| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"johac" |
| Date: |
08 Jan 2008 02:36:03 AM |
| Object: |
'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches |
How does that work? Do they count the number of people sleeping through
the service?
---
'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches
COX NEWS SERVICE
January 7, 2008
LONDON Singing hymns and clasping hands in prayer, they look like
regular churchgoers. But the worshippers at some Sunday services in
Britain definitely are not.
Instead, they are mostly nonbelievers who paid $60 a pop to rate
churches in Britain on everything from sermon length to after-service
refreshments.
For decades businesses have used ³mystery shoppers² researchers
dispatched to retail stores to pose as consumers to evaluate customer
service and quality control. Now, churches are turning to ³mystery
worshippers² to visit and rate their performance.
The program was launched in November by the London-based organization
Christian Research and will be nationwide by May.
Religious experts agree that the research could be beneficial for any
church seeking to understand how to best draw and keep worshippers in an
age of declining attendance.
³Any self-respecting organization is or should be alert to useful
criticism of its modus operandi,² said Sam Berry, an expert on religion
at University College London. ³I would regard the mystery worshipper
approach in the same way I would hotels asking people to fill in a form
about their experiences at the hotel.²
Attendance at Anglican church services has dropped by 50 percent in the
past 40 years as Britain has grown increasingly secular. Only about 6
percent of Britons attend church regularly compared with about 40
percent of Americans, according to Christian Research.
First to be assessed as part of a pilot project in November were 13
churches in northern England. Most of the churches scored higher than
expected.
Another larger round of assessments will be completed on Jan. 13 when
mystery worshippers will visit a secret list of dozens of churches in
and around Birmingham, England. By May, mystery worshippers will be
dispatched across the country.
The researchers score churches on exterior appearance, warmth of
welcome, quality of the sermon, and even on whether other parishioners
make eye contact.
³It can be quite daunting for people who don't have the tradition of
going to church to act as a mystery worshipper,² said Stephen Goddard,
the Liverpool, England-based co-editor of Christian Web site
www.shipoffools.com, who is assisting Christian Research with the
initiative.
³It's especially not easy to stand around looking lost at the end of a
service to see if you get any offers of help,² he said.
Churches in the United States also are beginning to recognize stealth
research as a valuable tool for measuring efforts to gain and keep
members, said John Swinburn, executive director of the Mystery Shopping
Providers Association in Dallas.
He said a small but growing number of churches in the United States have
been making use of mystery worshippers since the late 1990s.
Derek Wood, president of Guest Check Inc., a guest satisfaction
assessment service in Golden, Colo., said that many U.S. churches are
experiencing declining numbers and they want to understand why.
³They look at the Sunday morning experience similarly to how one would
look at a dining or shopping experience,² he said. ³Were the staffers
friendly and welcoming? Was the sermon substantive, easy to follow and
relevant to daily life?
³Then, in addition, was the church clean and in good repair?² he said.
³All these things should be part of an effort to gain or at the very
least maintain attendance.²
---
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080107/news_lz1n7nowread.html
--
John #1782
.
|
|
| User: "Nosterill" |
|
| Title: Re: 'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches |
08 Jan 2008 04:10:04 AM |
|
|
On Jan 8, 9:36 am, johac <jhachm...@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote:
How does that work? Do they count the number of people sleeping through
the service?
---
'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches
COX NEWS SERVICE
January 7, 2008
LONDON =AD Singing hymns and clasping hands in prayer, they look like
regular churchgoers. But the worshippers at some Sunday services in
Britain definitely are not.
Instead, they are mostly nonbelievers who paid $60 a pop to rate
churches in Britain on everything from sermon length to after-service
refreshments.
I think they are completely missing the point. The churches are not
the problem. Although I am an atheist I love church architecture and
music and I do get around quite a lot of English churches. I generally
find them to be peaceful and welcoming places. The reason for the
decline in church attendance is a decline in belief in a deity who
needs to have his ego polished every Sunday.
There simply is no longer a need for some kind of church on every
street corner. Some churches are of great historical and artistic
significance and are worthy of preservation - the rest have outlived
their usefulness and can go the way of all the surplus cinemas: Their
time has passed.
