I read about a Catholic woman in the US, who had stopped going to church, bcos in the light of the current scandals she thought that the priests were more flawed than her, so why listen to them? Just an example which shows how religion creates and pushes a myth: the myth that the leaders of the religion are closer to God than ‘normal’ people. That woman, when she discovered that her leaders don’t know God any better than she does, saw no reason to go to church anymore. The illusion was shattered. This is an illusion which is created, carefully crafted, nurtured and is used to keep people in bondage to the religion, no matter what flavor of Christianity it is manifested in.
Whatever the setting, note how a hireling always first establishes his spiritual superiority over his audience, whether it be on TV or at the local church. Now, he may get someone else to exalt him, knowing that self-exaltation is crass, yet, self-exaltation, and setting himself over others as superior, is vital to his ‘ministry’. Why? Bcos he knows that Christians have been conditioned to think that ‘leaders’ are superior to them, and he knows, therefore, that he can successfully use that lie, and milk it for all it’s worth, to get what he wants.
When you were a new believer and you watched TV evangelists, didn’t you think that there was some aura they possessed? You reasoned that if they are great enough to get on TV then they must know God better than you and thus be a spiritual authority to you.
Ian Vincent 
March 31, 2010 at 2:15 am
The presence of the REAL Holy Spirit (as, versus, a counterfeit spirit) is that He ensures that Jesus has the preeminence in all things : His superiority is the only superiority the saints are aware of : they are only aware that Jesus is superior, and that all are subject to Him.
March 31, 2010 at 2:43 am
The average church-goer has to be de-mythologized. Where there is the myth of superiority, there has to be the corresponding myth of inferiority, to support it.
April 4, 2010 at 7:35 pm
Amen brother.
April 4, 2010 at 9:45 pm
I don’t mean to say that I can not learn from other brothers and sisters in Christ. On the contrary, I learn a great deal from them. I am encouraged and exhorted and reminded of what Jesus wants me to be.
It’s interesting that today, my non-saved family members are all “celebrating” Easter. I am living this day as I would any other day, and I am being ignored and looked on as a wierdo.
April 4, 2010 at 11:29 pm
When we know true equality in Christ, then we are free to hear and receive the words and wisdom of God through any of His children. We understand more, then, that’s it’s God speaking thru His people, and not the words of man. If we were inclined toward the words and wisdom of man, then we would gravitate toward “great” men, just like the world does.
For you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, has God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nothing things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. And of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glories, let him glory in the Lord.
(1Co 1:26-31)