Ethics and Religion Talk: Cost of Religion

Kathleen asks, “There is clearly a cost of adhering to a religious tradition (in the Jewish tradition, the cost of keeping the dietary laws comes to mind). The question is how much should the economic cost of following one’s religious beliefs be considered in answering questions of ethics or religion.”

Father Kevin Niehoff, O.P., a Dominican priest who serves as Judicial Vicar, Diocese of Grand Rapids, responds:

In researching many different biblical translations, one finds they are consistent. The Gospel of Mark says it best chapter 12, verse 17. “Give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”

Questions about religion and ethics are about the practice of one’s faith tradition. Focusing on the economic realities removes that focus from the practicing of faith to something else. Unfortunately, the point of the latter could be a violation of the Tenth Commandment of the Decalogue.

The Roman Catechism teaches, “the one who focuses on money never has enough” (III, 37). I live by another pithy statement. Charity begets charity. When one gives freely to and for the practice of one’s faith tradition, God provides.

Fred Stella, the Pracharak (Outreach Minister) for the West Michigan Hindu Temple, responds:

I think (and my tradition would agree) that this is a personal decision for every devotee. I’ve never seen a situation where Hinduism attempted to require those in less than favorable financial circumstances to over extend themselves in expressing their spirituality. This is not to say that this doesn’t exist. But it would go against what we know to be correct.

And if I may draw a bit from the example given in this question, many years ago I was in a play that told the story of a poor Jewish family who received a chicken as a gift. But the mother suspected that due to a slight flaw the bird might not be kosher. A rabbi’s opinion was sought. He originally decrees the chicken traif (not kosher), but reflects later that he should have taken the family’s poverty into consideration before such a ruling. I would hope that the spiritual leaders of all religions would speak from such wisdom.

Linda Knieriemen, Senior Pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Holland, responds:

Any God worth worshipping will accept the sincere efforts of an adherent. Jesus applauds the poor widow for contributing a ‘mite’ — all she had, in contrast with those who contributed the expected amount from their wealth. God measures first the devotion of the heart and then the duty of rules.

Father Michael Nasser, who writes from an Eastern Christian perspective and is Pastor of St. Nicholas Orthodox Christian Church, responds:

There are a variety of prescribed fasting days and even seasons in Orthodox Christianity, but quite the opposite of these restrictions being costly, one of the goals of the fast is to consume less--and less expensive foods--and lower expenditures from self-satisfying choices. The goal is then to use those savings to increase one's philanthropy. 

If we view the question in a more broad perspective to include donations given to the Church, the rationale shifts a bit. Donations that go to the Church are principally three things: 1) the building and maintenance of Christian Temples dedicated to the Glory of God, 2) the employment of clergy and other staff to lead the faithful in worship, education and service, and 3) ministries to the needy, both of the internal community of the church and the broader community. Orthodox Christianity views all of these as worthy uses of members' donations. The Biblical concept of the tithe (a 10% offering to God) allows the members to "scale" their gifts all based on a proportion of their income, not a set amount. Even this has religious implications, as it engenders a faith in God to provide for us, even as we dedicate a portion of our income as a gift to be returned to Him.

My response:

To say, “God will provide” is a way of avoiding the question. The same with saying that poverty provides an excuse to get out of adhering to the expectations of one’s religious tradition. And from Judaism’s point of view, God measures behavior over and above intentions.

God provides us a life in which we make choices. Do I go on vacation or spend the money buying supplies for Passover (which can be very expensive)? Do I eat meat four times a week or do I buy the most expensive kosher meat and reduce my consumption to twice a week, or do I avoid meat altogether? Do I work on the Festival days, or do I save up my personal days and take those days off, at the expense of not being able to use my personal time as vacation days?

As a counter-cultural religious tradition, Judaism asks us to make choices like these that can cost money. And that money will not necessarily drop into our checking accounts out of thin air. But we can make choices that align with religious values, or we can make choices that make it difficult for us to live according to those values.

I admire people who make those difficult choices. The Jewish community has communal funds to support those whose religious practice is impaired by economic concerns. Most rabbis are privileged to administer some of those funds and I consider it an honor to help subsidize the cost of Jewish life for those who may not otherwise be able to afford to observe certain mitzvot, Jewish practices.

This column answers questions of Ethics and Religion by submitting them to a multi-faith panel of spiritual leaders in the Grand Rapids area. We’d love to hear about the ordinary ethical questions that come up in the course of your day as well as any questions of religion that you’ve wondered about. Tell us how you resolved an ethical dilemma and see how members of the Ethics and Religion Talk panel would have handled the same situation. Please send your questions to [email protected].