Megachurch

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xenoview's picture
Megachurch

Trying to reinvent themselves to reach out to more people.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-28/pentecostal-megachurches-are-rede...

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Tin-Man's picture
Re: Mega-church mentality

Re: Mega-church mentality

Mmph!... *gag*... Ick. I just threw up in my mouth a little... *shaking head in dismay*...

Gareth's picture
Hi,

Hi,
My name is Gareth.
I am very happy to have joined this group

xenoview's picture
Welcome to AR!

Welcome to AR GD!

Tin-Man's picture
Howdy, GD! Always gd nice to

Howdy, GD! Always gd nice to have a new gd member in our little gd group. Make yourself at home and have a great gd time!

Randomhero1982's picture
Aren't Pentecostals the

Aren't Pentecostals the arseholes that fall to the ground having ridiculous fits?!

xenoview's picture
@random

@random
yes they throw fits on the ground and speak in tongues.

boomer47's picture
Indeed . .

Indeed . .

Pentacostals speak and even sing in tongues. I've seen it. I've also seen the spectacle of the sick and the infirm being "slain in the spirit" . The pastor/miracle worker pushes them with his palm to their forehead, and they fall down. I think it's a branch of this mob who handle live snakes, in the Appalachians. Yes, indeedly doodly, many are bitten and some even die.Apparently far too few.

There are a couple of wealthy mega churches here, ,with a special ministry to youth. You may have seen the odd one or two socially . Easy to spot; earnest -looking young persons with a bible and a gaze . .

Our current Prime Minister , Scott Morrison is a happy clapper of that persuasion ---And a bang up job he's doing too! Whenever there is a crisis, here in Oz or anywhere which captures Scott's attention, he bursts into prayer. How fucking wonderful is THAT! Fair dinkum ,I'm so pleased I could just shit.

I once worked with a recently converted Pentacostal . He had the disconcerting and irritating habit of exclaiming "PRAISE THE LORD!" regularly, for no apparent reason,.. He did not cease until threatened with violence .

Cognostic's picture
@cranky47: You are not

@cranky47: You are not wrong. I was a Pentecostal holy roller at one point in my life. "Praise the Lord" "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord." "Walk with Jeeeeesus." "May the Lord be with you." "Hallelujah brothers and sisters." "I heard the voice of the Lord" "Let the Holy Spirit Move you." "Blessed by the Holy Spirit." "Baptized in the Blood of the Lamb." FUCK THIS SHIT!!! IT GOES ON AND ON AND ON AND ON!

Cognostic's picture
Are you aware of the fact

Are you aware of the fact that Korea has the largest Mega-Church in the world? I have not yet had the opportunity to go there; however, there are two or there are two or three Churches within a stones throw of my home in Daejeon City that would put any Bible Belt institution to shame.

"largest megachurch in the world is South Korea's Yoido Full Gospel Church, an Assemblies of God church, with more than 830,000 members as of 2007"

13:13 / 4:01 It is number 10 on the list, last and biggest. 200,000 people on a weekend. Seoul, South Korea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKT1SFf15ps

Tin-Man's picture
My little brother got

My little brother got involved with the Pentecostals for a period of time during his high school years. By that time I was avoiding any and all churches as much as possible, because I never really felt comfortable in or around them. (Sadly, I was still nowhere near the point of being able to escape my Christian indoctrination.)

Anyway, I remember one night he asked me to take him by the church for him to meet one of the members for some reason or another. So we get there and there were a few other folks there doing some prep work for some upcoming church event. Naturally, he started socializing with everybody while I just stood off to the side feeling awkward and uneasy. I noticed they were discussing a church member who was ill or having problems or something. Next thing I know, about 8 or 10 of them (my brother included) are gathered in a "huddle" praying and shouting loudly with their hands raised and waving wildly. Suffice it to say, my discomfort level jumped up a notch or two, especially when some of those "prayers" started sounding like total gibberish.

But, wait, it gets better. Before I realized what was happening, somebody from outside the "huddle" of babbling chaos grabbed me and hustled me over to the group, and I found myself right in the middle of that incoherent cluster of folks "possessed" by the "Holy Spirit". Suffice it to say, I was NOT feeling the love, to put it lightly. I just sorta stood there with my head down and eyes closed hoping it would end quickly. It didn't. Felt like it lasted forever. When the closing "Amen" was finally proclaimed, I zipped my butt out of there as quickly as possible. That was my first experience with that particular sect. Just way too strange for my taste... *chuckle*...

Cognostic's picture
Ha ha ha ha ..... sounds

Ha ha ha ha ..... sounds just like the church I went to. But my Church was not extreme because there were other churches that did things like this.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wZCifteHtc

or this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ0373FD5f4

How would you know the difference between a Holy Ghost attack and an infestation of body lice? I just don't fucking know.

Randomhero1982's picture
I've actually really enjoyed

I've actually really enjoyed the 'Pentecostal rave' videos on youtube, really taking the piss out of them and giving me soundbites of the 90s lol

https://youtu.be/FgJQK9z1Ags

These are always good for a quick giggle at just how bloody ridiculous these morons are.

Cognostic's picture
@Randomhero1982: Neurotics

@Randomhero1982: Neurotics are great in bed. You don't want to marry one and if your married you certainly don't want a fling with one but if you are single and they don't know where you live.... wow!

