Catholicism

[carlfense]

I'm going to try my best here to not sound overly offensive. I was recently in a wedding in an enormous Catholic church in Omaha. The church was huge and beautiful . . . and they were running a fundraiser to try to fund a $6-7 million expansion. I've drifted away from my faith (used to be quite involved in the United Methodist church) but to me this seems rather un-Christian. Wouldn't that money be better spent helping the needy, feeding the hungry, etc. rather than building an overly ornate building? Hopefully someone can explain this to me beyond the "it draws people to god" reason. (God shouldn't need a building, imho.)

 

Also . . . Natural Family Planning and discrimination against women within the church both confuse me.

[Landlord]

I'm going to try my best here to not sound overly offensive. I was recently in a wedding in an enormous Catholic church in Omaha. The church was huge and beautiful . . . and they were running a fundraiser to try to fund a $6-7 million expansion. I've drifted away from my faith (used to be quite involved in the United Methodist church) but to me this seems rather un-Christian. Wouldn't that money be better spent helping the needy, feeding the hungry, etc. rather than building an overly ornate building? Hopefully someone can explain this to me beyond the "it draws people to god" reason. (God shouldn't need a building, imho.)

 

Also . . . Natural Family Planning and discrimination against women within the church both confuse me.

 

 

The last two things have a bunch of different answers and counter-answers and viewpoints so I won't go into that.

 

When it comes to spending money as a church, you have to find some kind of a balance. Does our church really need that new HD video projector for the song lyrics? Does it need the little things, the luxuries that make it great? Depends on how you view the word. Strictly speaking, you could go without them and survive (that money being used for more 'Christian' purposes), but how do you put a value on societal relevance, providing comfort, the use of facilities for evangelism, worship and training, etc.? Nobody wants to go to a church gathering of believers in a field under a tent with no electricity, and while that's a dramatic example, it's used to illustrate that there is a balance somewhere. The church is taught by Jesus to be in the world but not of the world, and generally speaking, a building is a good way of trying to hold to that, and once again there's a balance, because you have Christians that will hide in their church buildings pointing fingers at everyone outside (not in the world at all) and Christians on the other end of the spectrum who will meet anywhere with anyone, accepting all practices and lifestyles.

 

 

Where is the balance and who is to say? Well, according to Christians, Jesus is to say. There's no black and white answer as to whether or not it's a 'Christian' thing to do, at least not to us, because we can only look at actions and not heart's intent and whether the building is a spirit-led endeavor destined and desired to give God glory or a selfish ambition.

[redout22]

Why can't you use it draws people to God? People nowadays are very very materialistic and judgemental and in my opinion the main reason is to draw new people to the Church or people that have strayed away like yourself back in by making the Church look nice so people will take a look and see what its like and then the church can act. Plus some the renevations that are done are necessary because things like pipes and the air conditioner need to be replaced. Also just so you know some of the money they raise from the fundraiser does go back to the community and places of need.

[The Dude]

Yes, the money would be much better spent helping the needy.

[carlfense]

Why can't you use it draws people to God? People nowadays are very very materialistic and judgemental and in my opinion the main reason is to draw new people to the Church or people that have strayed away like yourself back in by making the Church look nice so people will take a look and see what its like and then the church can act. Plus some the renevations that are done are necessary because things like pipes and the air conditioner need to be replaced. Also just so you know some of the money they raise from the fundraiser does go back to the community and places of need.

They'd have a better chance of drawing me back to the church by doing good deeds and helping people in need instead of adding more marble tiled/gold leaf crusted altars. So much of modern Christianity seems so unlike the Jesus of the bible.

 

I always believed that good deeds would garner more interest than a flashy building. I guess if faith now needs to go the route of Vegas, so be it.

[carlfense]

I'm going to try my best here to not sound overly offensive. I was recently in a wedding in an enormous Catholic church in Omaha. The church was huge and beautiful . . . and they were running a fundraiser to try to fund a $6-7 million expansion. I've drifted away from my faith (used to be quite involved in the United Methodist church) but to me this seems rather un-Christian. Wouldn't that money be better spent helping the needy, feeding the hungry, etc. rather than building an overly ornate building? Hopefully someone can explain this to me beyond the "it draws people to god" reason. (God shouldn't need a building, imho.)

 

Also . . . Natural Family Planning and discrimination against women within the church both confuse me.

 

 

The last two things have a bunch of different answers and counter-answers and viewpoints so I won't go into that.

