Would you consider posing as a messiah?

[TithonusSyndrome]

I recently watched this CNN clip on Youtube about a dude claiming to be the Second Coming and making a cool $1.4 million in a year for his scheme. Just like those high school jobs you used to have where you idly wonder how you could pull off a heist and get away with the safe contents, you can't help but wonder if this kind of robbery is feasible as well.

So, do you think you could pull something like this off? And if so, would you feel comfortable going ahead with it?

[Gil Hamilton]

You mean I'm not the Second Coming?!

[Nieztchean Uber-Amoeba]

Why, exploiting people who are gullible is so ethical! Why shouldn't con artists be revered for their work?

[Vampiress_Miyu]

Meh. It depends. I most likely wouldn't though, because religion is silliness in my opinion. The thought of being the center of attention to a bunch of crazed lunatic worshipers/followers doesn't really appeal to me all that much... -shrug-

[Rye]

I hate lying to people, except for jokes, and even then, it's harsh on vulnerable people who are the prey for religions.

[TithonusSyndrome]

You could make the argument that if you kept the scheme going for about a year and then ended it by coming out with a statement like "I've just been fucking with you for an entire year. Let this be a lesson to you, don't do this again," it'd provide them with a fairly tacit lesson about charlatans, which would otherwise be difficult to propagate among the kind of low-class schmucks who're typically prey for this sort of thing.

Weak, I know, but you get the idea.

[CaptJodan]

No. As misguided and idiotic as the people who follow such beliefs tend to be, I still wouldn't do it. It would be turning me into the type of person I hate the most; the types that go on religious stations and con the elderly believers and other religious nuts out of their money. Don't think I could do it.

[phred]

Sorry I just dont need it on my conscience. not to mention that if you pull it off too well you might get killed in the process

[Nieztchean Uber-Amoeba]

You could make the argument that if you kept the scheme going for about a year and then ended it by coming out with a statement like "I've just been fucking with you for an entire year. Let this be a lesson to you, don't do this again," it'd provide them with a fairly tacit lesson about charlatans, which would otherwise be difficult to propagate among the kind of low-class schmucks who're typically prey for this sort of thing.

Weak, I know, but you get the idea.

Just like how telling a guy you'll give him a hundred bucks then shooting him in the knees when he reaches out his hand is a good lesson in not trusting anyone! Hells yeah!

Or stealing peoples' credit cards to teach them a lesson in financial security!

Or robbing people who leave the doors to their houses unlocked!

What an amazing lesson! Sociopathic exploitation and abuse of peoples' emotions is totally moral, right?

[Singular Intellect]

So, do you think you could pull something like this off?

I highly doubt it. I'm relatively sure I lack the charisma to pull it off.

And if so, would you feel comfortable going ahead with it?

Definitely.

Rake in enough money, and I could use my position (and greater intelligence relative to the believers according to the obvious fact they actually believe this crap) to ensure that the funds gathered generate as much additional income as possible. Use those resources to actually help my 'believers' by providing cheap housing, education and generally helping all of them as much as possible (since it's apparently given that the believers are going to be generally pitiful and stupid people). Perhaps get them to form communities who build the homes themselves like the 'habitat for humanity' effort...that sort of thing.

The thing about large sums of money is that the more you have, the easier it is to generate more money.

Mind you, it would depend on just how much money your believers could pile up. You'd have to reach a certain amount of money before you could start using it as a means of seriously increasing it's value without the continued contributions of the believers.

If you use enough smarts, you could genuinely turn around and use the funds you gathered to make your believers better off than they were in the first place.

[Elaro]

Just like how telling a guy you'll give him a hundred bucks then shooting him in the knees when he reaches out his hand is a good lesson in not trusting anyone! Hells yeah!

Or stealing peoples' credit cards to teach them a lesson in financial security!

Or robbing people who leave the doors to their houses unlocked!

What an amazing lesson! Sociopathic exploitation and abuse of peoples' emotions is totally moral, right?

