These churchgoers approached me at the Glendale Galleria here in L.A.
I was walking through the mall, minding my own business (I had just returned home from the Marines) and this lady walks up to me talking about a "conference for young people" that was being organized. She claimed that this function was solely to bring young people together to get to know one another, as well as to listen to guest speakers talk about leadership.
I asked her if she was part of or in any way connected to a religious organization....and she repeatedly said that she was not....
I had just returned home, and I figured "what the heck", so I agreed to go...as long as there was no religion involved.
That Sunday morning she and an associate came knocking on my door...by that point I had hoped that they had forgotten about me, but they didn't...
I was wearing jeans and a collared shirt, and they kept pestering me to put a tie on, or to dress nicer....
I asked her and her friend again, at my front door, if their meeting was in any way connected to a church or religious movement....and again I was told "no"..... I refused to wear a tie or nicer clothing, and she and her friend went to their cell phones making calls to try to figure out what do to next...
Regardless of my dress, they decided that it was okay if I came...but my sixth sense was already growing increasingly suspicious....
During the long drive from my home in the north east San Fernando Valley to downtown Los Angeles (they drove me) I asked more questions about what we were going to be doing, and if they were trying to take me to church...
"Oh no..." she said, "in fact, this meeting is being held in an old boxing arena..there is no church involved."
What a liar this woman and her associate were...
The moment we arrived, I found out that this boxing arena was converted into a church....
They tried to use peer pressure to get me to wear a tie, stand and stomp my feet when the ministers wanted the congregation to do so....but I don't give in to such nonsense....
I sat in my seat and didn't budge... In fact, a woman in front of me who saw my refusal to submit even started to emulate what I was doing....
The majority of the parishoners of this place were of Hispanic origin, and mostly only spoke Spanish, whereas the ministers were all white, and did not speak Spanish...so they used an interpreter...
Their main goal was to get money from the congregation (who did not appear very financially well off) to finance the chartered plane flights of the various reverands around the country...what charlatans these "religious leaders" are...
After their pathetic service I walked out, took off the tie that they compelled me to wrap around my neck, and called for my mom to come pick me up from downtown...I did not even want a ride from these liars...
They even tried to use my being a Marine...
First off they had used my "prestige" to get kids in their church to get excited about their "divine message"....they wanted me to become their patsy to pick up these youth...
Secondly, when I walked out, one of the ministers came out and said, "well, you were in the Marines, and when your sergeant gives you an order you have to follow it don't you?"
My response: "To begin with, I would only be obligated to follow lawful orders...secondly, you are not my sergeant, and you have no authority to give me orders."
I proceeded to blast the hypocrisy of his "mission" and of his minions who brought me to their service that day....
Liars....frauds....deceivers...hypocrites...and money-hungry charlatans..... These are the men and women who run that church..
They are not alone in the "Christian" world.....
In terms of "Christ".....where is the sole definition of this?
Like I mentioned before....there is no such unity of identity.....only the illusion of such a thing...
Presbyterians, Catholics, Gregorians, Copts, Pentecostals, Seventh Day Adventists, Jehova's Witnesses, Arians....each contradicting the other.....there is no "truth"....
Each one of us has one life to live...and it is up to us to live this life to the fullest...
Religion tends to divide....especially when it is one that is Christian based.....
It is time to move past such squabbles and focus on making this one life we each have more productive to ourselves and our fellow living beings, whether man or beast, or whether religious, christian, jewish, buddhist, or atheist....
We have but one life....and what are we doing with it?
