I used the word cleric as a collective for priests, vicars, imams, rabbis, whatever, those who preach and instruct religion.
There must be some number, maybe a substantial number, who have lost their faith, or part of it at least, and no longer believe what they're preaching. We don't have many of those posting here, I suppose, but I'd be interested to see what their stance is.
The moral position would be to quit and do something else, but after, say, a degree in theology and 20 years in a church you're not exactly going to walk into another job. OK, clerics aren't well paid - apart from US evangelists, I suppose - but still it's a safe job, so what do these people do? Carry on preaching what they now know as lies, or bite the bullet and quit?
Pragmatism versus morality.
There must be some number, maybe a substantial number, who have lost their faith, or part of it at least, and no longer believe what they're preaching. We don't have many of those posting here, I suppose, but I'd be interested to see what their stance is.
The moral position would be to quit and do something else, but after, say, a degree in theology and 20 years in a church you're not exactly going to walk into another job. OK, clerics aren't well paid - apart from US evangelists, I suppose - but still it's a safe job, so what do these people do? Carry on preaching what they now know as lies, or bite the bullet and quit?
Pragmatism versus morality.
