The Religion Thread

[Mr.B]

"This is how all discussions with Mr.B go. It doesn't matter that he's a con, it's the sheer ignorance, laziness, stupidity, dishonesty, memory lapses, immaturity, cowardice and lack of personal responsibility regardless of issue that make it not worth the effort."
Just a little payback ... you think you're the only one who's capable of baiting and trolling? Not hardly.
I will say this though; you don't see me twisting words, wringing out my step-ins, and spewing out the choice names (like above), that indicate you've not got the good sense to realize when you're being led on a snipe hunt. Sucker!

You like to sling that word "coward, or cowardice" around rather freely. Let's have a "cowardice" challenge :
You post your name and address in this forum, and I'll post mine. Up to it?
Remember, I know you, and despite your lies to the contrary, you know me...
Several other former members who still read this forum know me. Up to it?
Remember, I've not made bitter, vehement enemies who would love to know your identity, to the degree you have, so I've nothing to hide ... this forum is nothing more than a watered-down Facebook, and my name's in there .... yours isn't. Now...did I call your bluff or is the challenge on?

"The only "real Christians" are in Mr.B's local church, and he has doubts about some of them."
Yeah, I remember the day you visited <smirk>, I introduced you to many of them.
The worst "real Christian" in any church is a much better person than you could ever hope to be. Deal with it.

[Mr.B]

IRS Targets Political Churches
"Big" news story from September 17, 2006

1,500 Pastors Defy IRS Ban on Preaching Politics
"Big" news story from October 6, 2014

Pastors endorsing candidates, in defiance of IRS rules
"Big" news story from November 3, 2014

Rogue pastors defy IRS
Same "big" news story as in the previous link; same date, different reporting source.

There's been a lot of water under the bridge since those earth-shattering revelations were published, and The Christian Law Institute has since advised churches the consequences of their actions if they pursue their course. This is why I adamantly questioned your all-knowing inside knowledge.

[bannination]

[Mr.B]

[img]....[/img]

So what's your point? They ain't allowed in Heaven either.

Atheists can fight that public office thingy in court, and probably win.
The other? They can send a knee-mail if they're sincere.

[bannination]

There's been a lot of water under the bridge since those earth-shattering revelations were published, and The Christian Law Institute has since advised churches the consequences of their actions if they pursue their course. This is why I adamantly questioned your all-knowing inside knowledge.

The Christian Law Institute:
Continue to pray for churches and Christians in North Carolina, and praise God for answered prayer. HB2, the "Bathroom Bill," was today upheld by the state. Pray for moral actions by the State of NC.

Sounds like a real moral upstanding organization. /s

[bannination]

[img]....[/img]

So what's your point? They ain't allowed in Heaven either.

Atheists can fight that public office thingy in court, and probably win.
The other? They can send a knee-mail if they're sincere.

... and yet other Christians would disagree with you and say that you get into heaven by your works and not your beliefs. Whatever though, just the fact that you can't agree on something that should be rock solid is hilarious.

[Vrede too]

Makes no difference, churches are routinely breaking the law and are trying to get the law reversed, exactly as we've been saying, I linked, and as is very easily looked up. That's the whole point of this discussion.

Trump has been "advised" to stop being a Twitter idiot, how's that working out?

[Mr.B]

The Christian Law Institute:
Continue to pray for churches and Christians in North Carolina, and praise God for answered prayer. HB2, the "Bathroom Bill," was today upheld by the state. Pray for moral actions by the State of NC.

Sounds like a real moral upstanding organization. /s

Yep. Deal with it.

[Mr.B]

[img]....[/img]

So what's your point? They ain't allowed in Heaven either.

Atheists can fight that public office thingy in court, and probably win.
The other? They can send a knee-mail if they're sincere.

... and yet other Christians would disagree with you and say that you get into heaven by your works and not your beliefs. Whatever though, just the fact that you can't agree on something that should be rock solid is hilarious.

People are free to express their opinions .... and beliefs, or non-beliefs.

[Mr.B]

"Trump has been "advised" to stop being a Twitter idiot..."
I agree with that; have long agreed with it.

"how's that working out?"
He doesn't listen, does he?

[Mr.B]

IRS Targets Political Churches
"Big" news story from September 17, 2006

1,500 Pastors Defy IRS Ban on Preaching Politics
"Big" news story from October 6, 2014

Pastors endorsing candidates, in defiance of IRS rules
"Big" news story from November 3, 2014

Rogue pastors defy IRS
Same "big" news story as in the previous link; same date, different reporting source.

There's been a lot of water under the bridge since those earth-shattering revelations were published, and The Christian Law Institute has since advised churches the consequences of their actions if they pursue their course. This is why I adamantly questioned your all-knowing inside knowledge.

[k9nanny]

There are ways to politic from the pulpit that violate the spirit of the law.

We once received a mass mailed " Voter's Guide to the Candidates" from a local Baptist church. Without saying for whom to vote, the candidate of choice was really obvious, based on issues like abortion and homosexuality.

I did an online "investigation" of the church a couple of my relatives joined. Maybe the pastor didn't endorse candidates on Sunday morning, but he did on his blog. Neither Romney nor Obama are Christians, so his vote was for the anti-choice guy.

I happened to catch a Sunday morning televised service while clicking through the local stations.
There was no stopping this guy from openly railing against Obama, so which candidate do you reckon he was endorsing?

Attending church isn't necessary to know what's going on.

[JTA]

I haven't seen it so much in Western NC, but down here in the G'ville area, the churches have all begun to revamp their branding. Used to be churches would have names related to the community they were located.

