I realize that churches provide a great deal more than spiritual use to most people - it serves as a social gathering, as a way to give and receive support, and as a way of giving back to the community in positive ways. I just feel that once you turn a church into a mini-mall with laser light shows and sushi bars and start SELLING Jesus Christ to make a profit (making money in his father's house was something he adamantly opposed) then you lose the original message contained within the religion and that church is no longer serving spiritual aims. Religion is something that is supposed to make your mind, heart, and soul grow - not your wallet.
That being said, I am not a Christian, nor do I belong to any organized religion. If I were to place myself under a religious label the closest one would be Unitarian Universalism. They take the most balanced, sensible, and logical approach to religion and are some of the most intelligent and accepting people I've ever met. The UU church even has a comprehensive sex ed program called Our Whole Lives that deals not only with sexual health facts, but also deals with the issues of respecting oneself and one's partner as well as rape. Unitarian Universalism believes that ALL paths are valid ones and that no one religion has it right - as do I. I often go to Fellowship when I can, and I don't have problem with churches in general, it's just certain ones who have so warped their original spiritual message that I have an issue with.
Churches should NOT be tiny money-making machines so the preacher can live in a two-story house and he can buy his wife a new Mustang. Churches should NOT be avenues to instill fear and hatred into the congregation for any reason. Churches should be open and loving environments that encourage spiritual growth and questioning, not institutions that guilt and ostracize those who speak up or question theology that is commonly accepted. Churches should be places of spirituality, not places of Starbucks.
dig it. but everything is about capital these days.
instead of writing "in god we trust" on the dollar bill, they should probably write "in the dollar we trust" on the cover of the bible.
Sad, but true. People are far too concerned with material wealth than they are with anything else of any real importance - like family, education, morals, etc. - all those things that aren't as easily shown off as that brand new SUV.
I really have a problem with the prosperity doctrine a lot of churches teach too. It's this whole deal that if we pray, God will give us all new iphones and what not. Ridiculous. Talk about spiritual decline.
...laser light shows and sushi bars?
...what??
I am being totally serious, which is the scary thing... I was watching a show a few years ago about mega-churches and this one (I can't remember where) but they had their own little mini-mall inside the church. There were coffee shops and sushi bars inside the church. The church also made frequent use of hi-tech laser light shows. It was truly appalling.
It's also a bit creepy in my opinion. It just seems so insidious for the church to be attempting to control many aspects of their followers lives outside of the church - don't drink their coffee, drink the coffee Jesus would have wanted you to drink while you're here. Oh and, don't forget that all your money goes right back to us!
I've heard of a church with valet parking. I thought that was pretty strange. If people are too lazy to park their own car, why even bother going to church?
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Lol, that's a good point. My goodness, churches with sushi bars, coffee shops and now valet parking. What on earth will they think up next to turn a profit?
I can hear it already. Someday, in the middle of Maury, MTV Cribs, or any other show, you'll see it:
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For advice directly from GOD himself, text 'HOLY' to 666.
For tips on taking the body of Jesus, text 'MEAT' to 777
To request forgiveness for texting 'PLAY' to 44993, text 'HELP' to 888."
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Let's build mega churches rather than feeding the poor, funding education, eliminating poverty, and so on. Let's build mega churches, and enable the pastors of the church to live in mansions and drive luxury cars while the drive by the man asking for a dollar to eat. Let's spend hundred of thousands if not millions of dollars to defeat Gay Civil Rights when that money could have went to those in poverty.
Sure we are willing to help you out of your current circumstances if you are willing to convert, and when you do get up on your two feet you can tithe to the church. Let's not talk about sex and how to have a healthy, safe sex life let's plug are fingers in our ears. Let's not do anything about the AIDS crisis because it is God's Cure for homosexuality. Heaven's no let's not teach that putting on a condom does not only prevent disease and unwanted pregnancy. Doesn't sound like Christian Charity to me it sounds like coercion.
Wouldn't Jesus be proud.