tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14917571.post7726788750105202508..comments2023-10-31T06:48:39.805-04:00Comments on The Reluctant Prophet: Thank Friday, It's GodKLeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00432371404842970536noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14917571.post-63122325359578829742007-06-23T13:42:00.000-04:002007-06-23T13:42:00.000-04:00I'm sorry you have had such bad experiences with c...I'm sorry you have had such bad experiences with church and church people. I wish you could come to some of our churches out here, where people seem to be more willing to accept that we don't know everything and don't feel like we have to pretend to be "perfect church people"--just be growing in our relationship with Christ as our savior, and out of that flowing a love for and acceptance of others.<BR/><BR/>I'm praying that you'll find the answers and grounding you're looking for.purple_kangaroohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02543172194041505144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14917571.post-24686350555051976792007-06-12T13:50:00.000-04:002007-06-12T13:50:00.000-04:00Aw, you're too kind!Again, JF and Mr. MFBA are the...Aw, you're too kind!<BR/><BR/>Again, JF and Mr. MFBA are the same person. He says he's agnostic. Me, I don't know where my faith has gone. I would never say I don't believe but I don't pray and don't desire attending church on a regular basis.ccwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05319415763862282537noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14917571.post-63704907399821435092007-06-11T12:16:00.000-04:002007-06-11T12:16:00.000-04:00ah so sweet, i feel like i am in a similar place, ...ah so sweet, i feel like i am in a similar place, i don't necessarily believe in a higher power, but it would be nice to have larger "family" that could openly share beliefs or at least discussions of beliefs. yeah like a blog family, but one that could bring you casseroles. :)Bridgethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17798414632877000023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14917571.post-85488199007827258602007-06-11T11:07:00.000-04:002007-06-11T11:07:00.000-04:00Love you right back!Love you right back!Yankee Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11533568911291967397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14917571.post-62104978425857186872007-06-10T16:32:00.000-04:002007-06-10T16:32:00.000-04:00I thought you grew up in the south, KLee, not here...I thought you grew up in the south, KLee, not here in Illinois! Except for the the molestation mention, you could have been decribing the Lutheran Church my family belonged to. Some of the same folks who were so pious and judgemental inside the church couldn't wait to run to their cars (usually swearing at on-coming traffic on the road between the church and their main lot), often swearing in frustration at how poorly the Cubs were doing. But that didn't put me off organized religion. A friend's "evangelical" church did. <BR/><BR/>I couldn't have been more than 10, since my mom was still alive. But it was winter, and my friend's church was having a Saturday night swimming party. Swimming in winter in the midwest? What kid wouldn't want to go! The bus ride to the church was so dark I had no idea what direction we were headed, but it felt like it took a long time - to this day I don't know where it was. The church kids were singing Amazing Grace and teasing me for not knowing the words. (As a Lutheran I grew up with light liturgical ditties like A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, not Amazing Grace.) <BR/><BR/>Before swimming, we had to go talk to the preacher, and we (the guests) were all shuttled into a room where the fire & brimstone preacher tried to "save" us. Much like JF, I imagine, I questioned some of the ideas the preacher was proposing, debating him with things I'd learned in Sunday School. His God sounded vengeful. My God was not venegful, mine was forgiving. (If anyone saw the Buffy episode where she's at an Initiaive breifing, questioning every thing they're being told, then you have an idea of what I'm talking about.) I challenged the preacher to defend his positions - that's when he and a woman quickly ushered me into a separate room, berated me for causing problems. Even as a child I sensed that he was afraid of admitting that he did not have all the answers. When bullying me into being "saved" failed, he started threatening me, saying my parents and siblings would never get into Heaven if I didn't get saved. (Not the thing to tell a child who's mother is dying!) He had me sobbing and shaking. It was mental abuse, no question. I was alone, terrified, with no means of escape. Even if I had found a phone, I had no idea where to tell Mom and Dad to come get me. To come and save me. <BR/><BR/>That's when I said a long prayer, asking God for help, and telling God that the only way I could think to get out of this situation was to play along and pretend to be "saved." I was scared of accidentally pledging my soul to someone I don't trust, so I wanted to make it clear to God that I was NOT following this scary man's so-called path to Salvation. So the preacher, thinking he "saved" me, paraded this long line of kids out to his congregation. I remember thinking it was creepy they were in church at night, like it was a horror film and maybe we were the offering. He made us repeat some prayers and pledges. I stood there, pretending to mouth the words he'd coached us to say, standing and sitting when instructed, while silently praying to God to help me get home safely, and for reassurance that He knew what my real intentions were. Full of pride over his success, the preacher finally let us swim - I recall a bunch of us in a small pool for just a few minutes, so for all I know it was actually a Baptism.<BR/><BR/>When I finally got home I ran sobbing into my Mom's arms. After I told her about the terrifying experience, she called my friend's mom. The next Sunday they came to our church, they soon joined and became far more active Lutherans than we ever were.<BR/><BR/>Lesson learned: You can't blindly trust someone with your soul. For every Songbird out there, there might be one of these horrible preachers who positions himself as the only person capable of saving your soul - you just have to do everything he says. That's an all-consuming power no one should have. I put my trust in God Himself, and I've probably spent more time praying and reading the Bible than most of the people in that church that night ever have.<BR/><BR/>Sorry for the lenghty story, but it was a horrifying experience that clearly shaped my views on organized religion. It works for many people, but not for me - and I truly believe God knows why, and understands.<BR/><BR/>LaReina (for some reason I couldn't remember how to reply non-anon, so to speak)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14917571.post-44076965130609981072007-06-09T22:51:00.000-04:002007-06-09T22:51:00.000-04:00What Miche said.Mwah!What Miche said.<BR/><BR/>Mwah!Liz Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09469435277058701080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14917571.post-28092383383288844372007-06-09T08:35:00.000-04:002007-06-09T08:35:00.000-04:00Back at ya!Back at ya!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com