I Had It Wrong

I guess I have been all wrong about ministers. I grew up thinking that these were special people who were a little better than the rest of us. A little kinder. A little more giving. After all, they raised their families with whatever money the congregation felt like giving them. In most cases, it wasn't all that much. They were there for their flock, no matter the hour. They seemed gentler, more like I imagined Jesus to be. But, I had it wrong. The scandals in the Christian churches in the past months have given me pause, you might say. These people (mostly men) are not only no better than the rest of us, some of them are sick perverts. They have twisted psyches. Not only are they not Jesus-like, they aren't even descent human beings. They are liars, cheaters and sexually promiscuous. We've been inundated for years with stories of the priest/pedophile scandals in the Catholic church. The fundamentalist Christians sat back all self-satisfied and smug. Now, they aren't looking so smug. So, what's the lesson here? I don't know. I gave up on organized religion many years ago. Wars are being fought even today in the name of religion. Would we all be better off if the churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples were closed down?