Do you go to church?

Post Reply New Topic

I think you don't know me well enough. Are you telling me I'm wrong, that my experiences are inaccurate, that you know better than I do? You may be the one with the blindfolds on, in denial, or just blissfully ignorant.

Show me a person that's happy once they realize they've been harmfully deceived/wronged and I'll credit you. And yes, my family's been through some things, if I'm hate-filled at all I didn't go in to church hate-filled, I came out hate-filled, I'm definitely not the only one, and that says something. In the meantime I'll stroke your ego a bit in telling you that this stuff may not happen in all churches, like maybe yours, though I doubt it. Keep your eyes and ears covered, as that saying I learned in church goes: See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, know no evil. Or you may just begin to understand my side a little better.

If I ever start up a brand new church from the ground up (it's something that I'm actually kind of envisioning doing in the next couple of years,) I would LOVE to have you serve on the Hospitality Ministry Team!

I grew up going to church. I wasn't very social, but that was normal for me. Everything was going okay until about the end of high school, when the pastor went off his medication and decided I was possessed. We had him leave the church and started over. Then when I left for Austin, I joined a baptist church. I left because of the cliques and people bringing business and obsession with money into the church. I attended another one recently before moving. I want to find a church where people are honest and treat everyone like human beings. They shouldn't show pity but just understanding. Oh and absolutely no brainwashing.

Last edited by KateShroud on 04 Jan 2009, 11:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I don't go to church but it doesn't mean much as I converted to Buddhism a few years ago.

I try to go to meditate and Darma talks but there is no where local so it is normally a couple months between visits.

When I was a Christian I would go to meetings (Quaker service) every week for a few months and then stop for a few months and then repeat.

As a kid I was forced to go every week (Evangelical) *shudder*

I didn't say it applies to me but it is understandable given some of the churches with gargoyles and whatnot.



Because the ministers and parents mention it....



well I was!! I was hit with rulers and paddles from Kindergarten to Second Grade!! !
Witnessed that happen with other people too. Bastards used 5-6 rulers held together with duct tape....



My experience (regarding pastors mentioning hell and getting hit by them or parents) show otherwise...

Not to mention the arguably f****d up things some pastors say......coming back from the aforementioned Black Baptist Church, they justified control, authority and pulled out that 'disobedient children are not long for this world' among other things. Then they talked about not democracy or equality, but following 'god's rules' and whatnot, saying it matters whether you're doing good in the name of the world instead of 'the lord'.

Sorry, but it's weird

Also it's hard to pay attention to what they're saying and I had to lol when someone (another minister) said the holy ghost got him when he didn't say a bible verse correctly, instead of well....him mistepping due to being motivated and excited

Oh. And that "You are my shepherd, lead us" quote you hear from people in some churches....

Oh, and the fact that for the Pastor's Birthday and for some other social function (going to another church) they wanted people to dress in 2 certain colors 'for uniformity'.

And lol, as like in MUCH of the South Side of Chicago (seriously, go down Ashland or Halsted in the South Side and see for yourself), there's ANOTHER church ACROSS the street that is ALSO THE SAME DENOMINATION. OR WORSE THEY'RE NEXT DOOR. 2-3 IN A ROW!

lolololol

EDIT: regarding Priests and counseling/financial matters...IIRC the Catholics train their clergy in counseling and various other functioning and they will refer you to external help and all that. Some of the Protestant denominations might do that too, but less likely with the smaller churches and all that.. Some people may get training or knowledge independently however...still.

Last edited by Warsie on 05 Jan 2009, 1:11 am, edited 2 times in total.

I went to a religious school and the the year before I started they still used the cane on kids. This was the late 90's mind.

I'm a christian, but I don't go to church. I started to go again and it was fine but I don't really want to tell people I'm autistic. There's just too much socialising at church. I like visiting my heathen friends. Also, I feared that they would see my autism as a demonic spirit as they saw my depression/anxiety.

It's Australia and apparently caning is still popular in some parts (rural aus?) but still.



why don't you go to a Unitarian church or try it out?

My grandfather got ripped-off by the pastor when he loaned out money to the Pastor to build the Outreach church in the (~1980s, not sure).

My grandmother has noticed all the cliques and arguments and all that. I've been to a service last year and they were arguing over various things and the past few times I have been there (past ~2 years maybe) the attendance has decreased SIGNIFICANTLY, more than HALF the people are gone. The stuff I see my mother complain about, and she is an 'involved' member in the church, well the various family reunions and planning for that and whatnot that involve the church.....

Remember my statement about South Side Chicago Black Churches and divisiveness and 2-3 churches of the same denomination right by each other.

So it is possible what he says is correct. Your church and religious experience may be different than his. Then again you're Caucasian and live in the Toronto Metro Area

Obviously, all our experiences are different.

I must say I admire the worship-style of Black Churches. But why are they always fanning themselves? Do none of these places have air-conditioning?

Let us luxuriate in our racial deliciousness.

"gettin' the holy ghost" in their vernacular term for it.



1. Some of them probably don't have air conditioning (given where some of the churches pop up, street preachers, etc that is a possibility) and sometimes they host services outside (especially in the Southern United States). Also even with any central air people may still get hot. And it might be a learned behavior from when they were younger and didn't have central air, especially the older people who came from the Southern US in 'The Great Migration'




yes

To the OP, do you mean church as in a building? or do you mean that somebody subscribes to a particular religion that has a 'church' meaning a philosophic point.

I did for a long time, but I haven't lately because I grew tired of everyone putting on a show on Sunday morning of how great they are when I knew what they were like outside of church.

I just wanted to be myself, not put on some show, and didn't really fit in because of it.

I haven't gone to church in many years. I've hated going to church since I was 11 years old. the other sunday school kids would mock, taunt, and ridicule me. So I quit going. I have gone back to church a few years later (after I moved) but I just didn't like going anymore. for me church is really really really BORING! No interest in it at all. I'm an agnostic anyway.

Last edited by Presto77 on 05 Jan 2009, 6:13 pm, edited 2 times in total.

I appreciate your honesty.

I completely and wholeheartedly agree that "Fellowhip is where it all begins." Fellowship is the basic building block that leads to relationship/"family" formulation, which then ultimately leads to Community. Community flows out of the gifts, talents and abilities that are represented among the body of Christ. As long as each of us chooses to intentionally give of ourselves where we "flow" in our gifts, talents, abilities and callings with the intention of ministering to and blessing one another, it is in the joint operation of all of those gifts, talents & abilities that "commmunity" manifests itself. When it occurs (or "manifests" itself,) "community" can be and most of the time IS a most beautiful thing.

My mom made me and my siblings go to synagogue for years throughout our youths. Now I wouldn't even go to synagogue to fornicate on the altar.