I think so, but churches will argue they offer a valuable service. People don't have to give them money though. It's like the people who sit there watching HSN buying stuff they don't need. A lot of people are easily led. So I think they are predatory, but I also think that people need to take responsibility and recognize when they are being hoodwinked. I know it's not always that easy to tell though.

Yes they are leeches. They do offer some benefits to communities, but they often outweighed by the harm they inflict. I always found it morbidly amusing how faith institutions flock to suffering, like flies to a corpse.

It made me sick passing through communities in central Idaho where there were few jobs, and what work there was didn't pay much, but there was a top of the line Mormon church sitting in the middle of poverty. I have done construction on those buildings and every piece gets approved worthy or not. To see the followers living how they do, and to give tithe while they go without.....

Many are leeches. Many have a net positive impact.

There are a lot of churches in the poorer communities that feed a lot of people who can’t afford to eat...

I believe they have a limited social benefit to communities but that is all and even in that environment they do a lot of harm due to the "us vs them" mentality.

From the outside I see a lot of churches more interested in collecting tithes than helping congregants, and don't even get me started on "mission trips" where everybody in matching T-shirts doles out bowls of rice or oatmeal contingent upon sitting through a recruitment speech. On the other hand, during the months while my critically ill child had to stay in hospital and I was a resident in a nearby Ronald McDonald House, I saw genuinely kind people from church groups making a huge positive difference for families in crisis. That was beautiful.

Both.
Maybe.
Possibly.

depends on the church i think lotta ones in your country seem to be there to make lifes easier for the ppl running it not so much for the poor and needy but people eh

I think it varies from church to church

It depends on the church. It depends on the people.

Keep in mind that both Jimmy Carter and Joel Olsteen are very devout religious men. Olsteen lives in a mansion and hoards his money (that he gets from conning old people). Carter builds houses for Habitat for Humanity.

I think I would enjoy hanging out with Carter. Olsteen, not so much.

Actually I've received a lot of assistance through local churches. They've helped with rent, food, gas (automotive and housing), and various other things.

While I hate cowing down to a church for assistance, I've seen quite a bit of help from them for the poor.

Mega churches however I've seen as nothing but greedy scumbags syphoning off of innocent people searching for belonging.

I dislike churches and could go on for 8 hours about it, but there are good ones out there fighting the good fight, doing “the lords work” if you will.

I worked at a non profit family homeless shelter a few years back and dealt with many local charities and churches. My favorite guy was “bud” a 70 yo pastor from a local church. That guy did more manual labor than most people I know and he turned away no one. Unfortunately, our shelter quit working with him because he didn’t fit a safety standard (meaning, he took people our shelter wouldn’t and surprise, he couldn’t contribute $$ to the shelter). I kept sending food and people his way because fuck my boss.

I think churches are like any other cooperation where the heavy lifting is done by the labor force (volunteers) and the top is concerned only with a bottom line.

Lastly, don’t judge a book by its cover, but absolutely judge a church on its appearance. If it seems nice and the brass is polished, you can tell where their priorities are.

Hail Xenu

Something to do sunday morning those without hangover, noticed service start time is not as early as used to be.

Churches are definitely leeches. Damage the brains of the youngest, help overseers to keep people subdued. priests are mostly if not all corrupted bunch. While homosexuality occurs in nature in about 17% of population church by celibacy laws designed to preserve the church wealth is at about 78%. (I red the numbers in one study, could not defend it accurately). Note the lie of legal celibacy. In reality priest does have wife called cook and his wife has children that will inherit exactly nothing. Because we paid so much money for oil western governments are now owned by muslims. Fortunately there are 72 kinds and they hate each other. If they would stop they would attack us. (I wonder if 72 muslin flavors are related to 72 virgins they rape as reward for killing people). The muslim owned governments are now ramming muslimism down our throats and up our asses. I am radicalized, fundamentalist born again atheist, but the only legal way I can protest (In many countries islam is outlawed, but for obvious reasons not enforced. I pasted Churchill's gems printed on my walls) is pasting crosses everywhere. On the rear view mirror, front and rear door to the house, on my neck. Churches in collusion with governments also promote overpopulation. Wee are past the point of no return. Our children will hate us, soon and for a good reason.

They are leeches. There are other ways to bring people together without dangerous fairytales, lies, and scamming folks out of their money.

church spend lot of money in lobbying, the whole idea of not for profit from the time of kings and queens tells you it was always about money. The missionaries are the homeless who go to war torn countries with hidden agenda of supermacy. I am talking history, and nothing have changed. Till church or any other religion stays not for profit, in any country and it interfere with the daily life of people, poverty and suffering will continue. In USA we have mega churches raking in money from the not for profit status and people are coerced to support the gang of religion for there own well being. Biblical religion was created to control. I see how the religious people get to invest before something is approved. Plastic, internet, drugs, and now marijana. There special interest, is to keep people poor, so they can take the front seat, be credited for all the good in the world. Religious people are pretending to save others while filling there own coffers.

Leeches.
Most definitely leeches.
Especially the catholic churches that have turned a blind-eye to pedophile
priests preying on the youngest and most vulnerable.
Yep. Leeches.

Die Religion ... ist das Opium des Volkes.... --Karl Marx