I have no problem at all with his net worth; what I have a major problem with is how he amassed it. Fleecing the flock of the faithful through fear should be forbidden. Do you not judge at all those who take advantage of the weakest? That doesn't sound very Christian of you.
That's all super, except I was being ironic. On your point - I frankly don't care one whit how he makes his money if I'm not paying him.
That's fine for you. Call me old fashioned, but I have a problem with those who torture animals, abuse children and prey on the weakest.
I know you won't understand this because you don't share the same faith as those who donate and that will always cause a mental block for you, but they're getting full value for their money. It's a fair transaction.
You can't cure an illness, pay your rent or feed your kids with "faith" but that's what Zacharias, Osteen, Hinn, et al get them to believe is the right way to face their problems.
As I said - mental block. But that's fine, because it translates in so many other ways. Kim Kardashian has a glorious ass, but otherwise has no discernible talents and provides no particular value to me. On the other hand, millions of people get joy out of watching her and her family drama, and advertisers are only too willing to pay hard money for their "product." I don't begrudge the Kardashians for making money doing something I consider valueless, because there are obviously others who value it differently. And, as I said, as long as I'm not paying them for whatever it is they're doing, I don't give a fuck how much they make or how much they have. It's all earned money.
Well, that's your mental block. I don't give a shit about the Kardashians but I care about people working long, shitty hours at shit jobs and making shit money and instead of using it to better take care of their families are being fleeced by these charlatans in the name of "god" and "faith." It is "earned money" but not earned by those thieves in vestments you so eagerly defend.
You're trying too hard to aim my words back at me and then even add some I didn't say. You don't get the point, though; or, you just don't want to, because you're blind on the point of God and spirituality. And apparently really angry about it. For you, it's emotional, but shouldn't be because it's much more simple than you've built it up. It's transactional. People donate their money to these guys because they get joy in what they hear. That's just a truism. It makes them feel good. In many cases, it improves their lives. People unload money for all sorts of reasons that give them joy, many that others would call foolish. But you want to make an angry point that religious donations are somehow different because people are being "fleeced." The god-thing isn't real, so there's fake value conveyed. Why should you care? These folks all seem happy. And, although you consider them dumb (dumb enough to be fleeced, at least) it's a pretty reasonable bet that many/most of them would consider you dumb for spending a shit-ton of time on a Jets messageboard, or for any number of other reasons. Somehow you're in a better position to judge? Maybe not. I trust that people understand how they dispose of their hard-earned dollars because they assign their own measure of value to the joy they get in return.
No. I'm not trying at all. Your words speak for themselves. This has nothing to do with god or spirituality; this is about some people taking advantage of the less fortunate and cheating them out of their hard earned money. The fact that they do it in the name of faith only makes their victims more vulnerable. You're okay with it and I'm not.
Ahh. A crusader. A holy man, looking to save the unwashed masses from their stupid selves. Maybe you should start asking for donations toward your cause. If people perceive value, I promise you'll make a fortune. Because, after all, that's how it works. On the other hand, if all that comes out is patronizing and unstructured anger, you might try being a Kardashian next.
I call people unfortunate, you call them stupid. My ethics and personal morality would not allow me to do as you suggest, I don't need a fortune that badly. I still don't understand your constant reference to Kardashians. But I must be wrong in all this; you're the one identifying as a Christian.
Unfortunate. Heh. Funny. I'm not sure what's worse. Or which is more patronizing. The rich irony here is that there's real-live science (of all unholy things) behind the joy people get from religious expression and how it equates to happier lives. But, yes, please save these people from this dreadful plight.
Another description of the point from Sally Quinn. Plenty of others out there for you. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nati...522120-8452-11e3-bbe5-6a2a3141e3a9_story.html
I'm sure that "stupid" is worse than "unfortunate" and I'd need to be quite cynical to believe the latter was in any way patronizing; your mileage may vary. Are you positive you're not really Mr. Truth in disguise? You're now going to tell us (of course, without showing us) that "real-live (sic) science" proves religion works? Next you'll be showing us a comment that Sally Quinn (!) made about a conclusion one psychology professor among thousands made about the relationship between religion and happiness as if either of their unfounded opinions was worth more than yours or mine. Believe what you want, rejoice in what makes you happy, make excuses for predators if they garb themselves appropriately but don't be so arrogant to believe that wrapping yourself in the trappings of religion creates a superior point of view. I'm quite content to avoid religion and be much more empathetic to my fellow man at the same time. Find someone else to convince, I gave you much more time than you deserve.
That part there about "believing what you want and rejoicing in what makes you happy" - exactly. Almost like you understand the point. Almost. You can't and you don't, but that's that whole mental block we talked about earlier. Clearly there are happier people than you in the world, many who find their joy through spirituality. Plenty of other sources and studies out there for you. Real-live science, n'stuff. Or, just be lazy and brush it aside in anger. That last point you inject about making excuses for predators and such - which no one has, much less me - that plays into value also. The Catholic Church lost millions of parishioners and their donations when the child sex scandal boiled over. That's how it works. When you no longer take joy in a church that protects child molesters, you leave, and your dollars go with you. Simple as that. I'm not trying to convince you. I'm just pointing out your blind spot.
There was nothing wrong with the question. We are just going to have to disagree on that one. I'm fine with that. I really don't care what people believe for as long as it doesn't influence laws and policies. I answer to the Constitution, not a holy text. What is called father?
So people's beliefs don't influence laws and policies, not to mention Constitutions? On which planet?
