Sunday TV Sermon

[Lacewing]

I flipped on the TV this morning just as a preacher was starting his Sunday program. As he began to speak, I was immediately riveted by the absurdity of what he was saying... so I had to grab my laptop, and then replayed his message so that I could write it down. This post is not meant as an insult to any theists here. It would be interesting, however, to know if any theists here find the following message profound and deep and informative. I, personally, am aghast that this guy was even on TV, let alone had an (apparent) audience of very well-dressed seniors. What does this tell us?

[Sermon begins...]

God has a plan for your life
You say, “Well how do I find out what that plan is?”
I’ll tell you what he wants
He has a plan for your life
Now think about this
If God has a plan for your life... (long pause)
Life is short
It could be very short
If he has a plan for your life
It’s the best plan because
He’s almighty God
Who's a god of goodness and love and mercy,
and his plans are perfect
He has a plan for your life
It’s the best plan
Life is short
{camera cuts away to audience members listening intently}
You don’t have any time to waste
So think about this
Think about how important your life is
You didn’t have to be born
There could have been no you
But for some reason he allowed you to be created
For some reason he gave you an opportunity to be alive
For some reason God has a plan for your life
It’s been there all along
Many of you are going to live out your life and never discover this plan
because you never thought about it
Some of you are going to live it out because
you don’t want anybody else dictating to you how you should live
and how your life should be carried out
But what I want you to see is this
God has a plan for your life
It’s the best plan that is possible
Because this awesome God who has created this plan
Is a god of awesome goodness beyond our comprehension

[...okay, I’m stopping here because that's as much as I can endure...]

When I was growing up, I heard thousands of sermons. Some were really good: inspiring and applicable to real life. This one above seems like blind hypnotic grasping. This is a very real element of theism. It's not a reflection of individual theists. I'm sure that individual theists would NOT want to be judged by this. The same is true of non-theists who are falsely associated with a bunch of bad behavior (which is actually usually committed by theists ) -- non-theists are often judged as "all that is NOT God". But the blind hypnotism above is supposedly of God! So let's be truthful: Blindness, delusion, bad behavior, etc., can be ANYWHERE, and wisdom, clarity, and divine nature can be ANYWHERE. The dividing line between theism and non-theism ONLY identifies those with belief in a God from those with no belief in a God. NOTHING ELSE is absolute. How could it be?

It really doesn't matter whether one believes in a god or not... it's just a personal choice for comfort and inspiration.

[Bill Wiltrack]

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WTF?...





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[vegetariantaxidermy]

What about the bit where he says that the more money you give him the more righteous you will become?

[Lacewing]

What about the bit where he says that the more money you give him the more righteous you will become?

I didn't hang in there that long... but I'm guessing that must have been the agenda, since the sermon didn't seem to be the goal.

[vegetariantaxidermy]

What about the bit where he says that the more money you give him the more righteous you will become?

I didn't hang in there that long... but I'm guessing that must have been the agenda, since the sermon didn't seem to be the goal.

I would bet on it that it was in the very next line--I could smell it coming

[uwot]

What about the bit where he says that the more money you give him the more righteous you will become?

I didn't hang in there that long... but I'm guessing that must have been the agenda, since the sermon didn't seem to be the goal.

Well from the collection plate to the selling of indulgences, there is no shortage of ways to separate the faithful from their cash. You too could milk the cash cow; see here for tips how: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNt8VUvvBEU