Phony advertising from churches Huffington Post

[Riders]

This is a subject I tried to bring up under my why all the gimmicks thread under non denominational churches and somewhere else havnt been able to get anyone to respond to.

But Huffington post has a paragraph on it under Why no one wants to go to church anymore called phony advertising.

The gimmick biker church and Nondenoms that accept folks who dress differently make a phony advertisements for themselves, they use the fact that theyre accepting of those people to make the phony claim that they are universal and accepting of everyone regardless of religion or sexual orientation.

In other words they sue the fact they accept those type of people and use it as a sample and then they say well we accept everyone regardless, were Universal and accepting, but if the Gays and Lesboians go to their church their not gonna be welcomed.

So te Hiffungton post says domt make the claim that are accepting of all iif other religions and LGBTs aren't welcome, then some might say well we welcome them, but then try to change them. Welcoming and accepting means accepting them as they are.

Huffingtom post agrees with me says too many church use phony advertising making the claim of accepting everyone, if your church is Evangelical conservative then no you don't accept everyone.

They say this is one reason churches are declining people read through it see through it and don't appreciate.
Heres the link http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-mcswain/why-nobody-wants-to-go-to_b_4086016.html

 

[Mindmaster]

Accepting LGBT and tolerating them are two different things, and I think Evangelicals as a whole aren't interested in making trouble for them at all. They just don't agree with it, etc. I doubt you would be thrown out of a church for admitting you are gay these days, and while the might try to persuade you, I bet that is where that stops.

Conventional religion is problematic for several reasons in my view, but #1 is time. We are working more and the only time we see our kids is on the weekend, so we tend to focus on that. It's hard to get up early on Sunday to do something after you broke your tail all week. My parents stopped going for this reason, and as a result, no one in my family really has any interest in going.

I really put the change to something else: We now expect our spiritual paths to have real results, and not just be idealistic or transcendent. Most religions focus on the rewards you get when you die vs any actual reward. This is nebulous, abstract, and largely useless. Modern religions (such as neopagans, for example) can quantify this return much better since they know what the real reward is for them here and now. They probably have afterlife concepts as well, but the focus is on the here and now. This is generally more pleasing to most people!

 

[Demonslayer]

I doubt you would be thrown out of a church for admitting you are gay these days, and while the might try to persuade you

IMO, you don't have to throw someone out of your organization to be doing something wrong to them. Simply portraying gay people as "unnatural" or any of the other hurtful things many religious people say about gay people is doing too much damage to be accepted. "Trying to persuade" a gay person to somehow not be gay is just as bad as kicking them out of church. Worse, maybe, because of how patronizing it is.

You've got gay kids committing suicide left and right, feeling depressed and unwanted, simply because they are being portrayed in a bad light by people spewing religious dogma. It needs to stop, and this kind of backwards view is the reason religion is dying rapidly and those claiming no religious affiliation are increasing at a rate humanity has never seen.

Why can't the religious give up the War on Gays? Why is it such a sticking point?

 

[BSM1]

IMO, you don't have to throw someone out of your organization to be doing something wrong to them. Simply portraying gay people as "unnatural" or any of the other hurtful things many religious people say about gay people is doing too much damage to be accepted. "Trying to persuade" a gay person to somehow not be gay is just as bad as kicking them out of church. Worse, maybe, because of how patronizing it is.

You've got gay kids committing suicide left and right, feeling depressed and unwanted, simply because they are being portrayed in a bad light by people spewing religious dogma. It needs to stop, and this kind of backwards view is the reason religion is dying rapidly and those claiming no religious affiliation are increasing at a rate humanity has never seen.

Why can't the religious give up the War on Gays? Why is it such a sticking point?

Not trying to be argumentative but "the religious" do not have to give up their "War on Gays". This is their belief and they are entitled to it. By the same token gays or any other segmented faction can opt to find a religion or a religious sect that will be more accepting and loving. Trying to force someone or some group usually ends badly for all participants.

 

[Riders]

Well its not the question of giving up the war on gays but how they advertise themselves ,if your not tolerant of GLBTs and you claim you are its phony and theres a whole lot of people complaining about being scammed by church in this way. According to Huffington post its just one of many reasons church is going down hill.

But lieing to people to get them to go to your church and using a gimmick to persuade them is a lie its a con, its more that people don't want to be scammed or lied to to get you into church.

 

[Father Heathen]

They welcome you as you are. They just don't expect you to stay that way. The idea is that they'll "fix" you over time.

 

[Riders]

I disagree with you and sense a bunch of other people have reported to Huffington Post they feel the same way I'm not the only one who feels this way.

 

[Scott C.]

So te Hiffungton post says domt make the claim that are accepting of all iif other religions and LGBTs aren't welcome, then some might say well we welcome them, but then try to change them. Welcoming and accepting means accepting them as they are.

Everyone is welcome to attend my church. But there are standards for baptism and official membership. Church is more of a hospital for the sick, than a country club for the healthy and wealthy. And we are all spiritually sick and in need of the gospel. But if you're saying that a church should take no position on sin and should not encourage people to follow the word of God, as they understand it, you're missing a big part of the purpose of Christian churches.

 

[Riders]

That's fine but your missing the point, if your church teaches that ok but if you lie to people about that and make yourself sound like your church is accepting of lgbts when your not, you just said its sin, you need to tell people that and not pretend like your accepting of peoples lifestyles when your not.