.
|
|
|
| User: "johac" |
|
| Title: Re: 'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches |
09 Jan 2008 12:34:55 AM |
|
|
In article
<efbc0e23-1583-48aa-8d48-260efd797a6e@c23g2000hsa.googlegroups.com>,
Nosterill <fladgate@hotmail.com> wrote:
On Jan 8, 9:36 am, johac <jhachm...@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote:
How does that work? Do they count the number of people sleeping through
the service?
---
'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches
COX NEWS SERVICE
January 7, 2008
LONDON Singing hymns and clasping hands in prayer, they look like
regular churchgoers. But the worshippers at some Sunday services in
Britain definitely are not.
Instead, they are mostly nonbelievers who paid $60 a pop to rate
churches in Britain on everything from sermon length to after-service
refreshments.
I think they are completely missing the point. The churches are not
the problem. Although I am an atheist I love church architecture and
music and I do get around quite a lot of English churches. I generally
find them to be peaceful and welcoming places. The reason for the
decline in church attendance is a decline in belief in a deity who
needs to have his ego polished every Sunday.
There simply is no longer a need for some kind of church on every
street corner. Some churches are of great historical and artistic
significance and are worthy of preservation - the rest have outlived
their usefulness and can go the way of all the surplus cinemas: Their
time has passed.
I agree. Some of the old historical or landmark churches should be
preserved. However, the run of the mill churches could serve a better
purpose if they were demolished and converted into parking lots or
bowling alleys.
--
John #1782
.
|
|
|
| User: "Olrik" |
|
| Title: Re: 'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches |
09 Jan 2008 01:21:51 AM |
|
|
On Jan 9, 1:34 am, johac <jhachm...@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote:
In article
<efbc0e23-1583-48aa-8d48-260efd797...@c23g2000hsa.googlegroups.com>,
Nosterill <fladg...@hotmail.com> wrote:
On Jan 8, 9:36 am, johac <jhachm...@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote:
How does that work? Do they count the number of people sleeping throug=
h
the service?
---
'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches
COX NEWS SERVICE
January 7, 2008
LONDON =AD Singing hymns and clasping hands in prayer, they look like
regular churchgoers. But the worshippers at some Sunday services in
Britain definitely are not.
Instead, they are mostly nonbelievers who paid $60 a pop to rate
churches in Britain on everything from sermon length to after-service
refreshments.
I think they are completely missing the point. The churches are not
the problem. Although I am an atheist I love church architecture and
music and I do get around quite a lot of English churches. I generally
find them to be peaceful and welcoming places. The reason for the
decline in church attendance is a decline in belief in a deity who
needs to have his ego polished every Sunday.
There simply is no longer a need for some kind of church on every
street corner. Some churches are of great historical and artistic
significance and are worthy of preservation - the rest have outlived
their usefulness and can go the way of all the surplus cinemas: Their
time has passed.
I agree. Some of the old historical or landmark churches should be
preserved. However, the run of the mill churches could serve a better
purpose if they were demolished and converted into parking lots or
bowling alleys.
Where I live (Quebec), they mostly become condos.
Olrik
--
John #1782
.
|
|
|
| User: "johac" |
|
| Title: Re: 'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches |
10 Jan 2008 12:21:37 AM |
|
|
In article
<e0da49b3-cb27-4f9e-8f15-929c91220d14@j78g2000hsd.googlegroups.com>,
Olrik <olrik666@gmail.com> wrote:
On Jan 9, 1:34 am, johac <jhachm...@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote:
In article
<efbc0e23-1583-48aa-8d48-260efd797...@c23g2000hsa.googlegroups.com>,
Nosterill <fladg...@hotmail.com> wrote:
On Jan 8, 9:36 am, johac <jhachm...@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote:
How does that work? Do they count the number of people sleeping through
the service?
---
'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches
COX NEWS SERVICE
January 7, 2008
LONDON Singing hymns and clasping hands in prayer, they look like
regular churchgoers. But the worshippers at some Sunday services in
Britain definitely are not.
