In my mental issue tree I think this would be ISSUE ONE
After news breaks of a small town priest covering the interior of his palatial home in gold, some are calling for a reform of church practices.
Validity: Nations with an established religion
[option] "Preposterous!" booms Arch-Prophet @@randomname@@, wiping the face of her rolex on her silk robes. "If God didn't want the Church to be wealthy he wouldn't have inspired all those devout souls to donate their life savings to us. Isn't it time @@name@@ instituted a tithe? I'm sure I could get by on, let's say, 10% of people's income."
[effect] clergy can been spotted taking private jets to weekend services.
[stats] increase taxation, culture, spirituality spending, social conservatism.
[option] Filthy hermit @@randomname@@ stops nailing something to your door to scream "SIN, MAMMONRY, DEATH. The church must abandon this path of greed and bind itself to the virtues of humility and service to all." He pauses to steal a sandwich from your desk before continuing. "I've slept in a cave in the woods for nearly 15 years, drinking rain water and eating moss, and I've never felt closer to God."
[effect] newly homeless priests are conducting church services from beneath highway underpasses
OR perhaps
[effect] hundreds of devotees seeking solitude can be found crammed into every available cave
[stats] reduction in spirituality spending, culture, beverage sales. increase in income equality, niceness, trout fishing
[option] Grey robed Cardinal @@randomname@@ whispers to you from behind a curtain. "Sir, isn't the real problem here not that the church is wealthy, but that you're not enjoying any of the profits? Wouldn't it make more sense if you had yourself appointed head of the church? For the good of the people of course."
[effect] @@ leader@@ has been appointed supreme pontiff of @@faith@@
[stats] increase in authoritarianism, government size
[option] Secular firebrand @@randomname@@ shouts up at you from beneath your office "This is what state support for @@faith@@ has got us!" She hurls a brick that falls well short of your window. "It's time you removed state support for the church, maybe look the other way while I burn a few down."
[effect] @@denonnymplural@@ warm themselves in front of the merry glow and burning ancient centres of worship
[stats] decrease religiousness, spirituality spending, culture. no longer valid for state religion issues.
[EDIT] "right"/"write" not an auspicious start when I'm finding typos like that at the top.
[EDIT] My thinking here is that there are a couple of nation types that aren't served very much by issue trees. There are plenty spiraling down into military dictatorship or theocratic dictatorship, but the issues that talk about returning to a feudal society don't go so far, nor are other kinds of religious society [IE monastic] explored.