Hit tip to Susan on the ACA list: Here's an amusing story about an Ohio church that has brought its neighborhood together — in a flurry of noise complaints. Apparently they utilize a sound system cranked so loud that the windows in nearby houses rattle every Sunday morning. The reaction of the church to the notion that they're disturbing the peace? Why, it's the usual Christian dual-whine of "We're being persecuted/Rules don't apply to us!" Sayeth the Rev. Troy Sowell, "I'm not going to tell this congregation, 'You're being too loud.'" No, dude. It's your sound system that's too loud. But that's okay. If you don't want to tell your congregation there's a problem, I'm sure the police will be happy to every time they write you up a citation. When most of what's going into your collection plates is being sucked away by fines, maybe then you'll get the message.
What creeps me out most, though, is the name of this church. "Christ the Warrior King"? And here I thought he was the Prince of Peace. The way religion fetishises war language, and just the very idea of war itself, is especially disturbing in light of the fact that every once in a while a member of the flock is entirely too happy to follow through on the concept, whether by crashing airplanes into buildings, or by simply leaving unexploded homemade bombs outside women's clinics, some of which do explode.
So I'd say the noise isn't the worst of it. It's the usual barrage of sick brainwashing that's going on inside, and the amplification is only making a blight on the community more apparent.
I'd like to see someone with a boombox blaring go into that church and refuse to leave.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid we lived near a noisy presbyterian church. One bright Sunday morning my 40-something year old neighbor calmly walked out of his house in pajamas, picked up a brick and threw it through the church window.
ReplyDeleteBy the time the police arrived, many other of us were outside protesting the noisy church. All the guy had to do was pay for the window, but they did lower the noise.
Mind you, this was in religious Brazil. Guess God comes in second to peace and tranquility. I say all churches should be soundproof.
I wrote up a similar story about Franklin Graham's noisy visit to us here in Japan here. Noise noise noise! These dudes, just don't giveup.
ReplyDelete-Michael
I can only imagine what Jesus might have to say about his followers making a huge noise about their faith every Sunday to the extent that it disturbs everyone else. Something about worshipping modestly and in private, I suspect...
ReplyDelete“I can only imagine what Jesus might have to say… worshipping modestly and in private”
ReplyDeleteBut by the time He gets here His words will truly be falling upon deaf ears.