Church Luring Easter Attendees with 3DS Giveaways

[Greg Tito]

Church Luring Easter Attendees with 3DS Giveaways

How do you make sure people go to your church on Easter? Give 'em some 3D "crap."

An eternal problem for churches and other places of worship in this great land is how to get butts in seats on the holiest day of the year. Pastor Eric Dykstra and his wife Kelly have got that figured out for 2011 because they plan to give away over $8,000 worth of merchandise this Easter Sunday to some new attendees of the Crossing Church in Elk River, Minnesota. Dykstra believes that a big 3D TV or a brand new Nintendo 3DS is a small price to pay if it boosts attendance at his church.

"I have no problem bribing people with - I'll be crass - with crap in order to meet Christ," the pastor said.

His wife showed off the prizes with glee in her eyes. "We got 3D TVs, the Nintendo 3DS. My kids are huge DS fans," Kelly Dykstra said.

"It's awkward to say 'Hey, come to my church.' It just feels weird and you don't want to twist somebody's arm," Pastor Dykstra said. "So to alleviate some of that weirdness, what we've done is say, 'Hey, if you bring your friend to church they might potentially win a 3D television, a 3D DS [sic] or a 3D movie ticket package.'"

Ah, Easter. The last Christian holiday to be merchandised. Back in my day, all I got for Easter was a stomachache from the chocolate and maybe a stuffed animal. Now people who sit through an hour-long service can get a free 3DS ...

When did church become like E3?

Source: KARE [http://www.kare11.com/news/article/920199/396/Church-lures-worshippers-with-TVs-Nintendo]

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[OldAccount]

I really shouldn't care (being an atheist and all) but somehow this makes me a little sick. Maybe it's a throwback to my Catholic childhood.

 

[Stilt-Man]

I think this is sickening on so many levels. I have no idea how he figures giving away devices will get people to "meet Christ". Anyone who visits that church for the giveaway probably won't be returning.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

TO MINNESOTA!

Seriously, I'd go. The odds seem pretty good, tbh. Unless the church is huge.

 

[killamanhunter]

They'd get more college students if they were giving away copies of Portal 2...

 

[WrongSprite]

This is why you don't donate to the church, they spend it on 3D TV's =/

 

[mjc0961]

"I have no problem bribing people with - I'll be crass - with crap in order to meet Christ," the pastor said.

Oh, there are so many things I could say about this statement right here. But I don't want to start a flame war (people get super touchy about religion). So let me just say that I rolled my eyes heavily at it.

 

[Woodsey]

Hint: if people aren't going, its because they don't want to.

This is fucking hilarious; no wonder they go door-to-door trying to recruit people throughout the year.

 

[Lightslei]

Bribery I'm fairly sure, isn't something you're supposed to do, to get people to go to Church.

 

[Mister Benoit]

This is why you don't donate to the church, they spend it on 3D TV's =/

That made me lol.

Thanks for that caught me off guard.

 

[Ralen-Sharr]

this makes me giggle

I never thought about it much, but bribing people to go to church is funny to me.

 

[CM156_v1legacy]

"I have no problem bribing people with - I'll be crass - with crap in order to meet Christ," the pastor said.

Exodus 23:8
"And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right"

 

[masticina]

So after the big 3DS night how many shall return? I mean if your church is in the situation that you need this to survive is sad. I am not religious but if I was I rather would want the church I go stick with its day job.

Oh well a few people will get a 3ds and a church is given another reason to be laughed about. Win/Win!

 

[starwarsgeek]

Bribing people with 3D prizes.......

that's just sad.

 

[Chibz]

"I have no problem bribing people with - I'll be crass - with crap in order to meet Christ," the pastor said.

"I beg your pardon," Chibz replied with a huge smile on her face, "but 3D technology are just one of many fruits of the scientific method. In what way has your religion benefited humanity in the only world we're certain of? No way at all."

 

[bbad89]

"I have no problem bribing people with - I'll be crass - with crap in order to meet Christ," the pastor said.

"I beg your pardon," Chibz replied with a huge smile on her face, "but 3D technology are just one of many fruits of the scientific method. In what way has your religion benefited humanity in the only world we're certain of? No way at all."

In more ways than one. It gives people hope, and makes better people.

 

[Exterminas]

Just make propper online-sermons. It is not like god is going to care where you are when you think about him.

 

[Jabberwock King]

Warning: Hypocrisy in progress!

But in all honesty, I find this event very insightful. It shows how desperate irrelevant religious institutions have become. Organized religion seems to be on it's way into fading as a relic of superstition and an attempt to comfort the ignorance of early humans.

 

[GodofCider]

Hint: if people aren't going, its because they don't want to.

This is fucking hilarious; no wonder they go door-to-door trying to recruit people throughout the year.

Admittedly, I laughed pretty hard when I read the title. ^_^

In more ways than one. It gives people hope, and makes better people.

When you can support your supposed correlation between religion and making people better, with solid evidence, let me know. Also, hope is very fickle. Doctor's can simply lie to their terminal patients, telling them that they'll live, and they'll arguably provide the same degree of 'hope' as convincing a terminal patient that they'll die, but come back to life afterwards in a magical fairy tale land. Despite the fact that both are lies.

...the world's development in the last 2000 years as benevolent.

Apparently the whole world is christian and no other cultures have done anything.