Quote Originally Posted by admin
The main proglem w/ religion is the basis of FEAR... FEAR what you don't know!
I actually sort of agree with you on this.

This is one of the biggest turn-offs that I had when Joan and I were looking for a church to join. As some of yall know, I was raised Catholic and she Baptist....not the easiest mix to say the least. So we decided that we'd have to go and visit all kinds of different "churches" to see which one we both felt would follow down the same path for US. We must have visited 10 different places from atleast 10 different denominations. The one we belong to now is the one that we both literally looked at each other during a sermon and said, "this is the one"....and we've been members since.

One thing I noticed while visiting different churches was that sometimes the leader, even with good intentions, would turn people off by shouting and pushing their fire and brimstone type of sermons and messages. You didn't feel welcomed to learn, you felt OBLIGATED. I didn't like that at all. If I give, I give out of my own accord...my own will. If I have a question, I don't want you to have to shout and sweat to give me the answer.

So I agree that FEAR is not a proper way to get a religious point across. I do however see how sometimes the truth or reality can be construed as "fear" because it is in fact scary.

Kinda like the day you give your kids the car keys when they're 16 yrs old. You may tell them that if he/she does this or that they may end up DEAD. That's a fact. Scary fact, but a fact.

Same with churches. Sometimes in their effort to convey the message that there is a right side and a wrong side of the fence......they think they have to yell at you and scare the crap out of you into believing it. That to me is not the way it was ever meant to be broadcast. But that's just me.