Slog - Comments on 1000 Words http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words Slog tipper Charlie writes... My wife and I were walking by the ol' Mars Hill this Sunday and came across this scene. The beauty and horribleness of this iPhone snapshot is beyond further description.... Copyright 2008 Mon, 19 May 2008 13:08:29 -0800 Wed, 21 May 2008 00:29:39 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by Greg I'm sure it would be hilarious if it weren't so hard to see.

]]> Greg http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027683 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027683 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 13:17:00 -0800 Comment by mackro mackro Ponch & Jon are on the case.

]]> mackro mackro http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027686 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027686 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 13:17:42 -0800 Comment by Cato the Younger Younger I have been meaning to crash one of their services at the Wedgewood Branch some Sunday morning since it is close to my place but I just really do not care about Driscoll and his delusions of a unreal God or whatever he prays to. Well, I heard what he prays to at Club Z on Saturday nights but that's a secret....

]]> Cato the Younger Younger http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027695 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027695 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 13:21:31 -0800 Comment by Gary Seven Ka-ching! We accept cash, check, and credit cards...

]]> Gary Seven http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027696 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027696 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 13:21:49 -0800 Comment by Dougsf Ha ha ha, too perfect. Their tax status should definately be in question. And seriously, their signage is actually pretty good, wonder how much money they threw at that?

]]> Dougsf http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027706 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027706 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 13:25:20 -0800 Comment by CommonKnowledge Somewhere along the way the banks started to look like churches and the churches started to look like banks.

]]> CommonKnowledge http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027721 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027721 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 13:33:58 -0800 Comment by Jeremy @5 I was thinking the same thing.

]]> Jeremy http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027733 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027733 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 13:44:25 -0800 Comment by KBF By the way, anyone know why they chose Mars Hill for a name? I mean, the site for the Athenian's High Court for Murderers seems a stretch for something Holy...

]]> KBF http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027741 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027741 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 13:49:55 -0800 Comment by Jesus Giveth unto me teh moniez plz.

kthx.

]]> Jesus http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027743 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027743 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 13:51:10 -0800 Comment by Fnarf At some point in every hipster's life comes the time when he or she realizes that all of the accouterments of his or her artistic or cultural life are not, as he or she believed, exclusive to the groovy. Punk rock, attractive typefaces, tattoos, funky facial hair -- these are all features of the Christian goon lifestyle as well.

How many pieces of silver can you get in one of those trucks, anyways? Thirty doesn't go as far as it used to.

]]> Fnarf http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027746 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027746 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 13:52:29 -0800 Comment by Hernandez It's hard to throw the moneychangers out of the temple when they arrive in armored trucks...

]]> Hernandez http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027759 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027759 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 14:03:28 -0800 Comment by sir jorge this picture isn't that funny, nor are the comments.

However, if someone could quickly swap out mars hill with any branch of the church of scientology, then the picture would be a million times more funny...rather than just looking stupid.

]]> sir jorge http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027774 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027774 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 14:14:19 -0800 Comment by UNPAID BLOGGER I dunno about the signage- yes it's clean, but it comes off as too "generic office building" to me.

I'd have gone with something that conveys "warm and inviting", although "cold and sterile" might be more fitting for Mars Hill.

]]> UNPAID BLOGGER http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027782 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027782 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 14:17:59 -0800 Comment by Epimetheus My first thought was that it was a SWAT van, but then, being the god of afterthought, I'm not always the first off the mark.

]]> Epimetheus http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027783 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027783 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 14:19:01 -0800 Comment by w7ngman Churches aren't allowed to have money?

I don't get it.

]]> w7ngman http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027786 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027786 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 14:22:24 -0800 Comment by Sad Comment It just reminds me of back when I lived in NC and a group of us drove through Jim Baker's Christianland for a laugh. What we saw there was a very scary combination of Disney-esque and greed-fest. Complete with heavily armed guards dressed in their Sunday's best. Mars Hill smells of all of this. Very scary indeed!

]]> Sad Comment http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027793 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027793 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 14:27:01 -0800 Comment by D On another note, this reminded me of something my friend told me last week. She had a date from match.com with a devout Mars Hill-er. Apparently he had the mouth of a sailor and at the end of the date proclaimed they weren't compatible, but she should call him some time when she's out drinking. She was confused, and asked why they would meet up for drinks if they weren't a good match, he said not for drinks, but for a late hour booty call after a night of drinking. NICE!

]]> D http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027799 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027799 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 14:33:00 -0800 Comment by Greg i can haz Jesus and moneyz?

]]> Greg http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027812 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027812 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 14:42:28 -0800 Comment by inkweary Mars Hill is Christianist, not Christian. It is a political organization pretending to be a church in order to further the right-wing misogynism of it's so-called pastor.

]]> inkweary http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027828 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027828 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 14:55:13 -0800 Comment by Bellevue Ave photoshopped!

]]> Bellevue Ave http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027834 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027834 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 15:02:53 -0800 Comment by just a thought could it be that they have a pick up for the cash from Sunday's offering? And that it might protect the church's staff from having to drive it to the bank?

