The priest got mad at me because I told him...

[Hammzah]

"You are a host, and your job is to entertain your guest."

He said something like. "Here you are judging me and telling me I'm an entertainer. I don't go to church to entertain them, I go to church to spread the word of God. Go away. I don't want to talk to you."

Anyways, I know this guy because he goes to my gym. And one day I decided to talk with him about religion which I usually don't. What I told him was I believe that every priest of every religion is a host who entertains his guests.

To me they are like clowns, or comedians, seriously. What is the job of clowns or comedians? Its to entertain their guest, right? Don't they play music and sing songs in every religion? How are they not entertainers? Please tell me. The life is a show, period.

 

[Sunstone]

Of course entertainment is quite often a part of religion.

We are, after all, a species of great ape. Craving entertainment is our nature. But so much else is involved in religion besides entertainment. You cannot reduce all religion to entertainment any more than you can reduce all religion to charity despite that charity is a part of some religions.

Religions are all sorts of things. Efforts to reduce them to just one or a few things are almost always ludicrous -- albeit certainly entertaining.

 

[bobhikes]

"You are a host, and your job is to entertain your guest."

He said something like. "Here you are judging me and telling me I'm an entertainer. I don't go to church to entertain them, I go to church to spread the word of God. Go away. I don't want to talk to you."

Anyways, I know this guy because he goes to my gym. And one day I decided to talk with him about religion which I usually don't. What I told him was I believe that every priests of every religion is a host who entertains his guests.

To me they are like clowns, or comedians, seriously. What is the job of clowns or comedians? Its to entertain their guest, right? Don't they play music and sing songs in every religion? How are they not entertainers? Please tell me. The life is a show, period.

A few problems, they are for the most part following a script without any variance. So as to an entertainer they are more of an Actor with only small areas to improvise. Even the songs are specified for only certain areas of the mass. Second their audience are worshipers or basically the fanatics. Yes the new Starwar's movies are trying to get as many people as possible but they don't want to lose there base so again they stick to a script. The priest does the same the worshipers have expectations and they are the ones that keep coming back and keep financing the church so they have to be satisfied.

Priest are closest to the type cast actor that gets no other roles.

 

[Rival]

You've obviously never attended one of @RabbiO's sermons.

 

[Grandliseur]

"You are a host, and your job is to entertain your guest."

He said something like. "Here you are judging me and telling me I'm an entertainer. I don't go to church to entertain them, I go to church to spread the word of God. Go away. I don't want to talk to you."

Anyways, I know this guy because he goes to my gym. And one day I decided to talk with him about religion which I usually don't. What I told him was I believe that every priest of every religion is a host who entertains his guests.

To me they are like clowns, or comedians, seriously. What is the job of clowns or comedians? Its to entertain their guest, right? Don't they play music and sing songs in every religion? How are they not entertainers? Please tell me. The life is a show, period.

If that is how you view life, you should also be ready for the fact that some 'entertainers' shall bore you to death by preaching your ears off. If you had said that to a Catholic French priest he might have involved you in a philosophical discussion that would have made you think that hamburgers are health foods, coffee better than French wine, and that you owed him 50 bucks for the performance.

 

[Kenny]

"You are a host, and your job is to entertain your guest."

He said something like. "Here you are judging me and telling me I'm an entertainer. I don't go to church to entertain them, I go to church to spread the word of God. Go away. I don't want to talk to you."

Anyways, I know this guy because he goes to my gym. And one day I decided to talk with him about religion which I usually don't. What I told him was I believe that every priest of every religion is a host who entertains his guests.

To me they are like clowns, or comedians, seriously. What is the job of clowns or comedians? Its to entertain their guest, right? Don't they play music and sing songs in every religion? How are they not entertainers? Please tell me. The life is a show, period.

I remember when one person came to me and said (paraphrased), "I am going to another church, I'm just not receiving here anymore" and not 3 minutes later another person came and said "This has been a life changing message for me".

I wonder if one gets out of a message what one's heart puts into receiving the message, for those who think its clowning, they get a clown message, for those who seek answers, gets answer.

"He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward." Jesus.

Each got what they came for.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

"You are a host, and your job is to entertain your guest."

He said something like. "Here you are judging me and telling me I'm an entertainer. I don't go to church to entertain them, I go to church to spread the word of God. Go away. I don't want to talk to you."

Anyways, I know this guy because he goes to my gym. And one day I decided to talk with him about religion which I usually don't. What I told him was I believe that every priest of every religion is a host who entertains his guests.

To me they are like clowns, or comedians, seriously. What is the job of clowns or comedians? Its to entertain their guest, right? Don't they play music and sing songs in every religion? How are they not entertainers? Please tell me. The life is a show, period.

They're not entertainers; they're salespeople.

 

[Sunstone]

They're not entertainers; they're salespeople.

Have you ever sold anything professionally? If you had, I'm not sure you'd draw such a clearcut distinction between sales and entertainment.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Have you ever sold anything professionally? If you had, I'm not sure you'd draw such a clearcut distinction between sales and entertainment.

I have; I agree that the distiction isn't clearcut, just that the ultimate goal is different: an entertainer who is playing to a full but unhappy room is failing in his goal. A salesman - who is selling attendance - playing to a full but unhappy room is succeeding in his goal (as long as the crowd comes back next week).

 

[sandy whitelinger]

They're not entertainers; they're salespeople.

Us sales people are entertainers.

 

[sandy whitelinger]

"You are a host, and your job is to entertain your guest."