Instead, they are mostly nonbelievers who paid $60 a pop to rate
churches in Britain on everything from sermon length to after-service
refreshments.
I think they are completely missing the point. The churches are not
the problem. Although I am an atheist I love church architecture and
music and I do get around quite a lot of English churches. I generally
find them to be peaceful and welcoming places. The reason for the
decline in church attendance is a decline in belief in a deity who
needs to have his ego polished every Sunday.
There simply is no longer a need for some kind of church on every
street corner. Some churches are of great historical and artistic
significance and are worthy of preservation - the rest have outlived
their usefulness and can go the way of all the surplus cinemas: Their
time has passed.
I agree. Some of the old historical or landmark churches should be
preserved. However, the run of the mill churches could serve a better
purpose if they were demolished and converted into parking lots or
bowling alleys.
Where I live (Quebec), they mostly become condos.
I think that would be kind of cool, living in a church. Do they have any
condos in the steeple?
Olrik
--
John #1782
--
John #1782
.
|
|
|
| User: "Robibnikoff" |
|
| Title: Re: 'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches |
10 Jan 2008 11:39:20 AM |
|
|
"johac" <jhachmann@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:jhachmann-D58CAB.22213709012008@news.giganews.com...
In article
<e0da49b3-cb27-4f9e-8f15-929c91220d14@j78g2000hsd.googlegroups.com>,
Olrik <olrik666@gmail.com> wrote:
On Jan 9, 1:34 am, johac <jhachm...@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote:
In article
<efbc0e23-1583-48aa-8d48-260efd797...@c23g2000hsa.googlegroups.com>,
Nosterill <fladg...@hotmail.com> wrote:
On Jan 8, 9:36 am, johac <jhachm...@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote:
How does that work? Do they count the number of people sleeping
through
the service?
---
'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches
COX NEWS SERVICE
January 7, 2008
LONDON Singing hymns and clasping hands in prayer, they look like
regular churchgoers. But the worshippers at some Sunday services in
Britain definitely are not.
Instead, they are mostly nonbelievers who paid $60 a pop to rate
churches in Britain on everything from sermon length to
after-service
refreshments.
I think they are completely missing the point. The churches are not
the problem. Although I am an atheist I love church architecture and
music and I do get around quite a lot of English churches. I
generally
find them to be peaceful and welcoming places. The reason for the
decline in church attendance is a decline in belief in a deity who
needs to have his ego polished every Sunday.
There simply is no longer a need for some kind of church on every
street corner. Some churches are of great historical and artistic
significance and are worthy of preservation - the rest have outlived
their usefulness and can go the way of all the surplus cinemas: Their
time has passed.
I agree. Some of the old historical or landmark churches should be
preserved. However, the run of the mill churches could serve a better
purpose if they were demolished and converted into parking lots or
bowling alleys.
Where I live (Quebec), they mostly become condos.
I think that would be kind of cool, living in a church. Do they have any
condos in the steeple?
There's a house not far from where I work that used to be a church. I would
love to see what it looks like inside ;)
--
Robyn
Resident Witchypoo
BAAWA Knight!
#1557
.
|
|
|
| User: "johac" |
|
| Title: Re: 'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches |
10 Jan 2008 11:51:59 PM |
|
|
In article <5un3d8F1ioub6U1@mid.individual.net>,
"Robibnikoff" <witchypoo@broomstick.com> wrote:
"johac" <jhachmann@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:jhachmann-D58CAB.22213709012008@news.giganews.com...
In article
<e0da49b3-cb27-4f9e-8f15-929c91220d14@j78g2000hsd.googlegroups.com>,
Olrik <olrik666@gmail.com> wrote:
On Jan 9, 1:34 am, johac <jhachm...@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote:
In article
<efbc0e23-1583-48aa-8d48-260efd797...@c23g2000hsa.googlegroups.com>,
Nosterill <fladg...@hotmail.com> wrote:
On Jan 8, 9:36 am, johac <jhachm...@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote:
How does that work? Do they count the number of people sleeping
through
the service?
---
'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches
COX NEWS SERVICE
January 7, 2008
LONDON Singing hymns and clasping hands in prayer, they look like
regular churchgoers. But the worshippers at some Sunday services in
Britain definitely are not.
