This isn't regarding a catholic church issue. But it is something I felt   
   compelled to share. It's in regards to my niece. Something I've kept my mouth   
   shut about for too long. Much of what I have to say isn't appreciated by   
   anyone especially those in the    
   christian community but it's something that most people are aware of but   
   choose to wear blinders. I hope other people might be helped by what I've said   
   here. I understand it sounds fairly opinionated but under the circumstances I   
   have every right to be    
   of this mindset. It's not often that you come across such toxic people but   
   unfortunate that toxic churches and religion are around every corner. I'm not   
   sure if the views of this church are their's alone or are part of their   
   particular religion. It's a    
   pentecostal Holiness church or was. I don't know if they are still under this   
   same umbrella or just call themselves nondenominational now. In the big scheme   
   of things it doesn't really matter. What does matter and is most important is   
   for individuals to    
   recognize these kinds of people before it's too late. It's too late once   
   you're sucked into whatever regime they're offering. I say regime because many   
   churches operate under occultist views even though they market themselves as   
   part of mainstream    
   religion and being forward thinkers when in reality this is only a catch. Bait   
   on a hook for a fish. It's too late once the hook is in the mouth. It's too   
   late once you're brainwashed with false ideas and twisted scriptures that read   
   whatever way they    
   want them to read. Some churches are run like cults because they don't know   
   any better and think their way is correct. While others are just plain corrupt   
   and will do anything to cover the corruption up if brought into the light. I   
   can't tell you what    
   signs to look for regarding corrupt churches and/or people. I can only relay   
   my experiences and those of people closest to me. I've been on the receiving   
   end of christian's with less than stellar intentions but nothing as abrasive   
   and intentional as what    
   my family member has went through with this church, it's people and others   
   like it. Possibly because I have little belief in christianity, none on   
   religion and zero for churches. I'm not an atheist but have no belief in   
   modern religion as it stands right    
   now.   
      
   One of the things I really hate are people who hide behind religion & so   
   called righteousness to do whatever they want. They wave their holier than   
   though attitudes around with phrases like "it's better to live in   
   righteousness than sin", this of course    
   regarding whatever it is they disagree with or disapprove of. The only reason   
   I wrote this post was due to the phrase " THE DEMISE OF ISLAM WHICH NO ONE   
   WILL EVER MISS" on another thread..... I find this to be an extremely racist   
   remark. Part of the    
   reason we are in the mess we're in is due to christian's trying to shove their   
   beliefs on others.The churches push this not because they are truly afraid of   
   people going to Hell when they die, no it's a much simpler concept, the one of   
   greed. The more    
   people the church gets the more money it makes. The more money pastors make.   
   So it's advantageous to keep pushing the idea that nonbelievers are going to   
   Hell. As soon as these people start attending church they are expected to   
   tithe and if they don't    
   they are shamed and told that it's a sin not to and they aren't doing God's   
   work. Religion is a business, big business. I know this firsthand.   
      
   My niece was forced from the place she lived because she and her boyfriend   
   were living together and the church, most notably, the junior pastor didn't   
   approve. He told her the church didn't approve of people living together out   
   of wedlock. When I first    
   heard it I laughed. This is the 21st century. Later I found out from someone   
   that used to attend the church and spoke with the senior pastor that the   
   church didn't/doesn't get involved in the private lives of it's congregants   
   but this pastor certainly    
   did. Mostly because he wanted the senior pastor's job and thought by getting   
   her out of her BF's house this would appease the gossiping church people and   
   they would get on his side and make it easier for him to get the senior pastor   
   removed from his    
   position.   
      
   Corruption tuns very deep among churches and it's isn't just the catholic   
   church which you hear the most about because of child molestation cases. This   
   corruption goes on in every church on some level. Some worse than others.   
      
   The worst part about the pastor campaigning to get my niece removed from her   
   home(which resulted in her becoming homeless), acting as the landlord which he   
   wasn't and engaging in illegal eviction and lying was that my niece ended up   
   living in her car    
   which is better than woods but he made no bones about not caring if she did   
   have to sleep in the woods. He made it clear he didn't care if her stepson   
   became homeless. To him it was the bottom line equaling money and career   
   advancement. To add insult to    
   injury when she had the nerve to post online in a message board about the   
   situation partly in hopes of getting support and called the Jr pastor a fraud   
   and hypocrite which he is the church went to the police, even managed to get   
   homeland security    
   involved in a matter of truthful statements but even if she had lied about her   
   homelessness that adds up to libel/defamation, not a matter that law   
   enforcement in the USA are supposed to be investigating. People in the US   
   think we have free speech but    
   that is a fallacy. If said free speech is in regards to a politician,   
   religious leader, celebrity, the rich, anyone in law enforcement or anyone   
   with more power and more clout than you do and/or the police in their back   
   pocket you will go up sh*t creek    
   for whatever crime they can find to hang on you. It's this simple. We are   
   lulled into thinking we have rights and privileges, that the US Constitution   
   means something and that we have the freedom of speech, press, religion, etc.   
   but we don't. We only    
   think we do. Now if freedom of speech, press, etc. is practiced on a homeless   
   drunk/drug addict standing on a street corner no will care but try telling the   
   truth on a politician or religious leader and see how far you get. Even I was   
   a little surprised    
   that a church could have this much power and law enforcement officers in their   
   back pocket on something that this pastor should be suing my niece in court if   
   he disagreed with what she said.   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)