[osteoftex]

Paul, I had thought of the possibility that there are valid reasons for using this venue; perhaps it's important to be close to the host church in L.A., for example. So that's fair enough. More than anything, it's the emphasis of the ad that troubles me - the emphasis on shopping and living "the good life". If this is a "carrot" for laymen, as you suggest, what kind of laymen is this going to attract?

And what does this encourage among the laity? I would like to think that the Church recognizes this present materialistic culture as a "hollow promise", and calls our attention to its fading glory. Am I living in naivete? What has happened to "blessed are ye poor"? I would think that you have to be rich to go to the convention...so are we blessing the rich, in just the same way that the world does?

I suppose I had hoped things would be different in the Church. I feel disappointed.

-young and naive, julian.