Does being Christian equate to elitism today?

[Isaiah28:7-8]

In every christian church Ive ever visited of all denominations it seems there is a severe case of elitism and rampant judgment and usually over minor things such as how one dresses or where one comes from or even what one eats.

People also seem to shun anyone who isnt in a position of money/riches to anywhere from a slight to severe degree.

To me it seems christianity has become synonymous with middle class or upper class even.

Before anyone would suggest it is my locality, I have traveled the nation extensively for many years and the story is generally the same across the nation.

I have even conducted social experiments where I dressed down and appeared as a street kid, a homeless person and people from various positions in life and then Ive also dressed up and gave the illusion of anywhere from well dressed, clean cut to middle class to exceedingly upper class.

The result is the same, the lower classes ended up being met with resistance and disdain and poor treatment vs the middle and upper classes being treated completely different and always positively and were warmly welcomed.

I find this ironic seeing as Jesus opposed riches as did the bible in general and many prominent figures from Jesus and the Apostles to Moses were poor wanderers.

Has anyone else seen this being an issue among their locality or churches? Or has anyone experienced this?

 

[theLords]

In every christian church Ive ever visited of all denominations it seems there is a severe case of elitism and rampant judgment and usually over minor things such as how one dresses or where one comes from or even what one eats.

People also seem to shun anyone who isnt in a position of money/riches to anywhere from a slight to severe degree.

To me it seems christianity has become synonymous with middle class or upper class even.

Before anyone would suggest it is my locality, I have traveled the nation extensively for many years and the story is generally the same across the nation.

I have even conducted social experiments where I dressed down and appeared as a street kid, a homeless person and people from various positions in life and then Ive also dressed up and gave the illusion of anywhere from well dressed, clean cut to middle class to exceedingly upper class.

The result is the same, the lower classes ended up being met with resistance and disdain and poor treatment vs the middle and upper classes being treated completely different and always positively and were warmly welcomed.

I find this ironic seeing as Jesus opposed riches as did the bible in general and many prominent figures from Jesus and the Apostles to Moses were poor wanderers.

Has anyone else seen this being an issue among their locality or churches? Or has anyone experienced this?

Do not worry, my brother, Christ is shaking up the church. All those who are not rooted in Him will fall away. Remember He can't return until His Bride is "spotless and without wrinkle."

The Church has failed the people in many ways, but she has also been a source of great comfort and strength. There is revival coming to the younger generations. You can see it from coast to coast too! Young people are walking into theme parks, out door malls, the streets and laying there hands on anyone who wishes to be healed. YouTube it. I remember seeing one on YouTube where 3 people went into a DisneyLand? and healed a teenage boy's arm. He was a non-Christian who was so excited and full of joy. There are others serving the homeless and ministering with humility overseas too.

Have hope ;) (the state of the Church saddens me too sometimes)

Sin is because of brokenness. We broke when we fell. Healing the brokenness, heals the the need to sin. Healing the need to sin, stops the sin.

The body of Christ is in need of some major healing.

This Christian on Christian crime has got to stop!

 

[Isaiah28:7-8]

Are you sure its a christian thing - and not a socila phenomena - I mean, if you went to a homeless shelter nicely clean-cut and wearing a fancy suit - youd receive better treatment from the homeless than if you went dressed like them.

And this phenomena effects every society - we inhearantly want to be a part of the beutiful crowd, and if you appear to be apart of the beutiful crowd, people are going to treat you better - in order to sub conciuosly gain favor with you.

This is partialy the reason religions praise the poor so much, so that we fight our natural inclinations to avoid them or distain them. If we were naturaly attractted to smelly homeless people, this notion would not be so emphasized in religion.

Now Im not a christian - but I live amongst you and used to be part of your faith, and I have not noticed a christian elitism run rampant - Ive seen it - but not to the extent that it has pervaded the whole community.

It is also a social issue yes. It is also a Christian issue. Many christian churches seek to outdo each other with lavish churches and monuments and appearances spending countless hundreds of thousands of dollars while people are homeless, while children go without medical care or food. This to me is outrageous.

I have been kicked out of churches for not tithing, for not dressing up and many ridiculous reasons, when I have not been kicked out I have been quietly made to feel very uncomfortable and ignored entirely. This is especially rampant in my hometown area where there are literally churches composed entirely of lawyers, doctors and professionals.

