> > Did your money grabbing minister tell you not to read
> > such trash?
> >
>
> Let's see, I make $300.00 a week, 15% which goes to Social Security
> as much as it galls me. I drive a 1986 escort, which usually gets me
> where I am going. I also have a 1983 van with a wheel-chair lift
> (used) that I use to transport my handicapped daughter. I own no
> home, nor any other property of any value. The loan company still
> has the lien on my computer. I have probably $100.00 dollars in
> checkings (have two bills yet to send off) and less than that in
> savings. Guess I'm just a money grabbing preacher, huh? Bet you
> think all teen-agers are hotrodders and all female blondes are dumb
> too don't you?
>
> Sorry, but your generalization of preachers whom you don't even know
> as "money grabbing" is as irksome as Till's article "There must be a
> living in it" in which he made the assumption that gospel preachers
> know that the inerrancy of the scriptures is untenable, but continued
> to teach otherwise because of their comfortable jobs. Arrrgh....such
> ignorance!.
>
Of course it's an awful generalisation. Perhaps it is possible to point this
out without listing your personal finances or mentioning your handicapped
daughter (attempt to make the reader feel guilty ?) as you can make a good
case against this anyway..
[BTW Ministers in the UK aren't rich (usually) but they are fairly stable ,
get a vicarage, get a pension and so on. (and it is almost impossible to sack
one, even for Child abuse !)]
However, even if you discount the ministers who are in it for the money,
there are other reasons for wanting to "preach the word". Firstly a preacher
often likes to have power over a group of people, and preachers (especially
the more fundamentalist ones) often have a great deal of influence over
people's lives. (Often they use this influence to gain money for their
particular church)
Secondly, there is the feeling of importance a religious teacher may gain
from having his or her views taken over seriously, or actively sought. In my
part of the world, the views of the clergy are often taken far too seriously
on subjects they have no expertise on, simply because they are the clergy.
All (bar one) of the Preachers I have known have been incapable arguing
intelligently for their religion, usually ending up in some waffle about
Faith. (belief without evidence). It amuses me, for example, to see
preachers dishing out ideas on how to bring up children while their own run
riot in the background.
Thirdly, many priests seem to believe out of pure habit.. the sole reason my
local Priest could suggest to me when my daughter was christened (at my
wife's request) was that "believing in Jesus makes you look at people a room
full of people differently". I tried to point out that whether or not this
was true made absolutely no difference to the truth of his beliefs, to little
effect.
Lastly, there is the huge stake they have in not changing. For a Preacher to
turn round and say to his or her flock "Sorry, I don't believe it anymore"
would require enormous courage, it being much easier just to keep quiet about
it and plod along anyway. It doesn't require much courage to quash the
feeling that you might have got it all wrong (or perhaps view it as the voice
of Satan ?)
Finally, there is the usual claimed reason. "I want to spread the word of
God" (in various forms). I would bet the vast majority of preachers claim
this reason and no other... including the obvious frauds, and many of them
honestly believe it, and would decry the reasons I have listed above.
However, I am of the opinion that for most preachers there are elements of
these reasons present.
Paul Robson (autismuk@aol.com)