You learn something new every day.

Interesting.

This is exactly what I believe.

Yep. I'm a credentialed minister through a Pentecostal denomination, so if you have any further questions, I'd be glad to answer for them.

Funny, religious people say the same thing about athiest. I'm curious though, why all the butt hurt from you? Are you really closed minded enough that you can't accept other people actually having faith in something?  

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It's quite interesting that you have such activities. I guess they probably increase attendence. Have these social activities always existed, or are they a recent practice? I can ask the same way about the different services you guys have. Have people of your religion always made special religious services for younger people? This whole ideea seems devised by a PR team to be honest.

The difference between those two types od services is striking. You did mention that you only have those metal/rock praises once a month though, right?

WOW, your town is really small. How can people even manage to get drugs over there? You'd think that it would be impossible to deal drugs without everybody finding out.

If you guys don't get paid, then how do your survive exactly? Do you have other jobs?

And feeding the poor can be viewed as a corrupting activity, in the sense of 'look, they're feeding poor and taking advantage of their desperation to get them to convert'. I was talking more about the youth activities though ('look, these cultists are luring our children with sports activites and rock music, trying to corrupt their impressionable minds and get them to worship the devil' - and I'm not kidding, peopel actually believe this).

Well I know here in Canada in my city youth services have been around since the mennonites came to the town fleeing WWII. My grandma was part of one. Now of course over the years they have changed because culture has changed you didn't have rock music in the 20's but their has been groups of young people meeting as far back as I can trace my family in Canada.

Infact at my school (One of them) groups of us youth formed our own Bible Study and sort of youth group ourselves without any pastor or youth leader influencing us. Christian rock music and rap and such exists and since our generation prefers that type of music to that of hyms and such we would listen and sing those songs.

Is it's only purpose conversion? lol actually thats a benefit but when we created our Bible study that wasn't our goal at all. My youth groups and such also didn't exist for the primary goal of converting people. They were created to give Christian youth a safe place to come learn about their faith, practice and enjoy it.

My youth group met every week, we did similiar things to that the pastor mentioned. These were not us trying to take advantage of poor people or try to convert other teens. Helping those less fortunate and loving your neighbour are core to the belief in Christ as that is what he taught. So we followed what was taught.

It seems alot of Athiests have this evil notion that every single good thing a Christian does is for the soul purpose of taking advantage of the person and changing their beliefs. But that is very far from true.

Alot of pastors refuse pay or don't get paid. Some that do belong to mega churchs. My church of 4,000 people has pastors who work second jobs because they don't make a living preaching. Most pastors infact every single pastor I know does the job out of love for the people and Christ. Not to make money.

As for drugs, In Canada small towns are covered in drugs. Policing in towns of 10,000 people is usually small. Meaning illegal activities often go un-punished. I know that some smaller towns in British Columbia lack police altogether, the RCMP has an out post in a city and they dispatch officers to cover several towns. So I can easily see how a small town could easily have drugs. Not to mention where theirs a will theirs a way. Young adults and such will find a way to get drugs and such whether its harder or not. Even in a small town.

Hence why youth groups are important as they offer youth places to go where drugs aren't involved or crime isn't involved. Places where youth can just enjoy life , hang out with other youth.

These groups benefit society a great deal as they prevent crime and keep youth off the streets. Whether your Christian or not the existance of these groups are very beneficial to society.

In my city theirs a shelter (Youth Group) for homeless, drug addicted or at risk youth. It has councillors , food, beds , showers and such. Heck most of the teens their aren't Christian's at all. They do hear about Christ but the primary goal is to help those youth. Many youth groups I know send their congregations to the center. Where these neglected teens are now able to not only live but they get support from the youth groups. Meet church attendees who will befriend them and help them in school, good examples to help them with their drug or sex or other addictions.

Youth groups are very beneficial to society. Its important to the church and all Christian's that youth are taken care of. By offering these services they aren't PR campaigns they are simply caring for and helping people of all ages to grow in Christ and/or live healthy happy lives.

Anyway, the form of Christianity my family follows is not Catholic, Orthodox, or Poretestant as it doesn't follow the perverted traditions injected by the Romans. The Catholic and Orthodox religions were created by the Romans, and the Protestant religions are derived from that and still maintain Roman traditions.

So the form of Christianity my family follows is the pure form derived from the Greco-Judaic founders, not the evolved and remixed Roman descendants of the faith. The Christianity forms above began in the 4th century AD, whereas my families goes back hundreds of years earlier.

Joelcool7:

It seems alot of Athiests have this evil notion that every single good thing a Christian does is for the soul purpose of taking advantage of the person and changing their beliefs. But that is very far from true.

If you would've read my post carefully, you would've seen that I said that Eastern Orthodox people have that view of Protestants and their youth services/feeding the poor/etc. I didn't mention anything about atheists in my post.

