Would you go to a church if it was giving out free pot to first time visitors?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Someone at mine suggested that we should try this if we were in Colorado or Washington...and I realize it's actually a brilliant idea. I wonder if any church in those states will actually try it.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Of course not.  Don't you think getting people high and then pumping your creed into their heads is going a little too far?  

Let what you believe to be the positive message bring people in if they want to come... not freebies. 

There was a church here in Uptown Minneapolis that once offered to pay next month's rent for one random first time visitor at their next service. They even mailed out fliers advertising that.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Of course not.  Don't you think getting people high and then pumping your creed into their heads is going a little too far?  

Let what you believe to be the positive message bring people in if they want to come... not freebies. 

There was a church here in Uptown Minneapolis that once offered to pay next month's rent for one random first time visitor at their next service. They even mailed out fliers advertising that.

Well I'd do that... paying rent sucks

How many people came though? Even if that only attracted 20 new people that still gives you only a 1 in 20 chance. For the record I didn't go.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Of course not.  Don't you think getting people high and then pumping your creed into their heads is going a little too far?  

Let what you believe to be the positive message bring people in if they want to come... not freebies. 

There was a church here in Uptown Minneapolis that once offered to pay next month's rent for one random first time visitor at their next service. They even mailed out fliers advertising that.

Well I'd do that... paying rent sucks

How many people came though? Even if that only attracted 20 new people that still gives you only a 1 in 20 chance. For the record I didn't go.

I'd take a ONE PERCENT SHOT at getting my rent paid if all I had to do was attend a service.  I pay about $1,000/month to live on campus.  I could go visit my friends in Colorado with that... twice!

Would you raise your hands during the songs then?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Of course not.  Don't you think getting people high and then pumping your creed into their heads is going a little too far?  

Let what you believe to be the positive message bring people in if they want to come... not freebies.  

There was a church here in Uptown Minneapolis that once offered to pay next month's rent for one random first time visitor at their next service. They even mailed out fliers advertising that.

Well I'd do that... paying rent sucks

How many people came though? Even if that only attracted 20 new people that still gives you only a 1 in 20 chance. For the record I didn't go.

I'd take a ONE PERCENT SHOT at getting my rent paid if all I had to do was attend a service.  I pay about $1,000/month to live on campus.  I could go visit my friends in Colorado with that... twice!

Would you raise your hands during the songs then?

Is this what happens?  I'm only familiar with Episcopalian and Catholic services; not too much raising of the hands there.

I guess I would.  I think I've shown a free month of rent would be very important to me.  

Yes, churches with modern music have people raising their hands during the songs (or stretching them out like they're holding a TV.) For some reason people unfamiliar with this tend to find it creepy.

Yeah I guess so. Weed's expensive. Sit through five hours of church service, get an 1/8th. That's better than minimum wage!

Well since church is only about 60-80 minutes, it's an even better deal!

Eli certainly disapproved of drunkenness in holy places:

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Though I have gone to church buzzed before, I never said you're getting high in church. They're giving you pot you can use later whenever you want.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Feed the hungry, clothe the needy.. nah let's give some hipster deadbeat free pot.

Well in the real life example I gave above it could easily be "give some hipster deadbeat a free month of rent money they can use to buy pot". Obviously the intention was to get people who normally wouldn't go to church. Now how effective would this promo be at that? The sermon should also have some type of "creation care" topic to tie in...

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Replace pushy sales guy with touchy feely people with bad haircuts.

Considering how defensive you are of often attacked old men who wear funny dresses and funny hats it's kind of odd how dismissive you'd be of other Christians like here.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

With inane questions like this, it boggles the mind (no pun intended) that you actually consider yourself religious at all.  

I don't.

