Church and my views

So I have promising for weeks now a post about something that happened awhile back.  I have to get you some background on myself and a few other people.  So please bear with me.  For those that have already heard the tale than oh well.  LOL!

 I come from a non religious background and for that I am very thankful.  I have heard horror stories from friends that grew up one denomination or another and they tell stories of their own confusion and of things that happen in churches behind the scenes.  Now please do not take this blog post in any way that I’m bashing church. 

        

 The first time I remember going to church is with a friend of mine when I was 10 or 11.  I don’t even remember.  I do remember it being HUGE church and the dude up front (I didn’t know who or what he was) yelling about how we were going to hell!   I only went two or three times with her before I never went back.  They guy scared me.  There was no explaining of anything, just hell, hell and more hell.  I know now, that it was a non-denomination church. 

    I did not go to another church again until I was 14 and what didn’t scare me in that first church sure the Hell scared me in the next one I went to.  It took me going just once to realize that it wasn’t for me and probably never would.  A friend of mine, Fuzzy (yes this is what we called her and for the life of me I can’t remember her real name) all of a sudden found religion.  She went from being the fun loving young lady we (my Best Friend Leslie Anne and I) hung out with to this uptight one wrong thing you are going to Hell person.  She invited Leslie Anne and me to join her at her church.  We decided that’s fine, we’d go and see what it was all about.  For those of you here in Pensacola, you know that back in 1995ish Brownsville Assembly of God started the “week long Revival” that proceeded to last 4 or 5 years.  We went to the 3^rd night of this Revival during the 1^st week.  The people were rolling around on the floor speaking in “Tongues” and the “Pastor” of this Church was going around touching people’s head and screaming, “FIRE! NOW! MORE!” and the people were falling to the floor twitching and speaking in “Tongues”.   I was 14-15 at the time of this and I leaned over to Leslie Anne and told her that if Fuzzy twitched any harder with the guy she was holding hands with they’d be on top of each other.  I whispered this very quietly, but one of the ladies over heard it and called the “Pastor” over and tried to “SAVE” us as they called it.  We ran to the top balcony and hid until it was time to go.  I did not go to another Church again until I was almost 17. 

        

In between this incident and my going to Church I read a lot.  Some of which was the Bible, which I completely didn’t understand at all and I read a lot of history books and romance novels.  There was something in one of the books that I read, that I had to check to see if it was correct.  I have found that the Bible is very confusing and it’s all about interpetation.  Though at the time I didn’t understand this because I wasn’t a Christian and could care less about the Bible.  The book that I was reading was talking about how women could not enter the Church after Child birth for X amount of time.  This really confused me, because I had always been under the understanding that Women were made to have children, so why if we were doing what God had made them for were they not allowed in Church. 

I found this: Leviticus 12:1-8 which reads:

And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,

² Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, if a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean.

³ And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.

⁴ And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled.

⁵ But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days.

⁶ And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest:

⁷ Who shall offer it before the Lord, and make an atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood. This is the law for her that hath born a male or a female.

⁸ And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons; the one for the burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean.

Again I could not understand this, but not being of a religious background or having any religion I truthfully did not care. 

   About the time I turned 17, Sharra Lynn (my other Best Friend) talked me into going to her Church.  Now talk about an eye opener.  These people were very nice, they explained things in Sunday School (I had no clue what that was) and the Pastor wasn’t screeching about Fire and Brimstone.  Now truthfully I do not remember much of those early times going with Sharra Lynn on the rare occasion she talked me into going I just knew that her Church was a very nice place.  Around this time I started dating a young man whose parents were Nazarene.  To appease his mother I started to go to Church with them on Sunday mornings.  That is until I was politely asked by the Pastor to think about if I was going to the right place or not.  Now I didn’t do anything horrible.  I asked questions.  I wanted to know why, this and why that.  I asked too many questions I guess and was a labeled a trouble maker. 

 From the time I was 17 until I was 25ish I visited many different religions and many different Churches to see what I was missing.  I can tell you the one that scared me more than the Assembly of God Church was a Satanic “Church”.  I stayed there until they brought a goat out and I politely explained to the person I was with that, I had to go.  Thankfully they understood and there was no hard feelings.  I still keep in touch with this friend, but not as much as I would like too.  I asked questions about everything I could think of at the time.  Around 2009 Sharra Lynn asked me to join her at Church and I did.  By this time my eldest son Ethan had been in a Christian School since 2006 and in the spring of 2009 he was Saved and asked Jesus into his heart.  That winter at Sharra’s Church Ethan was baptized.  We continued going to Church (Though at the time I was still a non believer) and I soaked up as much information as I could.  I still didn’t understand things and the Bible was even more confusing.  In Jan 2011 I prayed and I felt something come over me.  I was praying because we just found out that we were going to have twins.  (I have my eldest by my first marriage, and we now have Peanut who is two and our twins who are 10 months.) When I felt this calming spirit come over me and I knew that everything was going to be okay.  So this was the day I asked Jesus to come into my heart and was Saved.  In June of 2011 I was Baptized.  We dedicated our Children in Church on April 29, 2012. 

