I've been taken in, slightly, by those who claim that the recession has increased attendance at worship in our nation's churches, temples and mosques.Well, hell, that's what The New York Times said! The paper "based this conclusion on a 'spot check of large Roman Catholic parishes and mainline Protestant churches around the nation,' and reported that since September, '[P]astors nationwide say they have seen such a burst of new interest that they find themselves contending with powerful conflicting emotions -- deep empathy and quiet excitement -- as they re-encounter an old piece of religious lore: Bad times are good for evangelical churches.'"
Hmm. That doesn't make sense on the face of it. Roman Catholic and mainline Protestants are not considered "evangelical" churches.
Steve Benen tells us that "Slate's Jack Shafter dug a little deeper and has his doubts" about this renewed religious enthusiasm. It seems that Gallup has reviewed "almost 300,000 interviews conducted by Gallup so far in 2008" and they show "no evidence that church attendance in America has been increasing late this year as a result of bad economic times."
This one I love because it seems the TV preacher freak, Pat Robertson no longer loves George W. Bush, while at the same time is "remarkably pleased" with Barack Obama. Bush has done too many stupid things, thinks Robertson (who should know from stupid!).
One more tidbit: God is gonna get Rick Warren for giving the invocation at Obama's inauguration, says Wiley Drake, a "radical Southern Baptist Pastor." Obama, says Drake, is an "evil illegal alien" and Warren's invocation is "an abomination before God..."
Heh, Heh!
More here.
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