:thumbsup: I was flipping channels one night and saw this clown on. I watched it for about 10 mins, which was all I could stomache. I couldn't beleive ppl fall for his BS! I was also starting to wonder if I was watching the shopping network with the amount of crap he was trying to sell.
Benny Hinn is fleecing people and making a fortune doing it. I have no sympathy whatsoever for the suckers he fleeces. They deserve it.
Leap of Faith http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104695/ I never had a problem with performers making money. Personally I never watched any of them and barely even know what Benny Hinn looks like but you guys outside of U.S need to lighten up a little.
Hey, its survival of the fittest. Whether its American Idol or American Preacher or American President. Its all paid for by the adoring public. Why not?
I'm all for it. If the public wants it, they have a right to it. Its not illegal. People pay to hear Dawkins squawk and he makes money from books against God. He's also declared himself a charity and flits around the world on public expense. Same thing.
We dont see see too much from other countries so it is hard to criticize it. Is American media that big around the world?
My apologies. What I meant to say that I think some of these people do deserve some pity. Part of me wants to agree with you and Lori. Sometimes I think my cousin is an idiot for having bought into it. Hell, she is an idiot for having bought into it. But then I start to think about how desperate some actually are and how through that desperation, they are completely taken advantage of. I mean, that just makes me want to cry. With one major difference. Dawkins does not tell people to stop taking their medication and to stop their medical treatment because God will cure them.. if they pay the amount that God asks them to, of course. What Hinn does is downright dangerous. And he is allowed to do this with no repercussions. It's not the same thing at all. Dawkin's actions do not lead people to their death, nor does he convince them that they should give their money to him (in their greatest time of need) because God has told them they should. The problem is that it is not illegal. It should be illegal. The only reason it is not is because he claims his ministry as being a religion. Lighten up a little? It doesn't bother you that someone could travel the world, fleecing desperate and sick people who have no legal recourse when it all fails?:bugeye:
People are free to swallow any BS unfortunately, even the ones who pay through the nose for therapy, real and imagined.
I don't think the government should be involved in people's private affairs. If you want to give money to God, you should be allowed to. It's your money, right?
Bells: "Lighten up a little? It doesn't bother you that someone could travel the world, fleecing desperate and sick people who have no legal recourse when it all fails?" I wouldnt exactly call it fleecing, he is making his money off of sheer volume. But like i said, is it really that big of a deal? Sam: "even the ones who pay through the nose for therapy." Just recently there was this guy who used a meat clever to kill someone, who did he kill? HIS THERAPIST.
Here it is, Finland not US. Probably listened to one too many Dawkins theories, eh? A social darwinist no less http://news.aol.co.uk/finland-school-gunman-dies/article/20071107070809990002 Don't have to be a Christian to create victims.
If their fortunes were made by milking their concert-goers for every dime they had, all the while promising to magically "heal" their worst ailments, diseases, and physical deformities, then, yes, we would necessarily begrudge them.
What about atheists who spread a nocebo effect among people? Should they be held responsible for any resultant suicides or deaths?
Sorry for any dissonance, I am addressing this point. The nocebo effect is also known. http://mindfulhack.blogspot.com/2006_12_26_archive.html And recognised: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/eletters/329/7458/123
You're absolutely right. But think of it this way. If Hinn had been the head of a corporation and had taken money from the investors in a similar fashion, would he still be flying all over the world, and continuing to do so with nothing to show for it but his own wealth and the investors get nothing in return? Not the heals they were promised.. nothing.. What does that have to do with this topic? Has Dawkins ever told people to give him money so that they can be cured of their illnesses? Has he ever stood on a stage and told people that the amount they gave was somehow reflective of just how much they believed and the more they give, the more miracles were likely to follow? Huh? You are equating atheists telling people they don't believe in God as being somehow similar to a prancing prat in a white suit, telling people to give him money because God says so and the more they give, the more miracles they are likely to be blessed with.. not to mention telling sick people they are cured and lead them to believe they no longer need medical treatment, resulting in their dying.. You think the two are comparable?:bugeye: Ermm ok.. Moving right along.. What do you think John? In the grand scheme of things, it really is no big deal. After all, there is a sucker born every minute, isn't there? But I would like you to think of the sheer amount of influence someone like Hinn happens to have over people... Telling people: Nooo.. not fleecing at all..Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
