Dr John Mohan Razu
Money has no bar, it cuts across all barriers and boundaries. Money plays the most important part in everyone’s life. Some struggle hard to earn money by putting forth their labor, but many somehow want to make money. The questions that emerge are: How do they make money and what are the means and methods being employed to garner money? Therefore, making money in and through unethical means needs scrutiny and merit examination.
One question that continues to emerge all the times is: How did you get the money? ‘How’ becomes the crucial one, because the ways with which the money has been gotten, by all means be raised and ought to be answered. It clearly pre-supposes that in what ways you got the money (ill-gotten). The factor that underscores could lead to two oppositional facets: ‘moral or ‘immoral’’.
Did you earn that money morally or immorally? Hence, the term ‘morality’ thus occupies the central place when it comes to acquisition of money—in proper ways or in dubious manner. The money that has been gotten in wrongful ways posits ‘immoral’ ways, because you have not worked for it. It further leads to others terms such as ‘legal’ means or ‘illegal’ means--that the money earned in some other ways does not come within the legal purview and so it is illegally gotten.
The money that one has should justify certainly ‘means’.People say that money has no color, caste, creed, class so on so forth, but is tied up or entrenched with an important stamp ‘black’ or ‘white’ or corrupt or soiled. It is also easy to gauge the ways with which one’s life style, the life-style and other paraphernalia he/she has—the wealth both cash and immovable properties one has should concur with the job or work he/she engaged with.
If there is something wrong such as if found there is no co-relation between what one earns and how one lives—mostly we find the total contradiction between earning, spending and bank balance (saving and properties) if there then it would lead to widening gap. One should ethically prove how he/she got the money. Failing to respond leads to so many questions that revolve around morals.
The money that has been acquired without working for it is called as ‘black money’—paid in return for favor or something to be done outside the legal framework. In other it is called as graffiti which paid for many things that encompasses social, economic, political, cultural and religious facets.
India has its definitive place when it comes to corruption. India way down in its standing that concerns corruption. Corruption manifests in all the spheres in the Indian society—nakedly manifests and glaringly visible. Corruption has become an accepted norm and except a few many has started to accept and live with it. Does it mean that it has become part of our culture? We cannot pinpoint an area where we could vouch that there’s no corruption.
Over and above, it’s alarming that the church in India has become so corrupt. So, it has lost its moral authority. Take for example, Indian church cutting across all denominations is soaked in corruption and thus breeds corruption in its life and witness. For instance, the life-style, the bank balance and the properties owned by the present and former bishops, moderators, priests and pastors barring a few many have amassed wealth that fails to meet or concur with the salaries and the savings they received or have which shows something is lacking meaning accountability and moral integrity.
Hardly have I come across the church making candid statements against corruption because it’s soaked in corruption. I keep hearing from those who in responsible position in the church and theological institutions say that it’s very difficult to eradicate corruption at least in this generation. If so, why the hell do you talk about morality, transparency, accountability and transparency?
Keep the text aside and leave the job if you consider as a job and not a vocation. Do not give big sermons and advice to your congregations on corruption. There should be a moratorium that the Indian church should stop preaching and teaching on corruption because it is soaked in corruption and breeds corrupt activities in all forms. Indian church is a classic case that has no scruples because it’s fully involved in corruption in all facets.
