Are sure making big bucks off the virus.
I suspect that the Pentecostals believe this to be the end times. Jesus has returned and he is really pissed? Has God decided to deliver some serious misery to we who are guilty of original sin.
On a different tack, I suspect that many churches will suffer some fiscal pain. Assemblies of people are being drastically diminished because of fear of the virus. That implies that the collection plates will not be as full as in normal times. Not to sure about the suckers people who are committed to titheing
It is at least possible that the most religiously committed might increase their contributions to the church in order to please god, in hopes that he might cut us some slack.
My newspaper had a full page ad that urged me to get a book. The book is titled: Dark Agenda. sub title....The war to destroy Christian America.
You can get your Book for free if you dial up this site. https://w3.newsmax.com/General/NMM/Offers/Dark-Agenda-6M-Trial?dkt_nbr=050807e58c0d
The book is free but you are to pay $4.99 for shipping and handling. The book sells for $26.99 in book stores....they claim. If you get the book for free and pay the s&h fee you will also get three monthly magazines also for free. The gimmick is that you will use your credit card to pay the $4.99 shipping charge. Not surprisingly your credit card, now on their record, will be charged 29.99 for the following year subscription to their magazine. You must remember to cancel your subscription in order to escape the future charge. Common ploy.
I had been unaware that a conspiracy to destroy Christianity is afoot. Have you guys been holding out on me?
Heh, comet ATLAS is coming, and, depending on its orbit, may even be visible in broad daylight. I just hope that the xtians self-extinguishing before that at least only take themselves out.
Quote from: Old Seer on March 14, 2020, 12:32:36 AM
Are sure making big bucks off the virus.
In Fact the opposite most churches are shut down IE can not collect any money.
Quote from: Drich on April 03, 2020, 03:32:07 PM
Quote from: Old Seer on March 14, 2020, 12:32:36 AM
Are sure making big bucks off the virus.
In Fact the opposite most churches are shut down IE can not collect any money.
Every cloud has a silver lining.
Quote from: Drich on April 03, 2020, 03:32:07 PM
Quote from: Old Seer on March 14, 2020, 12:32:36 AM
Are sure making big bucks off the virus.
In Fact the opposite most churches are shut down IE can not collect any money.
It's a paypal online collection basket now I suppose.
god has quite the protection racket going.
I once (many years ago when I was smarter) had a theory that there can be no religion without money. It's still kind of still looking that way. Clergy are mostly the type (as other professions) who want to make a living without doing physical labor. The Huckleberry Finn syndrome.
traditional quakers don't pay anybody. no priests, no bishops, none of that.
no collection plate, either. if something is busted somebody fixes it. if it's expensive, people chip in.
They still use money to keep it going. :)
actually, they don't.
money is the medium used to keep the lights on in the meeting house. and to pay the teenagers who mow the grass in the graveyard. and to buy th epaint that is used on the walls. but the money-oriented profession of hireling priests that you describe does not exist in conservative quakerism.
there are clearly varieties of religion that are not dreamt of in your philosophy, horatio.
So why not just meet at the clergyman's house/place. I may have to capitulate here. So, lets go to absolute thought, and reduce it to the lowest denominator, it's either black or white. Lets remove all money from the planet. Can there be religion without money, Yes their can. If people of a particular belief gather together under those beliefs. That would mean that the clergy guy would have to fair for himself, unless fed and cared for by the labors of the followers. Agree.
there are no clergymen in traditional quakerism, seer.
they were way ahead of you.
nobody gets paid. nobody has a job reprezenting god.
thatz how its been for 350 years.
Quote from: billy rubin on April 15, 2020, 11:21:00 PM
there are no clergymen in traditional quakerism, seer.
they were way ahead of you.
nobody gets paid. nobody has a job reprezenting god.
thatz how its been for 350 years.
I'm not going to be right on everything. I don't know all about that religion. I don't know all abut the Hindu or Buddhism, that's why it was theory and not understood to be a fact. Now I have to remove it from my theory list. (if I had one)
sure
the point to take home that money is not what drives all religions.
some do conform, but others dont.
the predictive value of that model iz limited.
Quote from: billy rubin on April 15, 2020, 11:21:00 PM
there are no clergymen in traditional quakerism, seer.
they were way ahead of you.
nobody gets paid. nobody has a job reprezenting god.
thatz how its been for 350 years.
That's not far off the mark of how I'd like to live my life. But a lot of other programming got in the way of it.
So, here's what we'll do. We'll act as if our church makes us impervious, but also claim that even if we're not impervious, dying ain't nothin. Then we'll ask for mo' money. It's sure to be a winner.
Yeah, the source is biased. Its description seems accurate though.
"Louisiana pastor asks followers to send their stimulus checks to churches instead of buying food" |
Raw Story (https://www.rawstory.com/2020/04/louisiana-pastor-asks-followers-to-send-their-stimulus-checks-to-churches-instead-of-buying-food/)
QuoteTony Spell, the pastor at the Life Tabernacle Church in Central, Louisiana, believes his fellow pastors need your COVID-19 stimulus money more than you do.
TMZ reports that Spell has started a campaign called "#PastorSpellStimulusChallenge" in which followers are encouraged to send money they've received from the government as part of the federal stimulus package to evangelists and missionaries.
Spell claims that he and his wife are both donating their personal checks to churches in need instead of using it to pay for food, although he did not initially offer proof of doing so.
[. . .]
Spell has become a lightning rod for controversy after he defied bans on large-scale gatherings by holding packed services in his church during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Spell also told his followers not to be afraid of dying from the virus, and even said that "death is a welcomed friend" for true believers.
Quote from: Recusant on April 17, 2020, 10:30:24 PM
So, here's what we'll do. We'll act as if our church makes us impervious, but also claim that even if we're not impervious, dying ain't nothin. Then we'll ask for mo' money. It's sure to be a winner.
Yeah, the source is biased. Its description seems accurate though.
"Louisiana pastor asks followers to send their stimulus checks to churches instead of buying food" | Raw Story (https://www.rawstory.com/2020/04/louisiana-pastor-asks-followers-to-send-their-stimulus-checks-to-churches-instead-of-buying-food/)
QuoteTony Spell, the pastor at the Life Tabernacle Church in Central, Louisiana, believes his fellow pastors need your COVID-19 stimulus money more than you do.
TMZ reports that Spell has started a campaign called "#PastorSpellStimulusChallenge" in which followers are encouraged to send money they've received from the government as part of the federal stimulus package to evangelists and missionaries.
Spell claims that he and his wife are both donating their personal checks to churches in need instead of using it to pay for food, although he did not initially offer proof of doing so.
[. . .]
Spell has become a lightning rod for controversy after he defied bans on large-scale gatherings by holding packed services in his church during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Spell also told his followers not to be afraid of dying from the virus, and even said that "death is a welcomed friend" for true believers.
Not bad, not bad atall. Them two should be in the stock market. Give their 2400 bucks as a charity makes them look good, and 800 parishioners can give theirs to them.
Here is an interesting take on how and why we have developed a system of religious beliefs. . The article is at least worthy of casual exploration.
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/can-science-explain-religion?utm_source=pocket-newtab
Interesting article.
Interesting indeed. It's practically a book unto itself. I think it puts forth an hypothesis with some merit. I haven't read all of it yet though, perhaps half but will get back to it in a while.