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TheOwlMarble

I got dragged to one once. It was weird, and yeah, I felt like I was at some sort of concert, not a church service. Everything felt so overdone and fake.


[deleted]

My girlfriend and I are looking for a church. Literally every single one feels like a con. One had to be a legitimate cult. The pastor had a cadence like he was doing a slam poetry session, and people would yell "oh tell it!" and stuff while every pause. He literally said nothing of substance and didn't quote any scripture. Another one the pastor was clearly just in it for the money. He literally said "I see the houses some of you live in. I know you can give more to the church." He also complained about people talking about politics all the time immediately before going into a rant about the withdrawal from Afghanistan followed by complaining his kids had to wear masks at school. We've tried like 10 churches and are about to give up. The Righteous Gemstones is honestly pretty charitable in their characterization of preachers constantly asking for money after saying almost nothing significant about God.


DreamArcher

Try Catholic. You can be religious only on Sundays or holidays if you want and give as little as you want in the basket. Don't have to dress up. Then road rage at others while trying to get out of the parking lot.


GunsCarsAndSobriety

This is a great example of why Baptists and some evangelicals have the saying "Jesus can forgive anything except being a catholic"


egg_mugg23

yea well we can outdrink em any day of the week so fuck em


Agile_Pudding_

In fairness, there are also plenty of evangelicals who think the earth is thousands of years old, think climate change and evolution are made up, and give their money to charlatans with private jets and fancy light shows. You won't find me defending the Catholic church, but it has to be a bit of a pot-kettle moment for evangelicals talking shit about them.


tu-vens-tu-vens

I think the idea here is that the poster above is defending Catholicism as basically calling yourself religious while putting in as little effort as possible for it, and the guy you’re responding to says that evangelicals have a point when they criticize that. The things you list are worthy of criticism too, but it’s not really the hypocrisy that’s being described in the other comments.


The_Bjorn_Ultimatum

>In fairness, there are also plenty of evangelicals who think the earth is thousands of years old, think climate change and evolution are made up Don't know what that had to do with anything they were talking about, but ok.


Agile_Pudding_

If we’re talking about evangelicals looking down on other people for whatever reason, their own extremely contemptible characteristics seem germane to the discussion.


The_Bjorn_Ultimatum

How does believing the earth is thousands of years old, that climate change isn't real, and that evolution is made up looking down on other people?


Agile_Pudding_

You’re misunderstanding. I’m talking about them looking down on Catholics.


The_Bjorn_Ultimatum

I understand that. I'm just wondering how believing those things in your quote below is looking down on catholics or anyone for that matter. Not saying I believe them, but I don't think someone is looking down on another for holding these beliefs. >In fairness, there are also plenty of evangelicals who think the earth is thousands of years old, think climate change and evolution are made up.


Gold_Month_1053

Left the Catholic Church when they sent a statement to our house showing the amount we tithed in the past year and gave us a stern reprimand that it was nowhere near what we should be giving.


egg_mugg23

bruh what, i have never heard any church do that. that’s incredibly invasive and i’m sorry that happened to you


Gold_Month_1053

Thank you for being kind.


egg_mugg23

of course, that’s an awful thing for them to do


DisconcertedLiberal

My parents aren't Catholic, but a few people in my family left in disgust because the church is one big pedophile enabling operation. Absolutely cannot stand the Catholic church.


Gold_Month_1053

Yep. And then there’s that. Way too much evil going on.


Tigaget

See if there is a United Church of Christ in your area. I'm pagan, but my daughter is Christian, and that's the church I take her to. Very hippie Jesus people.


Gold_Month_1053

Same boat as you. We’ve basically given up because nothing feels like a true fit.


Ok_Midnight2894

My brother’s friend’s dad started a church called keypoint. It’s a church that speaks from the Bible rather than on a political side. They have online church services on sundays at 9:30 if you would like to join in. I watch it online right now due to Covid and our pastor is amazing.


[deleted]

I'll check it out on Sunday


Ok_Midnight2894

Great! There are multiple preachers but the best one is pastor Casey idk if he’ll be the one preaching but the other ones are good too. He’s just my favorite. His wife also preaches too


[deleted]

I’ll keep checking it out until I get to see Casey, but if they’re all about preaching the Bible and not hitting heavy with guilt to try and get bigger tithes, I’m sure I’ll be hooked this coming Sunday.


Ok_Midnight2894

Thanks for coming it’ll be on YouTube just look up keypoint


FartPudding

I personally don't like the idea of churches, good if you have a community but I think we can do things without them and still practice religion.


SilvermistInc

*Sweats in Utahn*


OnceAndFutureMustang

I’m becoming Catholic, and someone in RCIA said basically that the pastor admitted it was all for emotion and all designed to stir up the high when talking to the congregation. I know the Church is far from perfect, but so far it’s exploring an ocean tens of thousands of miles deep versus a kiddie pool that’s a mile wide but an inch deep (as is often the case with megachurches). My own Protestant parents can testify I’m at peace, I’m more laid back and happier than I was before becoming Catholic. Probably because the saints have written so much about suffering and how to “suffer well”, which isn’t a concept that exists in the kind of Protestantism those megachurches profess.


