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Look at what is going on in Tinley Park Illinois:
Obamas former pastor getting 1.6 Million dollar home in retirement
For me this isn't even a "Obama" thing, it is the disgusting feeling I get in my stomach when I see this type of special treatment for those in the church. Here is a snipit from the above article:
The church referred FOX News to its denominational headquarters in Cleveland, which provided a statement of support:
“It is customary and appropriate in many Christian denominations, including the United Church of Christ, for local churches to offer housing provisions for retiring clergy, especially in cases where pastors have served long-term pastorates. We support efforts by our 5,700 local churches to ensure that retiring pastors and spouses have continuing housing, adequate pension and health care, as an expression of our continuing appreciation for their years of service. Each local UCC congregation is free to honor a retiring pastor in ways it feels most appropriate to address the needs of that clergyperson’s circumstances,” wrote the Rev. J. Bennett Guess, spokesman for UCC’s national office.
“This is about how these kinds of churches work,” notes Walsh. “These pastors who made big successful churches are real valuable commodities. Is it morally wrong? Well, Protestants don’t have the idea that their religious leaders should live modestly or aesthetically. We’re not talking Buddhist monks or Catholic priests here. There’s no tradition that says they have to live poor.”
So is a 10,000 square foot house needed to keep a retired pastor comfortable during retirement? How can people be SCAMMED into believing that their pastor needs this large house? RELIGION
Do they think helping their pastor out will be their way into heaven?
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Just wait for all the churches who "donated" that money to start complaining that they need more for their "good works" to continue...
oh, wait, they already have been.
"But still I am the Cat who walks by himself, and all places are alike to me!" ~Rudyard Kipling
Mazid the Raider says: I'd rather face the naked truth than to go "augh, dude, put some clothes on or something" and hand him some God robes, cause you and I know that the naked truth is pale, hairy, and has an outie
Entomophila says: Ew. AN outie
So a man that spent his career shilling solutions to problems that his religion creates in order to sell you the solution... A man that really can't be said to have done any serious work is being handed a 1.6 million dollar retirement package. I'm certain this will be spun somehow into how "God blessed him with such wealth" of course ignoring that it was actually the thousands of churchgoers that blessed him with it.
The Regular Expressions of Humanistic Jones: Where one software Engineer will show the world that God is nothing more than an undefined pointer.
The other point in the article that got me hot under the collar: The church applied for a 10 million dollar line of credit to pay for the 1.6 million dollar home...the rest of the money had unspecified reasons and they don't have to make the reasons public ( because churches are categorized as 'private businesses' AND they are non for profit)
Slowly building a blog at ~
http://obsidianwords.wordpress.com/
I totally didn't notice that (should teach me to read articles while also going over PCB Schematics). I think that actually has me more riled than the pastor getting the $1.6M house. What in the name of Athe do they need $10M for?! And once again they get away with no one getting to know because churches get a free pass.
More than enough of a reason to back up the idea that letting churches go free on economic issues is legislating in favor of religion and thus against the First Amendment.
The Regular Expressions of Humanistic Jones: Where one software Engineer will show the world that God is nothing more than an undefined pointer.
When I was in High School, a rich parishioner bought our pastor a car. I believe it was a Cadillac.
At least the expensive retirement home was funded by voluntary donations from churchgoers... yes, it's a problem, but at least it's their problem. Now, if that retirement home was paid for by tax dollars, on the other hand....
Walsh apparently doesn't know jack shit about history. The very reason for the reformation was the consolidation of wealth within the upper echelons of the Church. Somebody like Wright is the closest thing to a Medieval bishop in modern times.
"The whole conception of God is a conception derived from ancient Oriental despotisms. It is a conception quite unworthy of free men."
--Bertrand Russell