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| Thread: Everything like the Church... |  This thread is pages long: 1 2 · NEXT» |
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Lady_Milena
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Grannie Sweet Cheeks
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posted April 12, 2004 04:19 PM |
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Everything like the Church...
Theoretically, Marketing became a separate disciplines hardly in the 2th c. BS! Marketing has been around for muuuuuch longer. The most successful and best money-making 'company' is what? The Church! Just follow the nine steps to best marketing for the last 2 k years!
((Yes, companies. This is how marketing is made))
1. Every company needs to offer an unique, interesting, POPULAR product. "Religion is opium for the masses," ever heard that C. Marx thing? Now think Coca Cola. What's more popular than coke?
2. There must be a great award offered to those willing to use the product. Heeeeeey... Heavens await us! Think about Coke again. Oh the sweetness of heavenly coke down your thirsty throat....
3. There must be a symbol of the company which must be very simplistic and yet very easy to remember. Take Coca Cola as an example again: can you imagine coke without the typical bottle and the red label? Isn't the cross what every Christian should wear a way to remind people of the Church? The cross is a VERY simple thing and can be seen anywhere. However, nowadays people take it only as a symbol of Christianity. As I said, reminders are crucial.
4. There must be THE BIG ADVERTISEMENT GUY. A face that the company must identify with. Can you think of Christianity without Jesus Christ, the one person who embodies it? Now think Pepsi. Now think sweet Britney in a blue outfit hugging a Pepsi bottle. Yeeeah.
5. Not only the big guy but distributors too! All hail the ministers and the priests! All hail the almighty door-to-door sellers! ((If you've ever encountered the Witnesses of Jehova, you -definitely- know what I mean.))
6. What is a company without selling grounds? What is The Church without churches and temples? What is a company without retail stores?
7. Need fortfolio? Take the Church as an example. Make your own Bible!
8. Of course, we need a Board of directors. Hail the cardinals and bishops!
9. Slogans, slogans and slogans again. "The new generation"? How about "There is no God but Allah and Muhammud is his only Prophet"?
Yeah.
See.
As the Bible itself goes... there is nothing really new under the sun :-P
P.S. Since I -hate- spamming, going to write this as a P.S. 'Marketing' is the discipline that sells products. Coke - that's food product. In order to have a product sold well (that's how a company makes profit), the company must choose a good, original strategy to do so. Thinking practically, the Christian church has been doing quite well - this is because it knows how to attract believers. These are a few funny and hilarious aspects of what makes the Christian church so successful and let us admit it, money-making (two millennia is no small deal). Every company should or has adopted a similar strategy.
P.P.S. It pains me to see that some people do not know or understand the meaning of the word "metaphore". *rolls eyes*
P.P.P.S. Popularity theses never cease to amaze me. But of course, so do the creative minds of people.
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God does not need exist to save us...
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Lord_Woock
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Undefeatable Hero
Daddy Cool with a $90 smile
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posted April 12, 2004 04:27 PM |
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*trying to think of a suitable comment*
...huh?
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Yolk and God bless.
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My buddy's doing a webcomic and would certainly appreciate it if you checked it out!
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Fenix
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In ranks of Nebwoocka Alliance
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posted April 12, 2004 05:34 PM |
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I don't know what are you talking about.
How dare you to insult people's religion?
You're calling Bible, a litterature masterpiece, a product catalogue?
You're calling Christ a salesman?
You're putting Jehova's witnesses together with Church?
You're attacking most of the human culture!
You're disgracing something most holy to the people
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NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!
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Lord_Woock
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Daddy Cool with a $90 smile
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posted April 12, 2004 05:42 PM |
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Actually, I found it quite humorous 
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Yolk and God bless.
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My buddy's doing a webcomic and would certainly appreciate it if you checked it out!
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Fenix
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In ranks of Nebwoocka Alliance
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posted April 12, 2004 05:48 PM |
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It's a bit too sarcastic. If I overreacted, I apologize.
I have a link with my religion and go to religious school, so I'm a bit sensitive on this kind of stuff.
