I'm baffled. Why are all these churchs closing on Christmas day?

[billbuckhead]

I haven't heard a straight answer to this yet. Isn't cancelling Christmas services all over the land a huge defeat in the real war for Christmas?

[HeeBGBz]

1. Because they aren't churches any more

They are corporations and they want a day off.

[stevedeshazer]

6. Make that TAX-FREE corporations

And no offense to anyone's religion, but the ones I've heard of that are closing are of the Bapto-Dome Mega Church variety.

[Warpy]

22. They're glorified concert venues

which is why they're dark this Sunday.

[SammyWinstonJack]

23. Bingo!

[Porcupine]

27. Too much prayer and joyous celebration!!!

When I was a kid going to midnight mass (Episcopalian) on Christmas Eve the finale was singing Noel accompanied by a pipe organ. The organist would pull out all the stops, everyone sang at the top of their voices in a packed church and that place shook.

My parents had five kids and managed to get us all to midnight mass every year and sometimes mass on Christmas mornings if it was a Sunday. We knew that we would be treated afterword so it was no problem.

It's Christ's Mass.

[hiaasenrocks]

2. That's what I'm wondering about, too.

I'm hearing reports of local churches closing on Christmas because it's on a Sunday. But wait. Aren't they usually open on Sundays anyway?

From what I'm hearing around here, it's the Protestant churches that are closing, not the Catholic ones.

This is strange, indeed. Get Bill O'Reilly and John Gibson on the case. STAT! :)

[Pharlo]

40. LMAO....

A Catholic Church closing on a Sunday (barring safety issues or acts of God)?....LOLOL

On CHRISTMAS Sunday?....ROFLMAO....Safety issues and acts of God don't matter. Mass MUST go on....And if it can't be in the church, an alternate venue WILL be found.

Personally, I can't imagine any CHRISTIAN church that would close on the day of Christ's birthday.

I agree with what you said, and I apologize for laughing, but - well - raised Catholic here, and that statement about Catholic churches and closing down because Christmas falls on a Sunday just cracked me up....

In fact, I have a STRONG suspicion that we'll be told it's a double cause for celebration....

[dsc]

3. I admit to being stunned

I haven't a clue as to why. My church is eliminating Sunday school that day but we still have our usual service.

[leftofthedial]

4. they think it may be the perfect day

for the chRapture

[Turn CO Blue]

5. It goes against common sense, doesn't it?

I mean if your business is "saving souls" and you also need to collect some revenue (in order to save souls wink wink) then wouldn't it make sense to be OPEN on the one day each year where even the PART-TIME believers get dressed up and go to church?

These people amaze me...

[havocmom]

13. LOL Nah, they know people are tapped out after all the shopping.

Not likely to make the light/heat bill on collections THAT day ;)

[Swede]

7. Catholic churches have midnight mass Christmas eve.

Not sure about other denominations.

[histohoney]

21. Midnight at the Methodist too

We also have an 8:30pm for those who need to be home early.

[sandnsea]

39. And morning service

I've gone to mass plenty of Christmas mornings, so most parishes have both.

[Horse with no Name]

8. Unreal

It's blasphemy I tell you, blasphemy.

[MountainLaurel]

9. The reasoning my church used

When I was a kid, on the occasions when Christmas and Sunday coincided, was that they wanted everyone to have the opportunity to spend the day with their families.

[kevinbgoode]

36. Not everyone has a family.

And not having Sunday services for some people removes perhaps their only social event of the week, too.

I get angry when they use that "families" excuse - this is NOT solitarily a "family" holiday. Are the elderly without family, the single without family, the lonely estranged from family . . supposed to be completely socially humiliated? One would think that a christian church would want to reach out to those very people, particularly on their most holy-day. . .

[Neil Lisst]

10. Because Church is a business, and their customers won't be there

that's why

[Fridays Child]

12. Ding, ding, ding!

We have a winner!

[bahrbearian]

11. These Mega Church's can't just open their doors and heat the

place for nothing , half the Bouncers,,oops I mean Deacons are staying home with their families,, It would fill up with Homeless in no time, can't have that .. there is no Tidings to be made at Christmas.

[wellstone dem]

14. I'll be in church

attending mass at 9:30 am on Dec. 25. I'll be praying for our country.

[Cleita]

15. Because the Devil knows the days he's really not welcome.n/t

[Common Sense Party]

16. Dunno. All the churches in my town are open.

Shortened meetings--no Sunday School--to allow more time with families. But many people are out of town, visiting relatives elsewhere.

I'm not Catholic anymore, but I think I'll go to Midnight Mass this year.