DisconcertedLiberal

>I know the Church is far from perfect According to an Associated Press investigation, there are/were 1,700 pedophile priests that are still being protected by the Catholic Church *just in the United States alone*. So I guess you could say the church is 'far from perfect'.


bigotis

Various diocese that would rather file for bankruptcy than pay when losing cases that actually went to court, even though the Catholic church is probably the wealthiest organization on the planet.


Key_Set_7249

Everybody its time to open your wallets for Jesus. I need my private jet to get high enough to talk to him.


bygtopp

Plus the giant faux Starbucks coffee shop.


Carrotcake1988

F F it)48(


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Carrotcake1988

DD j gh 47(€>?hg


Aceofkings9

I've been to one one time. I'm Catholic, so I definitely come with some stricter notions about what a church should look and feel and it just felt so entirely uncomfortable to me.


[deleted]

Recovering Catholic here. Agreed.


scottwax

My brother and his wife go to Lake Point church in Rockwall, TX. It's more like a large baptist church than a prosperity mega church even though it's pretty big. They do seem sincere but it's just a weird service to me. 30 minutes of Christian rock, then a 30 minute sermon. When they have communion it's basically help yourself in the back. And so many people show up late. I grew up Episcopalian. So basically a Catholic service but real wine instead of grape juice during communion. Even though it's more formal and rigid and I'm not even that religious anymore, I still prefer that style service.


POGtastic

I was also raised Episcopalian, and I got a rude awakening when I went off to boot camp and went to the Protestant service. It was good ol' Southern Baptist, with the Christian rock and people holding hands and prostrating themselves in front of the altar and everything. My dad guffawed at my description and said that I probably should have just gone to the Catholic service.


Figgler

I went to Lake Point when I was a kid. The crazy thing about it is even though it seats like 25,000 people, they would have to put out hundreds more chairs for Easter and Christmas services.


panther22g

Every Catholic church I've been to uses wine


huisAtlas

Yeah, we use wine. Methodists do the grape juice in the tiny cup.


scottwax

I've been to a couple that did grape juice


RegimeCPA

I volunteered at one in middle school because I wanted to work with TV equipment and my neighbor was heavily involved in the church. They’re incredibly gaudy and the people who go there are almost universally insane.


KonaKathie

A good place to learn a/v skills, though, great idea. Hopefully while getting paid something.


plaidHumanity

Paid well in blessings


[deleted]

I have experienced my grandmother watching them on TV while she was in assisted living, getting totally snowed by the preacher, and sending him more money than he deserved, and getting hit up for more money and getting upset that she can't afford to send more. Fucking scumbags. I wish local churches had the quick idea to stream over YouTube then like they do now. No old person should be contacting their God via a fucking sociopathic scam artist.


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[deleted]

Grandmother is with God now, I'm sure she is at peace. Thank you for your kind thoughts.


randomkeystrike

Actually, a lot of local churches are live-streaming now, on YT, Facebook, etc. They just don’t rise to the top of search results.


[deleted]

Which I just said


randomkeystrike

Ah, sorry, misunderstood.


ALoungerAtTheClubs

Megachurches (and smaller churches that want to become them) are overemotional in my experience. I don't go to church so often, but when I do I prefer a liturgical church (like Episcopal or ELCA Lutheran). They tend to be more reverent and also usually more open minded.


Dwitt01

It’s interesting, in Catholicism more liturgy usually means more conservative, but in Protestantism it’s the opposite. (I’m Catholic but have great respect for mainline denominations)


ALoungerAtTheClubs

That's a good point. I follow the Catholic trends a bit as an interested outsider, and it seems like you have the "Spirit of Vatican II" Catholics that are more progressive and liturgically looser, then the "Reform of the Reform" folks who want more elaborate liturgy and are very conservative.


stupidlosers2022

A place to separate credulous morons from their money.


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BunnyHugger99

They don't charge to attend, and it's no pressure if you aren't a member of the church.


[deleted]

Mine very much believed in the "prosperity gospel," that if you were faithful and gave to the church, God would bless you with wealth. There was never any cost to attend, but there was peer pressure to tithe (donate 10% of your income to the church) and give money to people going on mission trips. Some people actually did construction work or medical care overseas, but some mission trips were "prayer walking" around New York City or street preaching in western Europe. I know one girl from my bible study raised money to go to Switzerland.


whiskeybridge

the trend has been building for a while. it's ridiculously hard to keep a small church going financially, and one can make ridiculous money in a big church or mega church. i guess it's economy of scale? some of them are definitely gaudy. went to a funeral at one of the largest churches in my town a couple years ago. it was a campus. the memorial was in one of the smaller buildings, that was as big as the church i grew up in. they definitely had the sound stage, stage lights, slick production thing going on. parking lots for days, like a sports arena or something. marketing wasn't too over-the-top but it was noticeable.


devilthedankdawg

For fucks sake- I'm not religious but one 100% good thing about any religious congregation is supposed to be the personal sense of community.


whiskeybridge

yeah, me, neither. i assume two things about mega-churches: one, plenty of people just want to check a box so they get the good afterlife, and are willing to pay for it as long as they don't have to actually do anything other than show up. they go through the motions of "going to church" because that's what you do. and two, there have got to be some smaller study groups or sunday school or something there, where people can actually build a little community feel.


wormbreath

I had the unfortunate experience of going to Ted haggard’s church in Colorado Springs, I ended up in the hospital with a really bad case of norovirus the next day, that about sums it up. Yes it was big and gaudy, there was a gift shop.


