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SCchic
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(Date Posted:10/21/2005 02:39:58)
Hello everyone,
I've been looking for a forum like this for a very long time. I hope to meet people who have been in the same situation like I have, and who have grown since leaving fundamentalism.
My story is pretty simple. I have always believed in God. About three years ago, I found a local church that struck my interest. I have always been non-denom, but for some reason, I longed to find a church that was denominational. I thought that it was the thing to do.
This church was small and consisted of about 75 members. At first I was welcomed with open arms. I joined the womens groups and did alot of work in the church. The first year was great. Sure there were times when I would raise and eyebrow over some things the Pastor said. However, I thought that he was okay as far as a Pastor was concerned.
After the first year, some things began to happen. I noticed that he began to harp on specific issues that were related to women. I have never been a liberated woman, however, after awhile I started to leave church feeling as if being a woman was a dirty thing. I noticed how I began to change, and how I started to dislike many of the things that I liked before.
Because this was the first church my husband attended with me, I thought that if I just hung in there a little longer that things would change. But after the second year I started to become depressed and decided that it was time to leave.
I could name plenty of issues that came into light that caused me to leave, but I realized that the main reason itself were the fundamental ideas that were being pushed on me and my family. During our last vist, we had a major blow up in the church and have never went back. I was transformed overnight when I sat down and wrote the Pastor a letter. It was like a huge weight had been lifted off of me.
We have been churchless for awhile now. My husband and I are very picky about what type of church we will attend again. I hope that one day we will find somewhere to go, but this whole experience with the fundamentalist have left us with a very sore feeling.
Thanks for listening to my story.........................
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redzed
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(Date Posted:10/21/2005 05:35:44)
Reply to : SCchic
I could name plenty of issues that came into light that caused me to leave, but I realized that the main reason itself were the fundamental ideas that were being pushed on me and my family.
Hi and welcome , it seems all the churchs have this same trait, at first they present all the good things, the 'freedom' of the gospel etc, then once you're hooked they trot out the unpalatable ideas that are then pushed upon one by a combination of social pressures and induced personal guilt. How is it that priests and ministers have a direct line to the almighty apparently denied to the rest of us? What makes them so special? Do they have some extra part of the brain or what? In fact it's quite transparent when one thinks of it, church may be a good social scene but it is no substitute for one's own discoveries.
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Albert Einstein: "A human being is a part of the whole, called by us "Universe" a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest--a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and affection for a few persons nearest us."
Namaste
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snakechic
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(Date Posted:10/21/2005 18:21:36)
Reply to : SCchic
We have been churchless for awhile now. My husband and I are very picky about what type of church we will attend again. I hope that one day we will find somewhere to go, but this whole experience with the fundamentalist have left us with a very sore feeling.
Hiya....chicky ( both our little fingers together) - Do you do that in the US when you say the same word spontaneously?
anyway...
I recon most people don't research enough when looking around for a new chruch.......they seem to me at least spend more time choosing what kind of TV to buy.
I have have loved 'researching' fundamentalism and christianity here on the forum - I wish you a similar enjoyment.
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In exchange for obedience, Christianity promises salvation in an afterlife; but in order to elicit obedience through this promise, Christianity must convince people that they need salvation, that there is something to be saved from. Christianity has nothing to offer a happy person living in a natural, intelligible universe. If Christianity is to gain a motivational foothold, it must declare war on earthly pleasure and happiness, and this, historically, has been its precise course of action. In the eyes of Christianity, woman(man) is sinful and helpless in the face of God, and is potential fuel for the flames of hell. Just as Christianity must destroy reason before it can introduce faith, so it must destroy happiness before it can introduce salvation.
-- George H Smith, Atheism: The Case Against God
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Voltaire
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(Date Posted:10/22/2005 10:33:42)
"Freewill Baptist"? That just plain funny! I reminds me of communist Russia calling itself a Republic to make sure that everyone knew it was a place of freedom. It sounds like you want to keep the Freewill part and dump the Baptist part.
Welcome to our Forum!
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Zombies, Unicorns, Devils, Sea Monsters, Satyrs, Dragons, Six Winged Angels, Gods, Demons, Witches, Astrologers, A walking & talking snake, Magical fruit, Talking donkeys, human headed six-winged beasts, Ghosts. All that stuff is in the Bible and yet they tell me it"s not mythology?
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spitfire1979
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(Date Posted:10/30/2005 20:35:30)
a Freewill Baptist! Now that's a blast from the past. My parents went to a teeny tiny one when they were growing up, left the church as teens and then went back to it as new parents. I grew up on that stuff until I was 5 and we went to Southern Baptist, then at 12 to Independent Baptist... you'd think my parnets would have got a clue that "Baptist" just didn't work for them...but they changed to fit the mold I guess.
Welcome to the forum! Whatever you and you family evolve as, believers or non, you're welcome here. If you have kids (or ever do) it takes a lot of logic-streching to explain to them why you go to a church where the pastor preaches against women (like their own mother). Nice way to establish ideals for equality and true love, huh?
Just a curiousity question...do they still do the "feet washing services"?
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imZoe
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(Date Posted:10/31/2005 16:43:07)
Welcome SCchic.
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SCchic
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(Date Posted:11/01/2005 03:41:54)
Reply to : spitfire1979
a Freewill Baptist! Now that's a blast from the past. My parents went to a teeny tiny one when they were growing up, left the church as teensand then went back to it as new parents. I grew up on that stuff until I was 5 and we went to Southern Baptist, then at 12 to Independent Baptist... you'd think my parnets would have got a clue that "Baptist" just didn't work for them...but they changed to fit the mold I guess.Welcome to the forum! Whatever you and you family evolve as, believers or non, you're welcome here. If you have kids (or ever do) it takes a lot oflogic-streching to explain to them why you go to a church where the pastor preaches against women (like their own mother). Nice way to establish ideals for equality and true love, huh?Just a curiousity question
Oh yes, but only when the "Pastor" feels it to be necessary.
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