Diamonds on the soles of their shoes

I was reading this story in today's Daily News, about the Christian Science church closing its doors on High St. and two things came to mind:

1. A church in a town is a business, a local franchise if you will, and

2. SENIOR CENTER

Who has about $900,000 to buy this building for a senior center, before someone else snatches it up?

But back to #1: I find it interesting that people don't think of a church as a business, with legitimate business expenses - and the odd tax break here and there.

Churches have always been about making money - when they weren't being political, that is.

Back in the good old days - that would be Medieval times to me - churches went around collecting tithes from the common folk who could ill afford it, by telling them they would be doomed to eternal hellfire if they didn't fork over their last farthing (or whatever coin they used back then).

That was so the bishops and such could have fur robes to keep them warm and toasty in those drafty buildings. Just look at all that jewel-encrusted finery available to the Pope, for instance. Of course, the lowly vicars and priests were living on moldy bread ...

I've oversimplified to make a point but still, churches (in the forest sense) are big business and they are powerful.

That particular local church isn't making enough money? Get rid of it! ... And on and on it goes.

The flip side

Going back to being in the community garden behind the First Parish Church, Newbury - I was there on Sunday morning when the bell started tolling to tell people it was time to get to church.

And although I'm not a religious person, it made me kind of sad to think that, not even 100 years ago, a whole community answered to that bell.

You know that famous quote, "Do not ask for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for you ...?" Well, it means something slightly different than what I'm saying, but somehow it fits in this case as well.