The issue I have is generally that if people are truly religious and good christians they would not go against the teachings of the bible entirely and promote the opposite of the teachings. I have had the privileged opportunity to visit with many people of many faiths in many areas of this nation and yet it seems to be most rampant among christians by far which disappoints me as a christian.

Religion is supposed to elevate one beyond base desires and inclinations. I dont expect people to be perfect but I do expect an honest attempt to adhere to what they call their faith.

 

[Isaiah28:7-8]

Do not worry, my brother, Christ is shaking up the church. All those who are not rooted in Him will fall away. Remember He can't return until His Bride is "spotless and without wrinkle."

The Church has failed the people in many ways, but she has also been a source of great comfort and strength. There is revival coming to the younger generations. You can see it from coast to coast too! Young people are walking into theme parks, out door malls, the streets and laying there hands on anyone who wishes to be healed. YouTube it. I remember seeing one on YouTube where 3 people went into a DisneyLand? and healed a teenage boy's arm. He was a non-Christian who was so excited and full of joy. There are others serving the homeless and ministering with humility overseas too.

Have hope ;) (the state of the Church saddens me too sometimes)

Sin is because of brokenness. We broke when we fell. Healing the brokenness, heals the the need to sin. Healing the need to sin, stops the sin.

The body of Christ is in need of some major healing.

This Christian on Christian crime has got to stop!

I have great hope and faith in some of the people all of the time but not all of the people even some of the time.

I am just ultimately disappointed that Christianity has become so hypocritical. What humors me are the churches trying to teach that Jesus was a rich man and that he approved of riches despite his many teachings to the contrary. Too many churches teach the wrong message entirely or distort basic teachings. If people are taught wrongly, how can they practice correctly?

There are a great minority of Christians who do many great things but there are far far more Christians taught wrongly and practicing wrongly.

The state of the Church as a whole definitely saddens me and I agree much must change and much healing is needed. A major issue besides wrong church teachings are that the media poisons the minds of the young before they can decide and it is impossible to keep them from outside society in most cases nor is it healthy to.

 

[Mike]

I'm quite sure this is even bigger than our society. It's ingrained into our human condition. I've been on mission trips to some of the poorest of poor regions of the world. These people live in filth. As a visitor, my impression is that they are very blessed to be free from worldly ambitions. The missionary said not to make the mistake of assuming. He said they have their own socio-economic ladder as well, just on a different scale. They live in little shacks made out of plank wood. Those without a roof, look up to those with a wooden one, who look up to those with a metal roof, who look up to those with something else. He said their is a whole system of class envy and showcasing, but smaller in proportion. And it works in the other direction. Those with the "nicer" things let everyone know when they get their hands on them.

You think Christians have a corner on the market. What about the caste system in India?

Of course I'm not excusing it. I'm just saying the world is sinful, and virtually every religion and culture is susceptible to this comparison.

 

[Michae1]

I myself have not noticed it. I was in the Catholic church for almost 20 years, but the only thing I watched there was the clock to see how much time was left. I have gone to a few other churches to try them out (wow, those Baptists are not fooling around) but I always went to them dressed properly, so no one gave me the cold shoulder.

I seem to recall that the decline of the Church is a sign of the End Times. Paul had something to say about it:

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
(2 Timothy 4:3-4 NIV)

I think this is what is called the Apostate or Emergent church. So if you are ever in doubt about something, this is another good reason to stick to the Bible which is the word of God, and not a religious organization with a bunch of rules which is the word of man.

 

[Isaiah28:7-8]

I'm quite sure this is even bigger than our society. It's ingrained into our human condition. I've been on mission trips to some of the poorest of poor regions of the world. These people live in filth. As a visitor, my impression is that they are very blessed to be free from worldly ambitions. The missionary said not to make the mistake of assuming. He said they have their own socio-economic ladder as well, just on a different scale. They live in little shacks made out of plank wood. Those without a roof, look up to those with a wooden one, who look up to those with a metal roof, who look up to those with something else. He said their is a whole system of class envy and showcasing, but smaller in proportion. And it works in the other direction. Those with the "nicer" things let everyone know when they get their hands on them.

You think Christians have a corner on the market. What about the caste system in India?

Of course I'm not excusing it. I'm just saying the world is sinful, and virtually every religion and culture is susceptible to this comparison.

Im aware it's a large scale issue but is not the purpose of religion to elevate human consciousness? If it does not achieve this, then it is failing these people.