Instead, they are mostly nonbelievers who paid $60 a pop to rate
churches in Britain on everything from sermon length to
after-service
refreshments.
I think they are completely missing the point. The churches are not
the problem. Although I am an atheist I love church architecture and
music and I do get around quite a lot of English churches. I
generally
find them to be peaceful and welcoming places. The reason for the
decline in church attendance is a decline in belief in a deity who
needs to have his ego polished every Sunday.
There simply is no longer a need for some kind of church on every
street corner. Some churches are of great historical and artistic
significance and are worthy of preservation - the rest have outlived
their usefulness and can go the way of all the surplus cinemas: Their
time has passed.
I agree. Some of the old historical or landmark churches should be
preserved. However, the run of the mill churches could serve a better
purpose if they were demolished and converted into parking lots or
bowling alleys.
Where I live (Quebec), they mostly become condos.
I think that would be kind of cool, living in a church. Do they have any
condos in the steeple?
There's a house not far from where I work that used to be a church. I would
love to see what it looks like inside ;)
I think I'd use the altar for a wet bar. ;-)
--
John #1782
.
|
|
|
| User: "Robibnikoff" |
|
| Title: Re: 'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches |
11 Jan 2008 11:24:20 AM |
|
|
"johac" <jhachmann@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:jhachmann-70CC98.21515910012008@news.giganews.com...
In article <5un3d8F1ioub6U1@mid.individual.net>,
"Robibnikoff" <witchypoo@broomstick.com> wrote:
"johac" <jhachmann@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:jhachmann-D58CAB.22213709012008@news.giganews.com...
In article
<e0da49b3-cb27-4f9e-8f15-929c91220d14@j78g2000hsd.googlegroups.com>,
Olrik <olrik666@gmail.com> wrote:
On Jan 9, 1:34 am, johac <jhachm...@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote:
In article
<efbc0e23-1583-48aa-8d48-260efd797...@c23g2000hsa.googlegroups.com>,
Nosterill <fladg...@hotmail.com> wrote:
On Jan 8, 9:36 am, johac <jhachm...@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote:
How does that work? Do they count the number of people sleeping
through
the service?
---
'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches
COX NEWS SERVICE
January 7, 2008
LONDON Singing hymns and clasping hands in prayer, they look
like
regular churchgoers. But the worshippers at some Sunday services
in
Britain definitely are not.
Instead, they are mostly nonbelievers who paid $60 a pop to rate
churches in Britain on everything from sermon length to
after-service
refreshments.
I think they are completely missing the point. The churches are
not
the problem. Although I am an atheist I love church architecture
and
music and I do get around quite a lot of English churches. I
generally
find them to be peaceful and welcoming places. The reason for the
decline in church attendance is a decline in belief in a deity who
needs to have his ego polished every Sunday.
There simply is no longer a need for some kind of church on every
street corner. Some churches are of great historical and artistic
significance and are worthy of preservation - the rest have
outlived
their usefulness and can go the way of all the surplus cinemas:
Their
time has passed.
I agree. Some of the old historical or landmark churches should be
preserved. However, the run of the mill churches could serve a
better
purpose if they were demolished and converted into parking lots or
bowling alleys.
Where I live (Quebec), they mostly become condos.
I think that would be kind of cool, living in a church. Do they have
any
condos in the steeple?
There's a house not far from where I work that used to be a church. I
would
love to see what it looks like inside ;)
I think I'd use the altar for a wet bar. ;-)
Ha! Or as a changing table in the nursery ;)
--
Robyn
Resident Witchypoo
BAAWA Knight!
#1557
.
|
|
|
| User: "johac" |
|
| Title: Re: 'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches |
12 Jan 2008 12:45:46 AM |
|
|
In article <5upmt4F1ivo61U1@mid.individual.net>,
"Robibnikoff" <witchypoo@broomstick.com> wrote:
"johac" <jhachmann@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:jhachmann-70CC98.21515910012008@news.giganews.com...
