Sunday Assembly Detroit [[aka Atheist Church)

[G-DDT]

Another short story which I posted before was my husband was raised in a devote Catholic family. I was raised UCC and still am. My husband wanted to be wedded at a georgeous old church of his childhood but because I would not convert we could only be married at a side alter, we both agreed I was not second class, we married in mine.

His mother declared for years we were not married in the eyes of God [[we visited his folks "religiously" ) every Saturday for years. We waited quite a bit before starting a family, our eldest son was their first and only grand child for quite a while. She constantly moaned I wasn't Catholic until I pointed out she was calling her grandson a bastard. Never heard another peep.

I respect any religion or group that believes in a moral Life. In fact our oldest married a Krishna adherent, fine by us.

People don't quiblle. I have Two sisters and and brother: two atheists, one agnostic. They are fine people.

Become all things to all people. The emphasis of "all men [[or people)" pops up a lot in St. Paul's writings. It's the point of the Golden Rule and the premise of abiding. Heck, I recall St. Paul urging the continuance of the marriage with an outsider in 1 Corinthians 7 [[and didn't Jesus have a Moabite outsider named Ruth in his "earthly" bloodline-not that I should make a deal out of genealogies. What St. Paul warned about genealogy, Dominion-emphasizing Dispensationalists will run wild about a Davidic bloodline and they are also very intolerant to the idea of Christians marrying outsiders.).
Shame about the mother-in-law. Most Catholics I know are rather open-door about a lot of things.

[G-DDT]

I can also say no other religous organization has done as much for the poor as the Catholic Church and they keep on doing. I'm proud to be Catholic,

Yes-yes. Methodists and Episcopalians [[and some Congregationalists) run a close second. Yet, oddly enough, some Mormons can be rather good about poverty alleviation. There are other issues the Catholics stand out on: being against Capitol Punishment, supporting civil rights, upholding the rights of the workers, giving respect to the right for one to be celibate, sometimes anti-war, being anti-secret society [[yet, that K of C....), being anti-racist, and being against Eugenics are just a few I can name.

[G-DDT]

Christians are the largest persecuted religious group in the world. Atheists receive some persecution, but not nearly as much as Christians. Source:

http://www.pewforum.org/2014/01/14/r...pecific-groups

I've learned that anyone can where the crown of the oppressor. Now things are getting outlandishly nasty against Christians. If New York is quite the biggy, then it is a hostile gesture to define your movement by attacking another in a huge, expensive campaign in a sprawling metropolitan area. I speak of putting up a ridiculous billboard in Times Square in 2012 that says "Keep the Merry [[picture of the modern Santa Claus)...and Dump the Myth [[image of Christ)". I've never supported any such mega-displays of intolerance. Satanists who just want a little niche for themselves on municipal property seem saintly in comparison [[oddly enough, Satanists-by defining themselves as enemies of God, at least acknowledge God. To quote Goodman's character in the Big Lebowski: "Nihilists! I mean, say what you like about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it’s an ethos").

[Willi]

Make churches pay property taxes and other taxes and presto-change o , a whole lot less religious people in the USA

Its a money thing first and foremost, cemented in fear and parasitic presence, via extortion .

Pay the tiding, and you won't see the evil devil

[Zacha341]

^^^ Well that's a neat, fast and tidy summary of religion ala the Christian church! Hah. However, I agree, in part. The Christian church and congregants therein will be challenged to stand in the day - without tax exempt status - relative to pending dictates on content otherwise.

Dictates any non-profit or other kinds or organizations can be subject too when the government is involved. Those with discernment will know what is going on. Still, I wonder how the large mega churches will bode sans such exemptions?

The devil will be in the details on that......!

[G-DDT]

^^^ Well that's a neat, fast and tidy summary of religion ala the Christian church! Hah. However, I agree, in part. The Christian church and congregants therein will be challenged to stand in the day - without tax exempt status - relative to pending dictates on content otherwise.

Dictates any non-profit or other kinds or organizations can be subject too when the government is involved. Those with discernment will know what is going on. Still, I wonder how the large mega churches will bode sans such exemptions?

The devil will be in the details on that......!

Read Randall Balmer's works about the origins of the Religious Right. It was never about abortion, or prayer in school, evolutionism, or declining morals. The crux was "good ol' racial hatred", and it was aggravated by the last decent, effective blow dealt by civil rights and at the right area. It was the outcome of "Kennedy VS. Green" [[and "Connolay VS. Green"-I believe) that brought on the desegregation of churches and Christian schools and determined that such institutions should have an open-door policy or lose their religious status-thus lose their tax-exemption.
The most common reaction was "Big deal. We've been open-door all along." Then you had the guys [[who all eventually formed the Council for National Policy) who bit their tongues and fist in angst and scurried into covert rat holes to "take back America". The ones who couldn't contain themselves like Charles Stanley [[taken off the air for twenty years-had nothing to do with his divorce) and Bob Jones University [[the one mentioned in "Ladykillers") were the stubborn ones who acted overt and got trounced [[rightly so) for their nasty racism.