 

When it comes to spending money as a church, you have to find some kind of a balance. Does our church really need that new HD video projector for the song lyrics? Does it need the little things, the luxuries that make it great? Depends on how you view the word. Strictly speaking, you could go without them and survive (that money being used for more 'Christian' purposes), but how do you put a value on societal relevance, providing comfort, the use of facilities for evangelism, worship and training, etc.? Nobody wants to go to a church gathering of believers in a field under a tent with no electricity, and while that's a dramatic example, it's used to illustrate that there is a balance somewhere. The church is taught by Jesus to be in the world but not of the world, and generally speaking, a building is a good way of trying to hold to that, and once again there's a balance, because you have Christians that will hide in their church buildings pointing fingers at everyone outside (not in the world at all) and Christians on the other end of the spectrum who will meet anywhere with anyone, accepting all practices and lifestyles.

 

 

Where is the balance and who is to say? Well, according to Christians, Jesus is to say. There's no black and white answer as to whether or not it's a 'Christian' thing to do, at least not to us, because we can only look at actions and not heart's intent and whether the building is a spirit-led endeavor destined and desired to give God glory or a selfish ambition.

The churches that earn my respect are those that have the necessities (4 walls and a roof) and spend any extra on actually reaching out to people or helping people. I know several churches in the area of that sort.

[walksalone]

I'm not religious in the least, but my grandfather said it best...

 

"I don't need a building for God to hear me, he hears me just fine on my boat on the Big Alkali"

[Husker_x]

I think the reason we have this growth of enormous churches with Jerry Worldish big screens and rock concerts is pretty simple: It's good business. Whatever it is, at least it's entertaining. Being in a mega church (defined as any church with a weekly attendance above 2,000 people) also has the decided advantage of being able to "do the church thing" without ever having to actually involve yourself in any of it in any meaningful way. You just get to sip a latte and enjoy the show. Awhile back there was even word going around about 'drive in' churches where you never have to leave your car.

 

Regardless of how quickly these McChurches have sprung up, the stats I've seen indicate a majority of American Christians still attend churches with congregations under two hundred people. How long that will last is hard to say. Last I saw, 'unaffiliated' was the fastest growing religious category in America.

[Ratt Mhule]

I'm going to try my best here to not sound overly offensive. I was recently in a wedding in an enormous Catholic church in Omaha. The church was huge and beautiful . . . and they were running a fundraiser to try to fund a $6-7 million expansion. I've drifted away from my faith (used to be quite involved in the United Methodist church) but to me this seems rather un-Christian. Wouldn't that money be better spent helping the needy, feeding the hungry, etc. rather than building an overly ornate building? Hopefully someone can explain this to me beyond the "it draws people to god" reason. (God shouldn't need a building, imho.)

 

Also . . . Natural Family Planning and discrimination against women within the church both confuse me.

 

Well, the first priority Cathoilic churches is to make sure their parishioners are well taken care of. That means make sure everything is up to date and won't break down. Leaks happen. Air conditioners break down. Heating fixtures break. And mostly all Catholic churches are also schools, so the money goes to make updates to the schools and help the students. All this stuff costs lots and lots of money. They are donations and also parishoners are obligated to give a little each month to help these needs. Yes, some churches go above and beyond what they need to, but others really do need millions of dollars to keep their church/school up to date. Also, there are MANY food drives/money drives every year to help the needy. There was just a collection two weeks ago at the church I attend to help Christian orphans in Africa. The church right up the hill from my house (different church) just did a food drive. They always do Christmas drives to give needy kids presents. The school kids always do donation projects throughout the year too. Trust me, they are doing their part in the community, but also helping themselves out at the same time.

[Landlord]

I'm going to try my best here to not sound overly offensive. I was recently in a wedding in an enormous Catholic church in Omaha. The church was huge and beautiful . . . and they were running a fundraiser to try to fund a $6-7 million expansion. I've drifted away from my faith (used to be quite involved in the United Methodist church) but to me this seems rather un-Christian. Wouldn't that money be better spent helping the needy, feeding the hungry, etc. rather than building an overly ornate building? Hopefully someone can explain this to me beyond the "it draws people to god" reason. (God shouldn't need a building, imho.)

 

Also . . . Natural Family Planning and discrimination against women within the church both confuse me.

 

 

The last two things have a bunch of different answers and counter-answers and viewpoints so I won't go into that.

