Augusta vs Macon vs Savannah?

[convextech]

Originally Posted by J_Riverside

The whole thing about church and the south is overblown to me anyway. I don't know of people actually harassing others to find Jesus. I've never heard of people bringing this up first in a conversation. They may randomly ask you about church in the middle of a conversation, and it's usually just a question and that subject is left alone. It's not a normal occurrence to be sitting at a restaurant Downtown Macon, at the Shoppes, or wherever and then have random people come up to you asking if you've accepted Jesus. It's nowhere near that "in your face" in Macon or the most of the south, period.

Um, yeah it is; not to the extreme you just mentioned (where people walk up to you and ask if you've accepted Jesus), but after shaking hands with someone for the first time, I hear that question almost every time I meet someone new:

"Where do you go to church?"

"I don't." Then come the twitches of the lips and either they look away perturbed or they start in on the recruiting:

"Do you want to? We are always welcoming new members."

"No thank you, but I appreciate your asking." And the pushy ones start trying to save you:

"Do you accept the Lord Jesus Christ as Your Savior?"

I have never understood it myself. I have lived in this area for 20 years, the last 5 years in West Macon, and it never fails.

I actually went to a couple churches when I first moved here, trying to make friends, but I was regarded as a "sinner" because I did not join the church, and therefore did not tithe, so I was asked not to come back. This happened at several different churches in different towns, so it wasn't just an elitist thing about Macon.

I am spiritual, I believe in God, but I do not feel the need to have a bible chained to my wrist and show up twice a week just to show everybody else.

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by convextech

Um, yeah it is; not to the extreme you just mentioned (where people walk up to you and ask if you've accepted Jesus), but after shaking hands with someone for the first time, I hear that question almost every time I meet someone new:

"Where do you go to church?"

"I don't." Then come the twitches of the lips and either they look away perturbed or they start in on the recruiting:

"Do you want to? We are always welcoming new members."

"No thank you, but I appreciate your asking." And the pushy ones start trying to save you:

"Do you accept the Lord Jesus Christ as Your Savior?"

I have never understood it myself. I have lived in this area for 20 years, the last 5 years in West Macon, and it never fails.

I actually went to a couple churches when I first moved here, trying to make friends, but I was regarded as a "sinner" because I did not join the church, and therefore did not tithe, so I was asked not to come back. This happened at several different churches in different towns, so it wasn't just an elitist thing about Macon.

I am spiritual, I believe in God, but I do not feel the need to have a bible chained to my wrist and show up twice a week just to show everybody else.

No true Christian church would ask you to leave and not come back because you refused to join or give money. That may be what you want to believe happened, but I doubt it's entirely true. Sounds to me like you're making excuses. I go to church for one reason only -- TO WORSHIP GOD! I couldn't care less what other people think about me while I'm there, and neither should you.

And I have lived in Georgia my entire life and have never, ever had a complete stranger come up to me and ask what church I attended or if I were saved -- EXCEPT for crazy street preachers or Pentecostals handing out tracts on the streets. I have answered my door to plenty of Jehovahs Witnesses and Mormon Missionaries, but those are NOT unique to the South. You'll encounter the all over the country and the world.

[convextech]

I should have known you were one of those. @@<-- rolls eyes

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

No true Christian church would ask you to leave and not come back because you refused to join or give money. That may be what you want to believe happened, but I doubt it's entirely true. Sounds to me like you're making excuses. I go to church for one reason only -- TO WORSHIP GOD! I couldn't care less what other people think about me while I'm there, and neither should you.

I understand the general point you're making, but I think you're going a bit overboard with that statement. People go to church to worship God within the context of being part of a corporate body of Christian believers. Otherwise, one can worship God alone in the comfort of his/her own home. But within a corporate setting, in church, no one wants to feel ostracized. Church is a community, a family, and no one wants to feel like a black sheep in that setting.

I don't doubt the guy's experience, but it wouldn't be unique to Macon/Georgia in the least.

[convextech]

Thank you Mutiny. And might I point out, Newsboy, that you said you are from Georgia, whereas I am not. It was suggested to me that to make friends I go to church.

I am a Catholic but in the little town I first moved to, there were nothing but Baptist churches. And I assure you, at one church, the preacher stood up, pointed at me, and said, "There are those sitting in this congregation right now that are sinners, for they do not belong to the church." I had no problem getting up and leaving. I don't want to be friends with judgmental people like that.

I did not plan on becoming a Baptist; I never did and won't in the future. I was just looking for community. What a great taste I got.

But of course, since you're one of those "worshippers", you assume I'm a liar because God forbid that could actually happen to a stranger to Georgia. Dude, get your head out of the sand. You might not be that way, but I assure you there ARE those that are.

