My own church

Yes, many people do want to be pastors of their own church.

Me? Nah. I'll pass.

And there will be others who will pounce upon the very opportunity to pastor a church. Some, will resort to underhand tactics and manoeuvres that will put seasoned corporate man to shame. I know. I have seen it happen.

But why?

Short lesson #2156: People desire to have Money and Power.

And the age old question is put forward to you: Would you rather have Money or Power?

Some prefer power, for they rationalise that they can control the rich.

Others say they prefer riches, for they can buy power.

So what better way than to have both --- money and power ---- by being a pastor, or let's broaden it, a religious leader.

"Oh come on now (as you naysayers and hypocrites declare), these people are always honest and after all, they are 'God's people'."

That is exactly the point, NOT!

In the real world, head honchos are constantly being constantly bombarded internally and externally, for the decisions and non-decisions that they make. Your political rival is doing his or her job well, when he or she manages to dig some dirt onto you and cause you to fumble and 'lose face'. Sometimes, it can be so bad, you will have to leave office without a pair of pants to your name --- just like that Bill Clinton guy (except that I think he deliberately left office without his pants).

Back to my point.

Would you ever dare 'question' your religious leader on the decisions that he makes? Some of us would. Most of us wouldn't.

Why?

'cos he will get god to strike you down with a lightning rod! And the more dominant and charismatic you are as a religious leader, it is very likely that your job is a relatively cushy one. After all, if someone comes and creates trouble, you could immediately choose to go into a trance and declare that the trouble maker is possessed by an evil spirit causing disharmony in the organization. That will be enough to have your faithful followers pick the trouble maker by his collar and drag him into the nearest dump.

Not to mention the gratitude your followers will have after you have 'positively' identified and cleansed the 'holy place' of the trouble maker, thereby maintaining harmony in the religious body. They will show their gratitude by heaping their riches onto you --- all in the name of giving to god, of course. And you being the godly person, would not reject riches for 'your god'...except that you happen to be spending all of god's money on yourself.

Of course, I am sweeping in my statements. But we do not have to look far for such examples.

In fact, our local Voluntary Welfare Organizations (VWO) are currently seeing some of their top guys scoot off with donors' monies, some quietly, others in broad daylight.

I am thankful for our country's leaders and for my church leaders, who are human nonetheless, but are focused on where they stand...

....'cos if they're not, I will be one of the first to drag them by the collar and throw them into the nearest dump.