Christian Ideals

Christianity — or any religion for that matter — is not just the sum of what members think and do.  Religion is the product of an idealized notion of how the universe works.  We can talk all we want to about Liturgies, Prayers, Devotions, and Charities, but these are just the end product of a concept.  People are devoted to their religions — each one has a specific set of beliefs — and they are willing to make major sacrifices and devote a significant part of their personal resources to supporting this concept.  And they do this even when the leaders of the church turn out to be abusive thugs, thieves and even child-molesters.  For many of The Religious, the real world is a separate category kept in a separate mental box, and their life experiences do not connect with The Belief, which is often maintained and upheld in spite of the evidence.

For example, on a daily basis ministers are found stealing church funds, seducing sons and daughters, manipulating elderly members into giving their life savings to the church, etc, etc, etc.  But rarely are these criminals caught and punished by the church.  Often it is the intervention of others — meaning non-believers or believers in some other church — who investigate and prosecute criminal acts.  I know of several cases where a local minister was caught stealing from the church.  In some cases the church asks for the money to be returned, but the thief is never prosecuted — mainly because that would reflect badly on the idealized notion of Christianity.  

Most church members are willing to “forgive and forget” rather than create a public scandal.  The usual excuse is that they do not want to create a “stumbling block” for new recruits — those who are still “weak” in their belief and have a low level of commitment to the faith.  Most congregations are willing to take the long view: that it is better to suck in a batch of new recruits (and their money) rather than punish wrongdoing in the church and risk losing membership.  Some churches will put up with ministers who exhibit truly bizarre behavior: drug addiction, addiction to pornography, alcoholism.  The Catholic Church protected many child molesters for decades, and they even defended them from criminal investigations. 

And still these “men of God” still demand to be admired and respected? And they will pout if you don't.