In article <5un3d8F1ioub6U1@mid.individual.net>,
"Robibnikoff" <witchypoo@broomstick.com> wrote:
"johac" <jhachmann@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:jhachmann-D58CAB.22213709012008@news.giganews.com...
In article
<e0da49b3-cb27-4f9e-8f15-929c91220d14@j78g2000hsd.googlegroups.com>,
Olrik <olrik666@gmail.com> wrote:
On Jan 9, 1:34 am, johac <jhachm...@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote:
In article
<efbc0e23-1583-48aa-8d48-260efd797...@c23g2000hsa.googlegroups.com>,
Nosterill <fladg...@hotmail.com> wrote:
On Jan 8, 9:36 am, johac <jhachm...@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote:
How does that work? Do they count the number of people sleeping
through
the service?
---
'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches
COX NEWS SERVICE
January 7, 2008
LONDON Singing hymns and clasping hands in prayer, they look
like
regular churchgoers. But the worshippers at some Sunday services
in
Britain definitely are not.
Instead, they are mostly nonbelievers who paid $60 a pop to rate
churches in Britain on everything from sermon length to
after-service
refreshments.
I think they are completely missing the point. The churches are
not
the problem. Although I am an atheist I love church architecture
and
music and I do get around quite a lot of English churches. I
generally
find them to be peaceful and welcoming places. The reason for the
decline in church attendance is a decline in belief in a deity who
needs to have his ego polished every Sunday.
There simply is no longer a need for some kind of church on every
street corner. Some churches are of great historical and artistic
significance and are worthy of preservation - the rest have
outlived
their usefulness and can go the way of all the surplus cinemas:
Their
time has passed.
I agree. Some of the old historical or landmark churches should be
preserved. However, the run of the mill churches could serve a
better
purpose if they were demolished and converted into parking lots or
bowling alleys.
Where I live (Quebec), they mostly become condos.
I think that would be kind of cool, living in a church. Do they have
any
condos in the steeple?
There's a house not far from where I work that used to be a church. I
would
love to see what it looks like inside ;)
I think I'd use the altar for a wet bar. ;-)
Ha! Or as a changing table in the nursery ;)
And put the used diapers in the tabernacle!
Sister Mary Knucklerapper is going to hunt me down and kill me for that.
;-)
--
John #1782
.
|
|
|
| User: "Robibnikoff" |
|
| Title: Re: 'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches |
12 Jan 2008 03:51:19 AM |
|
|
"johac" <jhachmann@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:jhachmann-E4D20A.22454611012008@news.giganews.com...
In article <5upmt4F1ivo61U1@mid.individual.net>,
"Robibnikoff" <witchypoo@broomstick.com> wrote:
"johac" <jhachmann@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
snip
I think I'd use the altar for a wet bar. ;-)
Ha! Or as a changing table in the nursery ;)
And put the used diapers in the tabernacle!
Sister Mary Knucklerapper is going to hunt me down and kill me for that.
;-)
Yeah, but it would be worth it ;)
--
Robyn
Resident Witchypoo
BAAWA Knight!
#1557
.
|
|
|
| User: "johac" |
|
| Title: Re: 'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches |
13 Jan 2008 12:49:07 AM |
|
|
In article <5urgskF1j36p3U1@mid.individual.net>,
"Robibnikoff" <witchypoo@broomstick.com> wrote:
"johac" <jhachmann@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:jhachmann-E4D20A.22454611012008@news.giganews.com...
In article <5upmt4F1ivo61U1@mid.individual.net>,
"Robibnikoff" <witchypoo@broomstick.com> wrote:
"johac" <jhachmann@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
snip
I think I'd use the altar for a wet bar. ;-)
Ha! Or as a changing table in the nursery ;)
And put the used diapers in the tabernacle!
Sister Mary Knucklerapper is going to hunt me down and kill me for that.
;-)
Yeah, but it would be worth it ;)
Heh! I could go out LMAO for that! :-)
--
John #1782
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| User: "DanielSan" |
|
| Title: Re: 'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches |
10 Jan 2008 11:57:38 PM |
|
|
johac wrote:
In article <5un3d8F1ioub6U1@mid.individual.net>,
"Robibnikoff" <witchypoo@broomstick.com> wrote:
"johac" <jhachmann@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:jhachmann-D58CAB.22213709012008@news.giganews.com...
