What should pastors do if they no longer hold the defining beliefs of their denomination? Do clergy have a moral obligation not to challenge the sincere faith of their parishioners? If this requires them to dissemble from the pulpit, doesn't this create systematic hypocrisy at the center of religion? What would you want your pastor to do with his or her personal doubts or loss of faith?

Read "Preachers who are not Believers," a study by Daniel C. Dennett and Linda LaScola of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University.

They can resign, it's not so hard is it?

This is actually not new. To my mind, it's in deed a growing trend (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/393479.stm; http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-13001983.html ; http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article540199.ece ). And, when you consider the fact that what many pastors and priests do (e.g. the recent finanical scandals involving RCCG pastors like Erastus Akingbola and Pastor Wale Adebajo; sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church; and, fake miraculous claims made by some Pentecostal preachers; you cannot but wonder if these pastors and priests really believe what they procalim from the pulpits.

There are a lot of people like this.

why preach what u dont believe in? . . . . .these dudes are sons of satan with the intention of delivering souls to hell and not to the kingdom.

the main attraction is the millions made out of our gullible Nigerians.

huxley:


What should pastors do if they no longer hold the defining beliefs of their denomination?

The devil went for a walk with a friend. They saw a man ahead of them stoop down and pick up something from the ground.

DEVIL'S FRIEND: “What did that man find?”

DEVIL: “A piece of Truth”

DEVIL'S FRIEND: "Doesn’t that disturb you?”

DEVIL: “No. . .I shall let him make a belief of it.”

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Lesson => A religious belief is a signpost pointing the way to Truth. When you cling to the signpost you are prevented from moving towards the Truth because you think you have it already.

Many pastors, priests, bishops, archbishops and Popes are like station attendants, popularly known as and called "agberos." These station attendants or "agberos" help commuters to get the right busses, coaches, trains, etc, ultimately arriving at their chosen/expected destinations. However, the station attendants or "agberos" themselves never leave the bus/coach/train stations. If, in deed, the biblical notions of heaven and hell are true (am not an atheist, but lean towards agnosticism), whilst many pastors, priests, bishops, archbishops and popes might, themselves, end up in the lake of fires, those whom they've shown the truth, the way and life [i]might [/i]make it into heaven.