the talented mr. torless

since young torless is overseas at the moment, i will be forced to take his place and post the requisite amount of nyt drivel for the summer.

unfortunately for yinz, this one has to do with developing nations too (via boingboing). but this time, it's about outsourcing prayers:

American, as well as Canadian and European churches, are sending Mass intentions, or requests for services like those to remember deceased relatives and thanksgiving prayers, to clergy in India.
[...]
In Kerala's churches, memorial and thanksgiving prayers conducted for local residents are said for a donation of 40 rupees (90 cents), whereas a prayer request from the United States typically comes with $5, the Indian priests say.
[...]
But critics of the phenomenon said they were shocked that religious services were being sent offshore, or outsourced, a word normally used for clerical and other office jobs that migrate to countries with lower wages.
[...]
However, congregations in Kerala say the practice of ordering prayers is several decades old. "The church is not a business enterprise, and it is sad and pathetic to connect this practice to outsourcing software work to cheaper labor destinations," said the Rev. Vincent Kundukulam of St. Joseph Pontifical Seminary in Aluva, near Cochin.
[...]
The Rev. Paul Thelakkat, a Cochin-based spokesman for the Synod of Bishops of the Syro-Malabar Church, said, "The prayer is heartfelt, and every prayer is treated as the same whether it is paid for in dollars, euros or in rupees."

dude, i'm seriously going to start a religion one of these days. it seems like a good racket. wally and i have already discussed starting a cult where we worship robocop and nail disaffected chicks (incidentally, that's where the blog's tagline comes from), so it's only a short hopskipandajump from that to a megachurch. (megachurch link via patricklogan).