In a thread like this there should be things like  an  so the people know it is humor.
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NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!
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privatehudson
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The Ultimate Badass
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posted April 12, 2004 06:07 PM |
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Hmmm, two things:
Firstly, a correction, Marx actually said "Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world - It is the opium of the people." But the point is there I guess
Secondly, I don't actually think it's the popularity or ability to sell it's advantages that has been the main driving force behind the rise of the christian movement for the majority of it's history. Especially the early church which more preferred the kind of "believe or die and go to eternal hell" theory rather than the benefits of the religion. Although you could say the early church leaders were masters of "spin" as such as until the protestant reformations, most people couldn't even read a bible and relied on their priest for what god's word was. That doesn't mean that it's not a form of advertising though I guess.
Fenix, you may find this upsetting, but it doesn't make it untrue as a comparison. One thing I did notice though recently was when visiting a local museum here which had an area dedicated to a submarine that sank nearby killing 99 seamen. A leaflet there proclaimed (under the auspices of telling you briefly what happened) that this was because god "willed" it to happen and that each aspect of the disaster was linked to a passage in the bible in some way. Example, the ship sank because dried paint blocked a valve (normally when free the valve was opened, if water came in one of the outer doors was open, so the paint stopped the water even though the door was open) and this linked to how the paint is sin and that if there it blocks our route to heaven, and only Jesus can remove the paint.
If religions and the church can intrude on a disaster in order to make mileage and promote their cause, then they can expect comparisons like this in return. Obviously this is a small case, but I doubt it's a one-off thing, I suspect similar cases occur in most churches in most countries.
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We're on an express elevator to Hell, goin' down!
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Fenix
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In ranks of Nebwoocka Alliance
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posted April 12, 2004 06:13 PM |
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I totaly agree. I, and many others, don't appreciate the Middle age church.
But, after Second Vatican Council things have changed a lot. Church is not what it was in Dark ages.
And there's not only Church that matters. The Islam has also been mentioned.
Also, Church didn't need a marketing. There were misionaries, but how could Jesus be a marketing guy if he died before the First Church was even founded?
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NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!
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Valick_Blood
Adventuring Hero
Dude of Darkness
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posted April 12, 2004 06:15 PM |
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ALL HAIL THE ALL-KNOWING AND WISE MAN! DOWN WITH CHRISTIANITY! UP WITH MARKETING!
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Vadskye91
Promising
Supreme Hero
Back again
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posted April 12, 2004 06:19 PM |
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DOWN WITH MARKETING! UP WITH CHRISTIANITY!
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Knowledge is power...
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privatehudson
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The Ultimate Badass
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posted April 12, 2004 06:21 PM |
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Quote:
I totaly agree. I, and many others, don't appreciate the Middle age church.
But, after Second Vatican Council things have changed a lot. Church is not what it was in Dark ages.
No, but both protestant and catholic churches are still doing a lot of extremely dubious things, the one I mentioned being just one rather tame example. And whilst I have no particular desire to pull apart either, the connection to selling itself, explotiation and advertising on a larger level still exists.
Quote:
And there's not only Church that matters. The Islam has also been mentioned.
Perhaps she mentioned it as part of the coke analysis, in which case she probably meant it was Dr Pepper
Quote:
Also, Church didn't need a marketing. There were misionaries, but how could Jesus be a marketing guy if he died before the First Church was even founded?
I wouldn't say in this analysis that Jesus was the marketing person, but the product. What defines christians from the others is their fundamental belief that Jesus is the way to heaven, the messiah etc. Not Mohammed or the person the Jews await. He is what the church is selling, not the seller himself IMO.
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We're on an express elevator to Hell, goin' down!
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Consis
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Of Ruby
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posted April 12, 2004 07:36 PM |
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Can't Say That I Haven't Taken This Approach On Occasion
I freely admit to having thought in this direction on occasion. Although the direction is founded in logic and reason, I have found that I have yet to explain the warm feeling I get when attending a church service filled with uplifting music and prayers. I suppose I go to sponge good vibes nowadays. I haven't actually walked out on a sermon in over three years.
