you’re mostly referring to the osteens and the copelands. the ones worth millions/billions. a tiny, tiny minority of clergy. the vast majority of pastors/priests are making ~~30k-60kUSD/yr. $15-30/hr. I’m willing to bet you make more. Specific comparison: This is in the California Bay Area and these are poverty wages, I was an accountant with a small nonprofit part of my practice. Those numbers are not unusual. Tithes and offerings go to the church (tithes and offerings are 100% NP source income to the church, largest expenses are overhead and payroll and neither of those offset NP Income) and the pastors are paid by a board of directors/elders (whatever the church decides to call it) running the church. Reputable churches publish audited financial statements every year and one of the biggest line items is how much they are paying the pastor.
Most churches don’t make money. Source: 20 years of practice.
I’m putting those types into the “malicious actors/false prophets” category. My point is that an absolute shitload of “devout Christians” fall for their bullshit too, in addition to orangeboi.
And, of course, the response is invariably “oh, goodness, we didn’t know!” But why the fuck not? There are entire fucking sections in your imaginary friend book that talk about literally this exact fucking thing.
It would behoove the Christian community to recall Jesus (real or not) was born in Palestine, and ethnically Jewish who said he came to fulfill the law, not abolish it (and also that he’s not the reincarnated Moshe, nor of the correct lineage, biblically) to be the Jewish Messiah, whether he’s the Christian Messiah or not; and then to study the actual reasoning behind Jewish law (but that’s like saying I should be able to thrive on CO² according to evolution, it may happen if the species survives long enough). Not the crazy exclusionary Rabbi who think antizionists are part of the “bad” Erev Rav, either; and that’s as likely as evangelicals studying Jewish law. 🤷♀️
It’s maddening, because it’s very fucking obvious, and these imbecilic rubes reliably fall for it, every goddamn time, hook, line, and sinker.
You saying that people who believe in a fictional book character can be gullible?
A lot of clergy know they’re lying. The money and perks are good.
for which clergy? most of the ones i know have second jobs driving uber
Obviously ymmv. I think they’re paid from “tithes and offerings,” usually.
you’re mostly referring to the osteens and the copelands. the ones worth millions/billions. a tiny, tiny minority of clergy. the vast majority of pastors/priests are making ~~30k-60kUSD/yr. $15-30/hr. I’m willing to bet you make more. Specific comparison: This is in the California Bay Area and these are poverty wages, I was an accountant with a small nonprofit part of my practice. Those numbers are not unusual. Tithes and offerings go to the church (tithes and offerings are 100% NP source income to the church, largest expenses are overhead and payroll and neither of those offset NP Income) and the pastors are paid by a board of directors/elders (whatever the church decides to call it) running the church. Reputable churches publish audited financial statements every year and one of the biggest line items is how much they are paying the pastor.
Most churches don’t make money. Source: 20 years of practice.
I’m putting those types into the “malicious actors/false prophets” category. My point is that an absolute shitload of “devout Christians” fall for their bullshit too, in addition to orangeboi.
And, of course, the response is invariably “oh, goodness, we didn’t know!” But why the fuck not? There are entire fucking sections in your imaginary friend book that talk about literally this exact fucking thing.
It would behoove the Christian community to recall Jesus (real or not) was born in Palestine, and ethnically Jewish who said he came to fulfill the law, not abolish it (and also that he’s not the reincarnated Moshe, nor of the correct lineage, biblically) to be the Jewish Messiah, whether he’s the Christian Messiah or not; and then to study the actual reasoning behind Jewish law (but that’s like saying I should be able to thrive on CO² according to evolution, it may happen if the species survives long enough). Not the crazy exclusionary Rabbi who think antizionists are part of the “bad” Erev Rav, either; and that’s as likely as evangelicals studying Jewish law. 🤷♀️