Master Delusionist

The pastor or priest is the master delusionist. His job is to present a delusion to you, reinforce it constantly, and ask you to pay for his effort. A liar is a delusionist too, but a master delusionist would be one who is very nice to you, speaks in a soft tone, shows restraint and diplomacy when challenged, and may actually believe the delusion he is promoting.

Here is an entertaining little exercise: Go to church and, on the bulletin, keep score with little tally marks every time you hear something that is false, unsubstantiable, or a baseless declaration of fact. Try to be as objective as you possibly can be. When you hear something, ask yourself, “Is this true?” If the answer is “no,” put a hash mark.

 I have done this and it is amazing! Every few seconds, I put down a tally mark.

A healing service is delusional thinking and is a basic bait and switch kind of event. I have been to several healing services and have never observed someone being healed. The religious leader, when questioned about this, always says something along the lines of, “We don’t know how God works, or exactly what his will is.” About the best we do is pray for peace about whatever ails us and that somehow makes us feel better.

Prayer too is delusional thinking because prayer also does not work. Pray for all cancer to be cured or an amputee’s limb to regenerate. It won’t happen, period. Get your prayer group to offer up the prayer or organize a prayer service to pray about about it. It still won’t happen. “Ask and you shall receive” is false. “Wherever two or more are gathered…” is also false.

These things are all part of the delusion offered by the master delusionist–claims that are never fulfilled.