I specifically post this here because I'm sorta curious about what the religious people on the board think of the new Megachurches and the Christian music labels and the T-shirts and the bumper stickers and the Evangelical preacher as a rock star.
To me, it smells like someone is trying to make a lot of money off the faithful and that ain't right. Now forget for a moment that I'm heathen Jeremy who doesn't believe in God, because I happen to know a thing or two about crass commercialization and when I see biblical video games and fish symbol wall clocks and Jesus bed sheets my alarm bells start to go off. Christianity is not Star Wars. A church should not be Hot Topic. For one thing you're going to attract all kinds of fair weather flakes and for another you're going to end up with extremely rich spoiled people leading your religion. Think of how Rock & Roll took a header once it stopped being music and started being about money.
The fact that this is a GROWING trend is sort of worrisome to me and certainly should be to you. Anyway, your thoughts?
not an expert, but i think its just their way to reach out to the public. rather than just keeping their message inside their doors, they are "spreading" it by ways of shirts, posters..etc. i mean, its not that different than; since you brought it up; the music business. take a 'well known band' who started in some town in the US. they didnt just keep their music to themselves...
yes, i do think that some things are uncalled for, degrading to my beliefs as a Christian, and have gone too far....
My thoughts:
There is mega-religion... which is bought and sold just like any other commodity. These are the Benny Hinn's, Jimmy Swaggart, and every other tele-vangelists. Getting the good word out there is one thing, raking in hundreds of millions of dollars in non-taxable income... quite another.
Then, there is a personal relationship with God, Gods, or whatever. That's NOT something you can commodify.
The difference between the Music Business and Religion: Music gives you a product for your money, Religion doesn't really, you don't need the trappings of faith to believe.
Transeat In Exemplum: Let this stand as the example.
It's just a way for people to express themselves and for a lot of people, religion is a big part of who they are. They want to "show off" theor religion by wearing a shirt...who cares? They were going to spend money to buy one anyway, mind as well be on something that is meaningful to them instead of one of those "funny" saying ones you see everywhere.
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The danger, imo, is that eventually religious leaders with gold watches will start to make decisions based solely on making money and that every one of them will turn into a Benny Hinn/Jimmy Swaggart type con man. Because, speaking as the non-believer... nobody really buys into those guys. Nobody watches them seriously and thinks "WOW, he's right! I should put my faith into Christ!" unless they were ripping and roaring to be converted already. In fact, those guys have the opposite effect usually. You watch their crass wrestling manager personality and patronizing attutide towards the faithful and think "I'm gonna become a Buddhist..."
I may not know much, but I do know that money and power usually destroys whatever it touches.
Alot of those people are seriously not "normal". The whole thing is a big scam by these "preachers" to make money. There was this special a while back showing that this guy was cheating and had microphones planted on his person telling him what the person's name was and what was wrong with them. Then he "magicically" calls them up in front of the masses and says they are cured. Then they fall down on the ground like some big Broadway show. It is all a big act. The amount of brainwashing is amazing at these things.... have you seen the way peoplke act? This isn't a normal Church. People don't dance and stomp around with their eyes closed and arms in the air like they are in a trance. It just scares me that it was the majority of these people that elected Bush to office. They are borderline cults by definition. What makes them think that acting all wierd and being obsessed with God will make them get to Heaven any faster?
IMHO it will equal out.
The more something is in the limelight, the more you'll have @!#$s, like me, that will satirize, parodize, and make a mockery of it for the sake of humor and entertainment, and in some cases to prove a point (see also: FSM)
While i could care less about the fact that there are christian "branding" products, and i encourage those that have the faith to display it poudly (except when at the expense of others), I do think it will only be a matter of time before there are parodies out there.
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The only thing every single person from every single walk of life on earth can truly say
they have in common is that their country is run by a bunch of fargin iceholes.
I went to high school with a friend of mine. He was a self proclaimed "Jesus freak" He wore TEC shrits (Teens Encounter Christ) every single day. They all had verses on them, and say anything about God at all, and he would get into a huff.
Its true, people like that...arn't "normal"
And KOTL I agree with you 100% and I would like to see more of those paradoies. I think that they lighten the over serious Christian mood.
If you can't laugh at yourself and what you're doing and not get overly into it, then whats the point?
Jeremy Knox wrote:The danger, imo, is that eventually religious leaders with gold watches will start to make decisions based solely on making money and that every one of them will turn into a Benny Hinn/Jimmy Swaggart type con man. Because, speaking as the non-believer... nobody really buys into those guys. Nobody watches them seriously and thinks "WOW, he's right! I should put my faith into Christ!" unless they were ripping and roaring to be converted already. In fact, those guys have the opposite effect usually. You watch their crass wrestling manager personality and patronizing attutide towards the faithful and think "I'm gonna become a Buddhist..."
