isn't it time for offering?

well, let me start off by saying that i had made a secret promise not to write about my church goings on since i have been chastized once or twice by some christian folk for not being reverent enough of the christian insitution. i have even been accused of picking on the church because it is an entity that cannot defend itself. and so, i deference to what i considered prudent logic, i have staved off the church in general in my blog postings.

however, the church just won't let me be. a friend of mine who used to be a church goer (i've been told that a true christian would never leave the church but a "church goer" would) told me that one of the reasons that he decided that the church wasn't for him is the amount of offerings collected on any given service. i'm sure by now everyone knows i attend the redeemed christian church of God and my church is no exception when it comes to giving an offering for every fly that perches on the wall. trust me, we have offerings for everything: "welfare offering", "thanksgiving offering", "speacial thanksgiving offering", "tithe", "missions offering", "building project offering" and the many other specialized offering for any specific occassions like fathers weekend, childrens weekend, elders weekend etc. the baffling thing is that the collection of one specialized offering does not do away with the need to collect the regular offerings and so on.

the argument i often give, is that God will not come down and move the christian ministry forward and that every religion demands in one way or the other, the finsncial support of its adherents to enable it propagate its beliefs further and further. the good thing is that in my church, we are never told that giving the offerings will take you to heaven or guarantee you a mansion in paradise. they do however, link your ability to give, to the amount of blessings you will receive. far be it from me to question this tenet of faith, for fear of losing everything i have ever worked for and heaven forbid i do not give an offering to avoid going blessingless for a whole week.

however, sometimes even i think the offering thingy is stretched a tad far. today, it was announced that our pastor was involved in a serious accident and only began to respond to phonecalls in the middle of the past week. naturally, we were all shocked and relieved at the news and were ready to get and sing and dance ourselves to stupor in praise to God for sparing his life. unexpectedly, we were asked to dance out and drop our special thanksgiving offering for this feat of divine deliverance. and then when it was testimony time, some woman came out with her entire clan to thank God for saving her life from an undisclosed ailment. she sang a heart rendering song, we all stood up and danced with her...and then folks were asked to drop another special thanksgiving offering. then after that, today being the first sunday of the month, we were asked to drop the normal thanksgiving offering, after which we then dropped the regular sunday offering. i mean, sheesh. sometimes, i have to calculate my church money before leaving work on a friday so i don't file for bankcruptcy by sunday evening!

i know you're thinking, : "but you were not forced to give these offerings, man", but think about how it looks when everyone before and after you in rows and rows of white plastic chairs file out to go and drop money in a basket in front of the church and you're standing alone feeling like the most selfish, ungrateful-to-God, poverty stricken dude in the world. such is the power of mass actions...it intimidates you into complying.

and so, although i put in a total of 80 naira in all four offerings at church today, it just left me thinking, if God would speak, would he approve these many financial obligations laid on his children who reserve the day to worship him in spirit and in truth?

just wondering...