Alot of pastors refuse pay or don't get paid. Some that do belong to mega churchs. My church of 4,000 people has pastors who work second jobs because they don't make a living preaching. Most pastors infact every single pastor I know does the job out of love for the people and Christ. Not to make money.

Over here being a priest is a full time job, for which you need to go to college/seminar. They even provide a house for you.

Here you still have to go to Bible College or Seminary to become a pastor. You usually can't just declare yourself a pastor without the experiance and knowledge taught to you through a respectable education system.

While Pastors are always working, it is a full time job. They do do part time jobs to make income as usually being a pastor doesn't pay that well. Or they don't want to accept payment from the congregation as they see the money as God's money and that it should be used on the church.

Many of my pastor's make enough to survive off of being a pastor. Since I attend a mega church (4,000 attendees) but they don't make much I know one makes like 40,000$ a year which in Canada is very little. Also houses are not provided to any of our pastors to my knowledge. Pastor's wives are all employed to bring in extra income.

I'm not sure how much our lead pastor makes, their are 12 pastors at my church. But my lead Pastor says he can't afford to go to The Keg except on special occasions. Which is a more expensive resteraunt chain but meals cost like 30$ a plate. So if he can't afford to eat their, he can't be making too much.Though as far as I know he does not have another job so he does make a living from being a pastor. But he drives a not so good car, lives in an average house and doesn't really have that much extra income. I'd say the average middle class Canadian.

The majority of our church's money goes back into the community. Either spent feeding homeless, running shelters, funding humanitarian missions, sponsoring children in other countries. Helping members of the congregation with things like councilling, health expenses sometimes the church even pays rent to help homeless people who are getting career councilling get on their feet.

The church spends millions each year on its programs and the pastors do not make up for much of that spending.

I'm not sure how this differs from the Orthodox Church in Romania. But for the most part church's spend most of their income on the community both local and abroad.

Though I must admit some mega church's do pay their pastor's fairly well. Some Mega church's also invest a shit load of money in their actual church building. But those few church's are far and between very rare. Not to mention those church's that do, usually still spend a good portion of their income on the community.

Also when I said athiests. I wasn't just refering to your post. In many cases athiests I talk to always conclude everything the church does or I do is always with the soul goal of conversion. Usually people don't know I'm Christian but the second they find out I am always met with sceptiscism and usually disbelief that I genuinely care to help others.

Usually athiests assume my soul goal and that of the church and other Christians is to convert. Which is totally a belief founded upon false beliefs.

Infact, I get less sceptisicm from Muslim's , jews and Buddhists. I talk and have helped many Muslims and buddhists and other religious people. They are usually way more accepting that I am genuinly trying to help them. A muslim homeless guy asked me to come back and have dinner with him every day for awhile. He always encouraged me to talk and we had a great time, I'd buy him food and we'd just chat.

But so many times I go to buy an Athiest food, but they usually ask why I'm buying them food. I say because I want to and they usually ask if I am Christian. Second I say yes they start yelling at me or accusing me of just trying to convert them.

Its sad that athiests often demonize religious people to the point where they are so sceptical and paranoid that they cannot accept help from or be friends with someone who believes in a God.

Infact I am friends with several people of all kinds of religious beliefs. But only one athiest. Most athiests I try to be friends with always bring God into everything. They can't accept that I believe in a God, I try to change subject and talk about other common interests but in all cases but one. Every athiest friend I have ever had has always tried to change my beliefs , attacked them or constantly said I was only their friend because I was trying to convert them.

Its really sad the mistrust and paranoia many athiests have towards people with religious beliefs. I can get along with people of many religions but only have one true friend who is athiest all the rest have turned me down and ended friendship.

Actually this was the case. I wasn't refering to the exact statement Sapphi stated. I know Sapphi is Athiest and I know he holds that view. That churchs and religious people take advantage of weaker people for the soul purpose of converting.

I know this from other conversations I have had with Sapphi and addressed it in my post. Take it as a pre-emptive move as I already knew his personal beliefs. We've had a very similiar conversation before.

I'm sure other Christian's can post as to whether or not church's and Christian's prey on people with the soul purpose of converting. Whether its an athiest view of most Christian's or a view of the Orthodox Church about Protestants. In both cases no , Protestant's are not out to prey on the weak and convert everyone to their beliefs. I don't know much about the Orthodox Church but I'd say as a Christian denomination they probably share similiar values.

Acts of charity aren't always evil plans to take over the minds of those we help. They are done out of genuine love and concern for those we help. Just like if a millionaire donates a couple million to the UN to help children in Africa, is he doing so to convert them to western democracy and his soul goal is to see them topple their regime and believe as he does? No, the thought likely never entered his mind, he was simply wanting to help the children and happened to be from a western democracy.

All the conspiracy stuff about how Christians are out for the soul purpose of converting people is really funny. I laugh sometimes at the idea when people do say such things!