Genius of Money Chapter 1: Tribute Paid: At the Intersection of Spirit and Money

“The realms of spirit and religion, engaged as they are with the non-material world, nevertheless must find a way to work in a world that trades in money” (John Bloom). There has always been a duality between money and religion where religious followers are told to not be greedy and let go of material possession. Bloom argues that a third realm exists where both money and spirituality intertwined.

Using examples from the Bible and Stafford, Bloom says though taxes and interest rates are needed to share the costs of well-being the government provides (i.e. Medicare, Social Security, Public goods), religious institutions are exempt from these monetary policies. Jesus endorses taxes when a tax collector asks Peter for money, but tells him to instead pay the man with a fish, which will have a coin inside. On another occasion when approached by a tax collector himself, Jesus refuses to pay taxes because the coin is inscribed with Caesar’s name. Therefore, tax collectors should only collect what belongs to the state and what belongs to god, the state is not entitled to.

We agree that both money and spirituality are not mutually exclusive, but must work alongside one another for the well-being of individuals. If taxes are too high with not enough benefits, it affects our ability to give more because we don’t have that much to give.  If we do not have enough taxes, government projects will not operate sufficiently. Though taxes should also not be imposed on religious institutions since making profits is viewed as greed, money generated from government taxes should be donated to said institutions so that they may operate.