If Christians believe their god can hear even silent prayers, then why is there need for this kind of disturbance to others?If a rock band was practicing at someone's house, I would bet that most of the congregation members of this church would be demanding someone be arrested if the noise didn't stop. Just because it's religion, it's ok to be ignorant to everyone in the neighborhood?
Ohio church noise bothers neighbors
MASSILLON, Ohio - Is it worship? Or disturbing the peace?Neighbors of Worshippers of Christ the Warrior King Church have petitioned the city, saying screams and sounds of glory and praise coming from the building are a nuisance. But church members contend they're being harassed because of how they worship.
"Sunday morning is God's day of worship," the Rev. Troy Sowell said. "I'm not going to tell this congregation, 'You're being too loud.'"
Sowell says he's open to finding a solution but is not going to forfeit his right to worship God.
Police responded to noise complaints three consecutive days during a revival last year, after the congregation moved in.
"They have a sound system over there that is very loud," said neighbor Reginald Winters. "I'm in my house with the door shut, and literally, my windows are vibrating in my house. ... This year, it's started right back up."
The church closed its doors and windows, but the complaints have continued, said Jerena Copeland, associate pastor.
Sowell said light bulbs have been stolen from the building and beer bottles have been wedged beneath the tires of members' vehicles.
Church members recently met with Police Chief Robert Williams.
"I'm still hoping for an amicable, diplomatic solution," said Williams, an ordained minister and the son of a pastor.
By "diplomatic solution" he means "our way or the highway, and if it bothers you, too damn bad." There shouldn't have to be a "diplomatic solution" except to apologize for being inconsiderate and selfish, and tone it down. That is what would be expected from any other good citizen.
9 comments:
RE: "If Christians believe their god can hear even silent prayers, then why is there need for this kind of disturbance to others?"
Because you can't get converts by keeping your religion to yourself.
Though they may claim a personal religion, not enough of them are prepared to keep it personal.
It becomes - I have a perosnal relationship with jebus, but everyone must have a personal relationship too.
I gotta say though, I never hear church bells ringing on sunday where I live. More than likely it is a chain saw or a lawn mower.
I haven't heard church bells in ages... and I'm surrounded by churches...... guess all that bell ringing went out of fashion - or I've learnt to sleep through it all.
cyberkitten, church bells are different, more subtle and even pretty as long as it isn't a loud-ass carillon like the Methodist church in our town that blares a church hymn every hour. I have a friend who works midnights and lives across the road from this Methodist church and for the 20 years she has lived there she still hasn't gotten used to it when trying to sleep, and now has bought a window air conditioner to put in her bedroom window to shut the noise out (even though she likes the warmth of summertime and the breeze while she sleeps). She and others in the area must try to coexist with this damn stuff in the name of "religious tolerance". I am sick of we being the ones to be tolerant all the time, while religious people can disturb, and arrogantly walk all over us.
These kinds of loud wailings, rock music that sounds like heavy metal, etc that the church in the news article is doing is the same as the inconsiderate muslim wailings across the neighborhood on loudspeakers.
I guess their gods must be deaf? These people have to have group prayer to make their prayers to make them more powerful, group beggary and pleading and all this noise made to a silent (and assumably deaf) god.
I have never understood the desire of xian folks to use heavy metal-type music and rock music in their churches. If god was so powerful they would not need this. To some their god is a heavy metal/rock fan, to others god is a classical music fan, to others their god doesn't like music at all, to others their god likes folk guitar music. WTF?
Excellent question. Suggests that prayer has another motive, doesn't it. Perhaps the most important thing is whether everyone else hears it.
Yes, vjack...they want everyone else to hear it whether we want to or not, and even if their noise disturbs our peace and privacy in our own homes. They think they can knock on our doors and wake us up, or disturb us when we might not be feeling well and want to be left alone. We don't want them physically at our doors, so they blast it through the air at us. All that will do is piss us off.
The mormons might be nutty, but at least they are pretty quiet.
tone, Mormon music is pretty, actually. I always liked the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, though I now know that ALL religion is mythology now, I still find much of the music to be beautiful. Like reading Shakespeare and Homer, I can appreciate music and art of religious influence, just like I appreciate art and music of all cultures and influences.
Mormons do their "disturbing" in other ways, like door knocking and bothering people in their private homes. That takes a lot of nerve. It's funny that these people's god needs door-to-door salesmen when this god. I don't like door knockers of any kind.
...and that's the point of why there are atheist blogs...to ask religious folks to stop forcing their beliefs on everyone and stop judging everyone, stop obsessing about death, and stop finding the negative in everything in this world.
If fundamentalists would stop trying to force their beliefs onto the rest of the world, and would respect other people's rights to their own beliefs, then the world would be a much more peaceful place. Most of my friends and family are moderate christians and religion is never an issue in our relationships. Lucky we don't have any "wild" churches in our town who have rock bands and crap and are pretty quiet...except for the Methodist and their LOUD carillon.
It's obnoxious and glad we didn't move to that section of town. Bells are one thing, but hymns over carillons are another.
What is it with fundamentalist churches and rock and roll band music? Is it that they want to be like the "outsiders" so interject what they are missing into their services? It's a way to have their worldly desires right inside their churches and call it "praise and worship" when it is merely entertainment for themselves.
Stardust
I actually think they do the rock music thing to try and attract and keep the young 'uns.
I agree that the door knocking thing of the LDS missionaries is annoying, we also have them in walmart parking lots here trying to convert.
I think though my house has been flagged as hostile. They don't come any more. Besides having a "don't try to sell me anything, ESPECIALLY RELIGION" sign; when they have been brave enough to knock I have told them they can come in if they don't mind me sacrificing small children while they preach.
Actually, I am surprised the cops haven't stopped by and searched my house yet.
Post a Comment