At least he's a christian thinking about principles

[Arach Angle]

Originally Posted by elyn02

I think what might help is to not have a one-size-fits-all mass or service. The last couple of times I attended a service, the same topics were being discussed that I heard as a child. Where is the evidence for growth? One church was Catholic and the other was called Calvary Chapel.

The topics that religious leaders cover can be complex and probably need to be a bit more structured. Of course, I am not advocating a k-12 school type structure because I would've been stuck in 1st grade for a long time. To be a bit more serious, it is in our culture to not embarrass people so putting people at different levels of spiritual growth is out of the question.

yup. And no need to have a held fast dogma. I don't mean gerry garcia type "let anything go" type thinking, but flexible understanding is in order.

[elyn02]

Originally Posted by Arach Angle

yup. And no need to have a held fast dogma. I don't mean gerry garcia type "let anything go" type thinking, but flexible understanding is in order.

I do think churches are attempting that in order to draw the crowds back. There are two that have opened up that have a saying "No perfect people allowed." I think that is a very good start at connecting with those who may have left as a result of held fast dogma.

[eddie gein]

Originally Posted by phetaroi

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opini...es/5370555001/

This appeared in our Phoenix newspaper entitled "Why So Many People Are Leaving Churches". I appreciated that someone in the christian world is thinking about the errors of the current path of christianity and can admit that is one of the factors in the decline in church attendance. It's so nice to see a 'christian official' who talks about principles, rather than proving the unprovable.

Service work is one of the reasons I feel guilty for not going to church and supporting their philanthropic efforts. Giving my time and money to these projects.

So I just stay home and drink more beer in hopes that the people at the beer company whom I support will use their time and money to go to church and do all that stuff. I realize that without me taking the time to drink all that extra beer...it is quite possible that these people might not have that opportunity to help their fellow man

[LearnMe]

Originally Posted by eddie gein

Service work is one of the reasons I feel guilty for not going to church and supporting their philanthropic efforts. Giving my time and money to these projects.

So I just stay home and drink more beer in hopes that the people at the beer company whom I support will use their time and money to go to church and do all that stuff. I realize that without me taking the time to drink all that extra beer...it is quite possible that these people might not have that opportunity to help their fellow man

Most of us beer drinkers think the same thing when we order another round...

Also if I may, this notion that we need to be involved with the church to support philanthropic efforts tends to be a little irritating, frustrating. Wrong. I'm an atheist and worked a few years as a volunteer with the Food Bank, and I found it quite rewarding. Not in any way religious, though we did distribute food to churches that took the food to the needy who attended their church.

Word of caution, however. No alcohol when it comes to work with the Food Bank...