Im aware that even tribal or third world societies have their own versions of material obsessions. Im not saying christians have a corner on the market but rather that in my experience fewer christians live their beliefs compared to other religions. This may be just my experiences, but it is all I can truly know. We all only have our own experiences as a reference point.

The caste system is indeed terrible. Although we have our own version of it as well just not as concrete as the caste system in India.

While I do not expect non-religious individuals to act in a moral and ethical manner, I do expect those that call themselves Christian to make the best effort to live and act what they're taught.

 

[Pard]

Which churches are these? I have been to a few churches, I have never seen any elitism or snobbery.

If someone is judging others on their clothes and on their cars and on their income and on the size of their tithing checks... well maybe you should be questioning if they are Christian. Remember, many people claim to be Christian, it doesn't mean they are. Most people who go to church are the Sunday morning Christian and by Sunday afternoon they are back into the ways of sinning.

 

[Isaiah28:7-8]

I myself have not noticed it. I was in the Catholic church for almost 20 years, but the only thing I watched there was the clock to see how much time was left. I have gone to a few other churches to try them out (wow, those Baptists are not fooling around) but I always went to them dressed properly, so no one gave me the cold shoulder.

I seem to recall that the decline of the Church is a sign of the End Times. Paul had something to say about it:



I think this is what is called the Apostate or Emergent church. So if you are ever in doubt about something, this is another good reason to stick to the Bible which is the word of God, and not a religious organization with a bunch of rules which is the word of man.

What is to be dressed properly? I find this to be a relative term. To me being dressed properly is being dressed to cover one's self in a dignified manner so that the body is not to revealed. I assume you mean dressing up for church?

I dont believe in dressing beyond what is practical. To me dress pants and button down shirt is quite impractical, especially considering my lifestyle.

To me what is most practical is a pair of sturdy blue jeans and a t-shirt. I tend to wear "street clothes" or a laborer's clothing because it is what is comfortable to me and is most practical to stand up to most of the tasks of my daily life.

I am curious as to how the whole getting dressed up for church thing started originally. Jesus wore simple clothing as did most figures in the bible and the bible warns about excessive adornment which for me would include the suits and dress clothes many christians wear to church as they serve no purpose except adornment.

I guarantee if you were to wear "improper clothes" you would be treated very differently.

What I often think about is, what if jesus came wearing simple clothes? How many christians would turn him away based on what he wore assuming he was not the messiah?

 

[Isaiah28:7-8]

Which churches are these? I have been to a few churches, I have never seen any elitism or snobbery.

If someone is judging others on their clothes and on their cars and on their income and on the size of their tithing checks... well maybe you should be questioning if they are Christian. Remember, many people claim to be Christian, it doesn't mean they are. Most people who go to church are the Sunday morning Christian and by Sunday afternoon they are back into the ways of sinning.

Currently where I live in the main city there are 55 churches alone not including the surrounding area. The majority of churches run their church like businesses and demand tithing (which I disagree with on many levels but thats a whole other topic) and shun people who dont seem to fit their image, I have seen a majority of churches behave in this manner where I have traveled.

It really depends which side you view the issue from, if you are middle or upper class and fit the criteria it is not readily apparent but if you are lower class or choose to live in poverty, it will be readily apparent with little effort to see it.

I agree with the notion that many who claim to be christian arent and these are what I call Sunday Christians. Of course Im sure it doesnt help that I live in one of the nation's least religious states either according to polls.

I do question quite heavily whether many of these people are truly christian but only because of their actions or inaction which speaks volumes about one's character.

 

[Pard]

Sorry, when I say I do not see this at the churches I have been to I mean it because there is a diverse economic group who attend. The church I attend and consider my church is a pentecostal church affiliated with Assemblies of God. This church has people who are literally millionaires and people who are living in or near poverty. No one cares about wealth it's all about God there. Now I am biased, but because my church is small and I can confidently say everyone who attends my church is truly a Christian.

I also go to a baptist church for youth group. The group is made up of many economic levels as well and I have never seen any elitism or snobbery towards anyone or from anyone.

 

[Isaiah28:7-8]

Sorry, when I say I do not see this at the churches I have been to I mean it because there is a diverse economic group who attend. The church I attend and consider my church is a pentecostal church affiliated with Assemblies of God. This church has people who are literally millionaires and people who are living in or near poverty. No one cares about wealth it's all about God there. Now I am biased, but because my church is small and I can confidently say everyone who attends my church is truly a Christian.

I also go to a baptist church for youth group. The group is made up of many economic levels as well and I have never seen any elitism or snobbery towards anyone or from anyone.