Also: http://ccguide.org/bible.php

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

We had a sermon series called "Exchanging the Bad News of the Church for the Good News of Jesus". Sounds very pro-religion indeed.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I don't agree with everything on that page, but it makes great points about cannabis in the Bible, and that Jesus healed using it. Jesus was a medical marijuana practioner.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

No. I don't smoke pot. Even if I did you'd have to offer a significant amount of it to make it worth my time.

Well even if it's just a dimebag that's still well above the minimum wage. Worth your time if you're not scheduled to work then anyway (Actually I could make the value of a dimebag in one hour of overtime if I could sign up for that at the time, but even if I wasn't a believer going to church is easier than actually working. I mean it consists of handraising, dancing and watching someone who is likely quite charismatic and funny preach.)

It also speaks to what you really think about your message when you feel that you need to bribe people to get them to listen to it.

Well then wasn't that church here basically bribing people with the possibility of rent money?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

No. I don't smoke pot. Even if I did you'd have to offer a significant amount of it to make it worth my time.

Well even if it's just a dimebag that's still well above the minimum wage. Worth your time if you're not scheduled to work then anyway (Actually I could make the value of a dimebag in one hour of overtime if I could sign up for that at the time, but even if I wasn't a believer going to church is easier than actually working. I mean it consists of handraising, dancing and watching someone who is likely quite charismatic and funny preach.)

My salary already puts me well above minimum wage, so my time essentially worth more than a dime bag an hour. The value of the pot aside, I'd still rather buy the pot myself and spend my time doing something I consider worthwhile.

I too make significantly more than the price of a dimebag per hour, but as noted I would find this much easier.

With inane questions like this, it boggles the mind (no pun intended) that you actually consider yourself religious at all. 

I don't.

Also: http://ccguide.org/bible.php

Don't tell me you think that site is credible. 

As stated, I don't agree with all of it obviously. But let's imagine that this question was instead you get a free alcohol shot if you go...oh wait you already do (unless they're using grape juice.) Well then you can't see pot as particularly insane, it's obvious from the Colorado and Washington election results that plenty of Christians don't have a problem with it.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Wine is symbolic of the blood of Christ -I do not understand how you think pot belongs in a church, and has anything to do with the faith.  

The fact that you even make this comparison shows that I take Christianity more seriously than you -and I am not even a baptized Christian (yet).  

It's simply an incentive. It would also attract non-"church people", and was jokingly proposed in a church almost entirely made up of non-"church people".

Mind you while this has not happened, the following things have happened, that some individuals (like Cathcon) told about have reacted in disbelief/horror upon hearing about:

-The person preaching wearing ripped jeans and a hoodie.
-Worship band members playing with the same type of stage presence as if they were playing one of those shows I go to.
-The girl preaching reading from a Dr. Seuess story in flip flops.
-People actually being ENCOURAGED to text and tweet during the service either questions to the pastor or tweeting reactions to the sermon topic.
-Sermon done in the same style as a stand-up comedy routine.
-Me being baptized in a band shirt.

So remember, it's not just me who has this type of attitude...

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Anyone who needs to be enticed with pot free rent money to enter a church (or any religious sanctuary, for that matter) has no business being there in the first place. 

But that was tried. And neither statement is anything like the attitude of Jesus.

BTW I know of a church in Brooklyn that meets in the backroom of a bar, and has a bartender serving actual communion shots.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I should propose that my church do this now!

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

That would probably deter me because 1. the place would smell disgusting and 2. that would suggest the church is primarily interested in attracting followers over developing an organic identity, which is a big red flag whether we're talking about far-right megachurches or small hipster churches. But it wouldn't in itself be a dealbreaker or anything.

It doesn't mean that people would be using it there. Also in Minnesota only edibles are legal so no scent.

If anyone is wondering why Minnesota's law is kind of weird it's because it was passed primarily by a candidate running for Hennepin County Attorney and a close political ally of his in a way to trick Republicans into voting for it under the guide of "regulation" just so he can campaign on doing that since obviously legalizing any weed is popular in Hennepin County.