NationStates Jolt Archive

No real commentary from me--just confusion (http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/12/06/churches.closed.christmas.ap/index.html). To be fair, the article notes that most of these churches don't hold special Christmas day services, but since Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, it seems a bit odd, especially since some of them are cancelling New Year's day services as well.

Resource considerations

The churches closing on Christmas plan multiple services in the days leading up to the holiday, including on Christmas Eve.

Most normally do not hold Christmas Day services, preferring instead to mark the holiday in the days and night before.

But Sunday worship has been a Christian practice since ancient times.

Cally Parkinson, a spokeswoman for Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, said church leaders decided that organizing services on a Christmas Sunday would not be the most effective use of staff and volunteer resources.

The last time Christmas fell on a Sunday was 1994, and only a small number of people showed up to pray, she said.

"If our target and our mission is to reach the unchurched, basically the people who don't go to church, how likely is it that they'll be going to church on Christmas morning?" she said.

Among the other megachurches closing on Christmas Day are Southland Christian Church in Nicholasville, Kentucky, near Lexington, and Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas, outside Dallas.

North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia, outside Atlanta, said on its Web site that no services will be held on Christmas Day or New Year's Day, which also falls on a Sunday. A spokesman for North Point did not respond to requests for comment.

Those evil people, now they've declared war on the Sabbath! Is nothing sacred anymore, Bill?

Living in NYC, I am not really au courant with the membership of these so-called "mega churches", but aren't they the types that usually form the most obnoxious section of the christian community?

So much confusion from those evangelical Protestants... They take All Saints Day off the calendar, then are shocked that it becomes a paganized holiday. They take the "Mass" out of "Christmas," and they're shocked the Christ is being removed. Now they boycott Target and others for not saying "Merry Christmas," and they fall to the same commercialism the ones they boycott support. I wish I understood evangelical thinking more.

Living in NYC, I am not really au courant with the membership of these so-called "mega churches", but aren't they the types that usually form the most obnoxious section of the christian community?
Yep--them's the ones. I drive past one every day on my way to work. I swear, one of these nights, I'm going to be so drunk that I'm going to stop and take a shit in their fountain.

Living in NYC, I am not really au courant with the membership of these so-called "mega churches", but aren't they the types that usually form the most obnoxious section of the christian community?
Not always, but they are frigging huge. We have a big one, Biltmore Baptist, nearby. It's not a church, it's a compound. They have a huge church building, a gym, a bookstore, a coffee shop, a small theatre... Most of the people that I know who go there are fine Christians and citizens. When my neighbor's husband died, they organized to make her lunch and dinner for the next two months, while also mowing her lawn. But they're eliminating the old-fashioned "corner church," which is unfortunate. And so much of their church additions seem superfluous.

Yep--them's the ones. I drive past one every day on my way to work. I swear, one of these nights, I'm going to be so drunk that I'm going to stop and take a shit in their fountain.

That wouldn't be very athiest of you, would it?

That wouldn't be very athiest of you, would it?
It's my own special kind of worship.

That wouldn't be very athiest of you, would it?
It would only be atheist if he stole a bunch of their bibles and swapped them out for porn magazines.

Yep--them's the ones. I drive past one every day on my way to work. I swear, one of these nights, I'm going to be so drunk that I'm going to stop and take a shit in their fountain.

Dude, I so dog-dare you to do the flaming poop-bag thing. That never gets old.

Living in NYC, I am not really au courant with the membership of these so-called "mega churches", but aren't they the types that usually form the most obnoxious section of the christian community?

They are to religion what Walmart is to everything else. Low quality bulk that caters to a huge population and edges actual quality out by sheer spending power.

So much confusion from those evangelical Protestants... They take All Saints Day off the calendar, then are shocked that it becomes a paganized holiday. They take the "Mass" out of "Christmas," and they're shocked the Christ is being removed. Now they boycott Target and others for not saying "Merry Christmas," and they fall to the same commercialism the ones they boycott support. I wish I understood evangelical thinking more.

No you don't. The required brain surgery is risky and the healing time is extensive. A concusion might do it, but you'd be as likely to develop psychic powers as you would be to figure out how a religion devoted to a guy who's entire raison d'etre was to get people to stop listening to rich old men with lots of power and loud voices who preach intolerance and a myopic exclusionary view of Yawehist worship has turned into a religion run by rich old men with lots of power and loud voices who preach intolerance and a myopic exclusionary view of Yawehist worship.

It's rather like the T-shirt slogan "Pray for a Secular Future."

Christmas is regarded as a time to be with your family. Why would this be a surprise?

Christmas is regarded as a time to be with your family. Why would this be a surprise?
Because the whole point of Christmas for Christians is to celebrate the birth of Jesus. To go out of your way to not celebrate the birth of Jesus as a corporate body is a little odd, IMO.

Olara']Because the whole point of Christmas for Christians is to celebrate the birth of Jesus. To go out of your way to not celebrate the birth of Jesus as a corporate body is a little odd, IMO.
Since when are churches corporate bodies? (on an official level at least) :confused: Indeed though, Christmas, if anything, is about celebrating the birth of Christ. Pagans assign other meanings to it as well.

Since when are churches corporate bodies? (on an official level at least) :confused: Indeed though, Christmas, if anything, is about celebrating the birth of Christ. Pagans assign other meanings to it as well.
cor·po·rate 1)Formed into a corporation; incorporated: the corporate companies of industrial America.
2)Of or relating to a corporation: corporate assets; corporate culture.
3)United or combined into one body; collective: made a corporate effort to finish the job.
4)Of or relating to a corporative government or political system.
From dictionary.com, emphasis mine.

You learn something new every day it seems.

Olara']Because the whole point of Christmas for Christians is to celebrate the birth of Jesus. To go out of your way to not celebrate the birth of Jesus as a corporate body is a little odd, IMO.

There are many ways to celebrate. Celebrating with your immediate family is not any less celebration than celebrating with your church family. There is much celebration in church on the days leading up to Christmas, Christmas day it's self is for celebrating at home with your family. There is nothing odd about that.

There are many ways to celebrate. Celebrating with your immediate family is not any less celebration than celebrating with your church family. There is much celebration in church on the days leading up to Christmas, Christmas day it's self is for celebrating at home with your family. There is nothing odd about that.
I'm not saying that celebrating Christmas with family is odd, I'm saying that to cancel a service that is always held, ie, a Sunday service, on the day when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus seems a little odd to me. As far as I know, my church is still meeting on the 25th; that might have something to do with my feelings.