Religion and Politics

Monday April 10th, Mark 14:1: Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him. The chief priests and teachers of the law were a part of the ruling elite. They were the large landowners that possessed the land that Haroid taken from the peasants. They were the ones who had the authority and power to rule under Pilate, maintain control and collect the taxes while Pilate lived in more pleasant accommodations in Caesarea by the sea. When religion and politics work together hand in hand, it is always the integrity of the religion that looses. How are these same scenarios being played out today?