I must read The Bible for school!

[Ace Otana]

What's your alternative? Barter?

There are better ways, we're just too stupid and corrupt to care or change.

[Red Celt]

A reply from the defeated, can't you be a reasonable person, guess not with mindless responses such as that.

Yeah. You don't believe in evolution and you value someone by their wealth, despite your holy tract telling you the opposite. You've lost all grounds, when it comes to calling people defeated.

Defeated is what you see every morning when you shave.

[pocaracas]

Here in Portugal, the most common religion is Catholic.
However, there are a few small pockets of evangelicals and the like.
I've heard stories of people who quit their day jobs to become evangelical preachers.... they earned about 5 or 6 times more that way!
And then I learned that most americans are evangelicals.... Just imagine how much those preachers earn... and think: the more people come to their preachings, the more they earn, so.... they build huge "places of worship" so they can host thousands at a time, every single idiot american contributing to the preacher's wealth. tax free!

You're showing your ignorance, most churches in the U.S. average less than a couple hundred people. My pastor was a nuclear engineer for TVA making an extremely good living. God called him to be a pastor and now makes far less than half of what he would be making, many pastors do not even get payed, what ever comes to them by way of donation is all they receive and work other jobs to support their families, and yes they do have to pay taxes on what the church pays them, so it seems the idiot is in the mirror, if you do not believe me go look.

If you had read what I wrote carefully, you'd have noticed that I extrapolated from the reality I know on this side of the pond.
And all extrapolations are prone to error. So yes, it was blatantly obvious that my argument came from an ignorant background, otherwise, there wouldn't be any need to extrapolate.

A couple hundred people per church is still more than you can find here in this traditional catholic country.

I tried to find some data on how much your pastors get paid.... and look what google gave my in the first hit (click for the full story):
According to the Western Recorder August 3, 2010 issue, the average salary for a full time Southern Baptist Pastor is $55,829; while the average pay package for a full time Southern Baptist pastor is $66,275. I don’t know about you, but these amounts sound insanely high to me.

Well, 50 to 60k is (discounting the conversion rate) about 10x Portugal's minimum wage, where 40% of the population is. So a preacher/pastor here making that kind of money would be obscene.... and IS.

And you said that they pay taxes on what the church pays them. But, if things are similar to here, I doubt they pay taxes on the donations.... and I bet there are quite a few of these.

No one that has a family will quit a well paid job to a far less paid one. It's not only themselves they have to think of.

[Norfolk And Chance]

Pastors should be paid in imaginary money, the deluded fuckwits.

[Darth]

What's your alternative? Barter?

There are better ways, we're just too stupid and corrupt to care or change.

Gee thanks . You didn't answer my question however...

[Ace Otana]

There are better ways, we're just too stupid and corrupt to care or change.

Gee thanks . You didn't answer my question however...

Work roles, to give work/labour for the community in exchange of another such as living quarters supplies and the like. There are a few alternatives.

[Minimalist]

G-C is trotting out his calvinist background of bullshit theology. Dear old Calvin.... as miserable a motherfucker as any who ever lived... claimed that his fucking god had already decided who was saved and who was not and called the "the Elect." However, no one knew which was which so this led to all sorts of divination about how to figure out who was in the celestial club and who wasn't.

However, the Calvinist and Lutheran theologians taught that only those who were predestined (cf. the Calvinist concept of double predestination) to be saved would be saved. Since it was impossible to know who was predestined, the notion developed that it might be possible to discern that a person was elect (predestined) by observing their way of life. Hard work and frugality were thought to be two important consequences of being one of the elect; thus, Protestants were attracted to these qualities.

This quickly led to material wealth being a sign of "god's" favor - something the fucking republicunts still believe in fiercely. However, it did little good for the poor hardscrabble farmers who didn't have a pot to piss in so, as always happens in religion, a new doctrine spread among the poor ( and ignorant ) that all you had to do was profess belief in fucking jesus and you were "saved." So much easier than all that hard work shit. A natural for rural America.

The sad fact is that morons like G-C will believe anything they are told.

[Godscreated]

A reply from the defeated, can't you be a reasonable person, guess not with mindless responses such as that.

Yeah. You don't believe in evolution and you value someone by their wealth, despite your holy tract telling you the opposite. You've lost all grounds, when it comes to calling people defeated.

Defeated is what you see every morning when you shave.

I could not careless what material things people have, you have come to an unfounded conclusion, shame. No I do not believe in the fairy tale that is called evolution, even some of your best religious leaders have said there is no proof for evolution unless they could have millions of years to observe.
I can look in the mirror everyday knowing that the truth resides in me and I can walk in that truth with confidence.

[Minimalist]

I can look in the mirror everyday knowing that the truth resides in me and I can walk in that truth with confidence.

Such a sanctimonious twat. Jesus won't be happy with you, G-C.

The Pharsisee of Luke 18, a graphic example of pride. Jesus spoke the parable of Luke 18: 10-14 for the purpose of: "And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others" (Luke 18: 9). The Pharisee stood and thanked God that he was better than other men (vs. 11). To the converse, the Publican with down cast eyes said, "God be merciful to me a sinner" (vs. 13). Jesus taught, "everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbeth himself shall be exalted" (vs. 14).

[Godscreated]

Money is an inanimate object, it has no way of being evil, it's the people who worship it that are evil, period. How is it that an inanimate object can be a corruptible force, please explain. We can only blame ourselves for allowing our fellow man for using money against us, this makes the men on both sides of the money corrupt.

Money gives power, gives a person status over others, and so it corrupts. It's based on the - The more you got the more you get, principle. No fairness, it's a limiting thing.
If you don't have it, you get nothing. Large corporations when told that they were affecting the earth through global warming refuse to act because it'll effect their profits, = CORRUPTION! Many rich nations act just the same.
It's evil because it's selfish and it corrupts.
Countries, businesses, the rich always seem to think of small bits of paper with some face on it before thinking about others, the environment and even life itself. Lots of people end up looking down on others when they have lots of paper in their wallets or bank account.

You are a money loving, blind and corrupt man in my opinion. A disgrace.

I've been out of work for a year and a half, that sound like a money lover to you. I do like having money to pay bills and buy woodworking tools, a few Rotties and some fishing gear once in a great while. I'm satisfied with having a life where there are not a lot of things I want. So, take your opinion and place it in the trash where it belongs.
I know several people who have lots of money and they use it to help those in need, they do not try and show off what they have and they give, give, and give so your little theory only applies to those who are corrupt in their hearts to begin with, why would you lump all the rich together, biased me thinks. Seems to me the ones who allow themselves to be corrupted by money, already have the corruption in their hearts.