The Increasing Involvement of the Clergy in Politics - Essay Example

 In his article The Christian Paradox: How a Faithful Nation Get Jesus Wrong, I agree with Bill about the fact that the Bible and the Koran, especially the gospels, has been misunderstood to fulfill different desires. For instance, in America he rightly points out that few people barely know all the Koran. I agree with this assertion since I personally cannot remember all the teachings, let alone apply them (McKibben 62). How often do we break the teachings of Allah and then quickly defend ourselves using Koranic assertions as well? It simply means that we cannot pretend to be Muslims when for instance we cannot help a neighbor who is in distress. Some Muslims seem to put their desires, needs, and wants first, before they consider others. They distort the Koranic teachings and use the distorted versions to justify their actions. Take for example the general assumption that “we help ourselves first”. Perhaps this is why Bill notes the rot in the American religious churches today, right from the congregation to the clergy at the top. From his article, I want to categorically opine on selfishness in church, mega church, and economies. About selfishness, one only needs to look around and see the increasing involvement of the clergy in politics. They lead their congregation and in fact influence them to vote along some political divides. The truth through is that the clergy receives enormous amounts of money from the politicians. One would then expect that the money they get would be used to help the poor in the American society. Going by the disparities among the rich and the poor in churches, one can only conclude that the poor are not helped, or given negligible assistance. The notion of “I help myself first” then takes perspective (Smith 28). This means that Muslims who believe they are following the commandments of Allah to “love one another as they love self”, among others, such as giving alms, are treated with abandon or simply taken for granted. In the American context, American Muslims seem to just take care of themselves and mind their own businesses. Bill uses facts and opinion polls to back his arguments. For instance, when he says that 11% of those polled agreed that they had been influenced to vote along political divides, this only depicts the selfishness, majorly on the part of the clergy (Agnew 56). One might want to ask: why do they involve themselves in politics in the first place? Truly the American Muslims have replaced the Koran with their own interpretations, which in my view, is a paradox indeed. McKibben reveals the dangerous misinterpretations of the Koran by most American Muslims. When I read Bill’s article, what first came to my mind was the infiltration of the “expensive mega-churches”, plus their founders. When one visits some of the churches, they may be shocked by the elegance and the exurban styles of the churches. The churches are built using millions, or billions of dollars. The founders seem to use the church as an avenue to enrich themselves, promising worshippers that the “the hands that gives is the hand that receives”. The American worshippers have understood this and would give an arm and a leg to receive the “blessings”. Instead of helping the poor members of the church just as Mohammed commanded, the founders and top clergy live lavish lifestyles, adorning expensive suits and other wears. In some cases, they are reportedly involved in scandals such as those pertaining to sex and politics. The American Muslim congregation today is more secular than “Muslim” (McKibben 14). This is true even for followers who go to church wearing scanty dresses. The founders and religious publishers use their publications to offer “treatises regarding how to serve their self interests. In my opinion, this undermines religious teaching that the clergy should be role models for the congregations. Even the church equipment and celebrations for Allah have been secularized and in my estimation, commercialized. The article enumerates how most American Muslims have ignored the fundamental teachings of Mohammed on how the poor in the society should be treated, and the unfortunate in the society (Buell 35). Now, they have “a me” mentality of Islam as opposed to the Koranic teaching that we should treat them as we would want them to treat us. The American economy is currently the best in the world. I concur with Bill that the wealth has influenced the church as well. Based on many polls that I have personally contributed in most Americans believe they are religious. They Americans believe they pray for God everyday and that perhaps this explains their wealth. The truth though, in my opinion is that the American Muslims simply believe that because they are rich, they must be religious, because Allah has “blessed” them (McKibben 5). Therefore, the American economy plays part in creating secular Americans as opposed to what the Koran demands. Most Americans would rather go to church and give “alms” not with heartfelt convictions, but simply because is stylish and acceptable. After all, are they not among the wealthiest in the world? Economies therefore play a significant role in influencing the secularization of churches in America (Lienesch 41). One only needs to attend the American churches. I can agree with Bill that 80% of the Americans attend churches. The truth though, is that few of them practice religious teachings which are indeed a paradox. In conclusion, I agree with Bill McKibben that the American Muslims have grossly misinterpreted Koranic teachings. They believe in “me first”. The Clergy and church founders seem to understand this well going by their lavish lifestyles and involvement in politics, apart from influencing election outcomes as well. Another misinterpretation that I find rife is that of the apocalypse of the end times. I think the American Muslims will justify that perhaps these are end times when a brother will rise against another; when there will be violence; and little care for the poor in the society. Overall I found Bill’s The Christian Paradox: How a Faithful Nation Get Jesus Wrong inspirational and a reflection of the misguided beliefs about religion and the thin line that exists between religion and Secularization Works Cited Agnew, John. "Religion and geopolitics." Geopolitics 11.2 (2006): 183-191. Print. Buell, Lawrence. "Religion on the American Mind." American Literary History 19.1 (2007): 32- 55. Print. Lienesch, Michael. Redeeming America: Piety and politics in the new Christian Right. UNC Press Books, 1993. Print. McKibben, Bill. "The Christian Paradox: How a Faithful Nation Get Jesus Wrong." Harper's Magazine, August, 2005, 3 June 2012. Web. 3 Mar. 2015. . Smith, Christian. Christian America?: What evangelicals really want. Univ of California Press, 2000. Print. Read More