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The Reality of Churches (and their selfish agendas)
#1
The Reality of Churches (and their selfish agendas)
While watching the local news, I saw a commercial for a church in my area inviting people to attend their services. I could not believe this. I had never seen a commercial for a church before, but it does make sense.

It never even occurred to me to consider whether or not churches were allowed to do this. The pastor of the church was featured in the commercial. He was wearing a black suit and tie, and resembled Mitt Romney. He had a very creepy vibe chiseled into his face and was urging me to join his congregation this Sunday.

It made me curious. How much does this guy make to be the pastor of a church?

His advertisement has got to be reaching hundreds, if not thousands of impressionable and desperate people that are viewing this as a beacon for hope. This advertisement could greatly increase the number of people in attendance each week, and with that, greatly increase the amount of tax free contributions they bring in each week as well.

It’s brilliant, and it made me sick. I hopped on Google and searched for “Church Advertisement”…411 MILLION RESULTS. I clicked on one near the top titled “10 Advertising Secrets Every Church Needs”.
Here's the link

It’s disgusting. They are not candid about targeting people that want to get saved for selfish reasons, and then polishing it up by assuring the reader that the “Altruism” will come later.

This line stood out to me in one of these “secrets” regarding which people to target, who better than the ignorant?

“If someone is not attending church, chances are they don’t think church can do much for them. Maybe they’re skeptical. It’s more than likely they just have no idea.”

The stuff written on this page would make the stomach of any critical thinker turn over. It bothers me that:

A) There are people who are so vulnerable to being preyed upon by these fucking idiots, and don’t see anything coming.
(Look no further than our site for a few examples)

B) These churches are able to do this to people under the freedom that the very military I am enlisted in provides them.

My mind began to wander away from this ad, and I was curious. How much do these pastors make? Clearly they’re not doing this out of the kindness of their hearts (so much for the altruism). How much do they have to gain by spending their tax-free dollars on advertisement that would increase their weekly attendance?

I was shocked. The average pastor in America makes $86,797 a year!

www.salary.com


Honestly, if the people of these churches only cared about “saving” people, why would they advertise for a specific church of Christ? What if there was a chance that the person viewing their commercial was closer to a different church, but immediately dismissed the church being advertised because they knew it was too far? They would have lost a “soul” that could have been “saved” by alternate means.

Clearly that’s not what they’re concerned about. They want to make sure that people attend their church. They want people to get saved, but only if they’re putting money in the right collection plate.

No doubt, there are plenty of Christians that wouldn’t approve of this, but nonetheless, it’s happening, and it shouldn’t be ignored.
Why does a pastor make money at all? If God is the reason they do what they do, why are they accepting money for it? Is it not a service they are supposedly providing for man?

I don’t seek compensation when I volunteer at a homeless shelter to cook free meals. I don’t expect to be paid when I collect toys for less fortunate children. Why do pastors accept an average of almost $87,000 a year to spread what they advertise as the “way to eternal salvation”? Why not hold a regular job that pays the bills? If the job at a fast food restaurant doesn’t pay the bills of a pastor, then they are living outside of their means, and after all, is it the comfort you receive in this life that’s important to Christians, or is it the eternal life in heaven what they solicit as being truly valuable?

I wait on baited breath for somebody to come to the defense of these monsters. I just don’t understand why otherwise rational people can openly subject themselves to a religion that is so blatantly dishonest, and then defend it as if it is the ones that don’t agree that truly have evil in their hearts. These people need to wake up, and see their religion for what it is. A scam.

This has been a free reality-check. No donations will be accepted.
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#2
RE: The Reality of Churches (and their selfish agendas)
It really is all about the money.

I have recently noticed a trend with fictional characters in television shows where the pastors state something to the effect of Make sure you open your hearts and your wallets.

How do people who get duped into believing the fairy tales not make the connection with a statement like that? Clearly, the money is what the church wants more than anything else.
"Never trust a fox. Looks like a dog, behaves like a cat."
~ Erin Hunter
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#3
RE: The Reality of Churches (and their selfish agendas)
$87,000 ROFLOL

Silly...

