To all religious people....

I don't go to churches that pass the plate. If they do that once, i'm out. I am strict in my rules that if the church's first thing on their schedule is to shove baskets on poles in your face, i will show them where else they can shove those poles, and it won't be pretty, pleasant, or require lube.

On a more serious note, i don't like churches that ask for money first or without a reason

like my church every month collects money to send to a child in a third world country.

went to a church once where the 1st think they did was lock the door and past the collection plate..at 1st i thought fare enough may not agree with it but it will help someone...

then all of a sudden they started reading the old testament, i figured ok. the vengeful god speech minister is going to round it off with jesus and his sacrifice so things like that will never happen again..

minister focuses on sodom and gammorah, i was ok lets see where this goes(jaw dropped) minister starts screaming and hollering about homosexual's using derogatory names and description...

me and my friends looked at each other and thought the same thing hate mongering church.. we tried to leave but the ushers escorted us back to our seats. my friends and i tried every excuse: restroom phone call emergency. the ushers all insistent it can all wait.. one of my friends finally snapped, told them to open the freakin door before he kicks his a$$..

i gotta say i did not feel the love or compassion or the holy spirit in that church, the only thing i felt was a lot of judgmental attitude and hate....

by the way it was the church of latter day saints

Originally posted by Kirikaze Fuuma
it's up to us whether we want to give a church collection or not. IIRC church never force their congregation to give a church collection

I've never been to a Church that forces people...

Originally posted by Wild Shadow
went to a church once where the 1st think they did was lock the door and past the collection plate..at 1st i thought fare enough may not agree with it but it will help someone...

by the way it was the church of latter day saints

they are mormons. they believe in alot of strange, immoral, extreme, liberal, racist things. (womanizing, for example, more than one wife per husband)

My church (if you can call it that) has no ushers, it has no pews, no baskets. it is an old school renovated with theatre seating in the cafeteria. they serve coffee and donuts, sing 70's styled praise songs to the lord, and then sit and listen to the pastor talk about issues. the pastor, when he addresses things like homosexuality, is always (not tolerant) but understanding and helpful. they only ask for money when they are going to send some to a poverty-stricken family in Nicaragua, which happens approximately once a month.

Our church holds fundraisers to send people to mexico once a year to build a house for the homeless, (i've been once, and plan on going again soon).

yeah my mom used to make me go to mexico and build houses with a lot of spending money.

i didn't think it was fare cause i had to go during the summer with my little brother and it coencited with our birthdays..

it was a cruel test of compassion from our parents to see what we would do...

each year me and my brother went and gave away our birthday money to the mexican family we would stay with, it hurt each time becomes it was in the thousands of dollar range..

stupid guilt and compassion kept me and my brother from enjoying our gift, not so much my brother since he was very young and innocent and would cry if i didnt help ppl over there who looked needy...

all i ever got was a tan blisters and a horrible summer for my efforts and i didnt even get to see my friends..

that was wrong of your parents. you should have a choice what you do with your money. Just like every child who goes to mexico to build the house has a choice if they want to or not.

i was given a choose along with my brother.. my mom said its your money spend it how you both like... the problem comes and my mom was aware of this, is that it is difficult to say no to a person in need who is in front of you and not on television thousands of miles away..

add the fact that you have a 5 or 6 yr old asking you at 16 yrs of age, why is that person sad or dirty or hungry an why dont we help or give him food...

when you try to ignore the question he throws it your face that the money is equally his or that your not a nice person...kinda forces you to do something that is within your scope of influence..

i personally dont like being around children due to their innocence and lack of understanding of how cruel the world can be..

the reason my mother sent us was because she didnt want us to be blind to poverty and to show us the ability to make a difference instead of becoming apathetic to worlds and ppl's plight....

the money is equally his

Why does the money belong to a five year old? Or were you talking about the needy kid in Mexico? Either way, I can't see how anyone has a claim to something that is yours.

Originally posted by Wild Shadow
i was given a choose along with my brother.. my mom said its your money spend it how you both like... the problem comes and my mom was aware of this, is that it is difficult to say no to a person in need who is in front of you and not on television thousands of miles away..

add the fact that you have a 5 or 6 yr old asking you at 16 yrs of age, why is that person sad or dirty or hungry an why dont we help or give him food...

when you try to ignore the question he throws it your face that the money is equally his or that your not a nice person...kinda forces you to do something that is within your scope of influence..

i personally dont like being around children due to their innocence and lack of understanding of how cruel the world can be..

the reason my mother sent us was because she didnt want us to be blind to poverty and to show us the ability to make a difference instead of becoming apathetic to worlds and ppl's plight....

they were strangers to me not to my family.. they knew where i was and what i was doing..

i had relatives that would check up on us not as creepy as it sounds..

there were other ppl i could speak with while building houses.. that were american, plus family members my parents would sent to check up on us..

we weren't exactly alone as it sounds.. it was more like a foreign exchange program..

