Having been raised in a similar, affiliated church, I think their sentiment is that when the congregation is absent, it is just a building, although there would be sentimentality attached. That is why many such churches are deliberately simple structures. The Church (capital C) is the congregation, whether they meet in a building, a tent, or an open field.
Not all franchises of the Baptist church follow that idea, but many do, and it is a key tenet to their faith.
Note- We always called the ones who built big, elaborate, showy buildings “Money Baptists”. Our feeling was that the money should better have been spent on the needy.
Not all Catholic churches are like that; there’s a very wide range.
And some of the most elaborate ones have taken hundreds of years to get like that. If you build to last, small contributions add up a lot over time.
Many Catholic churches too are expressions of local pride and culture, like the Duomo in Florence or the modern structures in Malta and Gozo, which also express local civil engineering expertise. The Duomo wasn’t only a church but was the central meeting place for important civic events. And it too was an expression of Fiorentine ability at civil engineering. To some extent those big Italian churches conveyed a second message which was, see what we can do? Don’t mess with us.
For possibly the tenth time I find myself repeating that I’m an atheist, but interested in sociology and psychology of religion. And, as with matters Russia-appertaining, except where I feel a real ethical point has to be made, I try to report rather than comment.
Put it like this: if my grandson had no choice but a Catholic or an Evangelical school I would say the Catholic school every time - now, in the 21st century with a progressive Pope.
But I hope his parents don’t find themselves limited to that choice.
My daughter was shot right before arriving at University Medical Center in Las Vegas. I can report that she received excellent care at this First Class Trauma Center, the best, as I understand it, in Nevada. So, I think that your preference is well selected.
Obviously, I am very sorry to hear about something like that happening to a member of your family.
Without wanting to be rude, can I inquire if she was on the way to the Trauma Center for different reasons when she was shot? That is how your statement read to me.
