Religious organizations set up shop at the Adult Entertainment Expo

[Bluebear]

LAS VEGAS - - Some people and places simply don’t go together. You wouldn’t expect to find vegetarians dining at a steakhouse and you probably won’t find many smokers working at the American Lung Association.

So what are Christian organizations doing hanging out at a pornography convention?

“We’re not here to condemn and we’re not here to condone,” said Pastor Doug Lomax with Valley Bible Fellowship. “We had some ex-strippers and dancers that were part of our church and we came down the first year and just hung out outside, and we said if we’re really serious about helping people, let’s go in...

We felt very strongly that if Jesus were here and there’s hurting people around, he’d be here and so we feel the same.”


http://www.mynews3.com/story.php?id=35293&n=5037

[Systematic Chaos]

1. Actually, steakhouses are great places for vegetarians.

You can get them to bring you a ton of baked potatoes and/or their salad bar with fat-free condiments and dressings.

Shows you what THEY know. :D

But seriously, maybe these Christians should be putting more energy into helping end the sex slavery trade, rather than showing up at these conventions where everything is generally much more above board. :eyes:

[bluestate10]

4. Believe it or not.

The church may be on to something. The first thing one should do with someone that one virulently disagrees with is talk without conditions. For me, it is actually good to see the church members going inside to mix with porn conventioners. Hopefully both will see something in the other's point of view and workable policies for preventing sexual slavery will come from that dialog. Beats two sides staring each other down endlessly while holding homemade signs.

[undeterred]

15. What does either group have to do with sexual slavery?

:shrug:

[old mark]

2. Nun porn?

(I hope not.....;( )

mark

[eShirl]

3. I agree, that is something Jesus would do.

[Bluebear]

5. Problem is, the conventioneers don't feel like they are "hurting"

and haven't asked for "help"!

[eShirl]

10. whoosh

[adnelson60087]

12. lots of love for orel!!

[WinkyDink]

8. Maybe, but He was....Jesus! Mere mortals are a tad more susceptible.......

[Flubadubya]

6. The word "ostensibly" comes to mind...

They are ostensibly going in to redeem souls..., actually they're just going in to get some eye candy for themselves!

[WinkyDink]

7. Well, I can see "going where the sinners are," but please! Who's kidding whom, here?!

[NightWatcher]

9. I can imagine the sign on their booth. Make "Jesus" your safe word.

Or

Assatar is an unholy abomination, and the dialogue was poorly written

[pipoman]

11. There are many people

who are in the sex trade who have had horrible family issues from childhood, not all, but certainly many. Regardless of the common meme in these parts of anti-christian/religion sentiment, many people use religion to change their lives for the better.

[adnelson60087]

13. opium sure makes feel better too...until they try to get out.

religion and self-delusion are never acceptable.

[pipoman]

14. Hatred is unacceptable,

intolerance for other people's beliefs are unacceptable, comparison of opium and faith is ignorance.

Say what you will, but no group on the planet outside of governments freely spend more for the welfare of others than organized religion. Ever heard of a homeless shelter, soup kitchen, home for battered women, home for orphaned children, hospital, nursing facility, used clothing shop, or food bank sponsored and wholly supported by atheists? Didn't think so. Don't misunderstand, I have no problem with atheists, just they as a group simply aren't known for their charitable giving.

[adnelson60087]

17. It's not ignorance, just simple truth.

As for "Charitable" giving, how much of that giving the theists give is just part of their "endless cycle of tithes" to get into god's heaven? Atheists do contribute, relative to our numbers, and do so because we want to, not because some spirit says we should (and holding a club of eternal damnation if you don't).

As for beliefs, they should be tolerated, as long as they are based on reality (not subjective to a "point of view") and don't lead to bigotry, death, and belittlement of the human mind and condition. Unfortunately, these sorts of beliefs don't tend to shroud themselves in religious beliefs. Religion as a crutch, like an opiate or outdated piece of technology, that holds back humanity from achieving what can be done.

Homeless shelters, soup kitchens, etc. that give freely without proselytizing? Yeah, I've heard of them. Those are city shelters, secular in nature, paid for by tax money, not a church's "eternal damnation extortion money". My bottom line regarding services like Catholic Charities, and the like is this: Individuals may make these services work by donating time and money, but their goal is to spread their message and grow their numbers. Spread the opiate. Infect more minds. Make more money and power/control over time. Sounds like a good investment strategy doesn't it? All of this based on fear of death and the ultimate unknown. Definitely not worthy or respect.

[PurityOfEssence]

19. Here's a good guide to Atheist and non-religious charities

http://techskeptic.blogspot.com/2007/12/atheist-charities.html

I've been getting a few posts summarily deleted of late, presumably for questioning individual posters, so I'll refrain from any assumptions in the interest of having this post survive.

People of religious belief do NOT have a corner on the goodness market. Religion is not, to many of us, "good"; it is a mixed bag, and although there are some good things in most of them, there are bad elements in ALL OF THEM. To many of us, the overall value of religion is NOT GOOD. This is often met with virulent ire by believers, because their moral superiority is FACT, and anyone questioning this is fiendish and deeply ugly. How dare we not accept their transcendence, and how dare we even whisper a whiff of a doubt.

The idea that religious belief automatically bestows specialness on its members is an evocation of privilege, and extremely anti-pluralist; it's a demand for aristocratic status. The major religions are pretty uniform in their xenophobia, too, dismissing other groups as inferior, if not outright dangerous; there's a built in clannish prejudice to the major religions, and it metastasizes into persecution and wars on a regular basis. Some religions suck more than others, but the suckitude is there in all of the major ones, as far as many of us can see.

There is also such an overwhelming distaste and hatred for non-believers worldwide that proselytizing such a thing while handing out food or shelter would be met with ire beyond conception, whereas the practitioners of supernatural certainty are free to do as they please.

To many of us who dislike organized religion, one of the most pernicious abuses is the snotty and arrogant demand that people of faith, and specifically preachers, are automatically "good" and should be accorded the assumption of virtue that the rest of us aren't, including deference in conversation, better chances before the law, benefits in every moment of life and a virtual social blank-check. This is complete crap; like academics, many in the clergy abuse their status as "special" and use this cover for doing as they please to the inferiors.

Ever heard of Doctors Without Borders? Damn French.

[Pushed To The Left]

16. I agree. I'm not religious myself, and don't want it in politics, but if religion helps somebody

better his or her life in some way I think that's a positve thing.

[adnelson60087]

18. opiate. It makes him FEEL better. That may be good logic for a 3 year old with a pacifier

but for an adult to make decisions and vote for people who use that thinking for policy? It's a bad way to run a nation.