The religious injunction perspective of
St. Augustine imposes both a ‘‘letter of the law’’ and
a ‘‘spirit of the law’’ approach to ethical conduct.
McKernan and MacLullich (2004) have suggested
that ethical duties of love and justice – based upon
distinctly religious roots and religious obligations –
should serve as the ethical foundation for auditing
and accounting professions. Hilliard (2004) has noted
that, in the aftermath of Enron, religious foundations
for ethics have been increasingly discussed
among business leaders and that the importance of a
religion-based approach to ethics has been advocated
by a variety of authors. Although the concept of a
religion-based ethical model may not seem to apply
directly to financial reporting and auditing according
to some perceptions, the concept of honoring duties
owed to others – particularly in following the
Christian notion of honoring the ‘‘spirit of the law’’
clearly applies (McKernan and MacLullich, 2004).