• Optional@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    But no major organized religion I’m aware of, apart from scientology, actively tries to soak people. (And before you say it, the collection plate does not count.)

    We used to call them “tv preachers”. They’d be on all the time with a phone number on the screen to call and donate money. Over time they became “mainstream” that millions now follow and now they’re loosely called “Evangelicals”. They’re nominally “Christian”, functionally “Protestant” but most do not follow a particular established denomination.

    Make no mistake, the “soaking” is central to that form of “Christianity”.

    • AVincentInSpace@pawb.social
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      3 months ago

      And I would not ask anyone to “respect the beliefs” of someone whose only religion comes in the form of televangelism. There is a big difference between a religious leader and a charlatan, and it is our duty as friends and family members to try to help get people out from under the thumb of the latter.