In article
<e0da49b3-cb27-4f9e-8f15-929c91220d14@j78g2000hsd.googlegroups.com>,
Olrik <olrik666@gmail.com> wrote:
On Jan 9, 1:34 am, johac <jhachm...@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote:
In article
<efbc0e23-1583-48aa-8d48-260efd797...@c23g2000hsa.googlegroups.com>,
Nosterill <fladg...@hotmail.com> wrote:
On Jan 8, 9:36 am, johac <jhachm...@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote:
How does that work? Do they count the number of people sleeping
through
the service?
---
'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches
COX NEWS SERVICE
January 7, 2008
LONDON Singing hymns and clasping hands in prayer, they look like
regular churchgoers. But the worshippers at some Sunday services in
Britain definitely are not.
Instead, they are mostly nonbelievers who paid $60 a pop to rate
churches in Britain on everything from sermon length to
after-service
refreshments.
I think they are completely missing the point. The churches are not
the problem. Although I am an atheist I love church architecture and
music and I do get around quite a lot of English churches. I
generally
find them to be peaceful and welcoming places. The reason for the
decline in church attendance is a decline in belief in a deity who
needs to have his ego polished every Sunday.
There simply is no longer a need for some kind of church on every
street corner. Some churches are of great historical and artistic
significance and are worthy of preservation - the rest have outlived
their usefulness and can go the way of all the surplus cinemas: Their
time has passed.
I agree. Some of the old historical or landmark churches should be
preserved. However, the run of the mill churches could serve a better
purpose if they were demolished and converted into parking lots or
bowling alleys.
Where I live (Quebec), they mostly become condos.
I think that would be kind of cool, living in a church. Do they have any
condos in the steeple?
There's a house not far from where I work that used to be a church. I would
love to see what it looks like inside ;)
I think I'd use the altar for a wet bar. ;-)
"Unleash the fires of HELL!"
"So, preheat the oven to 450F?"
--
****************************************************
* DanielSan -- alt.atheism #2226 *
*--------------------------------------------------*
* "I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act *
* of the whole American people which declared that *
* their legislature should make no law respecting *
* an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the *
* free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of *
* separation between church and state." *
* --Thomas Jefferson, 1802 *
****************************************************
.
|
|
|
| User: "johac" |
|
| Title: Re: 'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches |
12 Jan 2008 12:46:56 AM |
|
|
In article <ceudnWZ2voZ9mRranZ2dnUVZ_s_inZ2d@comcast.com>,
DanielSan <petersonj07@comcast.net> wrote:
johac wrote:
In article <5un3d8F1ioub6U1@mid.individual.net>,
"Robibnikoff" <witchypoo@broomstick.com> wrote:
"johac" <jhachmann@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:jhachmann-D58CAB.22213709012008@news.giganews.com...
In article
<e0da49b3-cb27-4f9e-8f15-929c91220d14@j78g2000hsd.googlegroups.com>,
Olrik <olrik666@gmail.com> wrote:
On Jan 9, 1:34 am, johac <jhachm...@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote:
In article
<efbc0e23-1583-48aa-8d48-260efd797...@c23g2000hsa.googlegroups.com>,
Nosterill <fladg...@hotmail.com> wrote:
On Jan 8, 9:36 am, johac <jhachm...@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote:
How does that work? Do they count the number of people sleeping
through
the service?
---
'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches
COX NEWS SERVICE
January 7, 2008
LONDON Singing hymns and clasping hands in prayer, they look like
regular churchgoers. But the worshippers at some Sunday services in
Britain definitely are not.
Instead, they are mostly nonbelievers who paid $60 a pop to rate
churches in Britain on everything from sermon length to
after-service
refreshments.
I think they are completely missing the point. The churches are not
the problem. Although I am an atheist I love church architecture and
music and I do get around quite a lot of English churches. I
generally
find them to be peaceful and welcoming places. The reason for the
decline in church attendance is a decline in belief in a deity who
needs to have his ego polished every Sunday.
