What profession was once highly respected, but is now a joke?

@hunkalove

This just about covers it. When I was a tad, Oral Roberts was a big deal on the TV. The "miracles" did he perform.

@rinkydinkydoink i enjoyed watching him. A very bad actor.

@rinkydinkydoink At what point did televangelists lose a lot of respect? The first time I heard about anything with during the Jim Baker scandal, soon followed by Jimmy Swaggart.

Or was it long before even those?

@Punches I remember watching them in the late-1950s and thinking it was pretty phony and funny.

@hunkalove I saw one years ago, some crooked televangelist called "Peter Popoff" (yes, he exists) and some lady was saying in an excited quivering religious tone, something about having colon cancer that no doctor could cure, but after drinking some miracle spring water, she passed the cancer out of her r3ctum.
Of course Popoff said, "Hallelujah". 🙄 pfft, what in the HAIL is that?!

Phony and funny does begin to describe these we*rdos at least. 🤣

I figure though if they are giving away water, maybe I could get like 30 gallons a week and cut down on my water bill. WaSh My CaR iN mIrAcLe SpRiNg WaTeR aNd It WiLL bE bLeSsEd!

[media=https://vocaroo.com/1l2h28CdLDgu]

@Punches

Ever heard of Father Coughlin? He was a radio evangelist of sorts. Not a faith healer but a 5hit disturber of the first rank - and I do mean rank. This pos was from my hometown in Canada.

@rinkydinkydoink Yes,I know of him.