On the other hand these are places of worship, a sanctuary to those in need and a symbol of everything good. So in that perspective why shouldn’t they be adorned, if it is money well spent?
Although there are many teachings and extracts from the bible concerning money, I’m only going to mention one more. It is from the Ten Commandments and I believe that it is relevant to this subject.
‘Do not covet your neighbour’s household: you must not covet your neighbour’s wife, his slave, his slave girl, his ox, his donkey, or anything that belongs to him.’
This is saying to not be jealous of anyone or anything. Appreciate what you’ve got and what life has to give, and what you can give in return. Anything else is superficial.
Christians believe that everyone should be equal and have a fair share. However in reality this does not happen, so that’s why charities have developed.
‘If a man has two tunics he should share with him that has none, and the one who has food must do the same.’
This goes back to greed. For if that man has something that he doesn’t need, he should give to those who do. Sharing is very important to Christians, not only materialistic things but time, effort and aid. These unselfish acts can be very rewarding to the person who commits them, for knowing that you made a difference can sometimes be the greatest gift of all. Like the tale of ‘The Good Samaritan’. One day a man asked ‘who is my neighbour?’ Jesus answered by telling him this story:
A man was beaten and left half dead by a gang of thieves. Two priests walked by and pretended not to see the injured man, each of them leaving him to die. Then a Samaritan walked past, an enemy of the Jews. The man expected him to ignore him as well, when he came up to the man bandaged his wounds and took care of him at the nearest inn.
The man answered, ‘my neighbour is that who showed mercy unto him.’ Jesus replied, ‘go and do thou likewise.’
A poignant message is showed here, that no matter who you are you can do good even if it’s to your enemy. There is a charity called the Samaritans and they help anyone who needs good advice or just someone to listen to.
‘It is more important to keep religious laws than to make money.’
I personally agree with this statement, money is a need of life, but it’s not a way of life, or at least it shouldn’t be. Think back to the story of Scrooge, he spent his whole life trying to make money and scam the poor. He was very rich but he was miserable. Money can’t buy the things that matter, like love and happiness.
Christianity teaches us that it’s better that to give to others even if it means that we go into poverty ourselves. This seems a bit extreme to me but there are some so passionate about relieving poverty that they are willing to do this.
