# Is nepotism always sin?



## Pergamum (Jan 18, 2011)

?

It makes sense to hire people that you know, after all.


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## Tim (Jan 18, 2011)

As a starting point, what would be the Biblical argument that it is sin in the first place?


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## Pergamum (Jan 18, 2011)

Not sure...people seem to frown on it a lot and it is illegal in most nations.


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## Southern Presbyterian (Jan 18, 2011)

> patronage bestowed or favoritism shown on the basis of family relationship, as in business and politics



--from Dictionary.com

Strictly defined, as above, I'd have to say "Yes."

If it is truly a matter of the best person for the job based on quantifiable, objective evidence, then "No."


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## Pergamum (Jan 18, 2011)

No one ever really knows who the best person for the job will be and, considering that many job problems are matters of "fit" and "personality" rather than merely the best resume, it makees sense that knowing a person or being related to them would give the employer a familiarity with the applicant and a good guess as to whether the candidate (who is also a family member) can succeed.


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## Philip (Jan 18, 2011)

Actually, I would say that it depends upon cultural context. In many cultures, social and family networks are the means by which business gets done, thus a slightly-less-qualified but better-connected individual might be better for the company.


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## satz (Jan 18, 2011)

It would depend, I think, to a large extent on the obligations of the person "exercising" the neopotism. 

If he owes some larger duty to his bosses at the company to pick a candidate based on certain criteria (education, interview performance etc), he would or could be wrong to pick someone based on personal relations. If its his own company, than he has no such obligations and can (although it might not be wise) pick the person he thinks best... even if he thinks that person is best because of personal or family relationships. 

Kings in Israel were determined by blood ties, not by interviews or an election...


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## JBaldwin (Jan 18, 2011)

The "sin" of nepotism is choosing someone based on their family other than qualifications. Here is a prime example I've seen in our local policitics. A man was elected to a governmental position where he had the power to influence the creation of government jobs and who was hired and fired. Less than one month after he took office, a completely new government job was created and his nephew was appointed to fill it. 

I don't think there is anything wrong with hiring a family member if they are qualified, and certainly if you are running a family business there is nothing wrong with it at all.


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## puritan628 (Jan 18, 2011)

I've never heard of nepotism referred to as sinful. I can, however, see a correlation between a society that frowns upon nepotism and a social agenda that seeks to "level the playing field" by removing any perceived favoritism. I strongly suspect that the main purpose of an anti-nepotism policy is to exert power over authority by placing restrictions on the hiring process. That, in itself, is not biblical.

Having made those statements, however, I live in an area where I'm technically among the minority of the population, and for my entire life I've watched while favored candidates are hired based on their relationship to the one doing the hiring, even when they are not the most qualified to do the job and in spite of a poor "fit."

So while I don't think a nepotism policy is biblical, I do see the motive behind having one. But having a nepotism policy and adhering to it are sometimes two different things. The fact remains that it is the condition of the heart that will dictate how a person chooses someone to hire.


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## LawrenceU (Jan 18, 2011)

Not only is nepotism not a sin, it may be very wise depending upon the circumstance. Most of the problems that are attributed to nepotism are actually caused by something else, greed, graft, systemic corruption, etc.


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## TimV (Jan 18, 2011)

I actually heard nepotism translated as "traditional" once. Yes, of course it's a sin! The Ovambo are only half of Namibia's population and they have 90 percent of government jobs. That's nepotism. All those Proverbs about bribes! A missionary works up funds to help an area start a coffee plantation. The guy who gets the money hires his family and everyone else gets jealous.

We in the West don't approve of nepotism because of our Christian influence. It's illegal or at least frowned upon for the same reasons as cannibalism.

Zimbabwe is on the verge of another hunking genocide because of it. It needs to be stamped out, and in the mean time primitive heathen shouldn't be allowed to hire or distribute funds unless they can
a) be trusted to not practice nepotism
b) not get chopped up by machetes by family members for NOT practicing nepotism!

It may be 200 years before recent converts to Christianity from strongly heathen third world cultures can be allowed independence in that area!

If you want trouble, get the people addicted to opium or cheap booze. If you want lots of trouble, turn a blind eye towards nepotism.


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## Tim (Jan 18, 2011)

I was thinking that family businesses should be "exempt" from this, but then again, if you have a child who has grown up around the business, he will usually be the most qualified to take over when responsible. So, I guess it is an easy answer in that case.


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## Jack K (Jan 18, 2011)

What makes nepotism sinful is the selfishness and greed that are usually behind it; the desire to advance one's own family/tribe while denying others benefits that may help them. Or it may involve arrogantly believing _your_ family is better than others and it therefore entitled. Hiring or appointing a family member doesn't always involve this sort of greedy favoritism, but where it does it becomes nepotism. And this is sinful because of its underlying motivations and beliefs.

There's nothing necessarily wrong with wanting to help out a family member by providing a job, choosing for key jobs people you know well and can trust completely, or wanting to build an enterprise that's a family project. But such things easily become part of an us-first lifestyle, and then they are wrong. Christians should guard against this. And because it's such an easy trap to fall into, many companies/governments should legislate against it.


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## Theoretical (Jan 18, 2011)

Tim said:


> I was thinking that family businesses should be "exempt" from this, but then again, if you have a child who has grown up around the business, he will usually be the most qualified to take over when responsible. So, I guess it is an easy answer in that case.


 
At least in the US they would be exempt from it as far as I know, as ownership transfer is quite a different proposition than hiring an employee. As long as the parent can pay estate/gift tax for giving the business away as a bequest/gift, there's no obligation to sell his business to the "best" potential owner.


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