Why do the leaders of Christian Churches always drive nice cars, own nice homes, etc?

[huajiro]

In many parts of the "Bible" it says that rich men don't go to Heaven, that man should help each other, yet Christian's are some the most materialistic people there are.

 

[Green Gaia]

Good question. But perhaps you could give some examples so everyone knows what you're referring to.

 

[Master Vigil]

Not all christians are like this. No catholic priest I ever met had any money at all. All the money from the church went straight to the church. And of course food for him and clothes to survive. But the car he drove was not his. It was the church's. After a priest leaves a parish the car does not go with him, it stays at the church. I do know some protestant christian ministers who are rich, but unlike catholic priests, many have families to take care of. So the materialistic shines right through.

I read once that one of the top divorce categories was protestant ministers. Is this correct?

 

[mrscardero]

I know a priest who had to travel 3-4 hours a day back and forward to go to his other job. He had to work a second job to support his family. Yes they provide you with a home, but not everything is included. He doesn't have a fancy car...he has his own car though. They have to manage on what they earn. They are not rich...they are surviving.

 

[Lightkeeper]

Sometimes the housing is provided by the Church. I see nothing wrong with them living comfortably and driving a nice car. They work hard like anyone else does. In fact they do a lot of things we wouldn't want to do. Living in poverty wouldn't project a good image to parishoners. Spiritual and physical prosperity could be good benefits of religion.

 

[Master Vigil]

I find it more imspiring when they live in poverty. I find that monks are the best example of total commitment (in my opinion). The material things do not matter to god, nor should it matter to a religious discipline. Spiritul propserity is good for religion, not physical prosperity.

 

[huajiro]

Sometimes the housing is provided by the Church. I see nothing wrong with them living comfortably and driving a nice car. They work hard like anyone else does. In fact they do a lot of things we wouldn't want to do. Living in poverty wouldn't project a good image to parishoners. Spiritual and physical prosperity could be good benefits of religion.

The problem is that this goes against everything they preach.

 

[huajiro]

I find it more imspiring when they live in poverty. I find that monks are the best example of total commitment (in my opinion). The material things do not matter to god, nor should it matter to a religious discipline. Spiritul propserity is good for religion, not physical prosperity.

Exactly. Isn't our inspiration supposed to come from who the leaders are and not what they have?

 

[Master Vigil]

"Exactly. Isn't our inspiration supposed to come from who the leaders are and not what they have?"

Yes that is why I cringe with disgust everytime I see those protestant religious leaders and televangelists and things driving away in mercedes and bmw's. Who do they think they are?

(of course not all are like that, please do not think I am generalizing here. I know lots who are the opposite, and I love them for it. I am only discussing the ones whom are materialistic greedy pigs.)

 

[kreeden]

There is a bit of a paradox there Huajiro . Yes , the Bible does say that one should give , Jesus even goes as far to say that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle , then for a rich man to go to heaven . However , he doesn't appear to mean to give everything away , as when Mary used an expensive oil on his feet , and Jadus complained , saying that they could sell it and give the money to the poor , Jesus replied that there will always be poor ... Ok , I know that there are other ways to take that , but still it appears to me that the Bible doesn't expect a person to give everything away , just to give freely and with love . After all , one has to love theirself to love another . Just a though on the subject .

 

[Lightkeeper]

The problem is that this goes against everything they preach.

Not if you take it inwardly instead of literal translation.

 

[Doc]

Monks and Franciscans and lots of those brotherhood, sisterhood sort of people I deeply admire for their true devotion to poverty itself. I am sorry if I forgot another Order that also goes into total poverty. Many Catholic Priests do that. I have known some that could care less about materials where another one cared more about golfing and the bar than his church. My heart deeply goes out to the missionaries. They give everything away to help those that are not as fortunate as us. I think for the most part, they are quite strict on their materials!

 

[jewscout]

I think the people we are talking about can be categorized as the evangelicals. Has anyone actually watched TBN? The pastors are sitting in chairs that are painted GOLD! Come on people!!!

 

[Lintu]

I think that the main argument against wealth is in Mark, right? "It's easier for a camel to pass through a needle than a rich man to enter heaven," or something like that? The whole book was geared towards the impoverished. Jesus, in that book, was the redeemer of those who never had any power. The point of saying rich people couldn't go to heaven is that 1) the rich people generally had not cared for the poor; had not shown compassion for their fellow human beings, and 2) because the rich people were more attracted to their material wealth and not their spiritual development.

I don't think it's true that a person has to be poor, but that they can't have material wealth taking their focus off God and all that stuff.

 

[huajiro]

I think that the main argument against wealth is in Mark, right? "It's easier for a camel to pass through a needle than a rich man to enter heaven," or something like that? The whole book was geared towards the impoverished. Jesus, in that book, was the redeemer of those who never had any power. The point of saying rich people couldn't go to heaven is that 1) the rich people generally had not cared for the poor; had not shown compassion for their fellow human beings, and 2) because the rich people were more attracted to their material wealth and not their spiritual development.

I don't think it's true that a person has to be poor, but that they can't have material wealth taking their focus off God and all that stuff.

I believe it was Matthew Chapter 19

 

[Lintu]

Oh okay, sorry. Can't keep up with which is which.

 

[anders]

Another USAmerican thread...

The wages of all employees of the Church of Sweden are centrally regulated, fixed, and not overly generous, and there is no possibility whatsoever to make more money through their profession. If I were interested, I could probably find out to the nearest dollar how much a pastor earns after n years of work in that capacity.

I have no ordained priests among my closer acquaintances, but I wouldn't be surprised if I learned that the majority, men or women, uses bicycles rather than cars to get to their churches.

 

[huajiro]

Another USAmerican thread...

The wages of all employees of the Church of Sweden are centrally regulated, fixed, and not overly generous, and there is no possibility whatsoever to make more money through their profession. If I were interested, I could probably find out to the nearest dollar how much a pastor earns after n years of work in that capacity.

I have no ordained priests among my closer acquaintances, but I wouldn't be surprised if I learned that the majority, men or women, uses bicycles rather than cars to get to their churches.

That is what it should be about, the religion, not money....I like bicycles