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Very wealthy people got wealthy by playing the game and manipulating people's perceptions. Going to church (whether you are a believer or not) can be a very productive way to do this. People will most readily give you their money if they trust you, and churchgoers trust other churchgoers.
This is not a question about religion. It is a question about the confidence game and racket of life in a monetized society.
There is a huge gulf of difference between what motivates people to virtue, and to wealth.
I am not so sure that we can make a blanket statement like this. People got their wealth in all sorts of ways. I would believe that there are those with old money who are very charitable and kind and gracious and are reared to respect people no matter what their station in life. I think their parents send them to schools that discourage snobbery and duplicity and encourage honesty.
If you have money and have had it for ages, you can afford to be good, can't you? Your money protects you from having to deal with the seamy side of life, with the hustlers and the hucksters and lowlives of the world.
I think the dirty dealers, if they are to be found, will be more often among the newly rich who feel they must prove themselves and are fearful of losing their newly acquired wealth and like to laud it over on the social classes that they have left behind. I get the feeling that Donald Trump may be one of this sort and perhaps that person, Sheldon Adelson.
I don't know if Trump goes to church, though. I know Adelson is a big supporter of Israel and the political right in this country, but I don't know if he is religious at all.
I have read that the church with the greatest number of monied and influential people in the US is the Episcopal Church. Some people join just for the contacts that they make there, but this is true for other religions as well.
I have read that the church with the greatest number of monied and influential people in the US is the Episcopal Church. Some people join just for the contacts that they make there, but this is true for other religions as well.
kind of sums up the scam it really is then.
Many only go to Church for appearances only, what is the point of that?
Many only go to Church for appearances only, what is the point of that?
doubt many of them even believe in God.
I think people lead very demanding lives and church makes them feel good.
I also think churches do a lot of good for the community and rich folks like supporting that in a venue where they feel they are not getting ripped off. Church charities are usually run by volunteers, too, and it does good for the wealthy to get involved in such things.
Why should people believe in a God? It does not make sense that an all powerful being cannot talk to people today, just as you and I talk. It does not make sense that a god's communication is limited to words in a book or two, published years ago and actually written by men. What kind of a god would do that? Yes, I believe that a lot of these folks don't believe in a god, but that does not mean that they get nothing out of church going.
I am not so sure that we can make a blanket statement like this.
It is a given that people in forums like this are not making blanket statements. But nobody wants to even start to read a post that goes on with paragraph after paragraph of acknowledged exclusions, exceptions and disclaimers. A person making a concise summation is already aware that there is substantial room for all kinds of variables on a general theme.
You also cannot make a blanket statement that, say, "Americans are consumerist", unless it is understood by all users that there are Americans who are not consumerist, and the "blanket statement" accounts for that, and it is not necessary to itemize in a footnote all the different ways in which certain American individuals choose to mediate their spending lifestyle.
Like, look at the title of this thread. "Do very wealthy people go to church?" Of course, that is not absolutely true as a blanket statement covering every single very wealthy person. If that question were in Poll form, Yes or No, nobody could possibly answer Yes without violating your blanket statement edict. If you want to castigate blanketism, criticize the question, not the answers.
It is a given that people in forums like this are not making blanket statements. But nobody wants to even start to read a post that goes on with paragraph after paragraph of acknowledged exclusions, exceptions and disclaimers. A person making a concise summation is already aware that there is substantial room for all kinds of variables on a general theme.
You also cannot make a blanket statement that, say, "Americans are consumerist", unless it is understood by all users that there are Americans who are not consumerist, and the "blanket statement" accounts for that, and it is not necessary to itemize in a footnote all the different ways in which certain American individuals choose to mediate their spending lifestyle.
Like, look at the title of this thread. "Do very wealthy people go to church?" Of course, that is not absolutely true as a blanket statement covering every single very wealthy person. If that question were in Poll form, Yes or No, nobody could possibly answer Yes without violating your blanket statement edict. If you want to castigate blanketism, criticize the question, not the answers.
We are not here, speaking face to face, and reading into each other's voice modulations and facial expressions and body language. We are pretty much left to take you at your word. Yes, the language is flexible and precise enough to express subtlety. If you refuse to do that, then prepare that some will misunderstand your intentions.
Some people often make blanket statements that they do not mean literally. It is nothing more than an annoying habit because you leave readers having to question if you really meant what you said or were just trying to be emphatic.
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