RinkuTheRuffian
Punished "Venom" Rinku
Being in a part of Canada where you can still see the damages colonialism has done to the first nations communities, I can't look at churches and be necessarily happy about what I'm looking at.
Your Opinion on Churches
- Thread starter Storok
- Start date
Peaches-and-Dreams
The TRESH MEHN
Not religious but as a choirister and operatic singer I often find myself frequenting them, if they have good acoustics I just. Love them. I have to a knowlage that whilst organised religion causes a lot of problems, the work that many religious organisations do, especially for the homeless I really think is helpful. Also as historical buildings I really like them, they can be so beautiful!
Wither
Is honestly confused by life.
They make me uncomfortable. Everytime I've gone for a friend, it just has this atmosphere that makes me anxious. Though most religion does that. After living in both Utah and Texas, i definitely get judged for not believing. I hate when it's brought up. (and yet I'm too pussy to say no and not go when a friend asks me to try their church because it's 'cool'.)
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Sarcastic Coffeecup
Hand. Cannot. Erase.
It's a place where religious people gather to offer praise and prayer to their deity.
It's fine by my books, and most churches are absolutely stunning tributes and shows of faith. Especially the gothic cathedrals!
It's fine by my books, and most churches are absolutely stunning tributes and shows of faith. Especially the gothic cathedrals!
P
Phoenix-Kat
Guest
I was bullied at church just as much as I was in school. When I tried to tell the pastor about it, hoping he would talk to the bullies or something like that he just said I shouldn't let it stop me from going to church. I didn't feel welcome so I stopped going anyway. I found most churches to be full of cliques and gossip. Most of the "Christians" I met were only Christians on Sunday. Going to church doesn't make you a Christian anymore than standing in a garage makes you an auto mechanic.
V
Vitaly
Guest
From an architectural point of view, churches are magnificent. Baroque and Gothic cathedrals are one of my favorite.
-Sliqq-
Silo
If they inflate, I inflate c:
Simo
Professional Watermelon Farmer
They could always be used for orgies and buffets!
We have tons of them here, a lot of them in disuse, and now, being converted to other things. There's some amazing historical ones here on the older cities of the east coast, though there's also a ton of just plain, frumpy, dumpy little churches, like pimples dotting the American landscape, with no more architectural significance than a 7-11 or a car-wash.
Fallowfox
Are we moomin, or are we dancer?
When I visited Newfoundland there were churches everywhere; 3 alone on the street I was on (because it is unthinkable that unitarians, roman catholics and protestants all pray in the same building!). Many of the churches out in the sticks were abandoned, and harched back to a time when the population was much larger.
Very few of them were stone though, which was a surprise to me because I'd previously always thought churches more or less had to be stone. I'm not sure how that compares to the US east coast.
thecomposingwolf
New Member
I look at it this way. A church is where a group of people who have similar interests get together to express that interest. That interest so happens to be religion. I'm agnostic, and go to a Christian church every other week usually. A lot of you guys think that everyone in a church is inherently evil, but come on, seriously? Most people are there to bond with other people and with their family. The hypocriticism is an issue, but only for a portion of the population of churchgoers.
Compare it to a convention. A furry convention is where a group of people who have similar interests get together to express that interest. That interest so happens to be the furry fandom. A lot of people view them as sickos because of the percentage of them who go out in public and do weird shit in public. Furries complain when the entire furry population as a whole is looked at as sickos because of the few that ruin it for them, so let's not look at the church in that way. We turn into the real "hypocrites" if we do that.
Simo
Professional Watermelon Farmer
Ah, yes, there are a lot of types of them!
We have some very nice, old stone ones, this one is in Mount Vernon Place, sorta downtown:
And then, in a poor neighborhood, you might see places like this:
The curious thing, is the music is going to be about 100% better in the second example.
I've sometimes sat outside of certain black churches, and listened to the music as it builds, it's very emotional, and you can certainly see how things like blues and rock evolved from it...here in Baltimore, these smaller churches
do a lot to anchor poor neighborhoods, and are an active political element, especially as a voice for the poor. Though I've always been shy about going in, as if I'd be some curiosity seeking anthropologist, or something.