Originally posted by Grand-Moff-Gav
Sacred Texts are usually vastly more complex than any other form of literature. I find it very unlikely that anyone here has studied the Bible enough to give a credible and insightful interpretation of the text- all they can do is rely on other peoples interpretations.

Catholics have a ready CRITERION as you put it...also the Bible was not written in the bronze age by nutty men. If its all fake then you have to confess it is an excellent job done by very intelligent people. The teachings of Christ themselves are very complex and open to debate as to his meanings.

Also, Jesus said the law (scripture) was not written in stone but was alive, thus it needs to be reviewed over and over.

Also, do you know what a Rabbi is?

Well said.

Originally posted by Grand-Moff-Gav
Sacred Texts are usually vastly more complex than any other form of literature. I find it very unlikely that anyone here has studied the Bible enough to give a credible and insightful interpretation of the text- all they can do is rely on other peoples interpretations.

I disagree very much. Sacred Texts might have been analyzed and interpreted beyond belief, which makes it hard for anyone here to know all the ideas that people had regarding the text, but as such, the bible is not more complex than a work of a real artist of comparatve size. It's really just the reverence society gives the book that lets them have this amazing standing. If billions of people, for 2000 years, would believe Watchem to be the "holy" truth and the absolute gospel, you'd have a million interpretations and people claiming "Frankly, Watchmen is just so complex, it is very unlikely anyone here can give a credible and insightful interpretation". That coupled with people writing it that lived 4000 years ago, makes it hard to be a specialist. IT DOES NOT MAKE THE BIBLE A VERY COMPLEX WORK THOUGH!

does any religious ppl who read the bible view or study other religious book with a scholarly eye? i am talking specifically in this forum.. i notice alot of ppl just dismiss other point of views without any prior knowledge of other religious books, and figures without seeming to know anything of what they are dismissing... simply responding with they are not gods or they never existed or they are wrong.. if ppl are going say they are wrong why not point out specifically what is wrong in the religion..

Originally posted by Wild Shadow
does any religious ppl who read the bible view or study other religious book with a scholarly eye? i am talking specifically in this forum.. i notice alot of ppl just dismiss other point of views without any prior knowledge of other religious books, and figures without seeming to know anything of what they are dismissing... simply responding with they are not gods or they never existed or they are wrong.. if ppl are going say they are wrong why not point out specifically what is wrong in the religion..

actually i found atheist give the most detail reasons for there point of view.. i actually dont have a problem with atheist every time i ask why, they pull out myth legend historical reference about religion..

its the religious ppl who dont seem to give detail reasons for there believe and seem to dismiss timelines similarities or dont bother to refute historical facts or excepted believe... i been jumping around and all i see is bible qoutes that are just as confusing or dismissing of the question that is being asked.. i just get tired of ppl referencing the bible without them knowing anything about the religion they are so adamantly defending...

stating they are open minded, but it seems like most have not studied other world religion. it could just be me that i feel i have traveled and took courses that forces me to feel some sense of superiority.. but i dont think its ego because if i could get someone to give me reasonable answers i could except their point of view..

there is nothing wrong with studying religion and still maintaining faith my professor was a christian minister and he taught religion of the world. he understood religious borrowing and always stated its the message of peace jesus taught we should focus on. and not the religious borrowing that was saturated in the religion itself...

excuse ny grammar i been drinking 🙂

Originally posted by Wild Shadow
actually i found atheist give the most detail reasons for there point of view.. i actually dont have a problem with atheist every time i ask why, they pull out myth legend historical reference about religion..

its the religious ppl who dont seem to give detail reasons for there believe and seem to dismiss timelines similarities or dont bother to refute historical facts or excepted believe... i been jumping around and all i see is bible qoutes that are just as confusing or dismissing of the question that is being asked.. i just get tired of ppl referencing the bible without them knowing anything about the religion they are so adamantly defending...

stating they are open minded, but it seems like most have not studied other world religion. it could just be me that i feel i have traveled and took courses that forces me to feel some sense of superiority.. but i dont think its ego because if i could get someone to give me reasonable answers i could except their point of view..

there is nothing wrong with studying religion and still maintaining faith my professor was a christian minister and he taught religion of the world. he understood religious borrowing and always stated its the message of peace jesus taught we should focus on. and not the religious borrowing that was saturated in the religion itself...

excuse ny grammar i been drinking 🙂

My family ended up exposing me to innumerable different religions and philosophical viewpoints through out my childhood. So I have a very broad (if informal) knowledge of world religions. I'm also very smart and have enjoyed reading religious texts from all over the place 😖mart:

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
My family ended up exposing me to innumerable different religions and philosophical viewpoints through out my childhood. So I have a very broad (if informal) knowledge of world religions. I'm also very smart and have enjoyed reading religious texts from all over the place 😖mart:

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
...and modest. 😛 😂

The modestest 😉

i am so modest that the modest among me become jealous

Originally posted by Wild Shadow
i am so modest that the modest among me become jealous