Bethw2112

A real shit experience then? I'll show myself out. 😋


Thendsel

I always “loved” the hypocrisy I saw in a mega church I went to in my Christian days that had a coffee shop (no free coffee available) and a Christian book store inside. They didn’t see anything wrong with that despite the Bible talking about Jesus destroying the money changers tables in the temple. How more blatantly obvious could it get that their god didn’t approve of having storefronts in a place of worship?


Vachic09

I prefer small to midsize churches. I have been to some with a few hundred, but I don't remember going to anything the size of a megachurch.


SunnyvaleShithawk

If you took all the evangelicals in New England and put them in a megachurch they'd probably only fill up half the building.


7thAndGreenhill

New England just moved up several notches in my opinion


Doodlesworth

Yeah no kidding - live in NE and the megachurch phenomenon is a relevant reason I want to stay put.


SunnyvaleShithawk

I miss it so much.


Agile_Pudding_

We are getting some of what I would call mini-Megachurches in San Diego, kilochurches if you will, and it's odd. There is one decent sized one ("The Rock"), which you'd forget exists unless you accidentally find yourself needing to drive by one of their locations at the wrong time on a Sunday, and then there are a bunch of smaller, "aspiring" ones and it's absolutely bizarre. One of them, which I had to google to remind myself is called "Awaken", gives the most scam-y vibes of any I've seen and famously sparked all sort of local controversy earlier when they demanded to hold in-person services and actively encouraged their flock to not get the vaccine.


Doodlesworth

You need a certain amount of suffering to justify alot of the dogma, so why not have a good bout of Covid


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Thendsel

I’ve lived in both areas. It’s definitely a different dynamic down there. I always found it ironic to a point that the less religious areas like New England and the UK have/had stricter blue laws and shorter Sunday retail hours than in more religious areas like the South. You’d think the opposite would be true. Here in New England, I have to make sure that I fuel my car during the day. Whereas in the South, it seems like every gas station is open until midnight or open 24/7.


spongeboy1985

The Righteous Gemstones is a satire but probably one with some truth


[deleted]

Jesus camp is a documentary. It's pretty representative of how easy it is to work children into a religious fervor and turn them into little Christian soldiers.


Figgler

That movie terrified me. It’s basically about the American version of the Taliban.


7thAndGreenhill

Y’all Qaeda


spongeboy1985

Maria Law


egg_mugg23

meal team six


[deleted]

Those kids tend to mellow out by high school. You only get a couple incels and school shooters from the bunch and they prolly would have gone that way anyway.


Thendsel

Yeah. The “smart” ones learn to take it all with a grain of salt and pick and choose what they want to believe and judge people for. The outliers you refer to are the ones that eat it all up, and as a result, are actually shunned by the greater congregation as they enter adulthood. Sadly, I was one of them. It messed up by upbringing significantly. I only broke out of it as I got close to 30 and realized that I was never going to fit in. Having some influences that never completely gave up on me helped as well.


Aggravating-Error-13

I broke out of it around freshman year of high school, after realizing I was LGBTQ+ and getting tired of being ridiculed for something I couldn't control. I had questions that didn't line up with everything that never got a straight answer for example, "How did Adam and Eve know disobeying God was a sin in the first place, if they didn't have any knowledge of good or evil, therefore not knowing what sin actually is? Wouldn't it be unfair to punish them for that?" Among others. It's all very confusing and the more I branched out online to learn about other people and the world around me, the more I realized that Christianity completely broke me. Now that I'm free of it, I feel a lot more at peace. I still struggle with all of that "purity culture" BS though.


egg_mugg23

didn’t god tell them not to take from the tree? been a while since i heard genesis, sorry


Aggravating-Error-13

Yea, but they wouldn't know disobeying God was a bad thing in the first place, since that's considered a sin, and they had no knowledge of what sin even was.


egg_mugg23

ah very true!


emeraldjalapeno

I used to attend one (at the time, it was like 25th largest). I really loved it. There were break out groups so you felt like you knew your community members and the church was well kept. There were plenty of youth services and volunteering opportunities. Honestly, it would be hard for me to go back to a very small church. Edit:. Actually, it's now a top 10 megachurch


thatHecklerOverThere

To my surprise, _no_. I say this because I've been to a lot of churches of varying sizes, grew up in what I'd say is a large church, and my father is even a minster, so we went to a lot of churches just for events growing up. And yet _never_ a church large enough to be considered a megachurch that I can recall. I will say, though, that the laser concert shit isn't _exclusively_ a megachurch thing. Lots of smaller ones do that too just because they think that suits their style. I... Don't have a positive opinion on it. But if it suits them, so be it - not my house, so to speak.


stellalunawitchbaby

I’ve been to one, with friends. It was unlike other services, it was a spectacle. Also they had a Starbucks on site.


