The Phantom Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 15 minutes ago, Heffalump said: The thing is..................EVERY OTHER CHURCH AND THEIR DOG KNOWS ABOUT THIS CHURCH, but does nothing. Are they afraid of taking them on or can't be bothered (probably the latter)? You just have to look at any other Church on the Island (and probably the UK) no matter the particular branch of imaginary friend worship. All of them are sliding into oblivion and irrelevance with falling attendance as the (western European) world becomes more and more secular. However one church seems to buck the trend. Opening and taking over other churches with their unique way of doing things. Tithes, well paid pastors, links to business and a whole demographic of recent immigrants. Surely anyone with any kind of intelligence would smell something funny going on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTF Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 2 hours ago, NoTail said: Although I find it fun to make jokes about these nutters, unfortunately there is a very real dark side to this. The people who join this cult genuinely believe they have found God through Jesus etc. The way the church/ cult operates will be to convince the followers that they are showing the only true way. Other churches are wrong. When someone starts to use a bit of critical thinking and decides to leave this will cause great upset with the ones they are leaving behind . To them this is a terrible move as the leaver is being tempted by the devil and losing the promise of eternal life etc. They will therefore try to convince the leaver to stay and if they fail they will ostracise the leaver to make an example. All of this can lead to great mental harm. To all concerned. All because of a belief in total bollocks in the first place. There is not much the government can do about this. My thought is to completely keep religion out of school and to ensure critical thinking is taught from a very young age. same as every religion then, but with compulsory payments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Lamb Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 37 minutes ago, The Phantom said: You just have to look at any other Church on the Island (and probably the UK) no matter the particular branch of imaginary friend worship. All of them are sliding into oblivion and irrelevance with falling attendance as the (western European) world becomes more and more secular. However one church seems to buck the trend. Opening and taking over other churches with their unique way of doing things. Tithes, well paid pastors, links to business and a whole demographic of recent immigrants. Surely anyone with any kind of intelligence would smell something funny going on. I have no positive views of the Living Hope church, but your opinion on secularisation appears wide of the mark: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_by_country Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alanbellend Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 Hopefully they have good insurers for when all those bullying and coercion claims start flying in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moghrey Mie Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 10 minutes ago, Harry Lamb said: I have no positive views of the Living Hope church, but your opinion on secularisation appears wide of the mark: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_by_country That's depressing. I would hope religion would die out as people become more educated. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kopek Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 Depends how you measure 'Christianity'? Do you go to church regularly? Did your Grandparents say that they were 'Christians'? Did your parents? Is that why people tick the box??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Phantom Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 21 minutes ago, Harry Lamb said: I have no positive views of the Living Hope church, but your opinion on secularisation appears wide of the mark: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_by_country I'll raise yoh another Wiki link. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decline_of_Christianity_in_the_Western_world#:~:text=Christianity%2C the largest religion in,2016 and 64% in 2022. Yours only lists current numbers. No increase or decrease. No breakdown of region. I'd concede possible increases in developing countries as populations grow. But overall % in developed countries are declining. You just need to go to any church on the Island on a Sunday. Years ago they were full. Now they are not. All except LH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kopek Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 27 minutes ago, The Phantom said: You just need to go to any church on the Island on a Sunday. Years ago they were full. Now they are not. Another consequence of strict licensing laws? Actually, declining church attendance has probably helped the hospitality industry??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Phantom Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 1 hour ago, Kopek said: Depends how you measure 'Christianity'? Do you go to church regularly? Did your Grandparents say that they were 'Christians'? Did your parents? Is that why people tick the box??? I can imagine that is a significant factor. People see themselves as Christian due to family history or that is just the standard automatic response for anyone white and anglo saxon, despite the fact that they only go to church for christenings, weddings or funerals. It almost more a national identity rather than an actual religion. 43 minutes ago, Kopek said: Another consequence of strict licensing laws? Actually, declining church attendance has probably helped the hospitality industry??? Ha, I like the logic, but I doubt there is any link. You could draw similar parallels to tobacco consumption to the decline of religion. Less and less in the western developed world, but huge increases in the South and East. My brother is involved in the Tobacco industry in East Africa and business is booming. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thefella Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 1 hour ago, The Phantom said: You just need to go to any church on the Island on a Sunday. Years ago they were full. Now they are not. All except LH. If it wasn’t for all the Safa’s being inducted then they wouldn’t have half the congregation they do. It makes you wonder what draws them here first? Leaving SA and finding refuge in the LH or being recruited by LH in SA? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiVibes Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 1 hour ago, Thefella said: If it wasn’t for all the Safa’s being inducted then they wouldn’t have half the congregation they do. It makes you wonder what draws them here first? Leaving SA and finding refuge in the LH or being recruited by LH in SA? They leave South Africa because they are shit scared, they get inducted shortly after arrival as a good place to meet the SA community. LH was developed as a business to satisfy a growing demand as many South Africans are raised as religious nut jobs so don't know any better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Dalby Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 Get their fund-raising guy in at Manx Care tho 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Phantom Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 (edited) 13 minutes ago, HiVibes said: They leave South Africa because they are shit scared, they get inducted shortly after arrival as a good place to meet the SA community. LH was developed as a business to satisfy a growing demand as many South Africans are raised as religious nut jobs so don't know any better. In my experience Saffas are generally a lot more religious before or after leaving the Motherland. Edited October 1 by The Phantom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Helmut Fromage Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 https://www.financeisleofman.com/meet-the-team/ Here is Elder Stuart Nelson your friendly local Living Hope Banker - strange how he headed up the Barclays/Louis Group relationship (catastrophic savings loss). One of the lowest individuals on the Island. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thefella Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 3 hours ago, Thomas Dalby said: Get their fund-raising guy in at Manx Care tho Or Isle of Man Government. Get people so excited by the prospect of living redemption that they voluntarily agree to pay a 10% tithe on their income. Which is basically what Lawrie Hooper and Alex Allison agreed to do at the last budget which failed. Agree to pay 10% extra in income tax for promised services that never get delivered by anyone. It was all a con trick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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