“the voluntary giving or
receiving of anything of value in corrupt
payment for an
official act done
or to be
done with the corrupt intent to influence the action of a public official
or of any other
person professionally concerned with
the administration of public affairs.”[2]
Some people are already admitting
that bribery has become a part of the system. With or without it a lot of work
is going to be different. Now it has become a custom to give something in order
to get your work done without any complication. And people are loving it
because it is not giving you any hard time and the work is done without any
hustle and losing your much of the time. It had become an easier way to finish
your work with lesser effort and save your precious time. But in other hand the
downside of it is corruption. People are getting corrupted more and more day by
day. The whole system and in some cases whole country has became corrupt
nation. There are negative effects of corruption which are: political
instability, lesser authoritative government, and lesser involvement in
development projects, increase in cost for goods and services, and no service
for the people under poverty line. So, now what should be our response to this
bribery and corruption and toward those who are involved in it?
As
a Christian, my response toward bribery and corruption is “SAY NO” to it. In
the bible also it had mentioned that bribery corrupts our thinking and
decisions. In Exodus 23:8 "You
shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the
cause of the just. And in Proverbs 15:27 it says, “He who profits illicitly
troubles his own house, But he who hates bribes will live.” It is already
mentioned clearly that we as a Christian should not be involved in any kind of
receiving and giving of the bribery. In Hebrews 13:5-6 it is said that, “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being
content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I
will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you." So that we confidently say, "The
Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.
What will man do to me?" My
action from giving and receiving bribe may seem like helping to me but it
impacting my neighbors’ life. In Galatians 5:14 it is mentioned that, “For the
whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement,
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself." So in order to make our testimony good to share Christ
also we need to be away from this kind of things. Though it may seems like it
is hard to accomplish the work easily but if we faithfully pursue it with more strength
and authoritative way than people will also leave/ give up on doing this. But to
do this we need to take the first step so that others too can follow our
footsteps.
And finally I will say that all of
us need to witness Christ directly or indirectly so let’s see our works, “How
are we witnessing Christ today through our work?”
Questions to interact:
1. Is bribery good or not? Is it a helpful medium for your work?
2. What is your view toward those who are receiving and giving bribe for their personal benefits?
3. What do you prefer in order to finish your job: "Bribe or A perfect work?
1. Is bribery good or not? Is it a helpful medium for your work?
ReplyDeleteIt is not good. It gives the people involved dilemmas. When authorities find out, it can be a probable cause for an employee to lose his/her job or an enterprise to collapse.
2. What is your view toward those who are receiving and giving bribe for their personal benefits?
God is their judge. Since they did not operate in righteousness, the foundations of their work or activity are not strong enough. Sooner or later, by time, they shall start reaping the consequences of their actions if they do not repent.
3. What do you prefer in order to finish your job: "Bribe or A perfect work?
A perfect work = a good conscience.
1.Well, as a Christian I dont believe bribery is right at all. However, is it a helpful medium for work? I believe that its makes completing some things easier at times, otherwise people wouldnt be doing it. There has to be some sort of benefit that people see in order to make people go against the law. Does giving a bribe though hurt your work? I believe it does too. I think that once you start giving bribes, you create the expectation that you will always give them, which makes it harder to ever NOT give a bribe now.
ReplyDelete2. I dont agree with people giving bribes but that doesnt mean i dont understand why they do it as well. It is very hard especially for countries where bribery is so common and prevalent that bribing is considered a normal part of business now. This can happen so much where people dont even see the money as a bribe anymore but as a cost of doing business. So if that happens, and its become generally accepted by all of that society, does that mean that it is no longer a bribe? I think it is still wrong but I can see how the matter gets very confusing at times.
3. I would personally not give a bribe. My own conscience would not want me to give one even though maybe my human side would want to give one just to save myself from any hassle. I think that it is definitely important to be a witness for Christ in our actions and not just our words and deciding not to give a bribe is Christ honoring.
Bribery is indeed prevalent in our society nowadays. Even in small things at work, we are unaware that it is already a form of bribery or corruption. We Christians should not follow this enormous and bad practice and be a light and salt of this world. We can start checking our attitudes at home and even in raising our children. Because I believe that this started from home.
ReplyDeleteBribery is the language on the street, while Corruption is the language of the Senate. Bribery is an epidemic now a days. The Cure? The transforming work of Christ. How: By voluntary taking the dosage of the Gospel. Please contact the blogger for more details. Hek3...
ReplyDelete1. Is bribery good or not? Is it a helpful medium for your work?
ReplyDeleteBribery whether how you sugarcoat it is still bad.
In our business, we do not bribe but instead we give incentives to motivate our workers.
2. What is your view toward those who are receiving and giving bribe for their personal benefits?
Like you said, it is for personal interest and benefit that is why they do that.
Like what I asked in a seminar last Monday, I guess the Bible says submit to the law and if the law of the land says it is a crime to give to government officials directly or indirectly it is against the law.
In private companies, I guess that would hold true since you are influencing the decision of a person in your favor due to the money or gifts.
3. What do you prefer in order to finish your job: "Bribe or A perfect work?
Who wouldn't want a perfect work? Yet is it wishful thinking? I would instead have what we call a work that is done with all my heart and it is to please God and not man. That would then make me desire for a perfect work.
In a recent seminar that I attended one lawyer said that when we are faced with situations where authorities are pushing us towards bribery or corruption that is wonderful opportunity to trust God. He was saying something that when we really on giving a bribe or "gift" to a person in authority we are relying more on our methods instead of our living God for solutions. I believe in what this lawyer is saying. I know when we deal with corrupt officials it may take a lot of time and patience but again we have a God who sees and know our needs.
ReplyDeleteRefusing to bribe results in inconvenience, delayed transactions with government or private entities, denial of basic services, and experiences of injustice. On the other hand, when we refuse to bribe, we are able to see God work out His plan in our lives through His own means, we learn what it means to live by faith and not by sight, we experience the joy of suffering for doing good, and like the holy servants of God we begin to hunger and thirst for righteousness. If we regard Christ of supreme importance in our lives, we realize that one who bribes actually loses much more than one who remains steadfast in the Lord. Refusing to bribe in the face of overwhelming logic to do so is a decision done not in the flesh but rather in the spirit--it is done with full dependence on and submission to Christ.
ReplyDeleteBribery is obviously not a good one but it definitely ease the work. Lets say it has power to manipulate the mediator. It is an addiction and weakness of those who bribes. In my view, whole world is suffering from this and its really hard to reject. Being a christian I strictly am against bribery as Exodus 23:8 says,"Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent."
ReplyDeleteBribery is a blindness that blinds the eyes of JUSTICE and RIGHTEOUSNESS that surely does not lead us to the path of Christ.
Bribery cannot be good for any reason. It may give some benefit to the briber and receiver but still very inappreciable. Bribery makes people immoral and unethical......It can be said as a disease of a society. It should be removed from the society.
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