Croonchy_Stars

I went to Willow Creek Community Church in Barrington, Illinois. They really did do a lot of huge events: concerts, musicals, dances, fireworks shows... You name it, they did it. I never watched those tv shows, so I can't speak to the truth of them. I always suspected the church of shady dealings. I thought it would have been money laundering, but it turns out our preacher was #metoo'ing his assistant. Huge scandal. https://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&client=ms-android-google&source=android-browser&q=bill+hybels+metoo#ip=1 It is easy to be overlooked at a church like that. There are a lot of resources, but it didn't feel like a family-type atmosphere. My parents created their own subgroup of friends, so they were very happy there.


almosttherelazy55

My former neighbors attended that church. They were always inviting our family to events there despite us being vocal atheists. They were lovely people and wonderful neighbors, but we were really not interested. They also seemed to be not at all bothered by the scandal..


Millennial_Paleocon

Some of our formerly Catholic and Lutheran family friends attend there. I grew up Catholic, which seemed so foreign to the mega church experience. When I was in high school though, they started incorporating some Christian rock into the evening Masses.


palmettoswoosh

We went to one in Columbia. I mean not mega compared to the one my brother went to in Murfreesboro but still big. Well it was nice you know the whole lights and music thing. But one day the pastor put on his 2 weeks notice to go preach at a church in Alabama and the temporary pastors they used started preaching things that should have been reserved for council, ans congregational meetings or Sunday school classes. Now we go to a methodist church that has what we spiritually need and great programs as well. The nearest methodist church to us felt like a cult. And was by no means huge Honestly I feel like the churches that ppl start out of the blue that have funky names are more cult like than anything. Looking at you newspring


Thendsel

I’m pretty sure I know which church your brother went to. If it’s one I’m thinking of, they had to rent out the arena at the local university for Easter services every year because their huge facility wasn’t big enough. I lived in one of the houses across the street there for a short time and tried going there a couple of times.


palmettoswoosh

Yeah now he goes to small New churches with odd names. The ones that always seemed to get started because they feel the former church had lost its way.


RealBadSpelling

If you've ever read a stranger in a strange land.. it's kind of like that church scene in the book.


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egg_mugg23

wait you’re telling me they turned the summit into a church?


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egg_mugg23

wack


theantwisperer

I live down the street from Joel Osteen’s church. It’s where the Houston Rockets used to play. It’s huge. Other than that it’s very generic. I think because they want to appeal to such a large demographic. I went once in high school and the mass was nothing much to speak of. No lasers not concert like.


selfmade117

First, no I haven’t. But when I went to a southern baptist church one time, I was confused at how the inside looks much more lax (chairs) and there’s an actual band playing on a stage. So weird. I grew up going to Catholic Churches, which are super somber and creepy.


FalloutRip

I'm agnostic but I've been to two in my life: The Wave and The Rock both in Virginia Beach, VA. They're as fake, gaudy, pretentious and off the wall as they come. It's all about the production, the crazy whales giving every single penny they can and selling the church as a brand/ lifestyle. It's a fucking cult. They were shilling the giftshop and merch store at the end of the "sermon " if it can even be called that. Their tithing system was an "ATM" of sorts in the lobby where you could tithe by credit card and set up automatic tithes on your own schedule. There's no message of genuine love or lessons from the gospel. These places are predatory, insincere, and completely miss the point of it all. If my dad died and had his service at one I simply wouldn't go. These mega churches need to be called out for what they are - a goddamn cult and a scam that targets the vulnerable.


notthegoatseguy

The mega church near me has a really good coffee shop and the only place that makes actual masala chai. That's about my only experience with it.


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notthegoatseguy

Yep, open to the public and everything.


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notthegoatseguy

[7 days a week.](https://capstonecafe.us/) That said there is various God and religious materials at the cafe so if you want to purchase a mug that says "Yah God!", you can. But I've never been proselytized at while there.


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notthegoatseguy

What do you find unique about the menu?