Small churches tend to be a lot better off, I agree. In small churches it usually tends to be about community and knowing each other on a personal level. Unfortunately there are very very few small churches here. The one I attend is a small Unitarian Universalist church and even though not all are christians who attend they certainly exhibit very christianly behavior. I am very welcomed there and no one is judged for any reason.

 

[Tina]

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I have been kicked out of churches for not tithing, for not dressing up and many ridiculous reasons, when I have not been kicked out I have been quietly made to feel very uncomfortable and ignored entirely. This is especially rampant in my hometown area where there are literally churches composed entirely of lawyers, doctors and professionals.

Hey man, what we are hearing is just your side of the story. If you have really been "kicked out of churches" as you claim, I wonder what those churches have to say in their defence.

Most of us haven't been treated or seen anyone been treated the way you described it and I find it hard to believe, especially looking at the "controversial Christian" website in your signature.

I have met some disgruntled Christians coming to forums to post complaints about their churches or other churches but only God knows what the inside story is and what really happened. Sometimes my pastor shares with us during weekend services what really happened concerning such complaints, and then we realize that what we heard from the complainants is a totally different story !

 

[Isaiah28:7-8]

.




Hey man, what we are hearing is just your side of the story. If you have really been "kicked out of churches" as you claim, I wonder what those churches have to say in their defence.

Most of us haven't been treated or seen anyone been treated the way you described it and I find it hard to believe, especially looking at the "controversial Christian" website in your signature.

I have met some disgruntled Christians coming to forums to post complaints about their churches or other churches but only God knows what the inside story is and what really happened. Sometimes my pastor shares with us during weekend services what really happened concerning such complaints, and then we realize that what we heard from the complainants is a totally different story !

If you wish to do some field work and journalism be my guest. But I doubt most people here will want to waste their time with it.

My addressing controversial topics has no bearing on my behavior nor attitude I just believe that no topics should be deemed unable to be discussed period.This is not a hitleresque or stalinesque era and church should not be that way either.

The churches involved have no defense. If you dont attend enough % of the time solely to their church or pay tithing to the appropriate amount many of the churches here will remove you from membership. If you have done certain things such as get a divorce or have a child out of wedlock well many members of some of the churches here will make you very unwelcome and do their best to drive you away. That is just life here. Some churches are open to all, some are not. Some are only open to doctors, lawyer and professionals and if you try to attend they will do their best to get rid of you.

When I say kicked out I mean a variety of terms from being removed as a member and ask not to come back to something as simple as being shunned/ignored and treated with disdain and ill feelings and made to be very uncomfortable.



Btw it isnt very kind to allude to my experiences as being false.

If you have really been "kicked out of churches" as you claim,

Most of us haven't been treated or seen anyone been treated the way you described it and I find it hard to believe, especially looking at the "controversial Christian" website in your signature.

I ask you not to judge me. It is not right to make such character assumptions or judge me when you dont know me at all. This is not very christian.

The controversial christian website is about addressing topics that the churches and most forums either disallow or scoff at. Many forums ban for certain topics some of which are surprising and churches dislike questioning. Ive had more than one pastor,priest or minister get angry at simple,sincere questions.The christian church is often close minded and there is little room for many topics or discussion.There are a lot of topics the church deems controversial.

Since when is it wrong to question and find the truth or discuss certain topics?

I have met some disgruntled Christians coming to forums to post complaints about their churches or other churches but only God knows what the inside story is and what really happened. Sometimes my pastor shares with us during weekend services what really happened concerning such complaints, and then we realize that what we heard from the complainants is a totally different story !

The reality is there are MANY disgruntled christians for good reason, there are MANY bad churches and church officials period across the nation and globe.

If you dont know what happened and say only god knows what happened in these cases why imply falsehood against myself or others?

And pastors are fallible, they are human and just as prone to problems as anyone else.

If god only knows, perhaps judgement and assumptions are best left to god.

A christian should comfort their brethren and not make judgements or accusations of falsehood.A christian should sympathize or attempt to.The reality is that many people have bad experience with the church or many churches and many do not. That is life.

 

[Tina]

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I am not "accusing" you of anything as you repeatly claim .... All I was trying to say is that even if such things are happening, we are only hearing one side of the story and the churches involved still reserve the right to defend themselves. But then again, if they choose not to because they want to run the church like a top-down organization the high-handed way, then let God be the Judge and you should leave the church.

