On Feb 10, 7:28*pm, "M Peraaho" wrote:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Pious-Conv...l-Information-...

Pastors and Preachers who use the radio to reach the masses are a special
breed of human being. Piously convicted and yet very often, marginally
informed, they use the airwaves to invade the mind and draw others unto
mostly themselves. Radio preaching, or shall we just say, preaching is one
of the only places where a normal human being can loose his mind, act out
and both speak and reason in ways that would get him or her kicked out of
every other work environment in the world.

The radio preacher is on his own. He can say and do and express himself in
just about any way he chooses and we are all conditioned to tolerate the
sincere, no doubt we can hope, foolishness that assaults our senses and at
times, tickles our funny bones.

Recently a radio preacher informed his audience the reason Bathsheba, who
seduced horney King David, was named thus was because she was taking a
"Bath." Argh, Argh and Half and Argh! I wrote and asked if she had been
taking a shower, would we then call her "ShowerSheba." No response.


-- I don't think showers had been invented yet. --


Also recently, I listened to a very astute, yep probably one of the most
scientifically ignorant men on the radio, make a sincere effort to convince
the audience that the story of Jonah surviving three days and three nights
in the great fish, while he got to consider whether he wanted to obey God
and become fish vomit, or disobey and become fish poop, was literally true.
It's not literally true. My sense of being swallowed by a large ocean going
predator would end in being suffocated or drown relatively soon after and
digested beyond repair rather soon after that. Pinocchio sitting on a three
legged stool at a small fire in the belly of the whale waiting for a
solution to the dilemma just seems contrived, yet also seems to have
captured the imaginations of preachers.


-- That's probably the most obvious example of how silly it is to take
the Bible literally. I also highly doubt that Moses was able to part
the Red Sea as Hollywood has shown it, but hey, I once got high and
watched the waves crash on the shore precisely to the rhythm of the
classical music to which I was listening. I pointed it out to my old
lady and she took one look and ran away. So there IS something going
on that from time to time may suspend the usually accepted physical
laws. On the other hand, I'm one heck of a guy (don't try this at
home). --



He cited the amazing story of a sailor named James Bartley who was swallowed
by a sperm whale off the Falkland Islands. About thirty-six hours later his
fellow sailors found him, unconscious but alive, inside the belly of the
animal. The story is bogus. It never happened and ranks as one of America's
earliest urban legends. However, in the world of radio preaching, emotional
convictions, and men who refuse to do their homework first, this pastor once
again used it to convince others of a literalism in the Bible that was never
meant to be taken as such. Ministers in general, like the writers of the New
Testament, are adept at making a scripture mean what it never meant. What
would never work in a college term paper, works just fine in many religious
writings. They called it Midrash. A critical thinker would call it dishonest
and misleading.


-- College term papers are notorious for shoveling half-assed crap.
Bad example. --

(Book of Revelation stuff exised for brevity)

... Take Judaism, Islam and Christianity out of the news and world peace would
break out tomorrow. From the most silly and entertaining antics of ministers
and lone spiritual masters, to the most hideous and bizarre beliefs, demands
and practices of those who follow, religion is a long way from making human
beings better for it all. Christian soldiers just have to stop that
"marching as to war" stuff.

Religion is what others pour into your head and usually requires one to be
at certain places at certain times, hold a group belief, marginalize, attack
or kill those that don't hold that belief and, of course, give ten percent
of your income to the proper Deity. Spirituality however, is an inside job.
It requires no one yelling at your from either your radio or pulpit to bring
you inner contentment and peace. It has no demand that you show up somewhere
once or twice a week to show you are on track with the group, and it
certainly does not ask you for your money so the guy who gave you the
information can buy a big house, new car or Rolex, so he can do "the work of
God."

Inner contentment and peace through "spirituality." Hmm, sounds like
more religion, pard. Keep on truckin'.