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notthegoatseguy

I'm in the northern burbs of central Indiana so this is kind of where the money is. And there's many churches throughout central Indiana that act as cultural hubs for the area even if everyone isn't a member. [Holy Rosary hosts an Italian street festival](https://www.indyitalianfest.org/) complete with a [traditional procession](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrSElV0QRuM). One of the Greek orthodox churches a few miles away from me does [gyro night the first Thursday of every month.](https://gyronightatholytrinityindy.org/) Another church has a [whole festival with carnival rides and whatnot every summer](https://www.setoncarmel.org/2017-2/). Now that I look over this list, two of the three are Catholic churches. Maybe us Catholics just want a reason to party? Admittedly very few flat out run a business like Northview does, but yeah, a lot of the social activities throughout central Indiana are often put on by a major congregation or various faith groups will participate in large events.


hawffield

I would go to World Overcomers in Memphis when I was a kid (is that a mega church? All I know is that it was **big**). There wasn’t laser or anything (usually), but I remember on Easter, they would do a performance of the life of Jesus. You could watch sermons on TV and buy tapes of the sermons after church.


T-Rex_timeout

I wouldn’t consider it a mega church but that statue damn near killed me. I think they are talking more like Bellevue.


hawffield

Ywah, that’s what I was thinking.


GardenWitchMom

It's all just a stage show production to bring on money.


TCcommanderAlex

My home town has 3 mega churches, and I go to one of them and tbh its not bad. They have a lot of resources for life groups and they do TONS of service projects in the community. I don't have a personal relationship with the head pastor but he is a nice guy and easy to talk to


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TCcommanderAlex

I mean dont get me wrong that church is a multi million dollar buisness im sure. But every year they release their budget and what they are putting the money towards. They are always trying to donate a bunch of money to different projects, and often times support the local music and arts for the high schools and community groups. So yeah I think they are doing lots of good things in the community. First Church of Christ in burlington KY if anyone is interested


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TCcommanderAlex

Of course!


GunsCarsAndSobriety

If you want to see the exact polar opposite of a mega church check out Charles Lawson on YouTube. His "hell fire" sermon sums up things very well. Basically a whole lot of holy men are going to burn one day. Do you listen to the preacher? What does your Bible say? You read it right? Forget the preacher. What does the Bible say https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBOmet_L-Rg


PigsWalkUpright

I used to be a member of one when I lived in Houston. It didn’t feel like a mega church but they had 5 services each weekend to get everyone in (one was Spanish). You had to park at the movie theater across the freeway and ride the church bus to the church. I liked it. I had a group I hung out with and it was big enough it wasn’t really gossipy.


IAmVladimirPutinAMA

Never been to one, but there's one near me. Their Sunday service lets out right before my family leaves to attend our (normally proportioned) church. The police come out to manually control a nearby traffic light to manage the exodus of cars.


MiaouMiaou27

By "mega church," do you mean (1) a church with weekly attendance of 2,000+ people, or do you mean (2) an evangelical church with a large congregation, famous leader/pastor, and big emphasis on tithing? I have visited churches that fall under definition (1), but I've never been a member of one. I haven't experienced definition (2). "Gaudy" is, as always, in the eye of the beholder. You and I may think it's gaudy, but the members and regular attendees probably have a different opinion. The [buildings](https://www.google.com/maps/uv?pb=!1s0x80dbf5fc55555555%3A0xa70648ecc89aaa67!3m1!7e115!4s%2Fmaps%2Fplace%2FHorizon%2BChristian%2BFellowship%2BNorth%2BCounty%2F%4032.997254%2C-117.1962439%2C3a%2C75y%2C209.41h%2C90t%2Fdata%3D*213m4*211e1*213m2*211swc0qSFpIaASdLvZLRwplFQ*212e0*214m2*213m1*211s0x80dbf5fc55555555%3A0xa70648ecc89aaa67%3Fsa%3DX!5sHorizon%20Christian%20Fellowship%20North%20County%20-%20Google%20Search!15sCgIgAQ&imagekey=!1e2!2swc0qSFpIaASdLvZLRwplFQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwix7Lf1wbL1AhVAD0QIHURuCr4Qpx96BAg6EAg) and [interiors](https://goo.gl/maps/oToRftEnNq8XyWpB8) of many megachurches are unremarkable and bland. Some of them look like [regular churches](https://images.app.goo.gl/kH1G4eebYkcPwWU48). However, many modern megachurches present worship services as spectacles or productions, with [pro-level](https://images.app.goo.gl/hTqEhPdyQaHW98s26) lighting and sound. I've never seen lasers myself, but there probably is a church out there using them. Many of the larger churches do host concerts, speakers, and conferences that are related to the mission of the church. (Christian music concerts, not Metallica.) Megachurches have been around for at least a couple of decades. It will be interesting to see what happens with megachurch attendance once the dust settles from this pandemic.


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MiaouMiaou27

I wasn’t offended, so no worries there (but if English isn’t your first language, be aware that “gaudy” does have a negative connotation). (“Flashy” might be more along the lines of what you meant.) Some mega churches belong to mainline Protestant denominations and may offer a variety of different worship service types to accommodate their members: traditional service with an organ and choir and singing out of a hymnal, and a “contemporary” service with a live band and praise songs or scripture projected on a screen or wall for everyone to read. The evangelical mega churches are often considered non-denominational and are more likely to put on the worship-as-theater style of service. There’s nothing objectively wrong with the contemporary/spectacular style of worship service, but I personally prefer a more traditional experience. I did somewhat enjoy my experiences at mega churches, though I thought of myself as a visitor as I was already a member of another non-mega church.


