Monday, September 6, 2010
The Church is Now a Market?!
This past weekend, I went to an event called Fall Festival or in Vietnamese, Hoi Cho. This event was a fundraiser for a Vietnamese church and it was held AT the church itself. There were no aspects of the whole event that even had to do with God! I understand wanting to raise money for the church but need it be held at the church itself. Churches are built as places of worship, not as markets to make money. Anyway, I saw plenty of people there, many of whom were so consumed in the festivities and fun that they didn't even seem to care about the purpose of the whole event. Some of the kiosks even sold BEER! AT A CHURCH!!! Men smoked in right in front of others, including children, with no regard for their health. Teenage girls dressed in the skimpiest outfits trying to get boys to talk to them. Teenage boys dressed with their pants halfway to their ankles in wife-beaters with earphones listening to music. I went to see my girlfriend who actually goes to the church and was working as a volunteer. As she was working and my other friends were busy, I just took the time to sit on a bench and observe all the people. People had no regard for others, just pushing and shoving to get to the front of the line to buy a SNOWCONE. Girls hardly wore shorts and wore tank tops that did not cover their cleavage, and keep in mind, these girls are around 13 years old; they don't even HAVE any cleavage!!! All in all, I resent the people of the church for holding its fundraiser at the church itself. I think they should have chosen a different venue rather than having girls in slutty outfits and men smoking and drinking right in FRONT of GOD'S HOUSE! This just shows that people have begun to lose sight of true values and that more and more effort is being exerted to make money even if it means turning God's house into a market. And I'm not trying to bash the whole church or Church itself; I just don't agree with this use of the church as the venue for this event.
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This completely blows my mind. I cannot believe that this is happening at a church. People really do not have any regards for church or God at this event. They seem like they are all worried about themselves when this event is supposed to be about others. I completely agree with you. I probably would have been upset just looking at the scene also.
ReplyDeleteI know Stephanie. I am ALL about respect and I feel this gives God, the One to whom the MOST respect is owed, NO respect at all. What is the priest of this parish thinking? I know him and he is a great person but I feel he is losing sight of the meaning of a church and God's house. I'm not trying to preach or be some sort of hypocrite, but I do NOT approve of this event and feel it should be moved to a different venue.
ReplyDeleteDisclaimer: I enjoy playing Devil's advocate, so I am going to take the other side to this argument. It probably won't work well. Also I am an atheist/ ex-Southern Baptist who has read the Bible multiple times.
ReplyDeleteWould it have been a problem if there were no beer, cigarettes, or scantily dressed people there? If Jesus kicked over tables in the Jewish Synagogue, and told them they were thieves, which I would take to mean that they were overcharging on the sacrifices that the Jews were required to have. Obviously simply taking money up in the church isn't being a thief according to Jesus because of tithe.
What is the difference in having a fund raiser that overcharges for things that aren't required to be bought to be in the religion (opposed to perfect doves and other animals that are required in Judaism), and taking up offering that the majority of goes to running the church and paying the pastor and secretary?
If they aren't extorting money in the event then what is the problem?
Jesus drank wine in the Bible, created wine in a miracle, and said that you shouldn't be drunk, but never said you can't drink at all. So if it is used in moderation, how is this a sin, or a problem? You could argue that is detrimental to the body, but then why do people that drink in moderate amounts live longer than those who don't drink at all?
Being Devil's advocate to myself, I will admit that if I were to become a Christian, I would tell my church that there are better places for this to be done than at the church, and it detracts from what is going on, but theoretically if it didn't cause a problem, a fight, or a dunk person there isn't a problem
Can the church set a dress code on what can be worn to church is this Biblical? I think it would prevent some non-Christians from coming in, but in my opinion that isn't such a bad thing. Is wearing low pants that don't show your skin with a wife beater a bad thing at all. I see no reason that this would be a problem, except that you associate this outfit with a certain group or class of people
Why can't girls reveal their chest? If this had been a swimming party you wouldn't have complained about the guys not wearing shirts at all. This is the definition of a double standard. So why is it a problem at church? It is because looking like this is when not doing it for swimming, is generally associated with promiscuous sex. If they are wearing these clothes for this reason (I would be welling to bet that many are), then it looks like the church or the Christians aren't doing their job as well as it should. In which case, you are right, what is the church coming to?
Why do people push in line for snow cones? Because they are obnoxious and greedy instead of humble. In which case, again, what is the church coming to?
Smoking hurts the body, where, according to Christianity, God lives, and the Bible instructs you to protect and respect what God has given you. I learned in health class, that smoking cigarettes kills ~400,000 people per year. So yes, this shouldn't be allowed at the church.
Think what you will of this.
Ryan
Ryan,
ReplyDeleteYou're right that the money DOES go to the church so it can run and so the priest and secretary can make a living. On the other hand, people should be WILLING to give to the church, not have to get something out of it for themselves. People should dress appropriately if they are going to a church. It's a church, not a club, so people shouldn't be dressing as if it were. You're right there is no dress code but at least have some respect for God and His house. Drinking is okay but seriously some people were getting drunk at a church. I really don't know what to say to you because you seem so adamant and I don't think I could change your mind but I suppose if I had to answer your response, I'd say it all comes down to respect. They can respect God's house rather than dressing up like sluts just so they can attract dudes. Guys can respect God's house and NOT try to pick up girls and hook up with them. Men can respect the church and socially drink elsewhere away from children where they may set a bad example and might cause bad habits for the children in the future. I'm big on respect and honor and at this event I did not see much of either. So I guess you can feel how you feel about it, but I'm not content with people disrespecting my God.
QuocAnh
Devil's advocate - In common parlance, a devil's advocate is someone who, given a certain argument, takes a position he or she does not necessarily agree with, just for the sake of argument. In taking such position, the individual taking on the devil's advocate role seeks to engage others in an argumentative discussion process. The purpose of such process is typically to test the quality of the original argument and identify weaknesses in its structure, and to use such information to either improve or abandon the original, opposing position.
ReplyDeleteI am not trying to stir you up or offend you. Most of what I said doesn't represent how I would actually feel, so changing my mind isn't necessary. It simply presents the other side where possible. There was nothing positive to say about cigarettes that I could think of. haha :)
If I attended this church as a member, I would be opposed to the drinking, the people attempting to arrange sins at the church, the rude people in line, and the smoking at the church and in front of children. You have to wonder are all of these people actually following their religion, as they claim to be by attending. As you have said, many of them clearly have no respect for it.
The only things I would actually support are a clean version of the fundraiser, and perhaps the male clothes.
Ryan
Sorry Ryan, your whole argument got me a little fired up. Hahahaha! Yeah I forgot about the whole Devil's advocate thing. Sorry again. But yeah you offered a good argument and got me thinking haha. Yes the fundraiser would be a good idea in a place other than the church itself. But anyway, sorry for any hostility I may have presented.
ReplyDeleteQuocAnh