Now you've got things like "New spring", "Well spring"," Spring life" and all kinds of other generic sounding names with their own logos and corporate like brandings. It's creepy. Not that this means anything, really. I guess they're just trying to compete for some new members to their hip new congregations so they can stuff their coffers with that sweet sweet tithe $$$.

I'm starting to see smaller churches jump on the bandwagon. Not just the mega churches.

[Vrede too]

Calling baptisms "Spring Cleaning" is going too far.

[Mr.B]

"I haven't seen it so much in Western NC, but down here in the G'ville area, the churches have all begun to revamp their branding. Used to be churches would have names related to the community they were located. "
What I've noticed here is the larger Baptist churches dropping 'Baptist' from their name.

Biltmore Baptist Church, with five area "campuses" is now simply Biltmore Church. North Ashevile Baptist Church, located in a high-dollar neighborhood has changed their name to Brookstone Church.

"Now you've got things like "New spring", "Well spring"," Spring life" and all kinds of other generic sounding names with their own logos and corporate like brandings. It's creepy. Not that this means anything, really."
I've yet to discover why, but I am rather curious. FTR, the aforementioned churches were formerly Southern Baptist. Could be they wanted their monies to stay at home rather than pay dues to SBC; IF they did that. I don't know for sure.

"I guess they're just trying to compete for some new members to their hip new congregations so they can stuff their coffers with that sweet sweet tithe $$$."
Now you might have a valid point there; which would allude to billydot's remark about big business. I have noticed that the majority of large churches have casually-dressed bands that blare out the electric twangs of "praise" music set to a modern tempo. Nothing to their songs, really; I've heard it called 7-11 music because it sounds as thought they take 7 words and sing 'em 11 times. That in itself attracts the younger "hip" crowds and, as you say, possibly increase their larders. Not my place to judge though; I just hope the youngers are being led in the right direction.

"I'm starting to see smaller churches jump on the bandwagon. Not just the mega churches."
I've not seen much or any of that around here. Much of the smaller to medium size churches prefer to stay the way they are, unless growing pains become a problem. Personally, I like to know the name of the person I happen to sit down next to. I know some folks who attend Biltmore who have no clue who sits two pews in front of them.

"Calling baptisms "Spring Cleaning" is going too far."
They prefer to call it " Re-dedicatin' "

[O Really]

Some of the formerly mainstream protestant denominations have picked up a lot of perceptual baggage over the past few decades, particularly the Baptists. Probably (maybe) if you were going to a Baptist church in 1979, you might still like it now, and it may not have changed. But the Baptist Convention leadership has taken a hard turn to the extreme since 80-something, and since they don't have to, a lot of Baptist churches are cutting themselves loose, becoming less focused on a specific theology, and more welcoming to those who may have been somewhere else. Maybe some Methodist and Presbyterian churches are doing it too, but they don't have quite the baggage the Baptists have picked up along the way.

[JTA]

"I haven't seen it so much in Western NC, but down here in the G'ville area, the churches have all begun to revamp their branding. Used to be churches would have names related to the community they were located. "
What I've noticed here is the larger Baptist churches dropping 'Baptist' from their name.

Biltmore Baptist Church, with five area "campuses" is now simply Biltmore Church. North Ashevile Baptist Church, located in a high-dollar neighborhood has changed their name to Brookstone Church.

"Now you've got things like "New spring", "Well spring"," Spring life" and all kinds of other generic sounding names with their own logos and corporate like brandings. It's creepy. Not that this means anything, really."
I've yet to discover why, but I am rather curious. FTR, the aforementioned churches were formerly Southern Baptist. Could be they wanted their monies to stay at home rather than pay dues to SBC; IF they did that. I don't know for sure.

"I guess they're just trying to compete for some new members to their hip new congregations so they can stuff their coffers with that sweet sweet tithe $$$."
Now you might have a valid point there; which would allude to billydot's remark about big business. I have noticed that the majority of large churches have casually-dressed bands that blare out the electric twangs of "praise" music set to a modern tempo. Nothing to their songs, really; I've heard it called 7-11 music because it sounds as thought they take 7 words and sing 'em 11 times. That in itself attracts the younger "hip" crowds and, as you say, possibly increase their larders. Not my place to judge though; I just hope the youngers are being led in the right direction.

"I'm starting to see smaller churches jump on the bandwagon. Not just the mega churches."
I've not seen much or any of that around here. Much of the smaller to medium size churches prefer to stay the way they are, unless growing pains become a problem. Personally, I like to know the name of the person I happen to sit down next to. I know some folks who attend Biltmore who have no clue who sits two pews in front of them.

"Calling baptisms "Spring Cleaning" is going too far."
They prefer to call it " Re-dedicatin' "

Yeah, a friend that attends one of the corp-churches explained that he could never go to an old school church because he finds them incredibly boring.

[Mr.B]

"Yeah, a friend that attends one of the corp-churches explained that he could never go to an old school church because he finds them incredibly boring."

Just what the devil ordered....and loves to hear; a church that preaches what people WANT to hear; not what they SHOULD hear.

[JTA]

Me when I meet a lady for a date and find out she goes to a mega church

[bannination]

I haven't seen it so much in Western NC, but down here in the G'ville area, the churches have all begun to revamp their branding. Used to be churches would have names related to the community they were located.

Now you've got things like "New spring", "Well spring"," Spring life" and all kinds of other generic sounding names with their own logos and corporate like brandings. It's creepy. Not that this means anything, really. I guess they're just trying to compete for some new members to their hip new congregations so they can stuff their coffers with that sweet sweet tithe $$$.

I'm starting to see smaller churches jump on the bandwagon. Not just the mega churches.

oooo Time to pick up some web development monies to make really simplistic and crappy church sites.