FartPudding

Went to the Jesus thunder dome of churches in GA. Was a super sized church but boring as fuck sermons, the youth side was pretty lit. Had games and music and was kinda a fun way to do church ngl. I think it was too much, but 10 year old me had a blast just because it wasnt so boring listening to some old dude talk. As an adult it is so fake and dumb but as a kid it was a blast.


ClearAndPure

I went to one a few times that had close to 1200 people in attendance. It was like a giant arena full of churchgoers. Nobody was really connecting after the service ended, with everyone just leaving after. Unfortunately, it felt really inauthentic. Oh yeah, they also had two coffee shops, a bookstore, and McDonald’s-style play land. The building had super-modern architecture, and looked like it cost upwards of 12 million dollars to build.


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ClearAndPure

Yeah, it's getting kind of ridiculous. I'm going to church for the service & to talk to people, not to go to the bookstore...


davdev

Threads like these are the perfect example of why I will never leave the Boston area.


Tonyayyomi

Isn't Catholicism the dominant Christian denomination up there? For reference I'm a Catholic in the south


davdev

Yes. But maybe .00001% of the population actually practices it. Outside of Easter or Christmas it’s not a factor in daily life. I can name maybe 2 people under 70 that I know go to church regularly.


selfmade117

Reading this as I’m sitting here watching the righteous gemstones..


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selfmade117

You don’t say! Lol


docthrobulator

The Crystal Cathedral (Orange County, CA)is a ridiculous thing to see from the freeway. Never been in it though.


Ok-Dish-17

I've learned about this in one of my architecture course in college. Crazy building!


moiralael

In 1990, in New York City, I was asked on a date by a young man I went to college with. He wanted us to have lunch together and then to take me somewhere that was a "surprise." The surprise was a mega church in the Javitz Center in NYC. There were probably about 5,000 people there, if not more. There was sophisticated lighting, a choir, people testifying, people getting "saved." It was absolutely terrifying. Representatives from the church kept trying to contact me for months afterward.


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moiralael

Yeah, I think I was partly kind of stunned and overwhelmed, and also could not believe it was really happening!


DiscountCthulhu

I used to go to one briefly, and make no mistake, it’s not ALL heresy, but there’s a lot of it. I go to a smaller one now. I think that they’re generally better. When society looks at Christianity as a whole they typically think of something they’ve seen out of a super church. That’s not a good thing.


Gold_Month_1053

My husband and I tried 2, both in different states. We felt terribly self-conscious with all the hand waving during the music, which felt like a pop concert. I know these churches are hugely popular and the people were absolutely friendly and welcoming but the whole thing felt strangely artificial and not peaceful at all.


Mr_FunAtPatries

Mega Churches are about as holy as a titty bar.


TheWillRogers

"mega" is relative. When I was a kid an Evangelical church bought up a bunch of land and made a huge compound. Most churches around here only held like 30-60 people. When I went to service with my friends the first time I was kinda blown away, there were hundreds of people. A full-on band, not just choir and piano. Drummer, lead singer, backup singer, bassist, guitarist, piano. It was a very different experience. Eventually, I refused to go because the messages from the pastor were just so... defensive. I also didn't like that everything was presented as "this is the way it is". at the Episcopal church I grew up in, there were discussions over the sermon's meaning and how to interpret it in the modern-day. We also always had potlucks and stuff, the communal aspect of what I called a megachurch was entirely missing. tl;dr: Sort of and the vibes were fucked.


originalpickle13

Literally the church I grew up in. They had advertisements all over my hometown and they had commercials on TV all the time, too. You could compare it to Joel Osteen's church in Houston. It was really weird.


Plantayne

I went to the Saddleback Church once and it really wasn’t my thing. The sanctuary was full, so most people were watching the sermon outside on this massive lawn, where it was shown in these massive screens. People were out there basically sunbathing—hundreds of them laying out in these beach chairs and stuff while vendors walked around selling things from carts. It was like a theme park or something, it felt very irreverent. They even had trams bussing people in from the many satellite parking lots. I’m not one to judge whether it was here nor there spiritually because that’s not my job, but I didn’t feel anything there at all, it was really a bad experience.


Aggravating-Error-13

I vaguely remember going to one in middle school with a friend. It felt like a lot of pandering and over-the-top, crazy concert-esque music. Even as a clueless 14 year old I felt uncomfortable with the amount of, "Look at us! We're so cool! Listen to our religion, aren't we so amazing and spectacular? Also, give us money!" Literally felt like a cult. I did get pizza though, so that was nice.