My former pastor makes 3 times that much,

It's really sick actually. It's times like these
when I wish that hell were real, and that I
would know these guys would burn there forever.
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#4
RE: The Reality of Churches (and their selfish agendas)
I've seen plenty of television ads for churches before. The Methodist church had a campaign a few years ago, I remember probably about 10-20 years ago the Mormon church was advertising a free Book of Mormon and all you had to do was call their special 1-800 number. And even a year or two ago the Bahai's and even Scientology were running ads on TV.

I haven't seen too many local ads for local churches, but I have heard them advertise on the radio.

And yet, when atheists put up a billboard, the billboard company gets death threats. But it's the Christians who are being persecuted.
Christian apologetics is the art of rolling a dog turd in sugar and selling it as a donut.
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#5
RE: The Reality of Churches (and their selfish agendas)
(November 20, 2013 at 4:41 pm)freedomfromfallacy Wrote: $87,000 ROFLOL

Silly...

My former pastor makes 3 times that much,

It's really sick actually. It's times like these
when I wish that hell were real, and that I
would know these guys would burn there forever.

I know! That's just the average! The lowest paying one on the chart was $56,000 and the highest over $108,000!
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#6
RE: The Reality of Churches (and their selfish agendas)
This is worth a watch... It's a laugh a minute.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RJBd8zE48A
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#7
RE: The Reality of Churches (and their selfish agendas)
Dammit. I'm still at work on a government computer. I can't access YouTube until after 5. It's so lame. 52 minutes to go!
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#8
RE: The Reality of Churches (and their selfish agendas)
It is not always paid advertising. Go about it the right way and you can get plenty of free advertising. Around these parts we have a Xtian sky-pilot everyone knows as "Pastor X". I'm leaving his actual name out, but everyone here knows who he is. Courtesy of the local news he gets free advertising, because it is not at all uncommon for him to get a mention because his church is up to some new program or another.

He does, however, advertise as well. Just not on TV. He has a small truck that drives around advertising his churches, or one or another of his programs on this huge mobile billboard. There are also several billboards around town advertising for the same things. He used to have a fake ambulance driving around town offering "salvation" until the authorities finally got up the nerve to make him cut that particular silliness out. He also runs a fake trolley in the warm weather that shuttles young people from some of his programs to their neighborhoods.

Does this guy do any good? Most around here would tell you so, but I have a problem with anything that comes with proselytizing attached to it. The man is a fundie preacher, to his way of thinking he has to save your soul if he can. Is he running a racket? I don't know, but there is certainly a lot of money flowing through this guy's ministries. How much goes into his personal pockets I have no idea. I doubt that any reporter in these parts is going to go poking around that story because the Pastor is too revered a figure in this area, with lots of political allies.
“To terrify children with the image of hell, to consider women an inferior creation—is that good for the world?”
― Christopher Hitchens

"That fear first created the gods is perhaps as true as anything so brief could be on so great a subject". - George Santayana

"If this is the best God can do, I'm not impressed". - George Carlin


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#9
RE: The Reality of Churches (and their selfish agendas)
(November 20, 2013 at 5:01 pm)freedomfromfallacy Wrote: This is worth a watch... It's a laugh a minute.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RJBd8zE48A

That is hilarious! That is identical to every massive church in Texas that I've ever attended!
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#10
RE: The Reality of Churches (and their selfish agendas)
(November 20, 2013 at 5:00 pm)The Reality Salesman Wrote: I know! That's just the average! The lowest paying one on the chart was $56,000 and the highest over $108,000!

I was wondering if it might be skewed a bit due to multimillionaire televangelists, but apparently not if the highest listed is $108,000. Some of them make over a quarter million or even $4-500,000 a year.
Christian apologetics is the art of rolling a dog turd in sugar and selling it as a donut.
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