You know the church you grew up in has completely lost its way

[cornermouse]

when they have a financial division and it puts job ads in the paper for business consultants.

Bottom line: They've stopped being a church and have become a financial institution.

[flakey_foont]

1. eh

How would Jesus invest?

What stocks would Jesus buy?

[johannes1984]

2. I'm no fancy southern evangelical

but in my wayward youth , forced into a cahtedral every sunday to listen to some dude read from some book .I distinctly recall , the long haired rasta guy they all so revere throwing quite a fit in some temple when he saw all the financial transactions ..

[mzteris]

3. I think Churches should

lose their "tax exempt status".

It would cull out those in it for the money - all those mega churches and televangelists who found GOD was a great way to make money.

[greekspeak]

4. The church I grew up in is dying

In the 60's, the church was so big that other churches calved off

In the 70's, it began aging

In the 80's, its members began dying off far faster than they were being replaced. I stopped going as soon as my dad let me.

In the 90's, the trend continued.

Today, they have a part time pastor who is at odds as to how to regenerate the church.

This is a United Methodist church, close to campus, in a gentrifying area. Of course, the fact that another UM church is 3 blocks north does not help.

Been an Atheist since Jr. High, but that is a beautiful old church I would hate to see vanish.

[undergroundpanther]

7. I am glad the church is dying

because maybe people can stop making reality fit into a book.<maybe just maybe when there is no"dominant" religion more people can take conservatism away from religion,see tradition as a stifling shackle that is is for the most part and grow wiser instead of more "obedient"or'loyal' and question "popular" people who smoothly talk all the right words but really lead a sick double life asshole people seeking power hiding behind good guy badges and symbols .Maybe when people question the whole premise of good guy badges and authority that"originates" from unknowable sources they might see how authority can be a destructive farce ..When people hold no book or belief as sacred cows they can question symbols and what they MEAN vs what they say,people can begin to question all authority figures decide what they need and what they don't what is a real danger VS an imaginary one,what is normal sometimes is dangerous,and seek meanings that matter to them they can stand for, in a real way honestly,they can say words like"forgive" and know what they MEAN when they say it,and understand others might have been hurt by such concepts..work through the nihilism that questioning all things causes and come out of it all in a way capable of handling changes with less baggage less will to dominate others,more desire to be genuine and reach out of their own heads and lives,,...as they let people be different than they themselves are,and once they accept differences that cause no harm and can tell real harm from religious induced fear they may begin to not automatically fear a person who lives their life in a different way and walks a spiritual path you don't understand.People might accept not knowing it all.And once they accept that they might be able to explore more of potential with their eyes open instead of looking heavenward,waiting for a leader to give permission, or looking for answers in an old book or trembling in fear of gods wrath for being who you are like god is some strict cosmic father redoing the abuse dynamics of sick human families on a cosmic scale in a traumatized world,..when it's always een a few clever bad hearted sociopathic humans acting out their fantasies on us.with us because we in our ignorance let sick people who charm us into beliefs we need not let rule us with words with no meaning..we let men who have no character within lead nations..and institutions because we refuse to lead ourselves and find out for ourselves what kind of culture we want..

[billybob537]

5. What I've learned

You don't need a middle man to talk to God. God would prefere you spent your money making the world a better place for all his children. Even the gay black liberal ones....

[teamster633]

6. I do recall a passage that went something like...

...whenever two or more of you gather in my name. No mention of any intermediary being required.

[DanCa]

8. render unto ceaser

Tax collecting and money lending within a church is bad. Almost as tacky as the bill boards with those cheesy sayings on it. I am proud of my bishop council for voting that crap down. Yeah times are tough but its the chimps fault the economy is in the toilet.