which to hang things. “As the vine-tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” “The fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah, when I set my face against them. And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord Jehovah.” That fire will be Armageddon.—Ezek. 15:1-8, AS; Rev. 16:14, 16.