It's so obvious. No!

Not in my bible.

No, in just about every imaginable way.

To me... NO.

Yes, it is moral. Why shouldn't my Pastor live as well as my boss, or my doctor?

I'm really not aware of any minister who makes a high salary. That's not usually one of their expectations when they enter the ministry.

I think that there should be self-limits by clergymen. And no, Church buildings are getting too expensive. think what that money could do for missionary work.

Uh... MOST ministers (at least the non-media type) don't make THAT much. They normally get a house to live in (parsonage) with their families, and sometimes enough to cover food and a few more expenses. They travel around town throughout the week visiting families and those in the hospital, write their sermons, and generally, don't get out much else, unless invited by congregational families. Many churches raise money specifically for a "building fund", replacing organs, adding on, etc. If they have an affluent congregation (or one large enough), they can afford those large buildings. Now... Should they be as flashy as those on TV? It should be something a majority of the congregation agrees on. And, if they do, who's to judge? (Had a friend who was a minister's son. He had to move with the family from where he had a lot of friends and a girlfieidn, make his own money for his own stuff (guitar, vehicle, dates, etc.), and STILL (32 years later) hates the high-school we went to because it reminds him of this. (He DID meet his wife in the church he moved to, and considers it his home, but trying to get him to go to a HS reunion is impossible.)

I like those $2000 dollar suits they wear -- and the two hundred ties too. If the congregation gives them that money why shouldn't they spend it as they see fit. Actually, if they took their who salary and expense money how many starving children could they actually help?

From an athiest's standpoint. It is a total waste of money to even build a church and to pay someone to perpetuate a myth (christian, moslem, jew, anamalist,etc) that has caused some much problems in the world. ON the other hand missionaries that aren't busy prosthetilzing, but educating may be a good thing. On the other hand, a lot of culture and science wouldn't be with us today if we hadn't concentrated the wealth in the hands of the church. But today is different and we don't need the church any more. We have a better trueth and it is science. Not science as a religion but as a way of learning about the world around us without the mythology inherent in religion.

I couldn't live with myself. As a "servant of God" and of God's people how could I accept living better than those I am sworn to serve. I beleive, at least in some cases, we have people who are supposed to be our spiritual leaders who may not actually beleive what they're feeding us. It's just that it's a comfortable position. I think they mislead people into thinking that having a ton of amenities for the church is important too. This is one of the things that leads to doubts from the congregation.