random memes }

Presidential candidates at the local mega-church

This is so very odd. Both presidential candidates are doing to appear, on the same day, at the same place, for the first time, within walking distance of my house.

Saddleback Civil Forum This historic forum will be the only joint event for the two, and the last public appearance for either candidate prior to the two-week hiatus during each party’s national convention.

Due to Secret Service mandate, tickets will be required for the event in the main auditorium, but the program will be broadcast live in multiple venues on the Saddleback campus, as well as on several national broadcast networks and online. It will also be streamed live on www.SaddlebackCivilForum.com.

The local Saddleback Church is an argument for taxing "church" property. They rake in so much money that they can build the equivalent of a "church" Disneyland. With so much money coming to so few people - I suspect their owners are more interested in money than morality.

The odd bit here is that I like the idea of tax-exempt status for small churches. When wealth is not a reason to head a local church, I like the idea of making survival easier for local churches. About mega-churches and franchise operations disguised as churches, I have doubts.

I am an agnostic, which for me means I find religion a mostly-harmless fantasy practiced by others. About the larger forms of "religious" organizations ... I have doubts. Doubt enough to suspect some of those larger outfits are the moral equivalent of evil.

Every Sunday they hold their sideshow, collect unholy amounts of money - and this is the first common place where the Presidential candidates are going to speak. Odd.