I think 30 years is optimistic.

Thanks, Spin.  I appreciate your thoughts.

How did you find them and what attracted you to them, Spin?

 Meaning, did you look in the Yellow Pages?  Ask a friend?  Search the Web for nearby churches and church hop/shop for awhile?  Why did you choose to go there?

What made you stay once you were in the doors?

As someone who lives just a bit north of the Canadian border in the US, I think that's silly.  Don't we get enough from them when they come here and buy stuff?  Or has the US dollar fallen so far that this is an attempt to get real (Canadian) money back into the government's sticky-fingered hands?

Maybe we could just build a factory and recruit some neighborhood kids to work in it twelve hours per day under dangerous conditions?

Wait, that actually sounds kind of fun.

I'm not sure about Number 4.  If there's ever another sniper in Washington, D.C., I think we ought to be willing to give it a test.

Spoken like a true cat.

I have no stories to share, TR, but thanks for sharing yours.

Donald, we aren't talking about aspects of the religion itself here, but of the particular church and particular minister or priest.  What the minister teaches is a transaction where they are giving knowledge or understanding that will help feed your soul and spiritual needs, perhaps in expectation of receiving your tithe. 

I can't speak for Catholics, but among Protestants who move to a new area, it's not unusual to church shop.  Even if they are a Lutheran or other specific denomination, there may be several churches of that denomination in a larger city and within driving distance.

We're blessed in Detroit with a large number of Unity churches.  If I don't like Rev. Hoozlefugg or his building or congragation, I can go ten miles away to Rev. Demstlechug's church.  Were I to move into an area without a Unity church, I might look for another New Thought church.  I'm not likely to show up at a Roman Catholic church, but I might have choices.

So, the question is, if you made a choice as to churches, why did you make it?  What attracted you to where you are?

I love how you came up with that idea, Casey.  I laughed as soon as I saw this thread.

I'll have to take my camera out and let Miss O'Malley loose with the birds outside.  How many points do get for cats stalking squirrels?

But why do you tithe where you tithe?  Are you in the church of your forefathers?  Do you have (or feel you have) a choice as to where to attend and take that tithe?  If so, why are you where you are?

Point taken, and agreed.  I happened to be thinking of a limited range of reasons at the time I typed it.  As I admitted earlier in the thread, my own reasons for going to the church I do are much more intellectual.  There are also spiritual reasons, and probably some reasons that can be classified under some other heading.  Again, in earlier discussion, some people who attend church because it can be a large gathering of people with whom one might do business were mentioned.  I'm not sure I would put that under emotional, intellectual, or spiritual.

Too many of us are operating under a sleep deficit, my friend.

And I need to go to an appointmen.  Will return in a few hours.  Thanks for all the interaction, folks.

Thanks, Britanicus.  Your response is the type of information that will be helpful to me.

As for watering down the Gospel, that's something I can trust my minister not to do.

One approach I have thought of for our future advertising is on the order of, "Christianity isn't easy.  Are you willing to work for your spiritual growth?"  That's not well-stated and down to the pith at the moment, but you probably get the gist.

Love it, EJ.  That hypothetical post would certainly garner comments.

Thank you.