• Banno
    23.4k
    Pentecostalism is an extraordinarily self-indulgent version of christianity. It strikes me as grossly immoral; it takes little, if any, account of one's relationship to other people, instead focusing almost entirely on one's supposed relationship with god.

    Being biblical literalists, Pentecostalism involves considerable mental contortion.

    And yet it is loud and growing.

    Signs of the times.
  • creativesoul
    11.5k
    It lends itself well to televangelism...

    It promises hope to those without. More and more are without hope but with television.

    Those two things could be how/why it's growing.
  • creativesoul
    11.5k
    It's a bit misleading to say that it does not focus upon relationships with others...

    Joel Osteen focuses upon that all the time.
  • Banno
    23.4k
    It's a bit misleading to say that it does not focus upon relationships with others...creativesoul

    But the primary relationship must always be with God. And in this perverse logic, giving to your wealthy church is better than giving to the homeless.
  • creativesoul
    11.5k


    Relationships with others amounts to much more than to whom one makes charitable donations.

    The church claims to help those in need. Actually, the church does help far more in need than most(anti-church enthusiasts) care to admit. So, in that sense, giving to the church is giving to the homeless.
  • Banno
    23.4k
    The church...creativesoul

    It's not one church.
  • creativesoul
    11.5k
    It's not one church.Banno

    Right.

    And that matters here because?
  • Valentinus
    1.6k


    Perhaps you could aim your criticism to a specific claim or set of claims. In the Protestant traditions, for example, this issue has come up many times. There is nothing that is being touted now that has not already traveled many times around many a town's square.
  • frank
    14.6k
    Pentecostalism is an extraordinarily self-indulgentBanno

    Why would an atheist object to that? You're here a few short years and that's it. Self-indulge the hell out of it.
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