Socially responsible investors might concern themselves with issues such the environment or social justice. Take a look at Social Responsible Funds or in Wikipedia to find a concise history of this movement. I find it interesting that, according to Wikipedia, this whole SRI movement might have been started by Quakers in 1758 when they prohibited their members from buying or selling humans.
Photo: kevincollins, Creative Commons, Flickr
As the Pious Panelist, I’d like to explore what it means to be a Christian investor. Morally Responsible Investing (MRI) is a subset of Socially Responsible Investing (SRI). Ave Maria Funds, a large Catholic MRI fund company, explains:
Morally responsible investments follow specific moral or religious criteria in making stock or bond selections. Most take the form of mutual funds. Some funds are passive in nature, screening out companies that support abortion, pornography, anti-family lifestyles and other practices that are contrary to religious principles. Other funds take an activist approach, purchasing stock in companies, then attempting to change corporate behavior via letter-writing campaigns, shareholder resolutions or dialogues with management.
The Timothyplan.com, a MRI website, has compiled a "Hall of Shame" of companies that are involved in what they consider to be unethical behaviors. The Timothy Plan family of mutual funds avoids investing in companies that are involved in practices contrary to Judeo-Christian principles. You might be surprised to find companies like General Electric (GE), Microsoft (MSFT), and PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP) included in this Hall of Shame.
Following is the Timothy Plan Hall of Shame. This list is in no way endorsed by thepanelist.net, and it is not a list that I have compiled personally, it is simply a list compiled by a conservative evangelical Christian website:
"Abortion: In order to protect the unprotected, we will not invest in companies that manufacture abortifacients, insurance companies that pay for abortions, hospitals that perform abortions, or those companies that have a pattern of contributions to Planned Parenthood (America’s number one promoter of abortion).
Scriptural references: Deuteronomy 30:19-20; Psalm 119:3, 139:13-16; Jeremiah 1:5; 2 Corinthians 5:10
Pornography: Pornography hurts and destroys families, therefore we will avoid purchasing shares of any company that produces or distributes pornographic media.
Scriptural references: 1Corinthians 6:13-20; Revelation 21:8; Ephesians 5:3-5; 1Thessalonians 4:7
Anti-family entertainment: We choose to screen out companies that produce or sponsor sex, violence and other anti-family values on prime-time television.
Scriptural references: Exodus 20:7; Proverbs 10:21; 1 Corinthians 15:33; Colossians 3:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:8
Alternative lifestyles: We feel strongly that we must steer clear from any company that is helping to promote unbiblical lifestyles.
Scriptural references: Genesis 19:5-7; Leviticus 18:22; Isaiah 3:9; Romans 1:26-27; 1Corinthians 6:9-10
Alcohol: Alcohol addiction can hurt and destroy children and families, therefore we choose not to invest in manufacturers of alcohol.
Scriptural references: Proverbs 20:1; 23:29-32; Isaiah 5:11; Habakkuk 2:15-16; Ephesians 5:18
Tobacco: Since tobacco is known to be a silent killer, we will not invest in companies that manufacture tobacco.
Scriptural references: 1Corinthians 3:16-17; 2Corinthians 6:16,17; 7:1
Gambling: Gambling leads individuals to become addicted to money and many families are torn apart because of that addiction therefore we choose not to invest in the gambling industry.
Scriptural references: Proverbs 15:27; 28:19-20; Luke 12:15"
How many of the above convictions do you agree with?
Disclosure: As a Christian investor, I appreciate the information compiled in this "Hall of Shame" by The Timothy Plan. However, I am not quite sure what to do with this information. I do own General Electric (GE), Microsoft (MSFT), and Disney (DIS). Should I sell, sell, sell? I stumbled across this "Hall of Shame" last week while researching for this blog and now am stymied. I am going to have to explore my convictions more deeply than I have before. I think I’ll take this list to our church’s Memorial Day picnic and see what other people think about it. That should be fun.