[zbird]

17. Amazing, isn't it?

Closing on Christmas day so members can spend time with family. But isn't Christmas the celebration of the birth of person who is the FOUNDATION of Christianity? Makes absolutely no sense to me (although I do agree with previous posters about the business aspect of the churches these days.)

[BeTheChange]

18. Maybe because they recognize that people wish to spend time with family?

Good greif...

I forgot everyfuckingthing is an evil corporation just trying to fuck us all over.

And definately if they are religious.. then they are totally trying at every turn to pull a fast one of the public. It's all a money thing to them. I forgot.

Could we start another thread about how half of us cant get by on 100k a year? How 100K a year is the new 20k a year?

[Cleita]

19. But everyone spends time with family other than the hour

they go to church. I know that the church workers need that too, but isn't this what they signed up for?

[BeTheChange]

35. What if my family lives 2000 miles away?

Actually, it isnt a what if.. they do. And what if to get to them you have to sit in a plane for atleast 8 hours, not counting the screwed up stopover in Chicago where you will inevitably get delayed....

What if the Pastor's family lives 2000 miles away? 3000?

What if every other Sunday after and before Christmas for the last 25 years they have had services meaning they only got to spend at most a couple days with their family that is far away?


What if you know that 90% of your congregation isnt going to be coming to Church on Sunday, Christmas morning, because you have to deal with the fact that we live in a fucked up and fallen world and that to most Americans greed and consumerism is more important then anything, regardless of their political affiliation? So, you advocate that they try to guilt and force people into attending a service on Christmas morning? There would be posts bitching about that too.

And you say that is what they signed up for? Are you the same type of person who is glad that blockbuster is open on Christmas day, because you just must go rent some mindless movie.. or that your local Walmart is open for half a day on Christmas and thanksgiving because you just must go buy some imported crap?

[Common Sense Party]

30. That's what it sounds like some people think.

If it's religious, it's automatically corrupt, repressive, and greedy?

I hope that's not where we've sunk to.

As Americans, we should eschew the us-vs.-them mentality.

[carolinalady]

20. because everyone goes on Christmas Eve--and as my grand

father used to say "There is such as thing as too much goodness."

[tanyev]

24. Because they are cheese eating surrender monkeys in the

War on Christmas!!! :patriot:

[A Simple Game]

25. because we won the war on Christmas?

[billbuckhead]

26. When they said 9-11 made irony obsolete, I knew it would come back strong

"The war on Christmas" and church's closed on Sunday.

[DanCa]

28. When I was growing up churches were open 24 -7 seven including christmas

They stopped doing that when vandals and thieves no longer respected church property. My church has services on christmas day. I dont know about others.

[lynne]

29. My church won't close but will have reduced services on Sunday -

- we will have only one service on Sunday instead of the usual three.

HOWEVER - we are having three services Saturday evening. Most churches will have numerous Christmas Eve services as they are enormously popular and very well attended. Many churches include a late or "midnight" communion service, which doesn't end until after Midnight - Christmas Day.

With so many attending Christmas Eve services and people traveling to be with family on Christmas day, a good number of churches have reduced the number of services on Sunday.

[FreedomAngel82]

31. I think they're mostly megachurches

Mine is still open. We've never closed. Even in the early 90's we had a blizzard and we're not used to that here in Tennessee but my dad jogged to church and some other people were there. Other churches closed in the area but mine has never closed. It's always "come if you can." On holiday's like Christmas in the evening we have usually a shortened service to a half-hour to spend with your families. Some churches around here, Baptist's and the like, have plays and whatnot. Even this big Presbyterian church is open I believe on Christmas.

[King_Crimson]

32. Think what you want...

But I have this terrible gut feeling something very bad is going to happen in this country...and it somehow is going to involve a church or target a particulr denomination...either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day!
I've been extremely paranoid since 9/11 that something terrible will happen on a major holiday...and as I thought about 9/11...the Fascist government of this country will be behind it! :headbang:

[Dorian Gray]

33. Really?

I haven't heard anything about this yet. I guess I'll read on, but it sounds quite strange, and antithetical to what Christmas (Christ's Mass) is all about.

[mitchum]

34. Because they are hypocrites, hucksters, and grifters

[histohoney]

37. Read my paper today

Almost all Churches here (Abilene TX) are having Sunday Services plus many, like mine, are having Midnight and /or late evening candlelight services as well.
Can't speak for other places.

[CatholicEdHead]

38. Too expensive to put on the "show"

For the other employees. That doubletime holiday pay is too expensive.

[Bouncy Ball]

41. Eh, my very very liberal UU church isn't having services that day.

And my church is far from thinking like a big business, LOL. They barely stay afloat most months.

There will be someone at the church if visitors show up. And we're having a Christmas Eve service.