Two things that bugged me on my drive home tonight

[TlalocW]

From playing a game with some friends over at one of their houses...

First, I'm in Tulsa, and I don't know why it hit me just now, but there were two large billboards for churches on the drive back to my house - one's a quasi-Mega Church, and the other's a large Baptist one. Not unusual for Tulsa, but it got me thinking, if a church has the damn money for a billboard, why don't they spend it on something else? How many of those kids that Sally Struthers is always going on about could they fund? Any halfway houses for adults trying to get back on their feet? I personally can't believe that anyone is going to go to a church based on a billboard. Be Christian and give your money to a worthy cause without expecting anything back in return - even an opportunity to prostelyze (sp?) to whomever you're helping - God will smile on you.

Second, I heard the most God-awful Christmas song on the way home - about some little boy who was trying to buy some shoes for his mom on Christmas Eve and not having enough money, but he needed to buy them tonight because she just might "meet Jesus tonight," and she needs to look pretty for Him. "Hey, Mister Cashier! Mom's dying, and dad brought me to this store to buy her some shoes and didn't give me enough money! Merry Effin' Christmas!" What would drive a person to write such a song, and then after writing it and reading it once or twice would then drive that person to record it?

Just somethings I had to get off my chest.

TlalocW

[Algorem]

1. Jesus is a foot man.That little bastard better get that cash somehow.

[Dogmudgeon]

2. It's "The Christmas Shoes" by Newsong

Smug "feel-good" Christianity.

Worst Xmas song ever.

--p!

[yellowdogintexas]

3. I hate sappy songs like that , no matter what the theme is

and I hate big church billboards too.

My church has(theroetically at least, since I am Methodist) 10000 members and we don't have no stinking billboards.

Never needed them, don't even have a spot in the religion section of the newspaper.

[samplegirl]

4. Come worship with Pastor Joe

thats the local billboard here. Don't forget to bring your wallet
would be more aprapos. God hates greed. Its like there trying to
sell you your only ticket to heaven.

[yellowdogintexas]

6. Well, at least when my church asks for money, it is not with a

promise of salvation and riches because I give it. When my church asks for money it is to either give them my estimated pledge amount for the coming year so they can actualy devise a budget of some sort OR for a specific project, of which there are several:

Chili lunches for homeless/street people
Back to school clothes for approx 2000 poor kids
Thanksgiving baskets for about 1200 poor families
Day care for children who are living in the homeless shelters in FW
The general mission fund: clothing bank, food bank etc.

Occasionally there may be a special fund raiser for a piece of equipment or something.

Oh yeah and the small fundraisers for Youth Choir and Youth Mission trips.

One of the reasons I never mind when they ask for it: because it is always for an excellent and worthy cause.

[Floogeldy]

5. Because modern organized religion is all about aggrandizing certain . . .

. . . individuals and amassing money.