This is a good answer in that I like your justification of the statement. However, there are some issues: 1. -Con is painful, particularly to a new player who could use some buffer, and 2. you can go wrong with spell choices – preparing cure spells, for instance, rather than just using the spontaneous spells feature. Still, it's making me reconsider my position on the Cleric.

@KRyan The answer's point (2) directly addresses your point (2) already. (You may disagree, but that would be using a more sensitive threshold for "go wrong" than the answer does, that's all.)

@SevenSidedDie Cure spells heal for less than the expected damage output of a single stock-standard level-equivalent enemy. They provide a baseline minimum threshold for spell power, but it is very low. If you are a Cleric and all you are doing is healing with cure, you are A. not contributing much, and B. quite likely not having a huge amount of fun; at least stereotypically the "healbot" position is often regarded as unpleasant. 3.5 specifically tried to eliminate the need for it and give Clerics other things to do, but if you don't use them... you are not doing much.

@KRyan Yes, the answer addresses that. Briefly, but it does. You ought not expect 100% efficiency in the answers when it's not a criterium of the question.

@SevenSidedDie Not talking about 100% efficiency: using cure spells is the equivalent of 0%. It is the absolute minimum of what a Cleric could do, and it is considerably less than you can expect an enemy to be doing. So I don't expect 100% efficiency, but I expect that one's contributions will at least match that of your standard orc warrior. A cleric who only spams cure does not accomplish that.

@KRyan Yes, the answer addresses that.

@SevenSidedDie Again, no, it does not. It says that he will "still be useful (as healing)" Until heal comes online (and there is no way it's a good idea to play for the first time at a level where heal is available), using cure spells in combat is not useful, except in emergencies. The answer doesn't address any of this. Note that I have upvoted the answer overall, I just think those two points need clarification.

Well, apparently I should have clarified that those healing spells are to be used mostly after combat (i.e. when human fighter sits and does nothing). You mostly shoot arrows in combat.

@EugeneRyabtsev Well, hey, there's buffs too. Bless is wonderful at low levels, y'know.

Also, elven clerics (especially archers) do not need helluvalot of con (especially at low levels), because teir AC is solid, it's useful at low levels, and the build does not go to front line. They can tolerate missing 1..2 hp just fine.

If it makes ya feel better I approve of the elven cleric idea if the campaign stays at low levels

As a longer-term character a lack of system mastery can make it flounder horribly

It only takes one day of bad spell choices to kill you

@EugeneRyabtsev I think you should add "between combats" to your parenthetical

then I'd delete my comment as obsolete