Not necessarily - I don’t consider myself a believer, and (again) I do not think the profession is parasitic.
I prefer the term dick for people like Paulk.
Princhester, let me explain my point of view a little further. These women believed they had no choice at all because they were brainwashed into that belief by someone they thought they knew well and trusted very much. They gave up their possible choices, discarding them as useless or otherwise invalid. They learned a lesson from it eventually, horrible as their ordeals were. The idea of the freedom of choice is only defeated when a person gives up their right to choose, as the women currently accusing Rev. Paulk did.
I still want to punch the reverend and his brother in certain strategic areas.
Gotta disagree. I’m a nonbeliever, and I don’t see the profession as parasitic - in fact, I’ve seen it do a lot of good for a lot of people. Just because I don’t believe in God doesn’t mean I discount those who do and choose to dedicate their lives to their belief as “parasites”. Most of them obviously believe in what they’re doing, and sure as hell aren’t getting rich or trying to scam their parishoners. In fact, that seems like a pretty ignorant assumption.
Oh, absolutely. People who seriously want to help humanity don’t have TV shows. They don’t have time to Brylcreem their hair, and they wouldn’t waste the money. But they aren’t the majority of clergy. I’ve personally known clergy who were close to what I’d call living saints, and I’ve personally known clergy who were just as greedy as your stereotypical CEO. And I’ve known both types personally. Is either one representative of the group as a whole? Not really. Just like in any other profession, you have the good folks and the bad folks. Becoming a clergyman does not change the person you are.
As opposed to entirely useless services like feeding the hungry, comforting and tending to the sick and dying and bereaved, taking care of the homeless, aiding victims of disasters, that sort of thing.
You can believe in a power greater than yourself or not, I don’t give a damn. And yes, there are secular organizations who do the same. But that does not take away from what the religious ones do, too, and the worst the recipient is likely to have to put up with is an advertisement for Deity of Choice (This meal brought to you by God. God: He makes a good taco).
Assuming that God doesn’t exist, why does it matter to you what people believe? As long as they don’t cause people pain by their actions, getting your knickers in a twist about their beliefs is very thought-policey.
It is harmful to say “God made your husband sick because you don’t believe hard enough. Give me some money or take off your clothes to prove you really do believe, and maybe God will spare him.” We can agree on that, yes?
Oh, televangelists. We’re not plagued with them over here - religious TV is a very modest affair Brit-side, an hour or two of extremely non-offensive programming (non-offensive unless your name is Der Trihs, of course) and certainly none of this soliciting money for prayers or the promise of miracles, which sounds uncomfortably close to simony in my view. On the received wisdom, though I ought to make some allowance for misleading vividness, you’re welcome to roast televangelists all you like. I’ll even throw a faggot or two on the fire for you.
I don’t believe in the great flying pink spaghetti unicorn monster. I was brought up a Christmas and Easter protestant. I have seen my brother in his 40’s find a faith in God and quit his job and the career track as a hospital administrator and join a seminary. It’s a small rural congregation and he is the happiest he’s ever been in his life.
I think he’s a little nuts but respect him more than I can express.
Chefguy take that word all and shove it up your ass.
Because they won’t leave unbelievers alone. The believers never have, and they never will.
Not “offensive”. Irritating and embarrassing. I don’t like belonging to a species that actually indulges in such nonsense.
The dicks won’t leave the unbelievers alone. Not all believers are dicks.
Don’t let the dicks give everyone else a bad name.
Define “they”. Christians in general? Clergy in general? Televangelists?
If you just mean ‘believers’, for the most part they do. Most believers shrug off people saying “Well, I don’t believe in God”. They might ask why, but I’ve known only a tiny tiny handful who would actually get offended and cranky.
Then again, when you start mocking people, you should damn well expect them to take offense. Leave the believers alone to believe what they will, and for the most part they’ll leave you alone. Through a long period of belief in no particular higher power, the only times I was harassed were when I frankly invited it on myself by confronting street preachers. Oh, and that one time my roleplaying group got approached by the University Baptist Alliance. “So… do you guys REALLY believe you’re vampires?” “You know you’re worshiping Satan, right?”
I mistyped “worshiping Stan” for that one before I fixed it. I AM A STAN WORSHIPER
Poor marginalized atheist. You should go straight out there and tell all the silly believers the truth. And when they know the truth, it will open their eyes and they will suddenly believe – yes! Trihs has the answers! All these years…
This is inspiring me to write an anti-Chick tract. “I believe God is watching us!” “But Billy, to believe in God is irrational. His existence is unprovable, and you wouldn’t want to believe lies, would you?” “You’re so right, Sally! I’ve been blind all these years, but ten seconds of talking to you and I’m completely convinced!” 
Frankly, human beings enjoy their delusions. Believing in a God helps some of us believe in other imaginary things like justice and mercy.
Piffle. Video games, fiction, and message boards are nonsense. And even as I keep hearing atheists say, trying to convince believers there is no God is like talking to a brick wall. Don’t bother – live and let live. The converts to atheism come of their own volition and for their own reasons. They don’t need intolerant yahoos at their forefront giving their beliefs a bad name.
Rather like the dyslexic devil-worshipper who sold his soul to Santa.
Excellent. Although I for my part believe in the existence of God as a fact in its own right, not merely for what else it helps me believe in, I like this. The mere fact that grinding the whole Earth to powder fine enough to pass a molecular sieve would not enable us to sift out one atom of justice or mercy does not persuade us that neither exists.
Whether it’s the cons leading the marks, or the marks leading the marks, there’s still a con going on.
Religion is a con. There are no Great Sky Fairies.
No. Enough people voting for Bush twice to let him steal the election without being obvious enough about it to be easily caught is proof positive we got a lot of stupid Americans out there. Voting for Clinton was not necessarily indicative of stupidity.
Oh, all right then. In mitigation I must plead that I had no idea that thorny theological issues were so easily resolved. But now that a guy on a message board has revealed the truth, I need have no further concerns: God does not exist, and all religion is a con. Will you pass it on to the Pope and other interested parties, or would you like me to?
:rolleyes:
I had no idea the Pope would be inteerested in hearing that. 
Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, then.
Damn straight! That ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. 
Unfortunately, I fear that, like the poor, televangelists are always with us. :dubious:
So, you know any races of superior beings looking for recruits ? It’s not like I have any choice what species I belong to, unless you were arguing I should suicide.
So you say.