]]> just a thought http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027843 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027843 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 15:08:09 -0800 Comment by Hernandez @21 Well yeah, I'd say that's pretty obvious. But when was the last time someone got carjacked for Sunday offering money?

]]> Hernandez http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027865 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027865 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 15:28:06 -0800 Comment by scary tyler moore i think it refers to mars hill in rome. paul the apostle preached a sermon or two up there before them nasty pagan romans executed him.

]]> scary tyler moore http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027871 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027871 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 15:32:40 -0800 Comment by Jose Mars Hill is a reference to the site of the Areopagus in Athens. In Acts chapter 17, the apostle Paul presents his defense of Christ as the true God to the council of elders. A little odd for a church name today, but to each his own.

As for the picture. People who attend churches often give money to said churches. Large churches necessarily have a large amount of money they have to handle. If this picture says anything, it is that it appears that Mars Hill takes that responsibility seriously, instead of just letting anybody make bank deposits. More non-profits should handle funds in such a fashion.

If anybody has issues with Christianity, Christian churches, or Christians; you should have intelligent discussion and interaction with their claims. Posting such a picture and slamming a church for such a picture just comes off as ignorant and agenda ridden.

]]> Jose http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027894 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027894 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 16:00:35 -0800 Comment by Mr. Joshua @24:
It's not ignorance, it's just polemic. "Churches are all about money." Some times it's true, and it's certainly worth mocking, but I don't think the picture is posted as an "argument" so much as food for the underlying bitterness people feel towards "the Church" in general and Mars Hill in particular.

]]> Mr. Joshua http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027904 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027904 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 16:09:20 -0800 Comment by CallMeNobody @6--They're both houses of worship.

]]> CallMeNobody http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027921 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027921 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 16:25:37 -0800 Comment by cmh @24 A little odd for a church name today, but to each his own.:

Conveniently, "Mars Hill" makes it possible for them to emblazon each building with Mark's Massive, Manly Monogram... "M", mind you, not "MH"...

]]> cmh http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027927 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027927 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 16:41:49 -0800 Comment by shub-negrorath agenda ridden

Everyone's got an agenda. Mars Hill's (and many other churches') is to draw in money and consolidate power by manipulating people's spiritual needs. And I can say this even as an atheist because I've been there and seen firsthand how Driscoll shamelessly works the guilt angle for tithes.

]]> shub-negrorath http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027943 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027943 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 16:54:59 -0800 Comment by Dougsf #21 and 22 - Agree, but sadly, probably does happen. That said, I've worked for plenty of businesses and had to do the nightly, or weekly drop to the bank. At the old Broadway Cinemas in the 90's, we'd carried multiple 000's of $'s down to Seafirst or whatever that was at the time, in what might've well have been burlap sacks with dollar signs embroidered on 'em. Then again, even though we were a cash-only, usually Gay-themed (or shitty children's movies) film house run by offensively cantankerous 20somethings, we probably had less enemies than Mars Hill.

]]> Dougsf http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027978 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1027978 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 17:56:00 -0800 Comment by RainMan No problem with churches collecting money, but it depends on what the money is used for. If I thought for a moment that a single dime of the proceeds from the Mars Hill collection plates was going to help the less fortunate in Seattle or to the victims of natural or human-made disasters in Burma, China, or any of a thousand places around the globe I would be OK with the sight of an armored car standing by to whisk the money to the nearest bank. But I have been around evangelicals enough to know better.

]]> RainMan http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1028020 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1028020 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 19:06:52 -0800 Comment by robot2501 The pic reminds me of George Carlin.
"God loves you a lot. He just needs a little money."

]]> robot2501 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1028046 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1028046 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 20:01:01 -0800 Comment by Bob @ 24: "Ignorant and Agenda-Ridden" should be the subtitle to this blog. Because the barely glowing wad of whatever weak minded brand of humanism these intellectual lightweights are sucking through their bongs seems to fuel their incessant posthipster derision of anything normal as unsupportive of their glassy eyed visions of a world full of leather bars and amyl nitrate.

]]> Bob http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1028084 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1028084 Religion Mon, 19 May 2008 21:41:04 -0800 Comment by A different Bob @32


I don't see "anything normal" in the crosshairs....

]]> A different Bob http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1028126 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1028126 Religion Tue, 20 May 2008 06:53:18 -0800 Comment by Vince 32 As opposed to a world of brainwashed sheep who believe myths and superstitions are truths. Who fail to see the true beauty of nature and the universe for a deluded version made by and for simple minds. Who's religion has no more claim of validity than any other and has an unbroken history of vile inhumanity. If that's "normal", no thanks. It's time to grow up.

]]> Vince http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1028128 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1028128 Religion Tue, 20 May 2008 06:55:28 -0800 Comment by Gloria Is it important that the photo was taken with an iPhone?

]]> Gloria http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1028156 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1028156 Religion Tue, 20 May 2008 08:49:21 -0800 Comment by Jimmy L Safeway should be so clever as to post there hours as good as that logo signage.

]]> Jimmy L http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1028887 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/1000_words#c1028887 Religion Wed, 21 May 2008 00:29:39 -0800