He said something like. "Here you are judging me and telling me I'm an entertainer. I don't go to church to entertain them, I go to church to spread the word of God. Go away. I don't want to talk to you."

Anyways, I know this guy because he goes to my gym. And one day I decided to talk with him about religion which I usually don't. What I told him was I believe that every priest of every religion is a host who entertains his guests.

To me they are like clowns, or comedians, seriously. What is the job of clowns or comedians? Its to entertain their guest, right? Don't they play music and sing songs in every religion? How are they not entertainers? Please tell me. The life is a show, period.

All the world's a stage. We are but bit players.

 

[joe1776]

They're not entertainers; they're salespeople.

But the audience has already bought the product. Maybe they're trying to figure out what to do with it. That would make clergy linked to product support.

My sister-in-law is a faithful Christian and a sweetheart. "I just love going to church on Sundays. I feel love all around me," she said. I refrained from asking her if the point wasn't to feel like that seven days a week and not only with the people who agreed with her.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

But the audience has already bought the product. Maybe they're trying to figure out what to do with it. That would make clergy linked to product support.

Of course. Keeping customers happy is one tactic for ongoing sales. Another tactic is instilling fear in your customers of what might happen if they go without your product. There are many tools in the toolbox.

 

[YmirGF]

Of course. Keeping customers happy is one tactic for ongoing sales. Another tactic is instilling fear in your customers of what might happen if they go without your product. There are many tools in the toolbox.

While there is some element of entertainment in sales, entertaining is hardly the focus of the effort, so I am more inclined to go with your side in this conversation. A more advanced aspect of sales is known as relationship sales. The relationship is the actual product, not just some box d'jour. The salesperson becomes a respected consultant over a longer period of time thereby minimizing the need to sell any given product. Trust is the primary element involved.

In regards to the OP, this strong atheist is somewhat appalled that someone would show such blatant cynicism towards a segment of society. I think the fellow responded quite appropriately. I doubt I would have been as charitable.

 

[Kelly of the Phoenix]

"You are a host, and your job is to entertain your guest."

He said something like. "Here you are judging me and telling me I'm an entertainer. I don't go to church to entertain them, I go to church to spread the word of God. Go away. I don't want to talk to you."

Anyways, I know this guy because he goes to my gym. And one day I decided to talk with him about religion which I usually don't. What I told him was I believe that every priest of every religion is a host who entertains his guests.

To me they are like clowns, or comedians, seriously. What is the job of clowns or comedians? Its to entertain their guest, right? Don't they play music and sing songs in every religion? How are they not entertainers? Please tell me. The life is a show, period.

Well, I mean, I can see how he'd be irritable.

You're kinda right, but it was still rude. Religion, especially those that demand you go to a particular place and listen to particular things and buy particular merchandise, is a business. I would say it's an entertainment business, because IIRC, church attendance started going down when people in town had other things to do.

 

[Kenny]

But the audience has already bought the product. Maybe they're trying to figure out what to do with it. That would make clergy linked to product support.

My sister-in-law is a faithful Christian and a sweetheart. "I just love going to church on Sundays. I feel love all around me," she said. I refrained from asking her if the point wasn't to feel like that seven days a week and not only with the people who agreed with her.

I think that scope is too narrow.

 

[4consideration]

"You are a host, and your job is to entertain your guest."

He said something like. "Here you are judging me and telling me I'm an entertainer. I don't go to church to entertain them, I go to church to spread the word of God. Go away. I don't want to talk to you."

Anyways, I know this guy because he goes to my gym. And one day I decided to talk with him about religion which I usually don't. What I told him was I believe that every priest of every religion is a host who entertains his guests.

To me they are like clowns, or comedians, seriously. What is the job of clowns or comedians? Its to entertain their guest, right? Don't they play music and sing songs in every religion? How are they not entertainers? Please tell me. The life is a show, period.

I'm curious about how this conversation started.

Did the priest initiate a religious discussion, or did you go up to him and give him your opinion that he's not what he thinks he should be, but is really an entertainer?

Or something else?

 

[joe1776]

I think that scope is too narrow.

Probably. I wasn't taking this thread seriously.

 

[David T]

"You are a host, and your job is to entertain your guest."

He said something like. "Here you are judging me and telling me I'm an entertainer. I don't go to church to entertain them, I go to church to spread the word of God. Go away. I don't want to talk to you."

Anyways, I know this guy because he goes to my gym. And one day I decided to talk with him about religion which I usually don't. What I told him was I believe that every priest of every religion is a host who entertains his guests.

To me they are like clowns, or comedians, seriously. What is the job of clowns or comedians? Its to entertain their guest, right? Don't they play music and sing songs in every religion? How are they not entertainers? Please tell me. The life is a show, period.

Are you calling bob dylan a clown?

 

[Twilight Hue]

"You are a host, and your job is to entertain your guest."

He said something like. "Here you are judging me and telling me I'm an entertainer. I don't go to church to entertain them, I go to church to spread the word of God. Go away. I don't want to talk to you."

Anyways, I know this guy because he goes to my gym. And one day I decided to talk with him about religion which I usually don't. What I told him was I believe that every priest of every religion is a host who entertains his guests.

To me they are like clowns, or comedians, seriously. What is the job of clowns or comedians? Its to entertain their guest, right? Don't they play music and sing songs in every religion? How are they not entertainers? Please tell me. The life is a show, period.

Struck a nerve on the poor guy. Telling.