Bad seeds in the church

[steven lloyd]

Steve, your indignation is misplaced.

Na, it seems quite apparent there is plenty to go around.

We recently had some church going friends over for a casual dinner the other night. As the night progressed, this couple couldnt help but "spill the beans" about some stuff that is going on amongst members of their church. Apparently spouses are cheating on each other, pastors are getting cars for "gifts", wealthy business men are not paying their bills and the list goes on. Seems to me this so called "church" must be pastored by Satan as no "church going folk" would do act like this...would they? I was always under the impression that going to church made you a better person, but now I know ...

[Bsuds]

So it all is coming together....fraud, infidelity, stealing etc. etc. Yep sounds like them.

Now if you remove the whole GOD aspect that might be something I'd be interested in attending

We could start a club

[Nom_de_Plume]

We could start a club

Oh wonder if we could register it as a religion to get the groovy tax exemptions

[psychprof]

It is for these very reasons that I turned my back on religion years ago. After attending many versions of the faith (hard-core fundamentalist, Baptist, Mennonite, Vineyard, Emergent, Catholic) I finally had no choice but to conclude that these were places full of hatred, hypocrisy, and judgement. Christianity would be great if it wasn't for the Christians.

[Captain Awesome]

One doesn't have to be a Christian to be an *bleep*.

[steven lloyd]

I finally had no choice but to conclude that these were places full of hatred, hypocrisy, and judgement.

Ya, never find that stuff anywhere else.

[cutter7]

We recently had some church going friends over for a casual dinner the other night. As the night progressed, this couple couldnt help but "spill the beans" about some stuff that is going on amongst members of their church. Apparently spouses are cheating on each other, pastors are getting cars for "gifts", wealthy business men are not paying their bills and the list goes on. Seems to me this so called "church" must be pastored by Satan as no "church going folk" would do act like this...would they? I was always under the impression that going to church made you a better person, but now I know I am better to stay away from the Franklyn and Hwy 33 area on Sundays.

What is your opinion of your friends gossiping about the other people? gossip is poison

The bible teaches that there are bad people everywhere including the church.

The bible also tells us not to follow blindly but to educate ourselves and to try and live as best we can. We will be judged on our own merits not on anyone elses.

[zzontar]

Churches always get harsher views because people expect their bar to be set much higher. This is why if a church has a priest who is charged with sexual abuse, the whole denomination and everyone in it will often be open to abuse, whereas if a hockey coach gets the same charge, only that person seems to take the flack. Just going to church doesn't make someone a better person anymore than eating a salad once a week would make someone a vegetarian. To cut down everyone associated would be similar to cutting down all RCMP's because of the bad ones making the headlines... childish. Too bad there are frauds and bad people involved, but if they think they're automatically forgiven then they must believe Hell has been shut down and Satan is on EI.

[coffeeFreak]

What is your opinion of your friends gossiping about the other people? gossip is poison

The bible teaches that there are bad people everywhere including the church.

The bible also tells us not to follow blindly but to educate ourselves and to try and live as best we can. We will be judged on our own merits not on anyone elses.

Good question cutter7...that is a lot of information to be in the "know" about and then to discuss it with people who appear not to be Christians suggests the character of these church going friends isn't much better than the people they were gossiping about.

[cutter7]

Churches always get harsher views because people expect their bar to be set much higher. This is why if a church has a priest who is charged with sexual abuse, the whole denomination and everyone in it will often be open to abuse, whereas if a hockey coach gets the same charge, only that person seems to take the flack. Just going to church doesn't make someone a better person anymore than eating a salad once a week would make someone a vegetarian. To cut down everyone associated would be similar to cutting down all RCMP's because of the bad ones making the headlines... childish. Too bad there are frauds and bad people involved, but if they think they're automatically forgiven then they must believe Hell has been shut down and Satan is on EI.

People think because other people go to church they hold themselves to a higher standard. Not so.

The bible says "who ever is without sin cast the first stone" yet the bible says we all sin. The only perfect man was jesus.

We are not to judge other people that is up to god.

[Glacier]

We are not to judge other people that is up to god.

What do you mean by "judge"? If someone rapes and kills a young lady, I can't pass judgement?

[cutter7]

Don't shoot the messenger all I did was point out what the bible teaches, I can't split hairs over different situations as I am not an expert on the bible.


The bible tells us to obey the laws of the land yet judgement of a person is up to god.

you are free to do what you want.

[cliffy1]

Don't shoot the messenger all I did was point out what the bible teaches, I can't split hairs over different situations as I am not an expert on the bible.

The bible tells us to obey the laws of the land yet judgement of a person is up to god.

you are free to do what you want.

I have yet to meet more than a hand full of Christians who adhered to the "judge not lest ye shall be judged" command. The OT promotes all kinds of crimes against humanity, so the "crimes" reported in the OP about parishioners of that church seem rather mild by comparison. But I don't think we need to look much farther than human nature to see that it doesn't take a religion or a church to bring about such behaviours.

[fluffy]

Agree. Organized religion does not have a monopoly on hypocrisy, it just sticks out a little more obviously when dealing with a group that holds proper behavior out as a basic tenet of membership. Like a bad cop or crooked judge.

[Oxl3y]

But I don't think we need to look much farther than human nature to see that it doesn't take a religion or a church to bring about such behaviours.

Absolutely true but behaving like this while supposedly adhering to this staunch moral code just makes it disgustingly hypocritical, which makes them worse in my book.