I've gone a few times to one nearby, for some community events, it's a very liberal place, Memorial Episcopal. My mate and I have thought of going to a Unitarian Church, mainly just for the sense of community, to meet people, and also, see what we might do to help make the city a nicer place. So I agree. There's some nasty, mean churches out there, but there's also some that tend to quite a bit of good, and act as a cohesive, positive force.
RinkuTheRuffian
Punished "Venom" Rinku
Pretty sure nobody said anything of the sort considering there's no such thing as good or evil in an atheist's sense.
The only reason people go to church is because they're afraid of going to hell. Nobody actually wants to go to express themselves, dammit, that's all my grandpa was concerned about when he was in and out of a consciousness on his death bed.
Maximus B. Panda
The Red Menace
Isn't it supposed to be about following God rather than a self proclaimed holy figure?
Your convention example isn't very good comparison, mostly because it doesn't have a history of burning people's houses for not being a part of the church and selling a way into heaven.
reptile logic
An imposter among aliens.
The strongest opinions are often based on a correspondingly small understanding of the subject. This applies to both sides of any argument.
Osrik
Member
Oh boy, this thread is quickly moving towards flame war territory... and it was so civil for the first page or so...
Almost all the churches around me (New Jersey) are made of wood, and from my experience, this is the case with older churches along the US east coast. Most of the stone churches, primarily Catholic Cathedrals, were built in the late 1800s or early 1900s.
I think it partially has to do with availability of materials and funds; many of the older churches in the Americas were built in colonial times by a very small community of people in a mostly underpopulated land, while the older churches of Europe were built in already established locations by governments with accumulated wealth.
Almost all the churches around me (New Jersey) are made of wood, and from my experience, this is the case with older churches along the US east coast. Most of the stone churches, primarily Catholic Cathedrals, were built in the late 1800s or early 1900s.
I think it partially has to do with availability of materials and funds; many of the older churches in the Americas were built in colonial times by a very small community of people in a mostly underpopulated land, while the older churches of Europe were built in already established locations by governments with accumulated wealth.
Storok
670 blp
it practicly slid off the chair ...
x_eleven
Well-Known Member
Protestant services, weddings, church carnivals pretty much suck. devoid of any sense of joie de vivre, such sticks in the mud. The Calvinist denomms are the worst.
Catholics know how to party, how to put on a good festival, drink, dance, and gamble. The neighborhood Catholic church ran a festival, including Blackjack; I won several hundred bucks there. That was before they turned the operation over to professionals who made Blackjack unbeatable. They do play Hold 'Em now, but not for high enough stakes. Still, lots of good rides, good food made and served by the members.
Greek Orthodox services still have all the pomp and ceremony VC II purged from RC services (major mistake there). And they serve the best food at their carnivals. Only time you can get a real honest to Dog giro, not those fast food fakes. Lots of other yummy Greek/Mediterranean specialties as well.
Catholics know how to party, how to put on a good festival, drink, dance, and gamble. The neighborhood Catholic church ran a festival, including Blackjack; I won several hundred bucks there. That was before they turned the operation over to professionals who made Blackjack unbeatable. They do play Hold 'Em now, but not for high enough stakes. Still, lots of good rides, good food made and served by the members.
Greek Orthodox services still have all the pomp and ceremony VC II purged from RC services (major mistake there). And they serve the best food at their carnivals. Only time you can get a real honest to Dog giro, not those fast food fakes. Lots of other yummy Greek/Mediterranean specialties as well.
Wither
Is honestly confused by life.
Someone should have searched any religion thread here ever.
You can't even eat popcorn to this thread yet.
Storok
670 blp
Go Flip the Chair!!!
Saiko
GTWT Survivor
To be fair, some of them are very big because they have a shit ton of members.
Ricky
Well-Known Member
They don't build *up* to fit all the people.
There are usually no people on more than one floor, even when they are almost like skyscrapers.
Is this really necessary?
