>> If you refer to my misgivings against some televangelists: I have nothing against Christianity, and that is not what I am denouncing. But I do have a strong impression that some individual leaders have been misusing religion for their own personal gain. The same, of course, can be said of leaders in many other religions.

Hilmar, I was not implying anything by that comment, nor directing it toward you. In fact, I agree with your assessment.

There are scam artists in every walk of life. It is just so much more distastful when they crop up in the "religious" arena. I believe this is because their behavior contrasts so sharply with what true faith is supposed to bring to humanity.

I believe this is part of the reason why there is such a negative connotation surrounding TV evangelists. Although I have no problem with asking for donations to be used to run faith-based organizations, I have questioned their wisdom in getting involved with TV because of the sheer expense of such an undertaking.

When your expenses run in the tens of thousands per month, you must ramp up your hawking and get very aggressive in your fund-raising. It is this aggression that has caused many people to be suspicious of even the most well-meaning evangelists.