Some may say that shopping is the new religion but Tesco has taken it a step further by opening a supermarket in a church.And the pealing of church bells and the sombre sound of the organ on a Sunday morning will be replaced by the ringing of tills and customer announcements over the PA system at the former Westbourne Methodist Church in Bournemouth, Dorset.
The Rev Dr Bob McKinley, ex-minister at the church, which lay empty for three years, said it was ‘sad’.
He said: ‘You could say it is not appropriate to have a Tesco Express in it but once it is sold it is no longer under our control.’
John 2:16 in the Bible describes Jesus driving money changers and dove sellers out of the Temple of Herod with the words: ‘Get these out of here! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!’
James Rippon, 36, an accountant who lives nearby, said: ‘I suppose it represents people’s priorities nowadays – the convenience of being able to buy their bread a few miles closer is more important than prayer and religion.’
i don't see how this is inappropriate at all.
it doesnt make sense to knock down and rebuild a perfectly sound building, just because it was a church.
at least tesco are making use of a 3 year old building, its all going to benefit the UK anyway.
And last but not least, if tesco wasn't allowed to build inside a church due to religious reasons, everybody would be saying its Political Correctness gone mad again.