Rules needed for Religious Groups…

…to stem moral decay within.

The level of immorality in the leadership of the church and the Mosque today appears alarming. It is not yet clear whether the rise in reported and verified cases of men of the cloth caught with their pants down, or otherwise engaged in various acts of sin, represent an increase in incidences, or a society that is more open and less willing to sweep such matters under the carpet.

Pastors , Muslim clerics and any other religious leaders, because of the high level of trust accorded to them by the nature of their calling — or choice of profession — are generally held in high esteem by their public, and as such hold a position of trust. This is increasingly so especially in Prince George’s County and around the world where religious institutions are demanding their own charter schools with government funding.

Morality is a very personal thing, and so efforts to control it through legal means are more or less futile. Pastors and Imams are also human and subject to the same temptations their flock face on a daily basis. But that alone is not reason enough to excuse their behaviour since they hold positions of great trust, and are in effect the “moral police” of the church and the Mosques for those who are Muslims.

For far too long the church and the Mosques took a very lenient view of the sexual and financial misdemeanours of their clergy and Muslim clerics, and it appears they have gotten away with it.

But perhaps a bigger problem for the church in general and the Mosque is the fact that anyone can start a ministry and set themselves up as a pastor or Imam. The law does not stop anyone who has not gone through proper theological training and screening from setting up a church or a Mosque in the United States or elsewhere around the world.

Because of this, many men and women with murky backgrounds have discovered an easy way to riches and fame through the Bible or the Koran. Drunk with the level of trust desperate Americans and other citizens of the world have placed in them — believing that they hold the key that would lift them out of extreme poverty — some have gone further to indulge in their sexual fantasies involving various persons.

It may be time for the church and the Muslim scholars to sit down and agree on the minimum requirements for one to start and operate a ministry, church or Mosque etc.

This may sound extreme, but unless there are clear standards for registration of churches and Mosques, and some level of oversight in many parts of the world including Prince George’s County, the door remains open for all manner of charlatans to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and prophet Muhammad, while leading souls astray behind the scenes. We are witnessing this problem here in Maryland and around the globe. Religious institutions are important in peoples’ lives whether we are Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus etc. As human beings, we should not let them be destroyed in our watch for the sake of the future generations.

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