Friends of the mammon

An op-ed piece posted to the website of London’s The Guardian newspaper pondered, “In the England census few, if any, people list their religion as worship of mammon. What might it be like if this were a major national faith?”

The article by financial writer Savitri Hensman continued, “Religions vary in their characteristics. Many have sacred places, such as Canterbury or Stonehenge, to which pilgrims come. They are often associated with ritual.

“Sometimes sacred mysteries are open only to the initiated – rather like the inner workings of the City of London. In the case of a world religion, there may be linked spaces with names that also resonate among believers, not dissimilar to Wall Street.

“If mammon-worship were a dominant religion, just as political leaders in ancient Rome sought the gods' blessings for their endeavours, those of today might turn to the financial sector. Even rivals for public office might be expected to share this faith.

“Likewise top bankers, because of their supposed access to esoteric knowledge, might be put in charge of areas of policy, such as welfare reform, of which they know nothing. Even when it seemed that the high priesthood had failed, and indeed brought ruin upon the nation, the faithful might continue to turn to them for salvation.

“Sometimes religions compete openly for converts and influence, but other faiths may expand by assimilating potential rivals. If this were the main strategy of mammon's priests, they might tolerate and even embrace other belief systems but seek subtly (maybe even unconsciously) to steer them towards the true path. Christian, New Age, humanist or whatever, all would be welcomed, provided they played down aspects of their faith that might pose a challenge to mammon's dominance.”

*****

An old axiom says, “All it takes is ignorance to start serving evil. Ignorance is the first step towards becoming an employee of dark forces.”

As ‘the god of this world,’ Satan has a religion he seeks to propagate. The core of it surrounds  the issue of a person’s relationship with his Creator or lack thereof. Religion is designed to substitute confidence in the flesh for trust in Christ.

“When Paul says ‘have no confidence in the flesh,’ your flesh is a way the Bible, especially with the Apostle Paul, describes you, yourself and your self life independent of God,” says Jordan. “Romans 7:18 says, ‘For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing.’

“Your flesh is about much more than just the meat on your bones. In I Corinthians 2, he talks about how the ‘natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him.’

“Our resources are not God’s resources; our identity is not the identity and purpose He gives us. Paul’s talking about trusting and valuing and treasuring who you are in yourself and your ability to perform. He’s talking about pride and self-satisfaction in yourself.

“Proverbs says, ‘Every man does that which is right in his own eyes.’ Can you relate to that? We do what WE think is right. It says, ‘There’s a way that seemeth right to a man; the end thereof is death.’

“Man says, ‘Makes no difference, I’m doin’ what’s right in my mind . . .’ and there’s a pride in that! There’s a self-satisfaction in that and that’s what religion is all about!

*****

“If you look down in Philippians 3:7, he says, ‘But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.’

“There are all these things in verses 4-6 he says were valuable to him. Gain is the idea of wealth, treasure.

“Notice he says, ‘I wasted it and profited in the Jews’ religion above many mine equals in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of traditions of my fathers.’

“You see he profited? He’s saying, ‘Those things that brought profit to me in my thinking. Those things I treasured and adored and thought were the most wonderful, solid, enriching things in my life.’

*****

“What were they? There are a number of things but they divide into two categories. He’s going to list some ethnic and racial things—some pride of race and pride of place kinds of things. And then he’s going to list some religious things. Distinctions. Some performance things.

“Can I tell you those are the two things most people . . . those are the two things your flesh wants to glory in. It wants to glory in your race, which is another way of saying the place that you have, and then it wants to glory in religion—the performance; the achievements that it can make.

“Your flesh has a tendency toward the lascivious, the earthy; the lust and the pull to be run by the desires that drag you downward into the earth.

“But you also have a bent toward aestheticism, toward the human good; toward the ability to pride yourself and satisfy yourself in doing what you think is right.

*****

“It’s to do good and feel good about doing it. Your flesh is such a deceiver. ‘The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.’

“And the moment you think you’ve done something good, and the moment you sit in relaxation and your satisfaction about what you’ve performed, ‘Let him who thinketh he stand take heed lest he fall.’

“Saved or lost, that’s where your flesh is. That’s religion and that’s why I said this is the most dangerous battle you’ll ever face. This is where the real big game is. People like to argue about prophecy and politics and all the rest of the stuff, but this is the BIG stuff.”