Should investing and religion mix?
FaithShares thinks so, and that's why, as SeekingAlpha reports, the company has unveiled five exchange-traded funds geared toward particular Christian beliefs. Now you can take your pick from Faith Shares Baptist Values, FaithShares Catholic Values, FaithShares Lutheran Values, and FaithShares Methodist Values -- or, if those particular denominations don't quite suit you, FaithShares Christian Values
Religion-based ETFs aren't new -- an Islamic-focused ETF, the Javelin Dow Jones Islamic Market International Index Fund
To that end, the Christian Values ETF weeds out any investments related to abortion, alcohol, tobacco, gambling, violent media, pornography, and fetal stem-cell applications. The denominational ETFs are similarly focused but slightly alter their investing philosophies according to the groups they set out to represent. For example, the Catholic Values ETF doesn't exclude alcohol or gambling stocks, but it specifically eliminates companies that have links to sweatshops and predatory lending.
The first ETFs, such as SPDR Trust
How granular can ETFs get? And where would you draw the line? Would you invest in an ETF that reflected your religious beliefs? Let us know in the comments box below.