Do we really need churches?

[Kitosdad]

If the title offends you, then please read no further.

What purpose does a church serve, other than to offer a place where people congregate to let others see that they are there. Why are there so many of them?
The astronomical cost of the upkeep of these places of worship boggles the mind.
How much are the clergy paid? Can anyone apply for one of these lucrative positions?
The bigger the church the greater the pomp and ceremony.

If you believe in God and the Bible, surely it would be sufficient to gather your family around you, and fulfil your commitment to God within the confines of your own homes.

If you have a Bible at home, then you will be able to read all of its contents there, without trailing out in all weathers to join others in a cold, draughty church.

I see no logical reasons for churches. Did God command that places of worship be built?
Did Jesus ask for a church to be built so that he could speak his father's words?

No. Churches are a business. A business that raises vast sums of money to be added to the already teeming coffers of the church. The are already deeply involved in the purchasing of houses and huge buildings, which they rent out to others.

To my way of thinking, churches, and those involved in their administration, are a money-making sham. (Not scam.)

When the church goes out and actively helps those in their own particular community, then I may change my outlook, but until that happens................................

Kitos.
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Keep it simple ... Keep it interesting.

[Geo777]

Hi, Kitosdad
I'm afraid you are right.
But most people don't know about the churchmens who are greedy for gold. Mass media don't tell us about it much. And people don't take this problem seriously. Ignorance is a parent of many evils. It's always been the case.

Yet some people still find solace in the church and there still are an honest priests who help sinful mens to find the road to God.
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Slow but sure.

[Jamie (K)]

Hey, Kito, you're wrong about a good deal of this.

God DID command places of worship to be built, and in the Bible you can even read his commands as to how one was to be designed.

Most clergymen don't make much money, and there's a lot of stress involved in their jobs. The stress even spills over onto their families.

People who read the Bible with no expert guidance are liable to misinterpret it and go nuts on things, as you see with the people who cause political trouble because they take the allegorical parts of the Bible literally. (The Bible even remarks on that sort of problem.)

Since in most countries churches are supported solely by the voluntary donations of the members, what does it matter to you if they exist or not? Hardly anybody gets rich off them, and if nobody asks you for the money, who cares?

And where did you get the idea that churches don't go out and actively help the people in their communities? They've been doing that for hundreds of years. Just one example: I know a nun who lives on practically nothing and spends most of her day driving the terminally ill children of working poor parents to their doctor appointments, so that neither of the parents has to quit work, which would cause even worse hardship for their whole families. Then during the day she drives around and takes lunches to the people who live on the street and in abandoned buildings. (These people could live on government assistance, but for some reason they don't.) This may be almost the only food those people get all day. Bakeries and food stores bring it to the rectory of my church in trucks, and a bunch of laypeople make the lunches every day, and then they drive to places where you can't imagine people would be living, but they come out of nowhere to get the nourishment. Separately from that, the same church collects and gives out food to people who are down on their luck.

Multiply that work by hundreds of thousands, or millions, and you'll be closer to reality in terms of what churches do. To say that churches don't help their community, you have to be deliberately ignoring an awful lot of the obvious.

[Kitosdad]

Good morning Jamie. I appreciate your input, but I remain convinced that religion is purely a money-making sham. Many honest priests are used to maintain the semblance of good, but behind the curtain I'm sure there are more self centred people than honest Christians.

Your religious beliefs are well founded in the good that you see around you. I choose to look a little deeper. I don't like what I see.

When the church hierarchy cease to defend those who offend common decency, then I will see things in a different light.

Kitos.
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Keep it simple ... Keep it interesting.

[Mixmixi]

Good morning Bill,
I agree with your statements, especially with this part: If you believe in God and the Bible, surely it would be sufficient to gather your family around you, and fulfil your commitment to God within the confines of your own homes.
In our country the people are Muslims and not Christians, but you can see the very same places called mosque. These places are build in purpose of worship God, but in a more snakily purpose, they are places to keep people close to the government. So, in this way they can continue to their rapacity. In general, I think that the religion was created to destroy the normal life by a group of people. If you believe in your God, then what's the point in shouting his name, so everyone could hear that?

Mixmixi
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Let's make a deal; I'll correct every single one of your grammatical mistakes AND YOU DO THE SAME FAVOUR FOR ME.

[Political Lurker]

[Daemon99]

How many people go to church in your country these days? Has the number been the same in the last, say, 50 years or has it been falling gradually?
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Non-native speaker of English
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I intend to live forever - so far, so good.

[Zua]

By Antonio Avelino (non-native)
As a christian it is a great shame hearing comments like these. I´m afraid to say this but YOU need to study the Bible and other holy writings deeper.Even the Bible urges God´s worhippers to gather themselves in order to build themselves in faith(Hebrews10:24,25).
The purpose of a church or a congregation is to fortify those who want to please God. Jesus tells his followers to spread his message, the question is: How can they do this?Isolately?Each one according to his way of thinking?By no means. It is needed a body of people who should be organized in order to build themselves up to and to spread Jesus message all over the world.
I acknowledge that there are many churches that hypocritically use God´s word for their profit and this is not what the Bible teaches. For example, the Bible forbids christian to engage in war and in politic affairs but many so-called christian do, the Bible is against exploitation of poor ones as many clergymen do.
Despite these sad facts, there is a religious group whose members try to imitate Jesus footsteps, they avoid killing their fellowmate in war, they love themselves and their neighbors and try to imitate Jesus.
My intention is not to make proselytism but to say that not all churches are money-making schemes made by men.
God wants to be worshipped by those honesthearted people who gather to strengthen their faith and help others to do the same.

Beware of addressing religious issues disrespectfully.

[Kitosdad]

Hello Zua. "Beware of addressing religious issues disrespectfully." Is asking a simple question being disrespectful?
The vast majority of "worshippers" only go to church on Sundays. Do they not pray on the other days, or do they do so in the comfort and privacy of their own homes?
How many religious people do you personally know who go out of their way to seek out others who desperately need help ... how many? Do you yourself do so?
I witness many people who walk well away from drug addicts and alcoholics who stand harmlessly in the railway station here in Essen. These people are in desperate need of help, but I don't see very many Christians approaching to offer any.
Perhaps if they were to walk into a church one Sunday morning ... but no, they would be turned away, and measures taken to ensure that they would never have the opportunity to ask the many Christians there for help. They don't all ask for money from you.
Only a gesture of humanity.

Kitos.
_________________
Keep it simple ... Keep it interesting.

[Kitosdad]

Silence is golden, or so it seems. No Christians reading, and ready to tell us what they personally do for those in need?
_________________
Keep it simple ... Keep it interesting.

[Jamie (K)]

[Kitosdad]

"and they should be putting more faith in the criminal justice system."

I so agree with you Jamie, but can you see it happening any-time soon?
_________________
Keep it simple ... Keep it interesting.

[Cerise]

As I'm an atheist, I haven't been to church for a few years. Last time I went there was because of my mother, who believes in God. So I don't care how they get their money, they don't earn living from me. But those sex scandals are too much I think, it's against church's laws. It looks stupid, when they teach people something and don't do that themselves.

[Jamie (K)]