Thinking of starting a new religion or political movement...

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31 Aug 2009, 1:26 pm

I just started taking a course in how to make web pages. I was just trying to think of ways of making money on the internet.

A couple of things came to mind--either making claims to being a religious leader, or a political leader, and asking people for donations.

I was just thinking about Oral Roberts and his "Faith Seed Offering" bonanza. That scumbag made millions. So, why can't I?

I used to be on his mailing list. His pitch was that in order to turn your life around and make money, you had to send him a "faith seed offering", and then he would pray for you, and Jesus would make you rich. There were the usual testimonials from the down-and-outer who sent him 100 bucks and then her life turned completely around.

On the political side--I was thinking that it might be fun to set up a website where I took the piss out of conservative--basically tar Rush Limbaugh and his ilk as namby-pamby liberals. But, then I thought, some percentage of the population is bound to take me seriously, and a few of these might be willing to empty their pockets a bit, to keep me going.

What do you folks think?

I wonder if I would make a convincing huckster?

Tim_Tex
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31 Aug 2009, 1:35 pm

This reminds me of the Simpsons episode "Homer the Heretic".

I hope the Feast of Maximum Occupancy coincides with a big test at school.

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pakled
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31 Aug 2009, 3:17 pm

Hey, it worked for L Ron Hubbard!...

pandabear
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01 Sep 2009, 5:23 pm

Maybe if I come up with an approach that the Roman Republic was a conservative dreamworld, and that the framers of the US constitution and declaration of independence were a bunch of artsy-fartsy liberals.

Maybe we should go back to worshipping Roman gods. We could claim that Christianity just bastardized the true Roman religion.

Sand
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01 Sep 2009, 10:22 pm

pandabear wrote:

What would you think of a geneticist coming up with novel ways of creating new forms of cancer?

pandabear
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02 Sep 2009, 11:06 pm

Well, that does sound kinky now, doesn't it?

Actually, I think that I might take the viewpoint that the Puritans of England and New England were the true conservatives. Then, whipsaw Thomas Jefferson for having been a Deist.

Compared to the Puritans, almost everyone is a "liberal" (using the pejorative American sense of the term).

I started thinking that I might pull a Joseph Smith--pretend that I was visited by angels, and then write a text that they allowed me to translate. But, it sounds like too much fuss and bother, and I probably wouldn't get any donations, unless it was really good.

Sand
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02 Sep 2009, 11:08 pm

pandabear wrote:

You're not operating out of Nigeria, are you?

NOBS
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02 Sep 2009, 11:23 pm

You can fool some of the people ALL of the time.
You can fool all of the people some of the time.
You can NEVER fool all of the people all of the time.

Sand
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02 Sep 2009, 11:53 pm

NOBS wrote:

You can fool some of the people ALL of the time.
You can fool all of the people some of the time.
You can NEVER fool all of the people all of the time.

A good scam never has to fool all the people, merely enough to make it highly profitable, and history has proved that to be a useful motivation time and time again. People want to believe in wonderful impossibilities and that is a wonderful lever for manipulation.

NOBS
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03 Sep 2009, 12:02 am

Sand wrote:

NOBS wrote:

You can fool some of the people ALL of the time.
You can fool all of the people some of the time.
You can NEVER fool all of the people all of the time.

You are correct sir, but P.T. Barnum was correct before us both, and perhaps more to the point when he said "There's a sucker born every minute".

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03 Sep 2009, 12:03 am

Panda Bear as leader....now there's a scary thought.

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ruveyn
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03 Sep 2009, 9:08 am

pandabear wrote:

Compared to the Puritans, almost everyone is a "liberal" (using the pejorative American sense of the term).

.

H.L.Menkin wrote that a Puritan is a person who lives in constant fear that somewhere, somehow, someone is having a good time.

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Sand
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03 Sep 2009, 10:30 am

ruveyn wrote:

pandabear wrote:

Compared to the Puritans, almost everyone is a "liberal" (using the pejorative American sense of the term).

.

H.L.Menkin wrote that a Puritan is a person who lives in constant fear that somewhere, somehow, someone is having a good time.

ruveyn

H.L.Menken said quite a few things that were incisive and bright. I don't know if his being antisemitic should influence you.

pandabear
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03 Sep 2009, 10:50 am

MissConstrue wrote:

Panda Bear as leader....now there's a scary thought.

"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain...."

Of course I'll use a pseudonym. I wouldn't want anyone to know that it is me, pandabear, who is pulling the strings.

Picking on Jews is not going to help my financial cause--modern Christians have learned that sucking up to the Jews can pay big dividends--i.e., persuading people that the creation of the nation of Israel is the fulfillment of Bible prophecy, end times, etc.

Bashing "liberals" and "socialists" is an excellent way to bring in donations.

MajorTom
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03 Sep 2009, 12:39 pm

Okay, I'm not sure if this is a joke or something.
pandabear, do you not have any morals? Taking advantage of people like that is terrible.
On the other hand, it does make sense. Taking money from idiots would probably do some good for the gene pool.

Sand
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03 Sep 2009, 12:52 pm

MajorTom wrote:

Or inspire idiots to commit terrible acts. Just look at Scientology.

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