The one banking structure no-one gets to hear about is the Vatican Bank. I decided to look up how many Catholics in the world there are. http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=5516
So even if you apply the 20/80 rule to this, and each Catholic only gives an aggregate of $1 per week to the collection we are talking an income in tax free cash of;
$233.2 billion x 52 so thats $12,126.4 billion. (Is it?) $12 Trillion a year? Even half that is a heck of a lot of money! What happens to it? I see all the adverts to donate money to feed the poor, but the poor never seem to get fed.
Perhaps what ought to happen is the churches that really want to make a difference to the community they serve, stop sending money up the tree to Rome, and start spending those donations actually helping local initiatives within their own parishes to get people back on their feet, fed, clothed and living in communities that support and nurture each others beliefs and differences as part of the rich tapestry of Humanity.
The commission Jesus gave to Peter was to 'Feed my Sheep'.
He did not say 'Fleece my Sheep' without mercy, leave them in the cold to die, and fight as many wars as you can to get as much land and stuff off other people.
Let me be clear, I am a Christian. I love Christ. I believe in God. I trust in the Holy Spirit to guide me. However I do not just blindly accept any doctrine, tradition or teaching without examination. It has to have sound scriptural substance for me to enjoy any credo.
I would hate to think that this is where the money is coming from to prop up European banks. If it is then I have to say that moral bankrupcy goes hand in hand with fiscal bancrupcy.
I would realy like it if someone who realy knows about this stuff can see what involvement the Vatican Bank has in world affairs.
I notice the floods have started in Italy. I wonder if the Vatican vaults are flood proof, or we will see some treasure being handed out in a chain of monks like Thailand just had to do?
Nah the Vatican would just claim on insurance!
Looks like a few ships might sink this weekend, it's a good thing Noah knew how to 'pitch' his Ark under God's instruction.
Well I have had a fairly productive day. I re-covered some furniture. I saved about £80 by doing it myself. It is a headboard that goes with some furniture for the bedroom in the flat I want to let. The furniture is second hand, but well cared for. Just that the headboard was realy worn. It had that buttoned velour in sort of pink. I managed to buy some stretchy faux leather vinyl, in a nice brown, and asked to have new foam cut, so I spent £40 on this and an afternoon taking it all apart and then re-building it again.
My Husband says I can stay! We will go and fit it into the surround tomorrow, and see what the effect looks like. It made it look a lot more contempory. Hmmm... well done me! I also have enough of the fabric to re-cover the dressing table stool, so I may do that over the weekend. I already had the staple gun.
Sweet dreams everybody, and hope everyone has a rewarding day tomorrow. We can only help each other get through all this anarchy, we are all each others helpers, and we have got to make a difference.
I always think freedom is a state of mind, and comfort a state of body. I might not feel very free even If I am comfortable, and sometimes I feel pretty uncomfortable, but I know I am free to think what I want.
There is a happy medium to all this somewhere.