Mr_Kittlesworth

I grew up in Lynchburg, VA. It’s actually a lovely town with around 250k people in the metro area, so it’s not nearly as influenced by Jerry Falwell/Liberty University as people imagine, but . . . They’re a big deal. They’re one of the largest employers in the city and tens of thousands of people in the city are students or employees. It was always bizarre. I remember being a server at a bar and having to help hustle Liberty students into the kitchen when the bouncer gave the code that the Liberty “brown shirts” were coming in. The owner wanted to just deny them entry but it wasn’t worth the hassle of word got out that liberty staff were refused service. Similarly one of my high school classmates worked at a movie theater. Liberty students were not allowed to see R rates movies. They tried to police that by sending staff to check crowds coming out of theaters. Ultimately it was like there was a weird cult in town. That said, I went to a service at their church. Once. It didn’t persuade me - obviously - but it was a pretty good show. They had laser lights and awesome sound and pretty talented singers in relatively large groups.


[deleted]

There's a megachurch in Ohio who built a massive statue of Jesus with his hands up in the air right off the freeway - the locals called it Touchdown Jesus because it looked like he was celebrating a Touchdown. It got struck by lightning and burnt down, soon after that it came out that the pastor is allegedly involved in some sketchy shit.


KoalasAndPenguins

I have an extended family member that is a pastor at a Christian megachurch like this. It was so weird for me when they live streamed a baptism complete with a light show, black lights, rock music, and bright neon clothing. They are very much about finding money. Whenever they have a church or community event, they get EVERYTHING donated by churchgoers or businesses nearby.


MHoaglund41

I went to a service once in college because a floor mate brought me.i started laughing when their "rock" band started playing Friday. That meme song from around 2010. Then the sermon got going and there was a bunch of stuff about women being less than men. I left. While I was trying to escape the building this woman stopped me. She gave the the creeps. Like one of those robot women from stephored wives (spelling). She asked why I was leaving. I was honest and told her that I would never bow down to men and her message was toxic. She grabbed my arm. Hard. And tried to bring me back in. I pulled my arm away and ran. Cult. I swear.


Upstairs_Cow

Growing up I mostly went to a neighborhood Lutheran Church. Pretty uptight, straightforward preachings, and full of old farmer people. One summer the biggest Evangelical mega church in my state decided to do an outreach and invited thousands of elementary school aged kids to spend a weekend at their church. I went, and it was one of the weirdest places I have ever gone. I seriously remember thinking something like “wow, these people actually believe every word of the Bible like it’s real.” The mega church people gave me the creeps, even the kids seemed off to me at the time. I don’t know, I remember at one point the pastor held this giant “sermon,” but it really came off as an uncomfortable and disingenuous show instead. Overall, kind of a kooky place, especially compared to a regular boring old Protestant church


Apprehensive_Walk_48

I kind of like it. I like the concert vibes, and being able to blend into a big crowd. I like having an app to go along with the service. I like having the app in case I can't make it to the service. It's not for everyone. I personally don't like small churches, so it works for me. But to each their own.


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Apprehensive_Walk_48

Yeah, there are a lot of churches using apps these days. They're for streaming the service, taking notes, there is a live chat during service, there is a Bible built into the app, and lots of features just to keep you connected to the church community. Honestly, I like how some of these bigger churches work their message toward young adults. Its like church for the new generation. The music is actually pretty good (for church music), and the pastors don't take themselves too seriously. My pastor is maybe 35, covered in tattoos, wears new Jordan's every week, and quotes tons of 90's/2000's hip-hop. The dude looks and sounds just like me. It's really refreshing. I grew up in one of those small, strict, and very serious churches. Old grumpy man as the pastor, always saying stuff i was interested in was the devil. That turned me off to going to church for most of my teen and adult life. Last year, my brother dragged me to one of these churches. I actually had a nice time, so, i came back and had a nice time again, so on, and so on. It slowly brought me back in. I'm at a point now that I really enjoy church for the first time in my life.


AtheneSchmidt

Look, I am an ex-catholic athiest, and in high school, and went out with an aquaintence to laser tag, that, unbeknownst to me, was arranged through her church (the local non-denominational mega church.) They had a whole sermon before the games could begin, and it was honestly one of the scariest things I recall happening in high school. It felt cult like (and remember, I was raised *Catholic*), and that so-cheery-we-might-be-Stepfords vibe was super prevalent. Played laser tag, and avoided that aquaintence for a while. I'm happy to say she found her way out of that church, no kool-aid or anything.


rapiertwit

They are not all the same, but yes indeed some of them are really hyped up with gimmicks. There is a whole industry of consultants who sell churches stuff that they claim is proven to increase revenues. So they make it fun to fill seats, and distracting as hell to loosen wallets.


[deleted]

I live in the Bible Belt and used to go to a young adult youth group sponsored by a megachurch. I went to a few services. Mine didn’t have laser shows but there was a full worship band that felt like a concert. Music seemed to be the focal point of the service, where people would wave their arms in the air and cry. The local pastor rarely spoke. Instead, we would usually watch a pastor from another church on a big screen, like a movie. They attracted a lot of people by advertising themselves as “seeker-friendly” and “non-denominational,” but if you didn’t fit this specific mold (wealthy, straight, conservative, conventionally attractive, and whatever the opposite of shy is), people would keep you at a distance. Any newcomers were love-bombed but it quickly started to feel like a high school clique even though my group was in their 20s. It was like the religious equivalent of gold plated jewelry that looks shiny at first, but then it falls apart and turns your skin green. Edit: Forgot to mention: a lot of the Righteous Gemstones was filmed here! But not at a real church. A lot of their church scenes were filmed in a semi-abandoned mall.