Tithing is an Old Testament law and no church should be imposing a 10% compulsory contribution today as the New Testament nowhere commands that. Even among doctors, lawyers and professionals, unwed mothers and divorcees exist. Are they conveniently sweeping this truth under the carpet ? And I know there is a Pentecostal "cult" that imposes a lot of strange man-made doctines, rules and regulations on dressing, not allowed to own TV, cut hair and other stuff ....



So what kind of controversial topics do you discuss or promote in your forum ?

 

[Isaiah28:7-8]

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I am not "accusing" you of anything as you repeatly claim .... All I was trying to say is that even if such things are happening, we are only hearing one side of the story and the churches involved still reserve the right to defend themselves. But then again, if they choose not to because they want to run the church like a top-down organization the high-handed way, then let God be the Judge and you should leave the church.

Tithing is an Old Testament law and no church should be imposing a 10% compulsory contribution today as the New Testament nowhere commands that. Even among doctors, lawyers and professionals, unwed mothers and divorcess exist. Are they conveniently sweeping this truth under the carpet ? And I know there is a Pentecostal "cult" that imposes a lot of strange man-made doctines, rules and regulations on dressing, not allowed to own TV, cut hair and other stuff ....

I certainly agree that tithing is wrong. In my area, however the majority of churches impose tithing and are downright harassing about it, some harass about not having a high enough attendance rate, etc Its appalling really. I still get mailings from churches I no longer attend demanding a tithe and complaining about my lack of attendance even though I had been "kicked out" or in some cases opted to leave due to the behavior of the church's officials or members.Its kind of humorous that Im asked to tithe to a church I am not allowed to go to.

Are they conveniently sweeping truths under the rug? Yes! It has happened since the days of rome and will continue to the end of times. The church overlooks the behaviors and pasts of favored congregation members and all pastors/priests generally as well as church officials while laying down their laws upon less favored members or disfavored ones. If theyre running it as a business why would they offend their highest contributors? It would be financial suicide as a business, yes?

As far as cultish offshoots of christianity we have plenty of that around here, Ive even had people scream at me and genuinely breakdown and have a mental freakout because I turned on a TV at a retreat or broke one of their manmade rules/laws, I was then subsequently told I would go to hell which btw is something I hear often. People often get mad when I challenge them to show me where in the scripture it shows that Im going to hell for such transgressions.

I challenge people and the church because so much they teach is unfounded in scripture or outright lies or just plain misguided and wrong. We all need to seek the truth outside of church.

When churches subject me to ill behavior or act ill I do leave if I havent been asked to leave. I try to give all people and churches a fair chance and a period of time to adjust. I currently attend a wonderful Unitarian Universalist church which is a small church and is very open and loving to all people. But these churches are often the scorn of many because *gasp* unbelievers are allowed in the church as it is non-denominational and multi-faith so many faiths people object to are involved. But I believe there is only one god, as the bible states and that we are all his children.

 

[Isaiah28:7-8]

I literal just started the forum so it hasnt gotten very far in any direction but it is intended to be a forum where all topics can be discussed freely without being ridiculed, banned or treated poorly for bring up what are deemed controversial christian topics.

 

[Mike]

Isaiah, I didn't assume anything by your OP, but you've said some things since that have me curious. I'm not saying pastors haven't gotten upset, but I do find it hard to imagine a pastor getting "angry" UNLESS the questions are probing around areas that might be considered heresy AND they are asked with a spirit of argumentative assertions. I'm thinking like this...

"How can I believe God created the world when there's so much science that speaks against it?"

"Isn't it illogical to the point of being impossible that God created the world when there's clear evidence of the Big Bang millions of years ago?"

If a person is in a group, say a Bible study, and they ask the first question - no harm, no foul - good for discussion. If he asks the second and persists with the clear connotation that he doesn't believe and wants to argue his point, I can see a pastor getting frustrated.

This is just an example. I have no way of knowing what kinds of issues you've brought up that churches are unwilling to address. From the beginning of your thread to now, I've come to consider that your problems with the church aren't the way people dress or the status people try to project, but possibly much great issues where you branch off from biblical Christianity. I could well be wrong! Don't be upset, because I don't know you, and I'm not saying this is the case. I just wonder, from the way you worded the issues with questions. Your posts went from the way people dress to pastors getting angry with your questions. Not exactly tightly related.

