NOM

Then it dawned upon me
Christ never left the Church.
The Church left Christ.
And the Christians in the Church are left to fend for themselves.
It was bedded by the Mammon, even Satan itself.

Maybe I am a bit rash in saying this, but the latest developments locally and globally leave me with no other conclusion.

I largely agree with you but I have either an incredibly pedantic question or possibly insightful question. Where do you think Christ dwells these days?

The saying "no man can serve two masters" seems to be quite true in this case, as applied to the church as an organization. When the church got rich, money became the boss. The purpose of serving the spiritual and even physical needs of the members gave way to career money managers who answer to the bottom line.

fh451

Where Christ dwells, in people individually if they let him (or his teachings)
But in the Church, nope.

Corsair wrote:I largely agree with you but I have either an incredibly pedantic question or possibly insightful question. Where do you think Christ dwells these days?

My mind wonders if Jesus was just a local optimist who found no excitement or joy in carpentry and roamed around the streets talking to anyone that would listen to his Father/Son of God stories. People found it helpful, entertaining, and soothing causing his teachings and followers to grow.

Fellow entrepreneurial men/priests followed in his footsteps and called themselves disciples of Jesus thus capitalizing on his fame and worship. That is until he was martyred by the Romans for causing a stir amongst the people.

It's so easy to see other men who have made up their religions and grew a following. Men like Martin Luther, Joseph Smith, David Koresh?

What if Jesus made it all up?

This is the side effect of a faith transition. Where do we draw the line?

fh451 wrote:The saying "no man can serve two masters" seems to be quite true in this case, as applied to the church as an organization. When the church got rich, money became the boss. The purpose of serving the spiritual and even physical needs of the members gave way to career money managers who answer to the bottom line.

fh451

Sadly, I'm afraid that you are spot on with this analysis.

I agree with you completely, Meilingkie - the church uses the Christian platform of beliefs for corrupt purposes. Most of the members are victims, but those at the very top - well, God have mercy on their souls. They know full well what they are doing.