How Much Would you Pay for an Exclusive Mass with the Pope?

According to this article, Rolls-Royce owners have an opportunity to purchase an exclusive mass with the leader of the Roman Catholic Church.  The price?  Around $112,000 … or even $155,000, which is the suggested amount.  Although to be clear, it is technically not a purchase but a fully deductible donation to the church.  The article refers to this as an "unusual" but acknowledges that the Pope has met with dignitaries and wealthy individuals before.

Yes or no:  Is this good for the church?  Why or why not?

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UPDATE:  As reported here, Rolls-Royce has just decided to cancel this offer.

A Proposal to Split the United Methodist Church

Just one week into 2020 and we have what might be the biggest religion story of the year.  Leaders of the United Methodist Church (UMC) have now signed in support of a proposal for a split of the UMC.  The split is over same-sex marriage and LGBTQ clergy.  The denomination currently does not allows its local leaders to perform same-sex marriage or to be practicing LGBTQ.  The split will remove those restrictions, while providing funds and an easy transition for traditionalists out of the organization.  See this NPR article here.

The actual proposal can be read here.  Among other details, $25 million will be given to a new "traditionalist" denomination over the next four years, local church congregations can decide whether to stay in the UMC or join a new denomination by 2024, and congregations that do leave will be able to take their church buildings with them.

The proposal will be voted on in May at the UMC General Conference.  It currently has strong support from leaders of both sides of the split, perhaps because it is very clear compromise.  In an opinion piece here, a Methodist pastor writes:

Even with much grace sown into this protocol, many will still find this latest step toward a split disheartening. Those fighting for the rights of LGBTQ persons will grieve a compromise they perceive as less than full affirmation from all sides. Those who stand for theological orthodoxy, meanwhile, will decry the fact that they have won all the votes at General Conference, only to end up exiled from the existing church.

Religious Expression Laws in Africa

The USCIRF has just released a report titled "Apostasy, Blasphemy, and Hate Speech Laws in Africa."  The full report is here.

Here is the abstract:

"The freedoms of opinion and expression and of religion or belief are intricately intertwined—where violations occur against one, there are often violations against the other. Although these human rights are protected under articles 18 and 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), states around the world continue to pass and enforce laws that restrict both freedoms. This paper provides a survey and analysis of speech restrictions in Africa that have, or may, limit FoRB. Laws that restrict apostasy (the public renunciation of one’s religion), blasphemy (the insult of a religion or religious objects or places), and hate speech (generally encompassing communication that prejudices a particular group based on race, religion, ethnicity, or other factor) all limit freedom of expression. Such laws also have unique implications for citizens’ abilities to express and practice their faith. These laws are prevalent throughout Africa, where at least 9 countries have apostasy laws, at least 25 criminalize blasphemy, and at least 29 have laws against hate speech."

How Religious Restrictions Have Risen Around the World from 2007 to 2017

The Pew Research Center released a new study today that examines how religious restrictions have increased around the world.  The study can be found here.  Here's a quote:

These trends suggest that, in general, religious restrictions have been rising around the world for the past decade, but they have not been doing so evenly across all geographic regions or all kinds of restrictions. The level of restrictions started high in the Middle East-North Africa region, and is now highest there in all eight categories measured by the study. But some of the biggest increases over the last decade have been in other regions, including Europe – where growing numbers of governments have been placing limits on Muslim women’s dress – and sub-Saharan Africa, where some groups have tried to impose their religious norms on others through kidnappings and forced conversions.

This report is the latest effort on this topic by the Pew Research Center.  A similar report on the topic was issued about a year ago (see this blog post).

Pew Research Center Report on Church Taxes in Western Europe

The Pew Research Center published today a report on Western Europeans' views about church taxes.  The pdf is here.  In several countries, the government collects the church tax on behalf of officially-recognized churches, thereby helping, in theory, those religious groups overcome the free-rider problems associated.  People may still opt out of paying the church tax by officially deregistering from their church, and more and more people are doing so.  But questions remain about the popularity of this system, and this report summarizes the results from a survey on public attitudes towards the church tax.

From pp. 6-7 of the report:

There is evidence that some Europeans are leaving the church tax system, but there does not appear to be a mass exodus. The survey finds that between 8% of adults (in Switzerland) and 20% (in Finland) say they have left their church tax system. And, in several countries, one-fifth or more of current payers describe themselves as either “somewhat” or “very” likely to opt out in the future.

At the same time, majorities still support the tradition of paying taxes to religious institutions. Indeed, in six Western European countries with a mandatory tax on members of major Christian churches (and in some cases, other religious groups), most adults say they pay it. The share of self-reported church tax payers in these countries ranges from 68% of survey respondents in Sweden to 80% in Denmark, while no more than one-in-five in any country say they used to pay but have stopped. 

In addition, among those who say they pay, large majorities describe themselves as “not too” or “not at all” likely to take official steps to avoid paying the tax in the future, including nearly nine-in-ten in Denmark and Finland.

That so many people currently pay the church tax helps us understand why the practice remains widespread and is likely to continue for many years into the future.

USCIRF 2019 Annual Report

The USCIRF released its latest annual report today.  The 234-page pdf can be found here https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2019USCIRFAnnualReport.pdf.  The 60-page abridged version is here https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2019USCIRFAnnualReport_KeyFindingsAndRecommendations.pdf.

The countries recommended for the Tier 1 "Country of Particular Concern" designation are Burma, Central African Republic, China, Eritrea, Iran, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.  These are the most egregious religious freedom violators.

The countries recommended in Tier 2, where there are still serious violations, though falling short of the CPC designation, are Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cuba, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Laos, Malaysia, and Turkey.

ISIS, the Taliban in Afghanistan, Al-Shabaab in Somalia, Houthis, and Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham were recommended for the "Entity of Particular Concern" designation.

Brewery Church

Castle Church Brewing Community is both a Lutheran church and a brewery.  Though there is no beer during worship, after the worship they enjoy "frothy fellowship."  It's another example of the creativity we observe in religious innovation.  But is this an innovation that will survive and thrive?

Trinity Church and its $6 Billion Portfolio

A few days ago, the NY Times published an article about a particular Episcopalian congregation that has a large financial and real-estate portfolio.  Its wealth originated from its land holdings, much of which has become commercial real estate that generates large profits.  The article describes the origins of the wealth, how the congregation deals manages it, and how different people have different views of the wealth.