As I said, this is probably really stupid, but reading about the jokes suggesting that atheists take care of Christians’ pets during the Rapture made me wonder what would really happen if someone tried such a business.
Say the owner is an atheist who KNOWS that no religious-type event is going to end the world. Say his clients are honestly religious and KNOW that it will. One could argue that he is deliberately taking advantage of someone else’s delusions (remember, to him, it’s all phony) to pad his own wallet. Is there anything whatsoever to such a POV? Does it make any difference if this end-event is tied to a specific date/time?
There’s no law stopping someone from offering services that they personally don’t believe in. I don’t have to believe in the effectiveness of massage to offer massage, nor do I need to believe in the effectiveness of scarecrows to sell scarecrows.
Basically, so long as you don’t cross any legal lines concerning medical treatments or sex, which are closely regulated in most places, you don’t need to personally believe in what you are selling. All you need to do is offer the service itself in a manner that is honest and good faith. I can offer sports massage even though I personally think it’s about as effective as a hot bath. I can’t make claims that it has any benefits if I don’t believe in it, though I can make good-faith claims that others have found it to be beneficial and remain in the clear legally. Similarly, I can sell scarecrows even though I believe they are totally ineffective. I can even say that Farmer Johnson bought one last year and he swears by it, so long as that is true.
The same applies to the rapture pet minding services. I believe it’s a load of hooey, but so long as I’m honest about that (or completely silent) and I genuinely will carry out my duties in the unlikely event of an actual rapture, I’m in the clear. I’m offering the service as represented and in good faith. So long as it’s all represented honestly, it’s up to the buyer to decide whether the service has value. Caveat emptor and all that.
There’s no law stopping someone from offering services that they personally don’t believe in. I don’t have to believe in the effectiveness of massage to offer massage, nor do I need to believe in the effectiveness of scarecrows to sell scarecrows.
Basically, so long as you don’t cross any legal lines concerning medical treatments or sex, which are closely regulated in most places, you don’t need to personally believe in what you are selling. All you need to do is offer the service itself in a manner that is honest and good faith. I can offer sports massage even though I personally think it’s about as effective as a hot bath. I can’t make claims that it has any benefits if I don’t believe in it, though I can make good-faith claims that others have found it to be beneficial and remain in the clear legally. Similarly, I can sell scarecrows even though I believe they are totally ineffective. I can even say that Farmer Johnson bought one last year and he swears by it, so long as that is true.
The same applies to the rapture pet minding services. I believe it’s a load of hooey, but so long as I’m honest about that (or completely silent) and I genuinely will carry out my duties in the unlikely event of an actual rapture, I’m in the clear. I’m offering the service as represented and in good faith. So long as it’s all represented honestly, it’s up to the buyer to decide whether the service has value. Caveat emptor and all that.
Wait a minute. You’re saying that you’ve never been on the Internet? Never seen all those ads to enlarge your penis or improve your IQ or sell you quantum asymptotic gugberry juice? Multiply this by a million and add in ever other scam you’ve ever heard of in your life, including all the ones pre-internet. (They don’t even have to be scams. Nobody needs a $100,000 car to impress chicks or a team logo cap either.)
There may be far more businesses that take advantage of other peoples’ delusions than real businesses.