Maybe I just come off as needing to be saved. I guess I should wear more Polo shirts and loafers to fit in, instead of beach tees and flip flops. Perhaps I should pour my beer in a cup instead of drinking it outwardly at the bar on Saturday.

After all, many of those patrons I saw at the bar were at that church the very next day, and completely ignored me.

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by convextech

Thank you Mutiny. And might I point out, Newsboy, that you said you are from Georgia, whereas I am not. It was suggested to me that to make friends I go to church.

I am a Catholic but in the little town I first moved to, there were nothing but Baptist churches. And I assure you, at one church, the preacher stood up, pointed at me, and said, "There are those sitting in this congregation right now that are sinners, for they do not belong to the church." I had no problem getting up and leaving. I don't want to be friends with judgmental people like that.

I did not plan on becoming a Baptist; I never did and won't in the future. I was just looking for community. What a great taste I got.

But of course, since you're one of those "worshippers", you assume I'm a liar because God forbid that could actually happen to a stranger to Georgia. Dude, get your head out of the sand. You might not be that way, but I assure you there ARE those that are.

Maybe I just come off as needing to be saved. I guess I should wear more Polo shirts and loafers to fit in, instead of beach tees and flip flops. Perhaps I should pour my beer in a cup instead of drinking it outwardly at the bar on Saturday.

After all, many of those patrons I saw at the bar were at that church the very next day, and completely ignored me.

Dude, you carry a lot of angry baggage. You've had some bad church experiences, but it is not the fault of other people. You just haven't found the right church yet and as an excuse, you blame the church.

For some one who doesn't want to be judged, you sure have no problem judging others. My advice -- if you are serious about knowing God -- is to open the Bible and start reading. If you are sincere, you'll find what you're looking for.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

Dude, you carry a lot of angry baggage. You've had some bad church experiences, but it is not the fault of other people. You just haven't found the right church yet and as an excuse, you blame the church.

For some one who doesn't want to be judged, you sure have no problem judging others. My advice -- if you are serious about knowing God -- is to open the Bible and start reading. If you are sincere, you'll find what you're looking for.

It doesn't sound like his issue is with God or with church in general, but he's just describing some off-putting experiences he's had in one particular city. The fact of the matter is that there are many small-town fundamentalist evangelical churches like that; they really do exist. Interestingly enough, I ran across this clip on Facebook last night and the person posted it asked what we would do in such a situation. I don't know where this church is or who this pastor is, and I'm not saying this is common or typical for any type of church in a particular part of the country, but the point is that this sort of stuff can and does happen:


Jim Standridge Throws a Hissy Fit - YouTube

I don't really have a dog in the fight, but I don't see why someone would go to excessive lengths to make something like this up.

[convextech]

Exactly. Meanwhile, I get the same exact type of response from other "Christians"; that I must have caused them to feel that way.

Um, no. In my opinion they're just cliquish and don't like newcomers. And frankly, they can have at it.

[geog-fanatic]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

And I have lived in Georgia my entire life and have never, ever had a complete stranger come up to me and ask what church I attended or if I were saved -- EXCEPT for crazy street preachers or Pentecostals handing out tracts on the streets.

Newsboy, I'm afraid convextech is right on this one regarding Macon. I've been in Georgia since the age of two, lived in five different cities and was a frequent visitor to many others, like Savannah. Macon is the ONLY place where I was asked these questions, often by strangers or new acquaintances, and it happened repeatedly. If you ever lived in Macon and did not experience this, then count yourself among the lucky ones. I don't think anyone here is saying this is common in the state overall, but Macon is the exception.

I also agree that Savannah and Augusta are both leaps and bounds ahead of Macon in progress, and Macon's history is just one of several issues that indicate it will have a harder fight to reach the top of Georgia's 2nd tier cities. Hopefully the pending consolidation will improve things for them.

[WanderingImport]

Originally Posted by Mutiny77

It doesn't sound like his issue is with God or with church in general, but he's just describing some off-putting experiences he's had in one particular city. The fact of the matter is that there are many small-town fundamentalist evangelical churches like that; they really do exist. Interestingly enough, I ran across this clip on Facebook last night and the person posted it asked what we would do in such a situation. I don't know where this church is or who this pastor is, and I'm not saying this is common or typical for any type of church in a particular part of the country, but the point is that this sort of stuff can and does happen:


Jim Standridge Throws a Hissy Fit - YouTube

I don't really have a dog in the fight, but I don't see why someone would go to excessive lengths to make something like this up.

If I were a member of that church, I would be having words with that "preacher" and promptly leave and never come back again. That's ridiculous. Who died and made him God?

It's been several years since I have been involved in a church, but I do remember certain similar experiences like that.