Something to say about the evangelical church I used to attend.

[coloradodem2005]

From 1997 to 2000, I went to an evangelical church because I thought at the time I was welcome there. Though, I felt as though I started to disagree with a lot of what they were saying. But the time period I attended the church was Clinton's second term. All they could do for about two years was bitch about Clinton's transgression with Monica. Over and over and over again. They compared Clinton to what happened to Gary Hart in 1988 when he screwed up because it ended Hart's presidential prospects while Clinton didn't lose the Presidency. Saying that our morality fell in the last 10 years. They even said in 1999, "economically things have never been so good. Morally things have never been so bad." Trying to establish a relationship between economy and morality, saying that the better the economy is, the worse morality is.

On another note, in another thread, someone was talking about the donations made during offering. One would wonder where that money goes. The thing about this church is that during my time there, they built a big new building to have services in. I thought (and still think) that building that building was understandable. They were growing. I even understand the coffee shop they put in the lower level of the church. In 2000, shortly before I left, they built a gymnasium. I thought that this was a little much. Much of this came from donations from parishoners to help with this. I thought that this was a little over the top. THey said they were doing it because they wanted people to come to their church. In the years since I have quit going there, I had been there intermittently, and they have built an atrium that had more coffee shops and other things. It is starting to look like a miniature mall. Probably the rationale is that they want people to come to their church. But my point is, how much of the money they collected in donations could they have spent helping the poor? How much of it could they have donated to a charity? It gets me that a lot of these people have spent money on themselves in order to LOOK more appealling and attract people to them. Yes, members of the church have done ministry in Sudan. Can be a good or bad thing depending on your perspective. THey have helped people in an inner-city church. But, maybe it just bothers me that the church has been so over the top with some things and has been trying to look so extravagent to attract people as opposed to doing good deeds for people who need it in some instances. So, if they lose potential donation money because people can't find good jobs, tough shit for them. I have just had it with these Republican supporting people.

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Well, not all the churches are like this, even the fundagelical ones

Have you found a better church for you?

-----------------------------------------------------------
FIGHT! Take this country back one town and state at a time!
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[coloradodem2005]

4. I've given up on religion a long time ago.

I have been struggling with God and what is out there. I am in some ways ver angry and turned off. Many of the people that are Christians who have tried to recruit me since have been Republican in their views. After this election, I am really trying to come to grips with whether or not there is a God. Though, a friend has said that this election was not God's will, it was freewill. He was probably right. I just don't know.

[GreenPartyVoter]

9. I have a page on Chrisitanity on my site, if you are interested.

Might reassure you a bit to know that there are other kinds of Christians (and other believers) out there than the rigid Taliban type.

-----------------------------------------------------------
FIGHT! Take this country back one town and state at a time!
http://www.geocities.com/greenpartyvoter/electionreform.htm

[jdj]

2. every church has a building fund. bigger, holier, louder, more.

it's one more way to milk the congregation, they are more likely to give if their is a goal they can focus on.

Forget evangelicals. Anyone over here saying we need to to attract the evangelicrooks is trolling and stirring the shit, I don't care how many freaking tens of thousands of posts they have.

[hatrack]

17. Didn't Jesus say "Give all you own to the poor and follow me"?

We've come a long way, baby, and I'm not talking about "progress".

[ladjf]

3. You are describing materialistic behavior by the church officials.

[coloradodem2005]

8. I know I am.

And it is ironic since they are the ones who say that we should give up all our material possessions. THe thing is, the way Christians talk, they are not supposed to be materialistic.

[ladjf]

10. I believe that you have noted that most of what they preach

turns out to be the exact opposite to what they practice. Is that true?

Notice that most of what Bush and his people say have the same reverse meaning, i.e. "Clean Air Act","Homeland Security", etc.

[trotsky]

5. That was just one of the reasons I became an atheist.

So few of the religious actually tried to help the poor and unfortunate, and those who did obviously did it out of personal obligation and not religious.

[noonwitch]

6. There's a church like that in every community

In metro Detroit, there's one called Bethesda Christian Church in Sterling Heights. They have this huge building, a k-12 school and a pre-school, and who knows what else there. There is a cross on the top of the church that can be seen a mile away. I'll bet there are at least 10,000 members.

I go to a large liberal church, that has a bookstore and a coffee shop. It kind of bugged me a little at first (I was thinking about Jesus turning over the tables of the money changers and the merchants at the temple), but, one of my church's main missions is to provide a safe place for people in recovery from drugs and alcohol to meet and keep out of trouble. The coffee shop is a very good place for them to be. The bookstore has a great selection of religious and self-help books and other gift and card type stuff. Still, Bethesda church makes mine look very small in comparison.

[Sara Beverley]

7. These evangelicals are not true "Christians" They do not follow Christ's

teachings. They are old-testament zealots controlled by fear and hate and manipulated by evil people who understand them completely and how to use them to make money and accomplish their agenda.

[RPM]

11. whatever happened to...

"judge not, lest ye be judged."?

[coloradodem2005]

14. I have noticed that.

Why do you think I don't go anymore?

[RebelYell]

12. My husband's best friend

is a contractor who built a $6 million church here. $6 million.

[flobee1kenobi]

15. I was a Maint. worker for

a Catholic church near my house. They only paid 6$/hr. after the 4 million dollar new church, 1/2 mil.dollar pipe organ, a 12 thousand dollar sign for the front of the school, they told me they had no money to give me a raise. As a Catholic, it makes me sick! I hope the church goes bankrupt due to all the lawsuits from the molested, they deserve 10 times the pain!

[RebelYell]

16. Slave wages

Hypocrites.

[norml]

13. Thread I Just Posted In The Meeting Room... Please Copy & Distribute

norml (1000+ posts) Fri Nov-05-04 03:35 PM
Original message
The "Conservative" Sermon On The Mount


Blessed are the rich for all good things trickle down from them. Cursed are the poor for poverty results from their moral failings. Blessed are the war makers for they keep freedom on the march. Cursed are the peacemakers for they shall be called appeasers. Blessed are those who inflict harsh punishments for they maintain law and order. Cursed are those who forgive for they shall be called soft on crime. Blessed are those who pray loudly standing in the churches and on the corners sounding the trumpet before them. Cursed are those who shut the closet door and pray in secret for their prayers are not heard. Blessed are those who cast the first stone for the sake of sexual morality for that is the only morality that matters. Cursed are those who see sexuality as a private matter for marriage must be defended against them.


By me,Brian Shawn Mary

[idiosyncratic]

18. I used to attend one like that here in San Diego Couinty

The pastor is dynamic and very good, but they are building and building, and they were always asking for more money.

I finally stopped attending after he had an anti-homosexual sermon. In fact, I got up and walked out during that "message."

I am a Christian, nothing is going to change that, but I probably will never attend church again.