Church closed for Christmas

[Eral]

I have just read the funniest article in the newspaper that I have seen in a long time. A group of  Christian churches in America are going to be closed on Christmas Day because it is going to be too much trouble to organise services, and they want everyone to just have the day off, presumably to focus on the really important things about Christmas - getting presents, eating a huge meal and drinking a lot of champagne and brandy.

The reasoning behind it is that it takes 500 volunteers to run a service -that's a hell of a lot of communion wine being drunk there- and they think they won't be able to get that many people. The article also pointed out that these particular churches (they're Very Big Churches) run as businesses, which suggests that like any business they should shut down over Christmas.

This is fabulous. Finally, a church for the I-just-can't-be-bothered/chronically lazy section of the community. Lapsed Catholics everywhere are sitting up and looking interested. You can be a member, but have a holiday on the important religious festivals. Religion without the masochism. This could be big.

[Joe]

Well for us Catholics, missing mass on Sunday is a very big no-no. In my opinion it isn't a good thing for these churches to do this.

And I'm also pretty sure they're not Catholic churches.

[Eral]

The article stipulated the churches in question are not Catholic but I thought that was redundant. No Mick priest in the world would want to close the church on Christmas, it's the time of year they get to see all the lazy Catholics, and the European Catholics who seem to think they only have to go to church twice a year, and generally have huge turn-outs. It'd be like Disneyland closing during the school holidays.
I am just wondering how they are getting around the religious festival/holy day -religious service/observation connection that is generally standard. Are they applying fast food franchise standards to churches now? Are there people that this will work for?

[Drew]

Perhaps what they're really trying to accomplish is discourage the Easter/Christmas habit that so many adhere to.  Not that it would work, but people think the funniest things sometimes.

[Joe]

The article stipulated the churches in question are not Catholic but I thought that was redundant. No Mick priest in the world would want to close the church on Christmas, it's the time of year they get to see all the lazy Catholics, and the European Catholics who seem to think they only have to go to church twice a year, and generally have huge turn-outs. It'd be like Disneyland closing during the school holidays.
I am just wondering how they are getting around the religious festival/holy day -religious service/observation connection that is generally standard. Are they applying fast food franchise standards to churches now? Are there people that this will work for?

Well you know, American Protestants seem like the types to match up business and religion. So I wouldn't be surprised.

[Drew]

@Joe:  are you trying to get flamed?  Insulting someone elses faith is often as bad (or worse, for some people) as insulting his/her mother.

[Eral]

He might be exercising his right to freely offend anyone. I told you it wasn't a good idea. 

[fcm]

They might some of be those chruches we have that are inside of sporting arenas and have thousands upon thousands of members.

[Eral]

Church and sport? Now there is a congregation ripe for the plucking. Why hasn't someone exploited this before now?

[jester]

Perhaps they want them to stay home and spend time with their family?

[Borsook]

@Joe:  are you trying to get flamed?  Insulting someone elses faith is often as bad (or worse, for some people) as insulting his/her mother.

On the side note: you don't get to choose your mother, your faith on the other hand is entirely your fault. *

*Yeah, well should anyone miss that, it was a joke. A poor joke is still a joke, mind you.

[jester]

Interesting idea! I support that.


So fire away, Joe.

[Joe]

@Joe:  are you trying to get flamed?  Insulting someone elses faith is often as bad (or worse, for some people) as insulting his/her mother.

I haven't insulted anyone's faith. I've only criticized the ways that some people choose to express it.

[melora]

Perhaps what they're really trying to accomplish is discourage the Easter/Christmas habit that so many adhere to.  Not that it would work, but people think the funniest things sometimes.

my daughter used to refer to people like that as "Chreasters" (only going to church on Christmas and Easter)

on a side note: am i the only one disturbed by the term "Mick Priest" ? sorry, but i even though i'm no longer a practicing catholic, i find that offensive.  and im not even Irish.

[Borsook]

Perhaps what they're really trying to accomplish is discourage the Easter/Christmas habit that so many adhere to.  Not that it would work, but people think the funniest things sometimes.

my daughter used to refer to people like that as "Chreasters" (only going to church on Christmas and Easter)

on a side note: am i the only one disturbed by the term "Mick Priest" ? sorry, but i even though i'm no longer a practicing catholic, i find that offensive.  and im not even Irish.

Every term can be offensive, our personal associations can be very bizzare after all. E.g. I find the term "catholic" very offensive and dislike people who suggest that I can be one, but this is my personal approach and does not change the proper meaning of the word. I find "Mick Priest" a pretty good descriptive terms. Though validity of my opinions in this matter is pretty questionable.

[Sorrow]

On the side note: you don't get to choose your mother, your faith on the other hand is entirely your fault. *

No, it's not.
Faith is usually designed to get people in and keep them in, so saying that someone's faith is one's "fault" is false, unless said person designed it's own faith is a gross misunderstanding.