I may not know much, but I do know that money and power usually destroys whatever it touches.
That has already happend. A long time ago in fact. The catholic church was selling absolution from sins.
On the other token you have the same thing happening in music stars like Marlyn Manson. Went through a Catholic school and obviously didnt agree with it. But his music and antics are obviously for monetary sake. Just because they are singing about God vs. Anti-God doesn't make them any different. Its for the money man!
Rollinredcavi wrote:
That has already happend. A long time ago in fact. The catholic church was selling absolution from sins.
On the other token you have the same thing happening in music stars like Marlyn Manson. Went through a Catholic school and obviously didnt agree with it. But his music and antics are obviously for monetary sake. Just because they are singing about God vs. Anti-God doesn't make them any different. Its for the money man!
I totally agree, and Manson proves my point that money and fame water down what you're trying to do. He's trying to be shocking. However, because he also has to sell records he can't be TOO shocking. So he settles for disturbing little kids, conservatives, soccer mom's and old ladies. He hardly lives up to his own legend onstage and you just KNOW that when there's no cameras he's sitting in his underwear at home eating cereal and watching cartoons. Now you get a guy like GG Allin or El Duce... they were the real deal. They also lived in obscurity and poverty and died young.
As for the church and it's history of corruption (selling absolutions - they were called "indulgences" btw.), this also proves my point. When religion becomes a political entity it's corrupted by it. Money and fame and power will turn religion bad, long before it's able to turn them good. Never underestimate man's greed and ability to rationalize his actions.
As for wearing Faith based T-shirts or other apparel, I'm all for it! It's not the T-shirts I'm against, but the fact that they come mass produced and are created by people rubbing their hands together, smiling evilly, and going "Exxxxxcellent...." Totally different objection here. Also, if you're going to wear your faith as a fashion statement, be prepared to have it treated as such. People get ragged on all the time for wearing lame band shirts or a Red Sex jersey in NYC. Just because it's a cross, as opposed to some logo, doesn't mean everyone kneels to it. Someone with a Star of David shirt might walk by and yell "YOUR TEAM SUCKS!!!" Gotta deal with that.
I could care less about Manson--his music sucks anyways.
And I could care less abotu those that want to display their faith on their shirtsleeves--hell, you have that right.
But remember, the more in the limelight something is, the more it's open to parody. Consider that. Most of the people that proudly wear their beliefs on their shirtsleeves are the first to be butthurt when a mockery is made of it.
The cool people, however, are the ones that can accept the humor and parody of the mockery, and at the same time to strive to eliminate the stereotype that is the basis of the mockery (i.e. a catholic through word and act denouncing and ridiculing those priests that molest children, but at the same time laugh at the jokes that are made against it--assuming the jokes were good ones
)
Goodbye Callisto & Skađi, Hello Ishara:
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The only thing every single person from every single walk of life on earth can truly say
they have in common is that their country is run by a bunch of fargin iceholes.
I actually use to work for one down in Houston, 10000 person ampitheater. It was a Baptist church and I found it amazing at how much money that they ask for in return to going to church. I worked as a gaffer building there sets for HIGH SCHOOL THEATER. Yeah high school, sets that cost upwards of $20,000 to make. Anyways off subject, I call these churches Country Clubs for the Guilt Ridden Rich, hmm let me pay a church a bunch on money so I dont feel guilty. Worked there for a year but seemed like a lifetime and man you wanna talk about driving a man crazy. Anyways to me these are not churches, but cash cows as many have stated before me. I use to go to church, Catholic, till my parents god divorced. When they started passing around the money basket three times a sermon I knew something was wrong, hell I was 10 and knew giving a church that much money was not what religion was about. Anyways that is my personal ordeal with these huge churches.
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On the other token you have the same thing happening in music stars like Marlyn Manson. Went through a Catholic school and obviously didnt agree with it. But his music and antics are obviously for monetary sake. Just because they are singing about God vs. Anti-God doesn't make them any different. Its for the money man!
And I don't want you and I don't need you
Don't bother to resist, or I'll beat you
It's not your fault that you're always wrong
The weak ones are there to justify the strong
His catholic school life. Supposedly he found an aborted fetus in a dumpster, drew a picture of it with an angel taking it to heaven. He was really rediculed for it. Drawing an aborted fetus ( kinda morbid in my opinion). But the angel taking it to heaven ( good intentions?)
The horrible people, the horrible people
It's as anatomic as the size of your steeple
Capitalism has made it this way
MEGA Churches (in my opinion)
