Ha ha...that is funny! Religion is the oldest and biggest pyramid scam known to man. If someone invites you to go to their church, you say no and they get angry at you, tell them that you'll go with them if, in exchange, they agree to attend a meeting of your local Atheist group with you. You'll see how fast they stop and go away!

I have been going to church all my life and never saw that. I am currently the book keeper at my church and the furthest we have ever gone to that is giving away turkeys for a new visiter and the people that brought them. It didn't even come out of the church's account, but the pastor's and others who wanted to join in. I know that there are churches that do give money out to those who get people in. You cannot hold all other churches accountable for others non Biblical churches. It is like claiming all woman whores just because one cheated on someone.

For some reason, its always about the money, rather than about the gift God gives to you. I'll tell you what, if you want to come to my church and find out about Christ's gift to you, I won't allow you to give money. I'll tear up your check if you put one in the plate. I don't want your money. None of my church nor my pastor want your money. He'll tell you that himself. He says it every year at least once in a sermon. The Lord loves a cheerful giver. If you can't give and be cheerful, don't give. Keep your money all for yourself. It costs money to keep the lights and the heat on, but I'd rather sit in the dark and cold than take money from someone who doesn't want to give it. The pastor has to eat, and so do his wife and kids. He has a mortgage on his little house too, and works hard for his living, but if you don't want to see that he is paid for his work, don't give. His car is more than ten years old, his wife's car is probably eight, I guess they can sleep in them. He doesn't deserve any pay for leading two services a week, visiting the sick and dying, showing up when the call goes out for pastors to sit with the families of victims after a plane crash. He doesn't deserve anything for the hours of study he puts in each week to put together a good sermon (and I'm at the church office enough to know how many hours he spends). After all, he's just a pastor. It isn't like its a real job. It also costs money for the hospital we are building in Africa, for the meals we give to the needy, for the shoebox Christmas gifts we send to kids in third world countries, for the meals we put in the children's hospital to make sure that the parent's of kids with cancer and kids who have been in car accidents and house fires don't go hungry while they sit by their kids bedside. It costs money for the four wheel drive we are buying for the bishop in Africa, so that he can get over the roads that are more gullies than roads over there and tend his flock. It costs money for our part in running the clothing bank. It costs money to send a team to New Orleans to pump out basements. But I'd rather let all of that go than to take one cent from someone who gives it unwillingly. Christ would too. That is why he tells us to do our good works in secret, so our Father in Heaven might see it and bless us. That is why He valued the widow's mite higher than the gifts of rich men. That is why I will always do my best to stay anonymous on here. If you are silly enough to believe that every small town pastor of a small town church is just like Jim and Tammy Faye Baker or Jimmy Swaggart or any other TV pastor, well, there just isn't any word for that, or at least not one that I'd want to use. If you can't see the difference between their church and your local little church with the stained ceiling tiles and the worn carpet, you aren't very discerning. That, or you are really just making excuses for not really wanting to have to make a committment, get up every Sunday, put your wants behind Christ's wants and actually help people instead of wanting to gripe about the government needing to do something.

I've never met any religious people that got mad for not attending their Church-- and I've met many. And the money thing? That's totally bogus. You don't want to attend Church? That's your choice and I respect it.

I can't say that religious folks often get mad at you when you refuse to go to their church....they might get mad when you've told them for the thousandth time and you've clearly become angry, but that's about it. I think the reason that they might get mad, or just the reason why they are so persistent, is that from all they know within their little heads, they cannot see why any person would refuse them.

If they get mad over that they probably get mad over a lot of things. Nothing to do with being religious. There are good tempered and bad tempered religious people, and a lot of inbetween. I've never seen a church that pays members for bringing in a visitor. However, I'm sure such places exist.

I have never heard of that practice at a church. Perhaps you were misinformed.