If the church lies about that and they are, then its not ok, its not that your teaching that, but you need to let people know upfront you condem certain things.

 

[Scott C.]

That's fine but your missing the point, if your church teaches that ok but if you lie to people about that and make yourself sound like your church is accepting of lgbts when your not, you just said its sin, you need to tell people that and not pretend like your accepting of peoples lifestyles when your not.

If the church lies about that and they are, then its not ok, its not that your teaching that, but you need to let people know upfront you condem certain things.

I agree churches should not misrepresent themselves or what they stand for. But, if a church says "come as you are...everyone welcome", it's not clear what they mean by "welcome". Does it mean "everyone is welcome because nobody is a sinner", or does it mean "everyone is welcome, including sinners, which we all are"? Mormon churches usually have a simple sign which says "visitors welcome".

 

[columbus]

Huffingtom post agrees with me says too many church use phony advertising making the claim of accepting everyone,

I don't understand why anyone with the sense God gave a goose would believe a promotional message from a church. C'mon, this is the USA.
It's like complaining that wearing the right fragrance didn't make you irresistible to the preferred gender of stranger. Or that the Republocrats didn't keep their campaign promises.
Tom

 

[Riders]

Well I think if your using the term accepting and tolerant its a lie, with the whole GLBTQ issue being a big deal these days , most people will take that as accepting of those regardless of sexual orientation.

Another way nondenominational churches lie that irritates me is saying they are universal and accepting of all religions.Nondenominational means the church doesn't care what denomination you belong to as in Christian denomination.

If it meant different religions Nondenominational church would allow Pagans to do witchcraft rituals at the church.

But it doesn't allow that and neither does your church allow folks from other religions there without giving them a heavy dose of communicating to them they need Jesus and need to convert.

That's not Universal at all, but its just because Universal church have become more accepted of late and the Nondenoms want to use that word to say they are accepting describe themselves as something theyre not. Non denominational is no the same thing as Universal, and Ive had a few Nondenoms try to convince me they are.

 

[Riders]

I don't understand why anyone with the sense God gave a goose would believe a promotional message from a church. C'mon, this is the USA.
It's like complaining that wearing the right fragrance didn't make you irresistible to the preferred gender of stranger. Or that the Republocrats didn't keep their campaign promises.
Tom

Want to make a betty bet, if I'm expecting someone to be accepting of me and my lesbian girlfriend when I go to church arm and arm with her and we get hate messages about homosexuality while were theyre,Im going to be completely traumatized. That in no way compares to a stupid perfume commercial.

 

[McBell]

I don't understand why anyone with the sense God gave a goose would believe a promotional message from a church. C'mon, this is the USA.
It's like complaining that wearing the right fragrance didn't make you irresistible to the preferred gender of stranger. Or that the Republocrats didn't keep their campaign promises.
Tom

Seems to me that some people put churches up on a pedestal and then whine when they find out the church did not belong on the pedestal they put it on.

 

[jeager106]

I new a devout religious man that quit going to church all together because he
saw his pastor drinking a beer.
Really?
Methinks the man was making an excuse to not attend services.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Not trying to be argumentative but "the religious" do not have to give up their "War on Gays". This is their belief and they are entitled to it. By the same token gays or any other segmented faction can opt to find a religion or a religious sect that will be more accepting and loving. Trying to force someone or some group usually ends badly for all participants.

Er, yes they do. They lost and need to accept that. People are tired of the politicized, angry, hateful form of religion and so are leaving. Organized religion is becoming increasingly irrelevant. So either they actually start practicing the social teachings of their stated religion, or they fade into obscurity with empty pews and empty coffers. My own Church, the Catholic Church, is going through this now. And the hierarchy's fault for being so damn stubborn, arrogant and corrupt. They're at odds with the laity and don't want to listen to us, at least in the West.

 

[BSM1]

Er, yes they do. They lost and need to accept that. People are tired of the politicized, angry, hateful form of religion and so are leaving. Organized religion is becoming increasingly irrelevant. So either they actually start practicing the social teachings of their stated religion, or they fade into obscurity with empty pews and empty coffers. My own Church, the Catholic Church, is going through this now. And the hierarchy's fault for being so damn stubborn, arrogant and corrupt. They're at odds with the laity and don't want to listen to us, at least in the West.

It seems you are doing that which you are despising. It seems you are forcing your views on others. If you are not happy with your particular religious group, start your own.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Not trying to be argumentative but "the religious" do not have to give up their "War on Gays". This is their belief and they are entitled to it.

But Demonslayer isn't entitled to his belief about them?

 

[Riders]

Seems to me that some people put churches up on a pedestal and then whine when they find out the church did not belong on the pedestal they put it on.

Expecting churches to tell the truth and not lie and not use trickery to sell their church is not anywhere near a pedestal, in some cases its against the law, some churches are scamming people. The bible says not to use trickery, if you claim that your church is liberal and Universal, you better be a Universal liberated church if your not your a liar.

With the scams and lies being told I'm shocked people are up here defending scamming and lieing. Bazzarre.

 

[Riders]

Hey its none of my business Huffington post labeled it as 1 reason churches are dieing, people are complaining about it, its your religion. If you don't care that your religion is suffering I don't do what you want but people expect the truth to come out of your mouths.