Unless you gave the money back at the end of the year.

[darthbob88]

I don't have the brains, guts, or charisma to make a reliable Messiah. If I did do it, I'd put the money into improving conditions for these people. As in, the money they gave me, that they'd otherwise spend on drugs and such, I'd spend on schools, clinics, and homeless shelters. The problem, of course, comes when they give me the money they'd otherwise spend on food, warmth, or rent.

[Nieztchean Uber-Amoeba]

Unless you gave the money back at the end of the year.

And what are you doing with the money during that year? Or, far more importantly, what are they not doing with it?

[Darth Wong]

Given two premises:

1) This man is generating $1.4 million per year from his scheme
2) According to conservatives, the free market always arrives at the best decision

We can therefore conclude that this man must be the genuine Messiah.

[The Grim Squeaker]

Sure I would, I actually considering becoming a religious reformer and great thinker.

Unfortunately this plan this ran into a number of stumbling blocks:

• I lack great oratory skills.
• I lack great charisma.
• I lack great writing skills.
• I lack a cadre of fanatical followers who posses these skills or a large number of gullible family members.
• I don't feel as strong a need today to reform a number of religious institutes, since I've realized how fucked to the core they could be (even worse than they are today).
  And the Piece de resistance:
• I lost interest and decided to think of something of more interest. (Such as history, Sociology and political studies perhaps, fine fields if I ever wish to be the aide to such an individual and to make large amounts of cash out of the gullibility of the sheep-like proleteriat).

[Uraniun235]

I don't think I'd be a good enough orator to pull it off. Plus, I'd probably slip up and people would realize just how much contempt I actually held for those who were sending in donations. I'd be too scared of someone deciding to punish me for being a false messiah and trying to kill me.


My biggest problem would be that I'd have to effectively live a lie, a series of lies, in the public eye for the rest of my life. If I had the skill to pull that off and rake in cash, I'd just as soon become a Senator and actually be in a position to do some good while getting rich.

[metavac]

As the price goes up, there are fewer things I'm not willing to do. For $1.4 million...sure why not?

[DPDarkPrimus]

What do I do afterwards?

[Imperial Overlord]

I don't think I'd be a good enough orator to pull it off. Plus, I'd probably slip up and people would realize just how much contempt I actually held for those who were sending in donations.

The contempt is fine. They'll just think it was disapproval for all the secret sins that you can see.

[Vampiress_Miyu]

Wow. So far it's an even split right down the middle. That's interesting. -watches this for more results later-

[GuppyShark]

Given two premises:

1) This man is generating $1.4 million per year from his scheme
2) According to conservatives, the free market always arrives at the best decision

We can therefore conclude that this man must be the genuine Messiah.

Sadly, no.

Only that he's the best Messiah available, and that $1.4 million is the price people are willing to pay to have him as a Messiah.

[Ford Prefect]

So let's get this straight. I can make potentially millions, while secretly perverting the very course of an entire religion. At the same time. I would be violating many, many of my principles, and it would make me a heinous liar, but at least I would be a rich heinous liar of no principles. Up until my billions of loyal followers turn on me and do something strange like crucify me.

Meet me in Barbados. We'll do lunch.

[aerius]

As you can clearly see from my custom title, I am the chosen one, and I already have my cult of followers.

Would I do it? Right now, no, because I have no reason to. But if things were a bit different and my life sucked a bit more, sure why not?

[grimskunk2]

Didn't L. Ron Hubbard do this, too? I read some place that he even came out and told his friends he was going to create a whole religion just for economic reasons.

But that doesn't answer the question, does it?

Would I do it? No. I'm not into the whole lying for personal gain.

[Darth Wong]

Didn't L. Ron Hubbard do this, too? I read some place that he even came out and told his friends he was going to create a whole religion just for economic reasons.

Organized religions generally start as a way of fleecing the ignorant of their money. Read the Old Testament sometime and marvel at all the rules which just coincidentally happen to help the priesthood consolidate power, make money, and silence critics.