Pastor preached on tithes this past Sunday - creepiest thing I have ever witnessed in my life

This is going to be long.

So on Sunday they kinda made me come to church by forcing me to do something via guilt trip since my name is still on the members list even though I'm atheist and haven't been Christian since High School (for the record, I'm 26). They never described what it was surrounded around or what it was even about, and stressed I wouldn't need to say a single, solitary word. Basically, I'd take some fruit and put it in a bowl. Why they needed someone who never comes - willingly AND openly! - to do this, I don't know, but I sense it was an attempt to bring me back to the church.

What happened was the most creepy thing I ever witnessed in my life. I mean, I've been creeped out before, but not by anything I've witnessed by myself with my own two eyes before. Not in this manner.

It turned out what we were doing was tied to tithes. This church that I grew up in never took tithes. They took offering, sure, but tithes were never suggested or even hinted at, mainly because the denomination for which it belongs - Disciples of Christ - doesn't believe in tithing. But here I was, sitting in my pew with my purple plum fruit, and hearing the pastor go on about how the Bible tells us to give 10% of our income and how we will be blessed for it and how SO LITTLE money it actually is compared to the benefits.

So they called my name; I put one piece of fruit in one bowl, and the rest of the bag in another as did about 6-8 other people, including my own grandmother who I love dearly. Afterwards the pastor stressed that the bowl full of fruit (that everyone emptied out of their bags) was the collective sum of all the goodwill the church would receive and how much money left you'd have. Then he pointed to the smaller bowl with only like 6-8 pieces of fruit in it and said something akin to,"That's all you have to give".

I was completely shocked and shamed at what I had contributed to and that they would dare ask me to be a part of it.

During the entire sermon, the entire church were nodding their heads, saying,"Yeah!" and "Amen!", knowing they were going to give up 10% of their income for it. The youth and young adults seemed mixed, most seemed apathetic. But as he talked about 10% I looked at the mother who had 6 kids, and shook my head knowing she needed all the money she could get, how DARE he and this gaggle of miscreants ask for MORE.

Then my own grandmother got up, confessed her "sins" shudder, and then I just up and left.

I have never been so creeped out, offended, and seen the church as a cult like entity like I did before that day. I don't want to step into that church unless it's a wedding or funeral ever again. I am disgusted at the gall of this act, but more than that, I'm shocked and appalled that there were many people willing to give their money up just because the Bible said so.