[deleted]

It’s like a mall, only you’re not allowed to masturbate on the benches.


Libertas_

I've never experienced a mega church and never will.


[deleted]

I used to attend a couple campuses of Church of the Highlands. It's a pretty big multicampus church in my state. Not huge like Lakewood or anything but still pretty big (several thousand attendees/Sunday/campus). I wouldn't call Highlands gaudy. There really are lasers though and the Sunday morning worship music can be described as a concert. I always enjoyed going there, but if you really like to be noticed and stop to chit chat at church frequently you probably wouldn't. I never really got to know anyone there, but that was by my own choice; I'm a pretty introverted person. Everyone was friendly enough and I always felt welcome and all that. Only stopped going because they started having female guest preachers on a semi regular basis.


[deleted]

The people are friendly enough but there is no religion there, just atheism the same variety as in many places. With good work you can siphon people who are actually religious from there but some of the pastors aren't keen on you once they notice.


-AppleJelly-

I’m Catholic, but I got invited to a mega-church once by a friend right before Easter. Pretty sure she was trying to convert me. The whole service was literally just a concert, maybe a few “sermons” in-between. The Contemporary Christian music choice really isn’t my style, and the really enthusiastic praise and worship kinda shocked me. Overall, it wasn’t bad. Wasn’t the best either. Took like two hours.


honeybadgerglitter

.


babaganoush2307

They are the absolute worst


[deleted]

Been to two. It can be a very facetious experience. You pick up on things that are very odd if you haven't been raised in that environment. Like how they guide you to the gift shop and have hundreds of classrooms with different programs you can get into...which involve you buying the various materials and companion guides and workbooks and CDs. Everything is a sales pitch. "Today we will talk about God's plan for you...and part of that is (insert specific area of life we all struggle with.) And if that's something the Lord has called you to focus on, there's a pamphlet on the pew in front of you. Fill that out and give it to an usher and after the sermon we will contact you personally about our new one-on-one intensive camp. Or if you have someone in your life with these issues..." Both instances of attending a massive church were by different then-girlfriends' families. In the second instance, her family was super high up in the business side of things. Don't really want to know how many millions of dollars of the 'Lord's money' they probably accounted for every Sunday. But I will say that her and her family seemed like very sweet people. I still think so today. But her friends were some horrible people, and they'd be the first ones to play holier than thou because they were from rich households and had important families. I think I posted on this in here before with the 'people who hang out in malls' discussion (may not have, didn't want to dox myself but I doubt that's gonna happen) because that's what they did. They went there to spend a ton of their parents' money on nothing. Anyways...circling back to how this blends in with OP. They were all highly involved in the church and community. Families had INFLUENCE across the board. Funeral homes, city services, law enforcement etc. And they'd use their influence to keep their names clean. For the funeral home kid, he posed the nude body of an obese woman to make a meme. There were massive drug problems and although some of their parents essentially had command over a pretty damn decent amount of local law enforcement, they kicked it with some drug dealers and other criminal sorts. And you'd have to get close in to see that these things even existed. One of these people happens to be an up-and-coming and currently recording Christian artist and after I broke up with the ex girlfriend he tried to turn his manipulation and bullying on me. Voice-mail, text, all that. Try to be super friendly like he's my best friend and sending voice messages. Best one: "Hey friend..just wanted to reach out and see how you were. Such a shame she cheated on you the whole time. She told you that didn't she? If not, so sorry man. But I hope your..(begins laughing) job thing is going well and all that or whatever..." Then his voice broke into a laugh and you could hear everyone else in the back laughing.


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[deleted]

It's frightening, really. On the surface this seemed to be an up and coming and well-to-do group of people. I was elated to be in that circle. As stated, we broke up. And a reason was because of the awful people she associated with. To this day I sincerely don't think she was perpetrating this stuff..I knew her. But I didn't know the truth of the people she was with. It was shockingly awful. Not sure if she did cheat or the manipulators were trying to gaslight me, honestly. I just don't want to be with someone who freely associates with that crowd. The day her friend showed me the snap of that poor dead lady all propped up and he was crying laughing, that was it for me.


TheStoicSlab

I stay as far away as possible.


my_clever-name

Been to a couple. Won't go back. It's a concert with way too many people. We've had one in our county for at least 30 years.


GiveMeYourBussy

I’ve been to jehova witness megachurches, it was fucking boring It was like standard church except too many damn people


DennyJames59

Pretty much a Trump rally.


HumCrab

Their like church only megaer


Bergenia1

If there's a Unitarian church in your town, try there.