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Charging to be a member? User fees? You can't be talking about the Catholic Church.
Well for one thing you should not have to pay to be a member , that I think is what has been upsetting the church and their drop in followers . Charging user fees for their increased life style just adds to the dismay of people when they are taken away from the herd .
You mean they've managed to fool the money hungry IRS and their auditors all these years?
They can actually see it for what it really is , a for profit organisation . The profits are not spread out evenly but it should be .
I don't understand your point here at all. Could you try explaining it in a different way?
They wear rose colored glasses almost , behind locked doors , secret passages . If it is supposed to be a free religion , then ? Not unlike the fine print at the bottom of a contract which no one ever cares to look at , but you never signed . Compare it to all the ads in the media and see the similarities between them .
Are you asking why the Church doesn't hire priests to sit in the Church 24/7? A priest is almost always available in case of emergency.
The double standards are so obvious , but not to them they do not really care . Sorry we are closed come back when we are open and we will try to answer you questions then . Do as they say not as they do , what kind of rational is that .
Churches give money and support to the poor, I've been involved in it myself.
Imagine your self outside the church with the same tin collecting to survive , how fast would you be considered as taking from God .
What contract? What clause?
Wasn't aware of any non competition clause in the contract .
Yes the Church has to beg to survive, why is that greed?
Begging to survive and begging for selfish profit and greed , isn't that suppose to be wrong ( Greed ) as far as the church goes ? Inquiring minds want to know , answers not coming any time soon .
If I understand you correctly, then you are right. Of course there's going to be comments if someone walks in dressed as Jesus, the same would happen if they came in dressed as Lady Gaga. But if they saw that person as lesser, then yeah, they would need more work in humility and improper judging. We're only humans though, trying to become holy. We'll screw up daily.
Lets see , depending on the religion and lets say you go into the church wearing the same clothes as Jesus wore because that is the only clothes on your back , what would your expectations be from the members . Now do it and see what takes place there is a test and a lesson learned from those who would think nothing of it . Those that would whisper and gossip after , would they be lacking in your scriptures teachings . More teachings for them because they just don't get it ?
You're right again that a lack of respect is a terrible thing and a sin. I don't think you're quite correct on the rest of the paragraph though.
Religions , no matter what the belief need more followers to make them more recognized and have a higher status among the masses to be a ruling religion . Popularity contest of , my religion is right and yours is wrong . Convert or suffer gods wrath . Religious wars still go on because of lack of respect for your brothers and sisters .
Praying anywhere and anytime is a wonderful thing and the Church applauds it. Why get together once a week? To keep from getting isolated, to remind ourselves that we are part of a community who share a belief in God, and to have communal prayer.
When a person does not pray with the rest of the huddled masses for prayer and does it on what they believe is holy ground since it is all supposed to be holy right . Explain to me why it is seen as better to be in a specific building on a certain day for that religion to be validated .
I think we know what is right and wrong in our dealings with others, even without poring over every word the Bible. As far as other religions, they're not my beliefs, and I know why they're not, but only some religions have forced conversions. (I've heard the Muslims do in some circumstances.)
How many times does a person need to read their scriptures before they figure out what is right and what is wrong when treating each other ? Ask yourself if you EVER were opposed to another belief and saw your religion as the only one that should be recognized and why others have not chosen as you have . Then look through their eyes and wonder if they are doing the same .
Originally posted by Scott495
reply to post by charles1952
almost all religious people I have ever talked to think that God is acting through them or they are acting through God. If something bad happens then its put down to God working in mysterious ways.
anyway thw main point about my thread is that if the pope truly BELEIVED that there is a god and he would go to heven for all eternity and all he had to do to get there was spend other peoples money (church goers) to help the starving, then I think the vaticans vaults would be empty.....END OF!