Is it OK for our churches to have Christmas trees, bingo games, or Easter egg hunts?ts,

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Jun 20, 2022
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another evil church game is pin the ass on a donkey.
once you're blind folded, you stick yourself more times than the stupid donkey!
 
Jun 20, 2022
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definitely can't have a billiards table. to rack the balls + the rack itself is a TRIANGLE!
 

presidente

Senior Member
May 29, 2013
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Bingo outside of a church environment is simply a game. Bringing it into churches is what creates a problem.
What kind of churches have a culture of playing Bingo? Is that a Roman Catholic thing? Do they do it outside of the sanctuary?

The idea of church buildings being 'holy ground' is a bit fishy. The early church met in homes. There was a problem with rival locations to the temple serving as high places in the Old Testament. I wonder if some people's thinking about church buildings is kind of like the Old Testament advocates of high places.... the ones used for the LORD, not idols.

I had a conversation with a military chaplain and his family. One of the family members did not like their using the same facilities for church meetings, Islamic services, and worshipping demons. We discussed the idea of 'holy ground.' I said I guess highlanders could chop people's heads off at a military chapel area.
 

CS1

Well-known member
May 23, 2012
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Right, both of those things are usually done on the parking lot and not on the inside of the church.
we like parks :) and in public locations :)
 

presidente

Senior Member
May 29, 2013
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Right, and when the sell of birds and other sacrificial animals were being sold at the temple, believing they were doing it for a just cause, Jesus turned those tables over and quoted Isaiah.

Matthew 21:12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Isa 56:7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.

Those things that are holy and set apart for the service of God/LORD, such as a church, should not use the same space for pagan traditions. God hates the pagan ways and does not want us to MIX the unholy with the holy.

So are you equating the church building with the temple in Jerusalem. In the Old Testament, there were other locations that were used to make offerings to God, and at times to pagan deities as well. These places are referred to as high places. According to Deuteronomy and other scripture, they weren't supposed to have these rival locations to the temple. So are you saying the church building is like a high place?

Do you offer sheep on the altar in the church building?

I Corinthians 3:9 says, '...ye are his building.'

One thing I heard on occasion as a child was adults telling the children, "Don't run in the house of God." Adults shouldn't say such things to children. It teaches them bad theology. "Don't run inside." or "Don't run in the assembly." is much more appropriate. Preachers who say, "It is good to be in the house of God this morning" can confuse their congregations, unless they make it clear that we are the house.

I did think it was kind of ironic, though, when I went to a church service in Jakarta that met in a skyscraper downtown. They rented a big room up stairs, and also had use of the lobby on the ground floor. The lobby had a closed bank there. There was someone selling Christian books for the church and behind his head it read 'money changer.' I had heard an opinion that selling books was like the moneychangers in the temple.

Actually, though, the evidence from the New Testament is that the churches met primarily in homes in the first century, not special-purpose religious buildings. If a baker sold baked goods from his home and then opened his house to house the church meeting, are you going to tell him he cannot sell bread to support his family. (They may have favored upper rooms for housing and church meetings, but that doesn't mean there was a prohibition on living on the first floor and hosting.)
 
L

Locoponydirtman

Guest
It's not about what you spend it's about the respect. My dear grandmother use to say "How would you dress if you were going to meet the Queen ( or a president)? Shouldn't we have more respect for the house of God"?
Right. If you can only afford a "t" shirt then wear a clean one.
 
Jun 20, 2022
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putt putt golf in the church encourages children to COUNT and have EYE HAND Coordination, all of which is KNOWLEDGE, so for the Cessationist, that ship won't Fly!
 

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
Jul 18, 2017
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What kind of churches have a culture of playing Bingo? Is that a Roman Catholic thing? Do they do it outside of the sanctuary?
Yes. It is mainly associated with Catholic churches, but outside the sanctuary. It has been used for fundraising.
 
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geez, i forgot about the most important issue, other than TRIANGLES, for billiards.
you use a WHITE ball to punish the non white balls!
 
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i guess that makes golf even, you spend all day smacking the begeeeeeeeezus out of a White ball for fun!