I read this article while I was looking at the other magazine you guys were talking about. They were being really stupid and generalizing about the other religions they were talking about again. My favorite bit was where someone was saying that they went to a church that passed the offering plate around three times and that they were expected to put money in it each time. Earlier, someone said that the church pastor wouldn't study the Bible with them and just told her to send money when she stopped going.
Maybe I just haven't been around the block with churches, but does that happen ANYWHERE? Some churches I've gone to only pass the offering around on Sunday mornings, and most people don't put anything in there. If it is every service, it's only at the beginning, and no one gives a poo if you put money in. Plus, unless it's some broader organization, the money goes to the upkeep of the building, to pay the salaries of the few church employees, and to fund their food pantries/community outreaches/mission work/charities/etc. I've mostly gone to smaller churches, unaffiliated with any larger group, and they're fairly modest when it comes to their layout.
So do they just basically make stuff like that up? I mean, I guess banning JWs from going to other churches would make it pretty difficult for the average person from finding out they're full of crap. Or am I just not going to the fancy pants churches with gold Bibles, silver pews, and pastors modeling the latest fashions from Milan?