[Borsook]

On the side note: you don't get to choose your mother, your faith on the other hand is entirely your fault. *

No, it's not.
Faith is usually designed to get people in and keep them in, so saying that someone's faith is one's "fault" is false, unless said person designed it's own faith is a gross misunderstanding.

But you can change your faith. I see no problem in that, the fact that the society may "push" you in one direction may actually result in something opposite. I remember when I was six I decided that the whole religion thing is bullshit because should I be born in a different part of the world they would have told me that a different god is "the only true one". Anyway, while You can stop thinking of your mother as your mother, and treat a different person in this way, this won't change all the aspects (e.g. genes!) Anyway² as I said originally that sentence was rather a joke.

[icelus]

No, it's not.
Faith is usually designed to get people in and keep them in, so saying that someone's faith is one's "fault" is false, unless said person designed it's own faith is a gross misunderstanding.

Uh, yeah it is.  Just because you're born into a very devout family does not mean you a forced to be that way.  Your family may try to do so against your wishes, but once your emancipated, your faith is your choice.  If you choose to follow the faith of your family, or if you decide to switch or even denounce faith, it's your call. 

Cults do not count.  That's why they're cults. 

[Andyr]

A group of  Christian churches in America are going to be closed on Christmas Day because it is going to be too much trouble to organise services, and they want everyone to just have the day off, presumably to focus on the really important things about Christmas - getting presents, eating a huge meal and drinking a lot of champagne and brandy.

Any particular denomination(s), and is it many or just a few? Interesting choice of time to close...

[Drew]

Well you know, American Protestants seem like the types to match up business and religion. So I wouldn't be surprised.

What part of "American Protestants seem like the types to match up business and religion" is non-disparaging to American Protestants?  Being that they are the majority of people in our great nation I'm pretty sure a substantial number of people will find that offensive.  It's OK if you don't care that they are, but don't tell me that this isn't a cut on the faith of every American Christian that isn't catholic.  At least be honest about it.

[Rabain]

Perhaps what they're really trying to accomplish is discourage the Easter/Christmas habit that so many adhere to.  Not that it would work, but people think the funniest things sometimes.

my daughter used to refer to people like that as "Chreasters" (only going to church on Christmas and Easter)

on a side note: am i the only one disturbed by the term "Mick Priest" ? sorry, but i even though i'm no longer a practicing catholic, i find that offensive.  and im not even Irish.

I'm Irish and yes I do find it offensive.  People can debate until sun dies but there is never a need to be derogatory to anyone, for any reason.

Another side note: I do think that very few people get to choose their religion.  Most are raised by parents within a specific religion and only a very few choose to move to another faith.  I dislike the term lapsed-catholic (or lapsed any religion for that matter), it infers that a person is doing something wrong.  I would think that most "lapsed-catholics" are rather people who were raised as catholics who no longer find that religion appealing but as yet have not found another or are not interested in another.  For my part, if I ever have children, I would prefer not to burden them with any form of religion.  I'm divided on whether I believe in a god at all, I'd like to believe there is a greater purpose to the universe than just being but I'm not sure if I can believe in any one-true-bow-down-and-worship-me type deity.

I believe in myself, the good people I meet and the capacity of those people to give and receive freely without bias.

[CORVIS TERRIBLE MOUNTAIN GOD]

What part of "American Protestants seem like the types to match up business and religion" is non-disparaging to American Protestants?  Being that they are the majority of people in our great nation I'm pretty sure a substantial number of people will find that offensive.  It's OK if you don't care that they are, but don't tell me that this isn't a cut on the faith of every American Christian that isn't catholic.  At least be honest about it.

Don't be so easily offended! It just means they have superior business acumen!

You know, like those greedy Jews.

[Drew]

@Corvis: I'm not even remotely offended.  I'm merely trying to point out to Joe that words mean things. 

[Borsook]

Well you know, American Protestants seem like the types to match up business and religion. So I wouldn't be surprised.

What part of "American Protestants seem like the types to match up business and religion" is non-disparaging to American Protestants?  Being that they are the majority of people in our great nation I'm pretty sure a substantial number of people will find that offensive.  It's OK if you don't care that they are, but don't tell me that this isn't a cut on the faith of every American Christian that isn't catholic.  At least be honest about it.

Well, I've no knowledge on the matter hence a theoretical question: what if it's true? What if the matches between business and religion happen more often in AP than other churches? Would you still consider it "disparaging"? Remember I'm talking theory here I've no idea as to the validity of that sentence.

[Drew]

Coming from a catholic, a comment such as that is going to be considered condescending, at best.  I'm not taking issue with whether or not he was right.  I was taking issue with how he said it.  Whether or not he has a point, what he said was said was derogatory towards most Americans, as most Americans are protestant.   My point is simply that if he is going to say a derogatory thing about a large group of people (whether he has a point or not) then he should qualify it.  Otherwise, people are more likely to take offense to what he says. 

Just to clarify, I'm not even remotely religious anymore.