The other day I asked my wife if she'd be mad if I started a new religion. I clarified that she would not be required to join my new religion; I just wanted to know if I'd have her support. She didn't really answer. Not out loud. But her nonverbal message was as clear as an auditing standard that was clarified in the Clarity Project1. What she wasn't saying was either (a) she'd be pissed if I really did it, or (b) she'll tolerate my stupid questions, or (c) she'd be shocked if I could get more religious followers than I have Twitter followers2.
My motivation for wanting to start a new religion was purely financial. L. Ron Hubbard was quoted as saying, "If you want to get rich, you start a religion." And I believe it, just like everything else L. Ron Hubbard said. Because if you start a religion, not only do you get to collect offerings from the faithful, but you get to do it tax-free as a 501(c)(3) organization. And churches don't even have to file a 990. My god3!
But I recently found out that there's an easier way. Instead of enduring the brain damage, persecution, and late-night angel-following that go along with starting your own religion, it's a lot easier to simply start embezzling money from a church that already exists. This was initially brought to my attention after listening to a recent Planet Money podcast.
Since churches rely on sacred belief systems, internal controls might be viewed as a secular concern and either inherently evil or at a minimum unnecessary in churches. In fact, it might be considered insulting to church workers and volunteers to even imply that internal financial controls are important.
And it's not as if the people who are more religious or who remember more commandments cheat less. In fact even when we get atheists to swear on the Bible, they don't cheat afterwards. So it's not about fear of God; it's about reminding people of their own moral standards.