If you ask a pastor what his responsibility it, he will give you one or another version of “My job is to be responsible for, and look out for the spiritual welfare of my parishioners.”  And if you look at some of the lists of a pastor’s job, such as here, or here, he’d be right.

The reality is that there is no god that the preacher has to give answer to, and there is no way for any individual to be truly responsible for another person’s life, circumstances, experiences, emotions, thoughts, or choices.  If a person relinquishes his own autonomy, and allows another to direct his thoughts and actions, he is worse than a blind follower.

The preacher’s job is NOT to guide a person into a deeper relationship with god, or to help a person live a better life.

The preachers actual job is to smooth-talk gullible people into showing up week after week, in order to protect the preacher’s own income.  Without a congregation, without a church full of people pitching money into the plate, the preacher will not have an income.  He has to convince his followers (and really, they are the preacher’s followers, not followers of God, because there is no God for them to follow) that he has some insight, some special illumination that they need.

Do preachers deserve the respect of society that they used to hold almost automatically?   No.  They are just ordinary people.   And, in fact, because their entire income is derived from conning others, they are worse than a common thief.  The common thief breaks into your home, takes what he wants and never comes back.  The preacher breaks into your mind, makes you think he is doing you a favor, and dips into your pocket week after week.

I have no respect for preachers being preachers.  Some seem to exhibit some altruism, actually entering the ministry wanting the welfare of their congregations.  But most of them figure out they cannot actually carry that sort of responsibility, and they know in their hearts they are liars and charlatans.  Some are nicer than others, but as a whole they are deceivers.  The only differences between some and others is one of degrees.