Which church is for you?

[Rollo Tamasi]

Once upon a time there was a church in North Carolina in the middle of the tobacco fields.
The members would sit and smoke together at church picnics.
But a boy and a girl could not be alone without a chaperone.

There was another church in Hollywood.
They would not allow smoking.
No members could smoke and attendees that smoked could not be active in church ministries.
But on their church picnics, the boys and girls would go off on their own.

Which church would you go to?

 

[SaraBeth]

That's a very good question! I think I would have to chose the first one! Reason would have to be that if someone wants to worship the Lord and talk amongst believers, the fact he/she smokes shouldn't stop that.

Not sure how I feel about the kids with or without a chaperone! These days kids could be up to anything!

Which one would you chose?

 

[Rollo Tamasi]

That's a very good question! I think I would have to chose the first one! Reason would have to be that if someone wants to worship the Lord and talk amongst believers, the fact he/she smokes shouldn't stop that.

Not sure how I feel about the kids with or without a chaperone! These days kids could be up to anything!

Which one would you chose?

Hi SaraBeth, I would go to the smoking church.
I don't see smoking as a sin, but I do see kids having sex as a sin, not only for the kids but for the adults who did nothing to prevent it.

However, many Christians allow society to have a place in the church.
Society is against smoking.
Society allows promiscuous behavior.
I'm sure many Christians would choose the Hollywood church.

 

[SaraBeth]

I agree with you! The idea of church is so skewed these days! People in those types of churches have things backwards.

I have an example, not church related but it backs up what's going on. When o was younger my mom let me start shaving a little early. When my friends mom found out she was shocked that I was shaving at 12. Of course my friend was allowed to go to parties and sleepovers where boys would show up. My friends mom thought it was all in good fun.

Thinking back on this I see where society has these things warped. Kids playing around together and sleeping around is just teenage behavior yet smoking is a sin!

 

[Obadiah]

Ironically, I've been faced with exactly that choice in the past. Except the churches were both in the same neighborhood where I lived and I attended both for a while to see for myself what each was like. I took the 3rd choice of going to neither.

 

[SaraBeth]

I have that problem. I just can't seem to find a church that I agree with. Some focus on the Old Testament, some focus on hating people. At this point I just talk amongst my family and that's my fellowship. Taking and sharing amongst other believers!

 

[reba]

IF churches did not have members they would be great..

 

[Rollo Tamasi]

IF churches did not have members they would be great..

Reba, I can picture you in the smoking church, being in the midst of all the smokers.

 

[reba]

Years ago, about 40, some big name preacher...Cant remember which one... as the guest speaker he was pounding the pulpit... getting all fired up.... pacing back and forth....doing the raise and lower the voice thing... sounding off about the evils of alcohol and tobacco .. meanwhile the buttons on his vest were about to pop.... those vest buttons were so ready to slay some one in the spirit i was ducking...

Pro_23:21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Which church would you go to?

The church where the boys and girls go off on their own.
What's wrong with a little butterfly hunting now and again?

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Reba, I can picture you in the smoking church, being in the midst of all the smokers.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

IF churches did not have members they would be great..

Just all visitors?

 

[The_Epsicle]

I'd go to the smoking church, mostly because I currently go to the smoking church. We don't have a lot of smokers but our children also are not required to have chaperone, we are however in a town of 600 so no one is really concerned about kidnappings around here and we trust the children to be responsible. As long as no one comes back bleeding we're okay with them going off on their own, most of the time even if they come back bleeding. I remember we used to play hide and go seek in the corn field just before harvest when I was a kid(which is the early 2000's), I ruined many good dress clothes doing that so many that my mom made me bring along a second pair of clothes to change into after church so I could go play with the other kids.

 

[Kenny_ms]

I don't see smoking as a sin,

I'll take the smoking and purely for selfish reasons. Until I can convince myself Rollo is right about that, I can at least pickup on some of the second hand.

Deep breaths.

I really do wish I could smoke.