But it came to pass that whosoever did not belong to the church of God began to persecute those that did belong to the church of God, and had taken upon them the name of Christ. Book of Mormon: Alma 1:19
Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be churches built up that shall say: Come unto me, and for your money you shall be forgiven of your sins.
O ye wicked and perverse and stiffnecked people, why have ye built up churches unto yourselves to get gain? Why have ye transfigured the holy word of God, that ye might bring damnation upon your souls? Behold, look ye unto the revelations of God; for behold, the time cometh at that day when all these things must be fulfilled. Book of Mormon: Mormon 8:32&33
China’s experiment with Christianity had been a catastrophe ... Churches were closed down. Some were turned into factories. Niall Ferguson, Civilisation VI: Is the West History? Work, BBC 2011
90% of church-goers aren’t believers. Il Conformista [The Conformist] 1970 starring Jean-Louis Trintignant & Stefania Sandrelli & Gastone Moschin & Enzo Tarasscio & Fosco Giachetti & Jose Quaglio & Dominique Sanda & Pierre Clementi & Yvonne Sanson et al, director Bernardo Bertolucci, Giulia
When any government, or any church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, This you may not read, this you must not see, this you are forbidden to know, the end result is tyranny and oppression no matter how holy the motives. Robert A Heinlein
Come to church. The History of Mr Polly by H G Wells 1949 starring John Mills & Betty Ann Davies & Megs Jenkins & Finlay Currie & Gladys Henson & Diana Churchill & Shelagh Fraser & Edward Chapman & Dandy Nichols & Sally Ann Howers & Juliet Mills et al, director Anthony Pelissier, missus to Polly
Am I attacking the Church? You’d better believe it. All churches, all organised religions, that have existed since the beginning of time. Am I attacking the religion of individuals? Never, not on your life. Bill Cooper
The park or the subway are a lot safer than church. Penn & Teller, Bullshit! s6e8: Stranger Danger, Showtime 2008
We should be churchmen, but somewhat lukewarm churchmen, inasmuch as those who care very much about either religion or irreligion are seldom observed to be very well bred or agreeable people. Samuel Butler, The Way of All Flesh
On afternoons of drowsy calm
We stood in the pannelled pew,
Singing one-voiced a Tate-and-Brady psalm
To the tune of ‘Cambridge New’.
We watched the elms, we watched the rooks,
The clouds upon the breeze,
Between the whiles of glancing at our books,
And swaying like trees.
So mindless were those outpourings! –
Though I am not aware
That I have gained by subtle thought on things
Since we stood psalming there. Thomas Hardy, Afternoon Service at Mellstock
Welcome to the Church of the Holy Cabbage. Lettuce Pray. Author unknown
I would hope we mean more to people than putting money in a church basket and saying ten Hail-Marys on a Sunday. Has God played Knebworth recently? Noel Gallagher
Well, guys, I’m off to church … I don’t swear nearly as much as I used to. I only get drunk on weekends now. And I’m growing dope. Trailer Park Boys s1e6: Who the Hell Invited These Idiots to My Wedding? Ricky
We want to help you and build a church. Ozark s1e5: Ruling Days, Wendy to riverside preacher, Netflix 2017
Mendy and Marty Byrde … Stand up … ibid. riverside preacher
You will have your church. On the water … You have your church. Why would you have another? … He’s money-laundering, son. He wants to build and build … Drug money: check his books, son. Ozark s1e7: Nest Box
Briarwood Presbyterian Church, a megachurch located in the relatively wealthy Birmingham suburb of Vestavia Hills, Alabama, attracts a reported 8,000 people to its campus every day. In 2017, Briarwood officials lobbied and were successful in getting conservative politicians to propose a bill that would allow them to have their own police force. They argued that the police force would be modest, and that there would be no jail under Briarwood’s control, but that ‘officers would answer to the church and if you had a complaint, you’d have to complain it to the church.’ Keep in mind, the church already has its own private security force. No other church in Alabama signed on to the request.
The bill faded away until this year. On Wednesday, after it had passed through the state legislature, Governor Kay Ivey signed a bill that allows Briarwood Presbyterian to create its own police force to enforce the law at its church and school campuses. The bill allows the church to ’appoint and employ one or more suitable persons to act as police officers to keep off intruders and prevent trespass upon and damage to the property … These persons shall be charged with all the duties and invested with all the powers of police officers, including the power of arrest for unlawful acts committed on the property.’ The law is set to come into effect this fall. DailyKos online article 21 June 2019 Walter Einenkel, ‘Alabama governor signs law allowing church to have its own police force’
We’re here to spread a message of goodwill and benevolence and open-mindedness and free expression. Hail, Satan? 2019
It’s a beautiful day here at the state capital. Great day to be a Satanist. Great day to be a human being. ibid.
We are supposed to be a democratic pluralist nation. ibid. satanist #2
Satanism is a philosophy of action. To liberty, humanity and justice. To the eternal rebel within all of us. To the end of repressive traditions. ibid. lady Satanist service leader
‘We Won This Round’: Satanic Temple Claims Victory After Oklahoma 10 Commandments Ruling. ibid. Vice News online report I July 2015
After School Club … The Satanic Children’s Big Book of Activities. ibid.
The Satanic Temple did a blood drive … They even use pitchforks to pick up trash … We want to do as much good as we possibly can. ibid. woman & news & dude
They are post-Christian … They are taking Satan with them. ibid. dude
One should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason; The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions; One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone; The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo one’s own; Beliefs should conform to one’s best scientific understanding of the world. One should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit one’s beliefs; People are fallible. If one makes a mistake, one should do one’s best to rectify it and resolve any harm that might have been caused; Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word. ibid. seven tenets of belief of Satanic Temple
Fired from the Satanic Temple for being too extreme. ibid. ex-communicated woman who called for execution of president
The great mosque of Djenne in Mali … a vast timber-framed buildings with walls up to two feet thick made of mud … A mosque has stood on this site since the thirteenth century. It is the largest mud building on Earth … Unless the mosque is given a new covering of mud every year, it will simply crumble to dust. Sacred Wonders s1e2, BBC 2013
For some they are places of quiet contemplation; for others they are sites of astonishing acts of worship, dangerous challenges, and extraordinary deeds of devotion rarely seen by outsiders. Sacred Wonders s1e3
The Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem: an orthodox Christian most deliver a holy flame into the hands of his bishop … The Church of the Sepulchre: one of the most sacred sites in Christianity. ibid.
The Boudhanath in Nepal: a Buddhist painter battles the elements in order to honour Buddha’s birthday. ibid.
And at Lalish in Iraq a young Yazidi woman goes in search of salvation after being traumatised by recent conflict … The waters of a sacred spring are helping to heal women. ibid.
Kathmandu, Nepal: Boudhanath … One of the largest in the world … It houses holy relics said to include the bones of Buddha … In almost perfect condition because it’s constantly being repainted. ibid.