There simply is no longer a need for some kind of church on every
street corner. Some churches are of great historical and artistic
significance and are worthy of preservation - the rest have outlived
their usefulness and can go the way of all the surplus cinemas: Their
time has passed.
I agree. Some of the old historical or landmark churches should be
preserved. However, the run of the mill churches could serve a better
purpose if they were demolished and converted into parking lots or
bowling alleys.
Where I live (Quebec), they mostly become condos.
I think that would be kind of cool, living in a church. Do they have any
condos in the steeple?
There's a house not far from where I work that used to be a church. I
would
love to see what it looks like inside ;)
I think I'd use the altar for a wet bar. ;-)
"Unleash the fires of HELL!"
"So, preheat the oven to 450F?"
Yep. Could make it the kitchen too. It would make a good chopping board.
--
John #1782
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| User: "Apostate" |
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| Title: Re: 'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches |
10 Jan 2008 01:44:43 AM |
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On Wed, 09 Jan 2008 22:21:37 -0800, johac <jhachmann@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote:
In article
<e0da49b3-cb27-4f9e-8f15-929c91220d14@j78g2000hsd.googlegroups.com>,
Olrik <olrik666@gmail.com> wrote:
On Jan 9, 1:34 am, johac <jhachm...@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote:
In article
<efbc0e23-1583-48aa-8d48-260efd797...@c23g2000hsa.googlegroups.com>,
Nosterill <fladg...@hotmail.com> wrote:
On Jan 8, 9:36 am, johac <jhachm...@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote:
How does that work? Do they count the number of people sleeping through
the service?
---
'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches
COX NEWS SERVICE
January 7, 2008
LONDON Singing hymns and clasping hands in prayer, they look like
regular churchgoers. But the worshippers at some Sunday services in
Britain definitely are not.
Instead, they are mostly nonbelievers who paid $60 a pop to rate
churches in Britain on everything from sermon length to after-service
refreshments.
I think they are completely missing the point. The churches are not
the problem. Although I am an atheist I love church architecture and
music and I do get around quite a lot of English churches. I generally
find them to be peaceful and welcoming places. The reason for the
decline in church attendance is a decline in belief in a deity who
needs to have his ego polished every Sunday.
There simply is no longer a need for some kind of church on every
street corner. Some churches are of great historical and artistic
significance and are worthy of preservation - the rest have outlived
their usefulness and can go the way of all the surplus cinemas: Their
time has passed.
I agree. Some of the old historical or landmark churches should be
preserved. However, the run of the mill churches could serve a better
purpose if they were demolished and converted into parking lots or
bowling alleys.
Where I live (Quebec), they mostly become condos.
I think that would be kind of cool, living in a church. Do they have any
condos in the steeple?
It's byo, if you're going to get any action there.
Olrik
--
John #1782
--
Apostate a.a. #1931
..sig currently undergoing maintenance
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| User: "johac" |
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| Title: Re: 'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches |
10 Jan 2008 11:52:52 PM |
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In article <f5jbo3t6cboe3lq3odflcmosk1icn7485m@4ax.com>,
Apostate <godless.*****@yeehaw.org.invalid> wrote:
On Wed, 09 Jan 2008 22:21:37 -0800, johac <jhachmann@remove.sbcglobal.net>
wrote:
In article
<e0da49b3-cb27-4f9e-8f15-929c91220d14@j78g2000hsd.googlegroups.com>,
Olrik <olrik666@gmail.com> wrote:
On Jan 9, 1:34 am, johac <jhachm...@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote:
In article
<efbc0e23-1583-48aa-8d48-260efd797...@c23g2000hsa.googlegroups.com>,
Nosterill <fladg...@hotmail.com> wrote:
On Jan 8, 9:36 am, johac <jhachm...@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote:
How does that work? Do they count the number of people sleeping
through
the service?
---
'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches
COX NEWS SERVICE
January 7, 2008
LONDON Singing hymns and clasping hands in prayer, they look like
regular churchgoers. But the worshippers at some Sunday services in
Britain definitely are not.
