Saturday, January 30, 2010

Rev. Robert Chukwo arrested

Call me a skeptic, but when I hear the words Nigeria and a $200k investment opportunity, I think scam. Apparently the Catholic church holds no such bias. Rev. Robert Chukwo stands accused of embezzling $196K from two Parishes and the La Crosse Diocese. He sent to money home to “earn a better interest rate.” …and pay no attention to the container full of furniture and luxury goods he sent to his “nun” back home in Nigeria. It’s all good, what with the flood and all, it would have got all wet anyway.

I can ask the usual questions here. Why was there such lax oversight? Why was a priest allowed to re-direct funds destined for use by flood victims? Why didn't somebody notice a priest driving a Bentley? Wait… I made that one up. But you get my point. Here is yet another example of a priest allegedly taking advantage of his flock for his own enrichment. Religion offers no moral advantage, none at all. Pastors like Rev. Chukwo are moral con men who teach the gospel of self-interest.

I’m sure he was “a man of God”, and he was “doing God’s work”, and blah, blah, blah… Just please don’t tell me about the assumption of innocence or use the phrase “Who are you to judge?” Remember, the point of these posts is to show that religion offers no moral advantage. If  pastors are raping your children and stealing money meant for the poor, you should you at least be asking the question, “How is this moral beauty?” But you won’t.