Jesus was born in a cave/stable and preached in the open air without fancy clothes or expensive camels,?

Question

why then do so called churches have paid ministers, fancy buildings, expensive robes, art, gold, swiss bank accounts? Is that not the very opposite to what he said when it would be easier for a camel to get thru the eye of a needle than a rich man into heaven?
Thats why i hate religions - the hypocrasy, not the morality

the mormons dont have a paid clergy but they have a paid apostalry, and millions in various shares inc coca cola which they dont let their missionaries drink cos of the impure caffeine.

Answer 1

Its really quite simple. They justify all the pomp and ceremony by saying that it helps them to show God how much they love him. However, by doing so they are taking from the people who can least afford to give.

As for the coca-cola thing, you don't necessarily have to practise what you preach.

I also hate religions for their hypocrisy and ability to cause wars. That is why I am a humanist. This school of thought states that we should believe in humanity and humankind alone are responsible for their own past, present and future.

Answer 2

Your statement is correct but your use of the word hate is stunning. I will not dispute the growth of greed in the Christian church, but to hate the system of beliefs because of that is just wrong. A Church is simply a place where people can gather to share similar beliefs. Some churches may take the word ostentation as their slogan but that does not mean that the people that gather there go simply for the "show". As history has written, all things good and holy have slowly become more and more associate with wealth and power. By creating a huge temple or a lavish altar, you are not doing it for the wrong reasons. Everything in and out of the given place of worship has an association with the belief that there is a higher power. All of these things reflect the love and respect that the people who gather have for that higher power. Nobody gains anything. That is exactly why people give so generously to the church. So they can feel like they have become a part of something greater than themselves. They give because they love. They give because they believe.

Answer 3

First of all we are commanded to give to the work of the Lord. Also. at the time that they were commissioned or painted many works of art that are now priceless, were done to teach the gospel to the people who did not have Bibles or other Christian books.

Fancy buildings were donated by the faithful out of exuberance for our Lord(in some cases during the middle ages they were collected by some corrupt Bishops). No believer wants to take their friends or loved ones to Worship the only True and Living God in a cave or barn. Jesus chose obscurity when He came to the earth. But now we Honor Him every chance we get with our best!

Answer 4

I am part of a small congrigation. just at 35 members and around 45 or so attending regularly... yet we have expeses to maintain the building and pay the pastor a modest living. We contribute to the support of 10 missionaries and two local aid orginizations.. we help, in conjuctions with other congrigations, with various local charity needs... This all cost money...in larger congrigations there is the need for a fully funded and supported pastor.. the duties of the pastor are 24/7 and to more that just the congrigation... our pastor is a military chaplin for the National Guard and for local law inforcment people... as well as hospital and hospice care... so it is a full time job at low pay... but it is what we can afford and he gets paid by the National Guard for that time... including 18 months in Iraq... Bigger congrigations have greater financial needs... it is not all just for show...in most congrigations there is little show... and a lot of the fancy you do see is from donated time and effort... all of our extra is donated time and effort...

Answer 5

Apparently the catholic church is one of the richest businesses in the world.
The root of all evil is money.
A rich man does not have any pockets in his shroud anyway.
Jesus was not born rich that's why he was born in a stable and when taken from the cross out into a cave.
Hypocrisy is how its spelt and morals regardless of religion is what your parents are supposed to teach you and when you get to a certain age you live by your own morals and ethics. In turn you teach the next generation.
Religion is what makes a people and its more than morals its faith as well. Love and understanding and the belief of a higher being who is the almighty, who made us, the world all what we know so to hate religion is a bit much but hey what do i know.

Answer 6

The condition of the Church is in bad shape today. Revelation 3:14-22 Strait is the gate and narrow is the way and few there be that find it. Matthew 7:13-14 There are still some Christians who are doing what is right. Revelation 3:7-13 We must strive to believe in God who is Jesus who died for our sins and love our neighbor as ourselves.

Answer 7

I think that you already have the answer to your question.

However the idea that Jesus was born in a stable is a myth - we don't know exactly where/when he was born.

But in a nutshell, this is a good example of a nice theory and practice - man is not yet ready to live to higher standards or morality, whatever they are.

Other theories that look good on paper are communism, the Koran and the Bill of Rights - whether you adhere to them or not. They are based on hope of a better world but end up in chaos when man tries to apply them - corruption, greed, hate...

Yes, we are a terrible species as a group - but perhaps not that bad individually (well, that's my hope!)

Answer 8

Right and who do you think paid for all those fancy dresses that that old drag queen the pope wears. The very poor people of the world who can least afford to give. They are put on a guilt trip with a promise of paradise if only they will give more

Answer 9

It's a matter of Control & Power. In Centuries past, churches owned huge areas of land and used fear to control the populace. However, most C of E local churches now struggle to raise enough finance and don't have fancy buidlings or large bank accounts!!

Did you see the film Stigmata?

Answer 10

Our pastor teaches for free and has a full-time job besides his teaching and preparation. We meet in a large extra room at his office. We have no expensive anything at our "church". We don't even have a piano or organ. As a matter of fact we don't even sing. We just assemble to study the word of God. I usually wear jeans or shorts and a t-shirt. In other words, there are some people that don't play the game you have described.