Instead, they are mostly nonbelievers who paid $60 a pop to rate
churches in Britain on everything from sermon length to
after-service
refreshments.
I think they are completely missing the point. The churches are not
the problem. Although I am an atheist I love church architecture and
music and I do get around quite a lot of English churches. I generally
find them to be peaceful and welcoming places. The reason for the
decline in church attendance is a decline in belief in a deity who
needs to have his ego polished every Sunday.
There simply is no longer a need for some kind of church on every
street corner. Some churches are of great historical and artistic
significance and are worthy of preservation - the rest have outlived
their usefulness and can go the way of all the surplus cinemas: Their
time has passed.
I agree. Some of the old historical or landmark churches should be
preserved. However, the run of the mill churches could serve a better
purpose if they were demolished and converted into parking lots or
bowling alleys.
Where I live (Quebec), they mostly become condos.
I think that would be kind of cool, living in a church. Do they have any
condos in the steeple?
It's byo, if you're going to get any action there.
Reminds me of a "Rocky" movie. Condominiums!!
Olrik
--
John #1782
--
John #1782
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| User: "Sanitys Little Helper" |
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| Title: Re: 'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches |
08 Jan 2008 06:47:23 AM |
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Nosterill <fladgate@hotmail.com> wrote in
news:efbc0e23-1583-48aa-8d48-260efd797a6e@c23g2000hsa.googlegroups.com
to alt.atheism on 08 Jan 2008:
On Jan 8, 9:36 am, johac <jhachm...@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote:
How does that work? Do they count the number of people sleeping
through the service?
---
'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches
COX NEWS SERVICE
January 7, 2008
LONDON Singing hymns and clasping hands in prayer, they look like
regular churchgoers. But the worshippers at some Sunday services in
Britain definitely are not.
Instead, they are mostly nonbelievers who paid $60 a pop to rate
churches in Britain on everything from sermon length to after-service
refreshments.
I think they are completely missing the point. The churches are not
the problem. Although I am an atheist I love church architecture and
music and I do get around quite a lot of English churches. I generally
find them to be peaceful and welcoming places. The reason for the
decline in church attendance is a decline in belief in a deity who
needs to have his ego polished every Sunday.
There simply is no longer a need for some kind of church on every
street corner. Some churches are of great historical and artistic
significance and are worthy of preservation - the rest have outlived
their usefulness and can go the way of all the surplus cinemas: Their
time has passed.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rkrisz/872486830/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nic_and_nath/87525012/
Couldn't find an audio clip of the choir practice :-(
--
David Silverman D.B.E.
aa #2208
Lord Mayor of Dis
Why is it that whenever Christians whine about persecution, they are
never whining about being stopped from worshipping their god, but either
whining about being stopped from making other people worship their god,
or they are whining about being stopped from persecuting people.
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| User: "Dubh Ghall" |
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| Title: Re: 'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches |
08 Jan 2008 10:38:30 AM |
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On Tue, 8 Jan 2008 13:47:23 +0100 (CET), "Sanity's Little Helper"
<elvish@noshpam.org> wrote:
Couldn't find an audio clip of the choir practice :-(
I suppose we should be thankful for small mercies. (:-)
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| User: "Sanitys Little Helper" |
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| Title: Re: 'Mystery worshippers' secretly rate British churches |
09 Jan 2008 02:52:16 AM |
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Dubh Ghall <puck@pooks.hill.fey> wrote in
news:1p97o3doqarv3svuusm58u2fd2s8ojgfor@4ax.com to alt.atheism on 08 Jan
2008:
On Tue, 8 Jan 2008 13:47:23 +0100 (CET), "Sanity's Little Helper"
<elvish@noshpam.org> wrote:
Couldn't find an audio clip of the choir practice :-(
I suppose we should be thankful for small mercies. (:-)
Don't care what they're singing about, the acoustics are breathtaking.
--
David Silverman D.B.E.
aa #2208
Lord Mayor of Dis
Why is it that whenever Christians whine about persecution, they are
never whining about being stopped from worshipping their god, but either
whining about being stopped from making other people worship their god,
or they are whining about being stopped from persecuting people.
.
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