CEO Pay, and the least of these.

It seems morally questionable that CEO's of major corporations are paid so much more than the average worker. The average pay for a CEO of a corporation is 465 times higher than that of the average worker in the U.S..

I actually spoke of this inequity at a recent Christian men's group meeting, only to have one of the members nod and say something like..."It's the market economy." The words alone are fairly innocuous, but his connotation told me he felt perfectly satisfied with the situation. He seemed unable to recognize the corruption of a system that glorifies one man over another to such a degree. Is such a differentiation the will of God, or is it a manifistation of how profoundly corrupt our Capitalist system has become. I left the meeting, which took place in a richly appointed church building, with no luxury spared, wondering how this good man had become so psychologically innured to a situation that to mind seems so obviously sinful.

In my opinion, the corruption this statistic speaks of in our society is so profound it is difficult to quantify. How can a single man imagine it's morally sound to earn 465 dollars for every one dollar earned by the average worker? Does he work 465 times harder than the worker? Does he put in 465 times more time than the average worker? Is his level of wisdom 465 times greater than the average worker?

In today's column right wing rantmeister Bill 0'Reilly (who never met a rich man he didn't love, unless that rich man happened to be a Democrat.) celebrates the firing of University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill. While I feel Churchill's comments about the victims of 9/11 were insensitive, I do understand his point. Money or perhaps more rightfully spoken the worship of the god Mammon has become the most pressing form of moral collapse in our society. When Ward Churchill referred to the victims of 9/11 as "little Eichmanns" (Churchill did not call the 9/11 victims Nazis as o'Reilly states in his column) he was simply saying that many in our Capitalistic system are basically well meaning men, who have found themselves in jobs where they blindly perform acts of evil without thought or self recognition of the damage they cause.

This same quality, one of well meaning obliviousness, seems to permeate our business society. Exploding salaries, exclusive to the highest paid only, are only one bit of evidence to support Churchill's idea.

O'Reilly goes on to revile the ACLU, one of the only organizations that regularly champions the rights of workers over big business, calling that group "a dishonest group that has no interest in anybody's speech they don't like". I wonder if O'Reilly might not be fishing for a mote in the eye of the ACLU and failing to see the beam in his own eye.

Christians and the war in Iraq

It seems odd that Christians seem to have no answer when asked to morally justify the war in Iraq. Christianity Today in their Opinion Roundup posted ideas from several notable religious guys, most of whom seemed to think the war could only be justified morally if proof could be found connecting Sadaam Hussein to the events of 9/11.

Of course we all know how Bush outed and fired anyone in his administration that came up with any evidence there was no connection between the destruction of the World Trade Centers and Hussein. We also know, from a variety of Congressional and Intelligence reports that indeed Sadaam had nothing to do with 9/11. This despite the fact that many still seem to be confused on that point.

So the conclusion is obvious. The distortions that led us into the war can only be described as deeply sinful. One can hardly blame the suffering residents of Iraq when they call Bush and Cheney devils. After all with over 7 million homeless and a reported 75,000 dead in Iraq the comparisions between the evils of Sadaam and the evils of Bush are comparable. What Christian justification can be made for these deaths and lives destroyed?

The question remains, however, about whether it is more morally corrupt to abandon the mess we made, or remain and try to make amends for the horrors we have wrought. I must admit as a Christian I am torn. I do feel we need to somehow help the people we've worked so hard to destroy.

I cannot know the mind of God, but I wonder if those who continue to support the conflict in Iraq as a war on terrorism have completely missed the moral ramifications of the situation. If an action leading to death and destruction is initiated under false pretenses, as the war in Iraq clearly was, doesn't that make any consequent actions that lead to deaths and suffering morally reprehensible and dare I say... sinful?

Republicans and Christianity

One must wonder how so many Republicans are able to call themselves Christians when it's clear the leadership of the Republican party is deeply corrupt. Lets look at the question of earmark spending and the budget.

The bible warns us of the dangers of fiscal debt
"The borrower is servant to the lender," Proverbs 22:7

And of the dangers of making gold our god. Republican earmarks went, almost exclusively to businesses, a fact they've rationalized from a Christian standpoint, arguing the money is more efficiently spent on the wealthy, instead of going directly to the poor.
Exodus 20:23:23 Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.

Recently the new Congress controlled by Democrats passed a bill requiring our representatives in Washington pay as they go and make clear the recipients of earmark spending. In the mean time Bush and other Republicans have already let go with the "Tax and spend Democrat" complaint. This despite six years of record earmark spending, record deficit spending and not a single spending veto from the White House. How can anyone call themselves a Christian and ignore such hypocrisy?

Prosperity Christianity

On a recent vacation my wife and I visited a branch of Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church located in Galveston. The service began with the personal testimony of a man who spoke only of how he faithfully gave 10% of his income to the church, despite personal hardship. The story, naturally, ended with him telling of how his income had stabilized and God had provided him with more money than ever before. The testimony was followed up by a long sermon about financial planning. Christianity seemed to have taken a back seat to a study of capital growth. Perhaps I just caught the church on a bad week, but I left the service turned off by the notion that God is a means to personal wealth or power.
In recent years it has become fashionable for some Christians to view their success in the world as a result of God's blessing. The adherents to this doctrine warn against the dangers of money, and then apparently reverse ground and state that God will reward the pure of heart with success in their worldly endeavors.
The notion that God rewards his faithful servants with greater success and prosperity is a comforting thought. I wonder, though, if financial gain, personal power, and overweening pride in one's faith might not pose a trap for some. Should churches elect elders based upon the amount an individual is able or willing to tithe. Should a minister's qualifications include the ability to create multimedia megamillions? Should any minister of God's word build his church by constantly preening the egos of his flock with soothing words that their monotary pleasure is God's will as long as they give and have a pure heart.
Could it be that our wealth is a result of, cold-hearted greed, a manic work ethic, and our Capitalistic system and has nothing to do with God at all?