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I went to church and was offered a gift form the pastors wife. It was a rectangular tin bucket with pretty flowers on the outside of it. I said it looked nice and asked if she did that pretty painting. With a smile she said yes. I refuesed to accept it (long story that) and left. Then a few days later I saw the exact same tin bucket I mean even the flowers on painted on it were exactly the same. I asked where they got it from. Answer the dollar store and they all were sold with the flowers painted on them.
Then when I went back to the same church I was locked out. No idea why the doors were locked but I had the phone number of the pastors right hand lady who helps him remember stuff in his sermon and her and her husband have a bible study at their home once a week. I was told the doors were closed because they canceled church that day but I forget why. Nice no one bothered to tell me
How did I end up there? Online supermarket shopping he was the delivery person.
What's the point of religion if it doesn't make us uncomfortable and force us to change our behavior and conform to a different lifestyle?
If I want to be coddled and comforted, I'll get a massage chair.
I think we all know the answer to that. People want to be told they're good. We have a world where kids have been getting participation trophies since age 4. They don't want to be told they have done anything wrong.
Only time I've ever felt "hurt" was when a Catholic priest refused to give me the wafer during communion when my wife and I got married. We told him I was confirmed as a Lutheran and was not Catholic.
Aside from that, I've always disagreed with the priest or pastor whenever that start making claims that are untrue (A Catholic priest making false statements about protestants and a Protestant pastor making false statements about the Catholic church).
The idea that religious leaders have to be obligated to follow their denomination's highest authority instead of just following the bible made me become non-denominational.
Only time I've ever felt "hurt" was when a Catholic priest refused to give me the wafer during communion when my wife and I got married. We told him I was confirmed as a Lutheran and was not Catholic.
It wasn't a wafer. The fact that you now call it a "wafer" vindicates the Priest. He was right to refuse it to you.
Only time I've ever felt "hurt" was when a Catholic priest refused to give me the wafer during communion when my wife and I got married.
I would have brought my own wafer!
Quote:
Originally Posted by compwiz02
The idea that religious leaders have to be obligated to follow their denomination's highest authority instead of just following the bible made me become non-denominational.
Certain individuals in various congregations I've attended over the years have been jerks.
But I wouldn't say "the church" as a body has ever done anything to hurt me.
Back when I was in high school and was attending a Southern Baptist church, I was disciplined by the leadership of the church in an official way for my scandalous behavior. Needless to say, I didn't enjoy the experience at the time; but it was very good for me and was an important wake up call at that point in my life.
Back when I was in high school, I walked out. More than once.
As an adult, when someone from a church that the ex cat wife's family attended tried to call me and tell me not to do something that I was doing, a less than polite response was met from me which included words like *#&$ and *#$^$ (On both sides)and ultimately I never stepped foot in that church again.
So if I church does not want to make me feel unwelcome, so, who cares? To me, it is no big deal. Churches are no different than any other social club or gathering.... some are good, some are not.
I think one of the best things that I ever realized was that I have the power and freedom to choose whether or not to view a church as "sacred" or to give it any power or authority. In my life, a church has no authority and no power. So as such, a church no longer has any power to make me feel hurt or anything else, although there are times that I have to take a person aside and show them how evolution has caused our middle fingers to be longer than the rest.....
Back when I was in high school, I walked out. More than once.
As an adult, when someone from a church that the ex cat wife's family attended tried to call me and tell me not to do something that I was doing, a less than polite response was met from me which included words like *#&$ and *#$^$ (On both sides)and ultimately I never stepped foot in that church again.
So if I church does not want to make me feel unwelcome, so, who cares? To me, it is no big deal. Churches are no different than any other social club or gathering.... some are good, some are not.
I think one of the best things that I ever realized was that I have the power and freedom to choose whether or not to view a church as "sacred" or to give it any power or authority. In my life, a church has no authority and no power. So as such, a church no longer has any power to make me feel hurt or anything else, although there are times that I have to take a person aside and show them how evolution has caused our middle fingers to be longer than the rest.....
Do you consider your actions as described above to be noble or worthy of emulation?
You reject the idea that any real spiritual authority exists outside and above yourself. That's your choice, but there's nothing 'Christian' about that.
All you're doing is making an idol of yourself and bowing down before it. Seems pointless and self-defeating, but you do you.
Back when I was in high school, I walked out. More than once.
As an adult, when someone from a church that the ex cat wife's family attended tried to call me and tell me not to do something that I was doing, a less than polite response was met from me which included words like *#&$ and *#$^$ (On both sides)and ultimately I never stepped foot in that church again.
So if I church does not want to make me feel unwelcome, so, who cares? To me, it is no big deal. Churches are no different than any other social club or gathering.... some are good, some are not.
I think one of the best things that I ever realized was that I have the power and freedom to choose whether or not to view a church as "sacred" or to give it any power or authority. In my life, a church has no authority and no power. So as such, a church no longer has any power to make me feel hurt or anything else, although there are times that I have to take a person aside and show them how evolution has caused our middle fingers to be longer than the rest.....
^ Great post. I can relate to all of that, and would say the same myself.
What's the point of religion if it doesn't make us uncomfortable and force us to change our behavior and conform to a different lifestyle?
If I want to be coddled and comforted, I'll get a massage chair.
The topic is asking if the church has been unwelcoming or otherwise hurtful, not if it has inspired anyone to good works or improved character or asked anything personally difficult of them. I don't know why people would bother attending church if they didn't think there was some moral elevation to be had. What they don't want is to be met with cliquishness or otherizing or to be lied to, etc.
Also you cannot "force" people to behave in certain ways. You can challenge or inspire them to change voluntarily, but if it's not voluntary then it's not genuine; or at best it is doing the right thing for the wrong reason.
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