 

When it comes to spending money as a church, you have to find some kind of a balance. Does our church really need that new HD video projector for the song lyrics? Does it need the little things, the luxuries that make it great? Depends on how you view the word. Strictly speaking, you could go without them and survive (that money being used for more 'Christian' purposes), but how do you put a value on societal relevance, providing comfort, the use of facilities for evangelism, worship and training, etc.? Nobody wants to go to a church gathering of believers in a field under a tent with no electricity, and while that's a dramatic example, it's used to illustrate that there is a balance somewhere. The church is taught by Jesus to be in the world but not of the world, and generally speaking, a building is a good way of trying to hold to that, and once again there's a balance, because you have Christians that will hide in their church buildings pointing fingers at everyone outside (not in the world at all) and Christians on the other end of the spectrum who will meet anywhere with anyone, accepting all practices and lifestyles.

 

 

Where is the balance and who is to say? Well, according to Christians, Jesus is to say. There's no black and white answer as to whether or not it's a 'Christian' thing to do, at least not to us, because we can only look at actions and not heart's intent and whether the building is a spirit-led endeavor destined and desired to give God glory or a selfish ambition.

The churches that earn my respect are those that have the necessities (4 walls and a roof) and spend any extra on actually reaching out to people or helping people. I know several churches in the area of that sort.

 

 

 

Well put, I don't disagree with you there at all, but realize that's a personal conviction and preference

 

You should consider reading the book 'Radical' by David Platt. He was one of the youngest megachurch pastors in history and started realizing that the American Christian model is pathetic and so far away from the gospel that we hold as our foundation. It talks about a lot of these issues, including overzealous spending and has been a real eye-opener and challenge to a lot of Christians.

 

While I still don't believe you can judge the hearts of church boards in any individual instance, I think as a general rule you are probably right on the money in thinking that this aggressive expansion isn't focused primarily on Christ. Husker_x is right, it's good business.

[zoogs]

On the other hand, you could have a church full of most heartfelt good-doers on the planet, and it still would not affect by beliefs on how we came to be.

 

Doing good is a good principle to live by. It doesn't have to have anything to do with the origins of our species.

[gobiggergoredder]

I'm going to try my best here to not sound overly offensive. I was recently in a wedding in an enormous Catholic church in Omaha. The church was huge and beautiful . . . and they were running a fundraiser to try to fund a $6-7 million expansion. I've drifted away from my faith (used to be quite involved in the United Methodist church) but to me this seems rather un-Christian. Wouldn't that money be better spent helping the needy, feeding the hungry, etc. rather than building an overly ornate building? Hopefully someone can explain this to me beyond the "it draws people to god" reason. (God shouldn't need a building, imho.)

 

 

I can only tell you what is going on in our area.

 

Non denominational christian churches are becoming extremely popular. They are often have more relaxed services, a younger crowd and a more modern facilities. These churches have become very popular with families in our area. There are several in our modest sized city that are building huge buildings right now to accommodate new an future members. One of them has a coffee (starbucks type) deal at their entrance. Unfortunately, it is what people want.

 

Right or wrong....they probably feel that is what they have to do to keep up.

[walksalone]

I'm going to try my best here to not sound overly offensive. I was recently in a wedding in an enormous Catholic church in Omaha. The church was huge and beautiful . . . and they were running a fundraiser to try to fund a $6-7 million expansion. I've drifted away from my faith (used to be quite involved in the United Methodist church) but to me this seems rather un-Christian. Wouldn't that money be better spent helping the needy, feeding the hungry, etc. rather than building an overly ornate building? Hopefully someone can explain this to me beyond the "it draws people to god" reason. (God shouldn't need a building, imho.)

 

 

I can only tell you what is going on in our area.

 

Non denominational christian churches are becoming extremely popular. They are often have more relaxed services, a younger crowd and a more modern facilities. These churches have become very popular with families in our area. There are several in our modest sized city that are building huge buildings right now to accommodate new an future members. One of them has a coffee (starbucks type) deal at their entrance. Unfortunately, it is what people want.

 

Right or wrong....they probably feel that is what they have to do to keep up.

 

McGod....

 

I guess anything goes, to put asses in the seats

[carlfense]

On the other hand, you could have a church full of most heartfelt good-doers on the planet, and it still would not affect by beliefs on how we came to be.

Doing good is a good principle to live by. It doesn't have to have anything to do with the origins of our species.

I think I'm right there with you. Let's just say that my beliefs have changed dramatically.

[akita]

I just have a hard time following any religion that practices Pagan days and calls them holidays. I.E. Birthdays,Christmas,easter. I have a really hard time when religions claim peace,then sent the kids off to war. I.E. the pope liking hitler,todays wars,