[Darkwolf377]

One has to keep in mind the double standard held against the Church, that if they are lacking in appearances, it means they are incompetent and therefore fools

I think that's a bit of victimhood that doesn't really apply. Who cares if outsiders think church services aren't up to snuff in terms of "style"? No Catholic I know. Each religion or group has its own standards for what's right, and claiming outsiders will say they're cheap shouldn't even be a consideration. Seriously, who cares what style-conscious jerks think? Believers shouldn't be even thinking about this.

[GOP Poet]

Although he was there physically and mentally, it sounds as though the writer missed the boat. Must be why he took the bus.

[grey_whiskers]

I grew up Protestant, and was an adult convert to Catholicism.

It struck me early on how much more emphasis there was on the "right" clothes and the "right" car in Protestant churches, even in the non-denominational / Evangelical congregations: with the exception of the Pentecostals.

Cheers!

[Twink]

Well said.