God’s Men: Guilty, Guilty, Guilty!
….I find it strange that all these corporate chieftains, as soon as they get in legal trouble, they go running to God. It’s not like they were having big prayer meetings in their corporations when they ripped off the small people. Well, of course I don’t know that. But I think it is more likely that they were saying stuff like, “God, we’re smart, and Jesus, how stupid those little people are.”
It’s been said that their are no atheists in foxholes, and apparently there are none in courtrooms,either. This seems particularly true when some greedhead CEO gets caught with their hands in the corporate cookie jar and a jury of his peers (if there can be such a thing) finds him guilty.
Of course, practicing one’s religious faith means different things to different people. And while I’m hardly one to criticize anyone for their faith, nor am I an expert on Scripture, I CAN recognize a hypocrite without too much difficulty. And this sort of pseudo-religiosity makes me sick…not to mention the fact that it taints the waters for all the good, God-fearing practicing Christians who actually DO struggle to live their faith on day to day basis.
Such is the dilemma that Ken Lay (and Jeff Skilling) finds himself in. And what’s truly amazing is how quickly Lay popped out of his metaphorical foxhole proclaiming his faith in God:
Ken Lay was quoted saying “I firmly believe I’m innocent of the charges against me. We believe that God in fact is in control and indeed he does work all things for good for those who love the Lord.”
Thanks to my darling and long-suffering wife (She Who Endures My Myriad Eccentricities also happens to be a committed Christian, while I’m a Buddhist), who provided me with the part of this Scriptural quote that Lay seems to have so conveniently forgotten:
Funny how that changes the meaning a wee bit, eh?
Of course, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Lay proclaiming his faith in front of virtually every camera and microphone in the Western Hemisphere. It would be been nice if he’d paid a bit more attentions to the teachings of Jesus Christ BEFORE he’d defrauded Enron employees and investors instead of after he’d been busted and convicted. Now he just looks like a clueless, pandering hypocrite playing to the media for sympathy, which in fact is exactly what he is.
Hey, if we’re going to throw Scripture around, how about this one for the dear, soon-to-be-deflowered Ken Lay. In his memory, I offer Psalm 55:21:
His speech is smooth as butter,
yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil,
yet they are drawn swords.
Or, better yet, 2 Corinthians 4:2:
Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
Hypocritical? Yeah, as the damn day is long…not that this is going to stop Lay from attempting to portray himself as a man of God who has been horribly wronged by a vengeful and corrupt criminal justice system. Gee, Kenny Boy; perhaps you should have thought about that before you participated in the looting of the company you helped to create.
OK, Kenny Boy, your 15 minutes are up. Your orange jumpsuit and a lonely cellmate await. Bon Appetit….