Randomhero1982's picture
Yep, learnt that the hard way

Yep, learnt that the hard way when I was 22.

I was stalked for about 6 months after as well.

Tin-Man's picture
@Random Re: "Yep, learnt

@Random Re: "Yep, learnt that the hard way when I was 22."

You too??? Wow! I thought I was the only one. Except I was 20-21 at the time. Got divorced less than a year after getting hitched. Even after that it took almost five years, her moving out of state, and me moving to another state to totally break away. Sheesh!

Cognostic's picture
@Tin: Ha ha ha ha ha

@Tin: Ha ha ha ha ha (Another similarity.) My first wife lasted 6 mo. Summary dissolution. I discovered she was a manic-depressive cocaine addict that bitched like trucker. How she managed to hold it together for the year that we dated is beyond me. Perhaps I was just too busy with all the good times.

This dipshit woman went back and forth across the Mexican border with cocaine in her purse. We had just returned from Mexico and I had to get to work. I was worried about the time and wanted to call my boss. She told me that there was change in her purse. I reached in and pulled out a small folded triangle of paper loaded with cocaine. One of us was a stupid asshole willing to risk incarceration in a Mexican jail as well as a career as a counselor and it wasn't me. Marriage Over!

David Killens's picture
So I wasn't the only one who

So I wasn't the only one who had a totally nuts girlfriend at the age of 21?

Randomhero1982's picture
Oh dear, there appears to be

Oh dear, there appears to be a common theme! Lol

The final straw should have been when I was going to play pool with my closest friend (male) and she turned up, peeking around corners to see what I was doing etc...

... however, it got way worse lol

Old man shouts at clouds's picture
@ Everyone

@ Everyone

Shit, we all have this in common it seems....my first marriage at 19 was the same...all good until the ceremony finished....18 months later, bruised and bleeding I was out of there....

Tin-Man's picture
Hey, guys! Maybe we should

Hey, guys! Maybe we should start our own "Neurotic Survivors Club". We could have our own t-shirt design, secret handshakes, and other cool shit like that. In all fairness, though, our club would have to allow women, too. No doubt there are some ladies out there who had to deal with a few neurotic males during their time.... *mumbling to self*... (I just hope none of my exes show up to join.)... *cringe*...

boomer47's picture
Well ,I was actually 25.

Well ,I was actually 25.

I had a friend who was a clinical psychologist. After spending some time with my girlfriend my psych friend told me, very gently, that girlfriend was schizophrenic, That was end of that girlfriend; I could not cope with her. Over the years, I've read up on the topic, just to be sure. I'm sure.

toto974's picture
@Cognostic

@Cognostic

Serioulsy???? Neurotic is my definition so...

boomer47's picture
I'M an anxiety neurotic.

I'M an anxiety neurotic. (among other things) Girlfriend was clinically insane.

I've never actually had a 'normal' girlfriend/ friend/family member .' "Abnormal' is simply a matter of degree. Imo.

"Give me a happy person ,and I will cure him' (Sigmund Freud)

As far as I'm aware, there is no consensus about the terms 'normal','happy' , or 'well adjusted" Seems to depend largely on whom one asks.

Cognostic's picture
@Cranky47: No one can be

@Cranky47: No one can be clinically insane. "Insane" is a legal term but we all understand what you mean. There is no consensus about the terms normal or happy, but Maslow would disagree. It is an area of study. But you are correct in that happiness for one person does not or may not equate to happiness in another.

Well adjusted certainly depends on cultural and sub-cultural norms. I would not make a good Hell's Angel and not many of them would survive in University life. We are different in many ways and yet, we can certainly both be completely healthy and happy in our chosen environments. I completely agree.

boomer47's picture
My bad. I was using a

My bad. I was using a vernacular expression .

I'm familiar with Maslow's hierarchy of needs and about half a dozen other models for people managing. Maslow is one of the better ones ,arguably the best IN OUR SOCIETY . But, whatever floats your boat.

I have always had problems with any proposition which makes claims about "human nature'" .Some of the models which came out over the years were downright idiotic. Eg McGregor; Theory X ,Theory --and who could forget "The 60 Minute Manager ; (or it's rebuttal "The 59 Minute Employee)

CyberLN's picture
My first husband (when I was

My first husband (when I was 19) was an alcoholic, a junky, a wife-beater, who left me after five months for a man.

Tin-Man's picture
CYBER WINS! Granted, I've

CYBER WINS! Granted, I've dated some whacky women before, but I ain't got anything that can compete with that... *respectful bow of head to Cyber*...

CyberLN's picture
Fortunately, we are able to

Fortunately, we are able to grow out of making such shitty decisions :)

David Killens's picture
Agreed. The past is something

Agreed. The past is something we can not undo. All we can do is store it in our memories to make sure we do not repeat the same mistake. Additionally, carrying around resentments and long term emotional pain just cripples a person inside.

I knew my "bad" relationship was over when one morning I woke up with two police detectives standing at the foot of my bed. I was a bad boy back then and had some stuff they really wanted to talk to me about. She turned me in, let me into to my apartment, then walked away. For the icing on the cake, three weeks later she was hunting me down, wanting to re-establish our relationship.

Life is strange. Interesting, but strange.

Cognostic's picture
FACE PALM ---- I can't

FACE PALM ---- I can't compete with that!

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