(October 23, 2016 at 12:41 pm)abaris Wrote:(October 23, 2016 at 12:38 pm)Minimalist Wrote: An untrained man rambling on about 'god' won't do anything for one who isn't desperate to believe him in the first place. That's why they don't get paid. Shrinks have professional standards.
Catholic priests do get paid. Not a fortune, but given that they get free lodgings and food on the table, it's more than sufficient. And they have to have a university degree in theology. I'm not into defending theology as being science, but at the very least it requires some ground work, as opposed to evangelical pastors.
This is correct. They make an average of $33k a year.
Which is why I think it's silly to call them parasites. I'm sure the vast majority of them could make much more money and live a much more lucrative lifestyle by doing something else.
My husband always wanted to be a pilot ever since he was 6 years old. But he went through a phase during high school (before we dated) where he seriously considered being a priest. Obviously it wasn't for the sake of being a greedy parasite, since he knew he'd make much more $$ as a pilot. It was for the genuine desire to be of service to those who would need it.
My good friend Brad had a very similar story. Brilliant kid. Got straight A's in high school, super smart, and went to school for dentistry to make a ton of $$ like his dad. But some time during his first year of school, he decided he wanted to serve others as a protestant minister instead. They make more $$ than priests but still not much, usually at least. He's a pastor at a church in North Carolina now and lives an extremely humble life.
Labeling these people parasites is offensive to who they are as people and so extremely off the mark.
"Of course, everyone will claim they respect someone who tries to speak the truth, but in reality, this is a rare quality. Most respect those who speak truths they agree with, and their respect for the speaking only extends as far as their realm of personal agreement. It is less common, almost to the point of becoming a saintly virtue, that someone truly respects and loves the truth seeker, even when their conclusions differ wildly."
-walsh
-walsh