As I've said in the same sex marriage thread, there was a church I visited that did use the techniques described in your thread here. I upped and left feeling offended and disgusted. Ah, well such are men and their crooked ways from time to time.
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Roses Are Red And So Am I
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Aquaman333
Famous Hero
of the seven seas
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posted April 12, 2004 08:34 PM |
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What bothers me is that Milena wrote this, more than likely, just to piss religous people (myself) off. What she said may very well be true. But, for the sake of politeness and manners, she should have remained silent. An ugly person is ugly, but do you walk up to them and tell them that?
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"Brian, look! There's a message in my Alphabits! It says,
"OOOOOOO!"."
"Peter, those are Cheerios."-Family Guy
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Fenix
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In ranks of Nebwoocka Alliance
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posted April 12, 2004 08:53 PM |
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There is also impression from her post that Church claims that man can go to heaven only by being the Christian.
But that isn't true. Any man deserves reward for good things and punishment for bad. Ever religion just wants to teach man what is good and what is evil
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NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!
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privatehudson
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The Ultimate Badass
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posted April 12, 2004 09:02 PM |
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Quote:
What bothers me is that Milena wrote this, more than likely, just to piss religous people (myself) off
I doubt that from what I've seen of her attitudes towards others. She may have written it knowing some religious people would be upset, but it's often hard to post anything in a forum without upsetting someone. The point about the ugly person to me isn't valid, she's criticising (if you take it that way) the religion, not you as a person. If you can't handle criticism of your faith then reading religious threads is a bad idea in general.
Quote:
There is also impression from her post that Church claims that man can go to heaven only by being the Christian.
But that isn't true
Hmmm.
It's always been my impression that a sigfigant number of the christian faith believe the only way to heaven is through Jesus, not just deeds alone, though I'm told one passage from the bible by Jesus contradicts that. Most christians I speak to believe that through redemption by Jesus is the only way to heaven, though a few liberal christians I know usually admit that they wished good people who did not accept Jesus into their lives could go too
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We're on an express elevator to Hell, goin' down!
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Fenix
Known Hero
In ranks of Nebwoocka Alliance
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posted April 12, 2004 09:09 PM |
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Jesus told that even the person who is considered bad by others can enter the heaven.
If someone hadn't the conditions to become a moral person it isn't all his fault. Everyone could be born in a problematic family and become street drug dealer.
Also, if I was born as a hinduist, I would never give up my religion. In my opinion, God will simply look at strength of my hindu faith like I was a Christian.
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NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!
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privatehudson
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The Ultimate Badass
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posted April 12, 2004 09:12 PM |
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Quote:
Jesus told that even the person who is considered bad by others can enter the heaven.
And the church believes first that the person must be absolved of sin through Jesus, there are other conditions the religion/church believes in, whether you choose to follow them or not is your choice, it doesn't mean that the church does not though, which was my point.
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We're on an express elevator to Hell, goin' down!
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Fenix
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In ranks of Nebwoocka Alliance
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posted April 12, 2004 09:16 PM |
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But my point is that person can be absolved of sins by Jesus even if it is not Christian.
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NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!
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privatehudson
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posted April 12, 2004 09:23 PM |
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Which uhmmm still means he has to go through Jesus... and also not everone in the church agrees with that point either.
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We're on an express elevator to Hell, goin' down!
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Fenix
Known Hero
In ranks of Nebwoocka Alliance
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posted April 12, 2004 09:26 PM |
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There is no community or fraction where every member thinks the same way!
Important is what most people think.
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NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!
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privatehudson
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The Ultimate Badass
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posted April 12, 2004 09:31 PM |
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I didn't say there was, however the church believes it, so the point is a moot one, whether you believe it or not, if someone is commenting on the church it is very relevant to say that the church (or more specifically the main christian churches) believes that you need to be a christian/allow jesus into your life to enter heaven. Also the way the church looks to convert and "save" people smacks of the ideal of the "christians only" heaven.
What you or a portion of christians believe wasn't what she was talking about, it was the church.
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We're on an express elevator to Hell, goin' down!
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