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Using A Tragedy To Try & Recruit New Church Members

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  • Using A Tragedy To Try & Recruit New Church Members

    I had a quite appalling experience while at work today. A little background first. Last fall, a twenty-something couple was out riding a four-wheeler, and in a freak accident, were struck and killed by a falling tree. It was a devastating loss for the community, and quite unexpected. Fast forward to today. An elderly lady came in to get gas, and handed my boss a little pamphlet. She passed it off as just being information on the couple I just mentioned. What it turned out to be, was a photo of them on front, a blurb about each inside, and the rest was a religious pamphlet. It declared, 'They were prepared. Are you?', called them a true match made in Heaven, and listed sins, things to do to be prepared for the Lord, etc.

    I turned it over, and sure enough, it gave the name and address of one of the more... out there... Baptist churches, in the big city to the south. This church is huge, and though I barely know much of it, what I do know makes me think of it more as almost a cult. They're forever passing out these pamphlets, trying to recruit kids to ride their bus to church, and on and on. This pamphlet that I saw today, though, was a new, sickening low. Preach all you want, pass out the stupid literature all you want, but don't use someone else's tragic loss to try and scare people into joining your cult church! These two young people may have been members of your church, may have welcomed the Lord, but they most certainly weren't prepared to die at such young ages. If their families approved this, then why? Why would they want their deaths to be used that way? I just don't understand. It angered me that the church would do such a thing, and I never even knew the couple!

    Is this a common thing? I know churches like to hand out pamphlets, fake money, whatever, to try and recruit members. I see that all the time. This, though, was appalling to me. It comes off as pompous and ignorant, to me at least. Am I reading too much into this? Would this have upset anyone else?

  • #2
    I don't think it's at all common... and there's not much reason to take them at their word about the couple, either.
    "My in-laws are country people and at night you can hear their distinctive howl."

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    • #3
      I know for damn sure my family and friends would NEVER allow my death to be used that way, and if they found out someone did this behind their back they would sue the shit out of them. It's just completely disrespectful, I have a feeling that the family doesn't know about this.
      "I like him aunt Sarah, he's got a pretty shield. It's got a star on it!"

      - my niece Lauren talking about Captain America

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      • #4
        I'll hazard a guess and say that it's not just a Baptist church, but a Southern Baptist church. They can be a bit... zealous. And other undesirable traits as well.

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        • #5
          Being in Iowa, no, I don't think it's Southern Baptist. It's just one of the more extreme Baptist churches. I agree, the pamphlet was disrespectful. I think that's what appalled me so much. It took some serious nerve on the part of the church, or whoever made those pamphlets, for sure!

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          • #6
            Southern Baptist is a style based on a regional origin.

            According a very quick and dirty search, there's over 100 Southern Baptist churches in Iowa. It's actually the second largest Christian variety in the US, right behind Catholicism.
            Faith is about what you do. It's about aspiring to be better and nobler and kinder than you are. It's about making sacrifices for the good of others. - Dresden

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            • #7
              I stand corrected, and I feel dumb. Wow. That could explain it, then. Thanks, Andara!

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Andara Bledin View Post
                Southern Baptist is a style based on a regional origin.
                So the "Southern" in Southern Baptist is like the "Roman" in Roman Catholic - it's where the denomination originated, not the totality of where it's practiced now?

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by wolfie View Post

                  So the "Southern" in Southern Baptist is like the "Roman" in Roman Catholic - it's where the denomination originated, not the totality of where it's practiced now?
                  Kinda. The "Roman" in Roman Catholic also denotes the base language the rite of the Eucharist is in.
                  I has a blog!

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by wolfie View Post
                    So the "Southern" in Southern Baptist is like the "Roman" in Roman Catholic - it's where the denomination originated, not the totality of where it's practiced now?
                    That's correct. When I was a child, my paternal grandparents were devout churchgoers, and they were part of a Southern Baptist church... in California.

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                    • #11
                      I've been seeing those being handed out or laying around variious stores I've worked at over the years.

                      They are similar to the Chick Tracts booklets that promote a more fire and brimstone approach to religion and claim unless you repent and follow a very strict life, you are going to Hell when you die.

                      I'm sorry, but on the subject of religion, I like to think of God as being a more mercifiul and forgiving being - not someone who is vengeful (although I'm sure he has that capacity, as we are made in his image.) But still, it goes against the term "God Fearing", which in my interpretation, means we are supposed to love God out of fear.

                      Sorry, I'd rather love God b/c I want to and I respect him. No one should respect someone out of fear . . . . that's too much like Stochholm Sydrome to me.

                      I detest churches like that . . . they make me think of a cult b/c they are trying to get folks to think their way instead of letting them think for themselves.
                      If life hands you lemons . . . find someone whose life is handing them vodka . . . and have a party - Ron "Tater Salad" White

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                      • #12
                        I wholeheartedly agree with you, DGoddess. The church I referred to very much has that brimstone and hellfire, cult type feel. This is a church that goes door to door in the local low income apartments, asking people to come to services. I know this, because I was visiting my oldest nephew a couple of times when it happened. He told me they do it every single week, I don't know where else they go, but it seems to me that you shouldn't have to recruit that hard if you truly have a good organization, that's not fully of loonies and kool-aid drinkers. Just a thought.

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by DGoddess View Post
                          I've been seeing those being handed out or laying around variious stores I've worked at over the years.

                          They are similar to the Chick Tracts booklets that promote a more fire and brimstone hate filled approach to religion anyone Chick doesn't like and claim unless you repent and follow a very strict life do what Chick says, you are going to Hell when you die.
                          Fixed it for ya

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                          • #14
                            These people are very sick, demented people. I would hope such a tactic would backfire big time.

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                            • #15
                              The other day I saw something just as bad. One of those little roadside crosses that usually means a traffic fatality, but there was something written on it, so I looked closer, it said "Jesus is Risen". It was an add for a nearby church!

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