Two trends I see in the local Bible churches (& Southern Baptist): raw/uncooked foods & MLM nutritional pills?

Question

Since coming to the U.S. another trend I keep finding in various Bible churches and especially the big Southern Baptist "mega-church" in my area: After the services there are many pushy "salespeople" pushing "miracle cures" to anyone who has health problems. I visited my neighbor's church and he said before we went inside: "If you know anybody with cancer, they should think twice before asking anybody here for prayer because once the word gets around, the patient will be bombarded with sales brochures and testimonials about "miracle cures" of various nutritional supplement pills which are sold by a MLM (Multi-Level Marketing) networks. And an accompanying trend at these churches seems to be an interesting "everybody knows that..." factoid which is focused around the alleged health and curative advantages of eating raw/uncooked foods. [When I tried to explain to a lady that cooking actually releases three times the carotene in a raw carrot -- but she just gave me a blank look.]

Friends have described to me similar trends at the conservative Evangelical churches in their respective cities. I'm just curious why these seem to be conservative-church related trends. IS IT A PART OF A GENERAL SKEPTICISM TOWARD CONVENTIONAL SCIENCE & MEDICINE?

Answer 1

yes, but it could also be misunderstanding. there is apparently a treatment that can "starve the cancer" and now people think they can do anything with alternative medicine. I'm a raw foodist cause I can't cook and saves me time.

Answer 2

Keep in mind that churches are large collections of people who share a common interest and trust each other more than they trust the general public. That makes them potentially a very lucrative target for all kinds of marketing schemes, especially MLM schemes, which heavily depend upon the networks of trust built in churches to facilitate sales.



While many marketing schemes are legitimate, it's also a haven for scams of all sorts, since they're not advertising on the general market, and the trust means that often people will buy on the trust of the person doing the selling without bothering to critically evaluate the product being sold. As a result, there are lots of dodgy and bogus products that have thriving markets in churches.

Answer 3

the two faiths finally have confidence interior a similar issues. they are the two Christian. the two faiths renowned salvation by using Christ's crucifixion, the two faiths have confidence in an all-powerful god. Now the two disagree on the greater superficial aspects of religion. maximum critically, baptists take the Bible because of the fact the literal and unquestionable word of God. They study it therefor, it is real. Catholics study the Bible as often a metaphor, something that needs to be interpreted. to no longer distinctive from fixing a riddle. This distinction in interpretation leads to many diffused adjustments. Transubstantiation, via St. Thomas Aquinas' reason, is a mixture of theological interpretation and Aristotelian good judgment. Baptists reject transubstantiation, because of the fact it isn't any longer, word for word, interior the Bible. this concept is a fashion between the two faiths and on their disagreements. additionally worth of no longer, besides he countless fairly diffused adjustments, their is an excellent distinction between religious tone amoung the two faiths. As i'm helpful you could tell only from the responces, Catholics look much less confrontational, whilst the Baptists look greater agressive. This stands to reason that a faith it is predicated of absolutes would be somewhat greater fanatical and much less accepting of adjustments. whilst maximum of Catholicism somewhat recognizes the smaller Protesant denominations. in fact, maximum Europeans have never heard of a renowned Baptist. So thats particularly the conflict in a simplistic nut shell. i might additionally desire to word that the Catholic Church has an extremely helpful relationship with Anglicans, Lutherans, and the jap Orthodox faiths. exciting to word, none of those faiths take the Bible actually eather. absolutely everyone of those faiths have their disagreements, in spite of the undeniable fact that it is generally greater theological and much less fanatical, interior the renowned era besides. As a Catholic, I could say that no faith is carefully suitable or thoroughly incorrect. and that i think of it is immportant and morally suitable to comprehend the Baptist faith, seem at their ideals and honor its finer factors whilst rejecting is worse characteristics. i actually desire all faiths could respectfully disagree, yet they cant.