Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:First off, I am an atheist. Admittedly, I have a cynical view of religion. Also, my vantage point is Bethesda.
I can't help but notice that pretty much every church I see has a flag, placard, or message out front targeting a single demographic: the LGBT community. Not asians, not hispanics, not men, not women, not young, not old - LGBT.
Churches exist for one reason: to propagate themselves. That requires money and customers. So, it must be that singularly advertising to LGBT is a smart business move. Its just a surprising one, given the % of population and, I would think, I general dis-inclination toward religion.
So what is the deal? Smart business move? Meaningless signaling? Something else?
Those aren't real churches
+1
Presbyterians and Episcopalians aren't real? Wow!
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I’ve always assumed it’s because most LGBT people reasonably assume churches are homophobic until proven otherwise. A rainbow flag communicates immediately that this group seriously marginalized by many Christians is welcome and will be affirmed.
+1 it's also a message to people who are not LGBTQ+ that the church is welcoming to all. There are a lot of straight people who don't want to be part of a church that shuns any group of people.
My Methodist church went through a process with the congregation to formally becoming a "reconciling congregation", https://rmnetwork.org/
part of a group of Methodist churches that explicitly welcome LGBTQ. We lost members over it. This was before the break up of the United Methodist church over this issue.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:First off, I am an atheist. Admittedly, I have a cynical view of religion. Also, my vantage point is Bethesda.
I can't help but notice that pretty much every church I see has a flag, placard, or message out front targeting a single demographic: the LGBT community. Not asians, not hispanics, not men, not women, not young, not old - LGBT.
Churches exist for one reason: to propagate themselves. That requires money and customers. So, it must be that singularly advertising to LGBT is a smart business move. Its just a surprising one, given the % of population and, I would think, I general dis-inclination toward religion.
So what is the deal? Smart business move? Meaningless signaling? Something else?
Those aren't real churches
+1
Anonymous wrote:I’ve always assumed it’s because most LGBT people reasonably assume churches are homophobic until proven otherwise. A rainbow flag communicates immediately that this group seriously marginalized by many Christians is welcome and will be affirmed.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:First off, I am an atheist. Admittedly, I have a cynical view of religion. Also, my vantage point is Bethesda.
I can't help but notice that pretty much every church I see has a flag, placard, or message out front targeting a single demographic: the LGBT community. Not asians, not hispanics, not men, not women, not young, not old - LGBT.
Churches exist for one reason: to propagate themselves. That requires money and customers. So, it must be that singularly advertising to LGBT is a smart business move. Its just a surprising one, given the % of population and, I would think, I general dis-inclination toward religion.
So what is the deal? Smart business move? Meaningless signaling? Something else?
Those aren't real churches
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:First off, I am an atheist. Admittedly, I have a cynical view of religion. Also, my vantage point is Bethesda.
I can't help but notice that pretty much every church I see has a flag, placard, or message out front targeting a single demographic: the LGBT community. Not asians, not hispanics, not men, not women, not young, not old - LGBT.
Churches exist for one reason: to propagate themselves. That requires money and customers. So, it must be that singularly advertising to LGBT is a smart business move. Its just a surprising one, given the % of population and, I would think, I general dis-inclination toward religion.
So what is the deal? Smart business move? Meaningless signaling? Something else?
Those aren't real churches
+1
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:First off, I am an atheist. Admittedly, I have a cynical view of religion. Also, my vantage point is Bethesda.
I can't help but notice that pretty much every church I see has a flag, placard, or message out front targeting a single demographic: the LGBT community. Not asians, not hispanics, not men, not women, not young, not old - LGBT.
Churches exist for one reason: to propagate themselves. That requires money and customers. So, it must be that singularly advertising to LGBT is a smart business move. Its just a surprising one, given the % of population and, I would think, I general dis-inclination toward religion.
So what is the deal? Smart business move? Meaningless signaling? Something else?
Those aren't real churches
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:First off, I am an atheist. Admittedly, I have a cynical view of religion. Also, my vantage point is Bethesda.
I can't help but notice that pretty much every church I see has a flag, placard, or message out front targeting a single demographic: the LGBT community. Not asians, not hispanics, not men, not women, not young, not old - LGBT.
Churches exist for one reason: to propagate themselves. That requires money and customers. So, it must be that singularly advertising to LGBT is a smart business move. Its just a surprising one, given the % of population and, I would think, I general dis-inclination toward religion.
So what is the deal? Smart business move? Meaningless signaling? Something else?
Those aren't real churches
Anonymous wrote:First off, I am an atheist. Admittedly, I have a cynical view of religion. Also, my vantage point is Bethesda.
I can't help but notice that pretty much every church I see has a flag, placard, or message out front targeting a single demographic: the LGBT community. Not asians, not hispanics, not men, not women, not young, not old - LGBT.
Churches exist for one reason: to propagate themselves. That requires money and customers. So, it must be that singularly advertising to LGBT is a smart business move. Its just a surprising one, given the % of population and, I would think, I general dis-inclination toward religion.
So what is the deal? Smart business move? Meaningless signaling? Something else?
Anonymous wrote:First off, I am an atheist. Admittedly, I have a cynical view of religion. Also, my vantage point is Bethesda.
I can't help but notice that pretty much every church I see has a flag, placard, or message out front targeting a single demographic: the LGBT community. Not asians, not hispanics, not men, not women, not young, not old - LGBT.
Churches exist for one reason: to propagate themselves. That requires money and customers. So, it must be that singularly advertising to LGBT is a smart business move. Its just a surprising one, given the % of population and, I would think, I general dis-inclination toward religion.
So what is the deal? Smart business move? Meaningless signaling? Something else?