 

[Mike]

some harass about not having a high enough attendance rate, etc Its appalling really. I still get mailings from churches I no longer attend demanding a tithe and complaining about my lack of attendance

Sorry. Me again. I caught this after I posted last. I used to be on our elder board, and we would call members who haven't been to worship in a given period of time. No matter how carefully we worded our calls that our concern was that they are not in worship anywhere, there would always be those who felt we were harassing them. All we wanted to know is:

A. Are you in worship anywhere while you haven't been here?
B. Is there a reason we need to know that you haven't been coming?
C. Is there anything we can pray on for you?

But all some people (the minority) heard was "Where have you been!?" "Why aren't you here!?" This never stopped us from calling, because we cared, and we didn't want it to appear as though no one did. If I stopped going to a church, and no one bothered to check why or how I'm doing, I'd definitely get the feeling no one cared. Most people were grateful for our call and concern.

Could it possibly be that you're taking the purpose of the calls wrong?

I agree that a 10% tithe is not in the spirit of our faith. One church by us forces members to submit their W2's, and they insist on the full 10%!! :o

But a church does need funds to operate. People never want to hear about the need for offerings, no matter how it's delivered. If they bring it up once a year, people have it in their minds that they're always bothering them with it. They should be able to appeal to their members for glad offerings, but they shouldn't demand it, and someone's welcome to worship shouldn't be contingent on it.

 

[Isaiah28:7-8]

Isaiah, I didn't assume anything by your OP, but you've said some things since that have me curious. I'm not saying pastors haven't gotten upset, but I do find it hard to imagine a pastor getting "angry" UNLESS the questions are probing around areas that might be considered heresy AND they are asked with a spirit of argumentative assertions. I'm thinking like this...

"How can I believe God created the world when there's so much science that speaks against it?"

"Isn't it illogical to the point of being impossible that God created the world when there's clear evidence of the Big Bang millions of years ago?"

If a person is in a group, say a Bible study, and they ask the first question - no harm, no foul - good for discussion. If he asks the second and persists with the clear connotation that he doesn't believe and wants to argue his point, I can see a pastor getting frustrated.

This is just an example. I have no way of knowing what kinds of issues you've brought up that churches are unwilling to address. From the beginning of your thread to now, I've come to consider that your problems with the church aren't the way people dress or the status people try to project, but possibly much great issues where you branch off from biblical Christianity. I could well be wrong! Don't be upset, because I don't know you, and I'm not saying this is the case. I just wonder, from the way you worded the issues with questions. Your posts went from the way people dress to pastors getting angry with your questions. Not exactly tightly related.

Pastor/priest incidents I speak of tend to be along the lines of them teaching a distorted teaching or for example advocating something completely unfounded such as that jesus approved of riches and he was wealthy (which is unfortunately growing in popularity among a minority of churches) because he had a treasurer and I would ask why they would teach that and they give an answer to which I respond with biblical proof that Jesus spoke against riches and was a poor man essentially and they get frustrated have no answer and tend to abruptly end the conversation in frustration and anger because they have nothing to say.

Or I ask them genuine questions about a topic they talk about and because it doesnt fall in line with precisely what they believe it quickly leads to a frustrated pastor. Not because Im being rude or a disbeliever because I ask or debate with great sincerity and politeness and they get frustrated anyway because they often dont have a solid reason for teaching what they do.

Sometimes the issue is certainly disagreement with what the church teaches in a distorted or baseless manner but there is definitely a huge issue with dress codes/styles and wealth, especially locally.

I definitely dont ask science vs religion sort of questions but I do ask why they teach something at times or try to sincerely discuss a topic and they get upset.If someone tells me God or the bible says something and it doesnt...I am definitely going to question why a pastor should or would be teaching it and what proof he or she has for asserting it is in there.

I have no reason to be upset by your post.

I also have questioned why the church believes homosexuality is or isnt a sin or why abortion is or isnt sinful and etc. Sometimes people are greatly misled by others or their own interpretations. Sometimes I ask controversial answers seeking insight. There are an endless number of controversial topics in the christian community and in my experiences most pastors would rather gloss over or ignore them or get upset than to genuinely address them.

My posts addressed issues with people judging how people dress or their status or wealth to how pastors and church people react and often get angry over things that really shouldnt and far too easily. To me it is tightly related under the categories of Christians not practicing what they preach or behaving unchristianly as well as issue within the christian and church community at large. I must respectfully disagree as I see a very direct correlation personally but everyone has their own views and experiences and none are any less valid than another's.