  My husband grew up in Churches and at one point was the “Preachers Kid” and a Deacon Son.  My husband doesn’t agree with Church at all.  He’s seen too many things growing up on the back end of it that he doesn’t like them.    He and I both believe that a lot of Churches (NOT ALL) are built more on a “Social Network” than the true meaning of Church. 

But now I will get into the many reason I do not like 95% of Churches and why I have an issue with the Bible. 

1.     I have an issue with Church Politics.  Even before attending Church regularly I heard stories from other friends (NOT JUST MY BEST FRIEND) about the inner workings of their churches. 

a.     How one group or another group basically controlled what happened within the Church walls.  Not the Church as a whole, but this group or that group.  It goes with the saying of it’s Who you know, not what you know.

b.     In EVERY Church I’ve visited I’ve witnessed Church Politics and they are dangerous.  Not only to the Church itself but to the people there.

c.     With Church Politics you have a tendency to have a few people deciding what is good for the Church as a whole and from what I’ve seen they 9 out of 10 times have no clue what is going on with 75% of the Church Members.

2.     People getting places of position because of either who they are or how much they tithe and not because they are lead to the position by God. 

3.     Speaking of tithe, that is a big thing with me.  Yes I know God will provide, but until he does I have to provide for my family.  When you live paycheck to paycheck it’s hard to tithe what the Church says you are to tithe. 

a.     The Old Testament states you are to give 10% of everything you have.  Hello everything you have…not just how much money you make in a week, month or year.  But Everything you have.  Your NET WORTH basically. 

b.     Nowhere in the New Testament does it state a % amount.  It states that it should be keeping with income.  2 Corinthians 9:7 says, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

c.     Here is my question, a man/woman or family living off the streets that literally has nothing, has nothing to tithe.  So are they going to Hell because they have nothing to give?

d.     I believe if you give your time and what you can when you and you do it with a pure heart (not a heart of I have to do this to get into heaven) than God will understand.

e.     Also Tithe is should be between a person and GOD.  The only person who should know how much is the book keeper of the Church and hopefully they are not a big mouth and don’t tell what everyone Tithe’s.  If they do, remember they will have to answer to GOD!

4.    I do not believe that you should do anything or go anywhere that you are not lead by God to do.  Meaning:

a.     Do not go to a Church that God has not led you to

b.     Do not volunteer for a position that you were not led by God to do.

c.     Pastors do not let people led in your Church just because they are your friends.  They need to be led by GOD, not a Pastor.

d.     Pastor’s DO NOT let people be in charge of a position in the Church just because of how much they Tithe each month.

5.    I understand everyone gossips every once in a while, but Church should be the one place you do NOT do IT!  You are there to do one thing and one thing only.  Worship the Lord with other people.  It should not be used to discuss anyone else’s business.  If you have an issue with someone have the BALLS to go to the person you are having issue’s with.  Do not go to the Pastor to “tattle”.  Really?!  Are we adults or are we still in High School? 

6.   The last thing is the Bible.  I’ve discussed this with numerous people and friends.  The Bible is a guideline. 

a.     It is all about interpretation.  When listening to a Pastor or reading the Bible by yourself, God will show you how he wants you to understand what the passage means.  What God wants me to get out of what the Pastor is saying and what He wants the person next to you to get out of it could be different.  It depends on what is going on in your life. 

b.     While yes, God told the people to write the Books of the Bible and even the Bible itself, but please remember MAN wrote it.  MAN who can be swayed very easily.  So how can you tell me that everything in the Bible is exactly as it was all those years ago.  It’s been handed down and re-written and re-written and even a King had it written again.

c.     I’m not sure how to explain this one, people who use portions of the Bible (Please read Leviticus) but don’t go with all of it. 

d.     How can you believe in the Bible and not believe in magical creatures?

7.   I know you are to forgive everyone and you know what, I can forgive someone for things they might have or have not done.  What I and many other people can’t do is FORGET!  Example:  At a Church camp one year I witness a CAMP LEADER throw a chair across the room (Where children were playing) because the Youth were listening to something one of the other Leaders was saying.  I was a parent that saw this.  I can forgive this person for that, but I will never allow my children to be alone in the same room with this person, because I can’t FORGET what they did.  Seriously!?  I can’t imagine anyone wanting this person to be in charge of their children.  Yes I can forgive the incident, but never will I forget the look of fear on the children’s face as a chair came flying towards them. 

8.   Just because what I may or may believe and just because what I got from the Sermon and what you got might be different but neither of us is wrong.

9.   Never should anyone, let alone the Pastor, laugh (even jokingly) when asked a question about a book/passage in the Bible.  Remember that the other people around might not understand why you are laughing and assume you are laughing at the person who didn’t understand the book/passage. 

10.Finally No One in the Church: Not the Pastor, the Deacons, the members, NO ONE BUT GOD judges you!  If they do Judge you, than they themselves shall be Judge by GOD! 

One of my favorite verse’s in the Bible is: Revelation 19:16 “On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”  I love this one because I interpret this as he will have a tattoo on his leg as well as it written on his robes.  So if Jesus will have a tattoo on his leg how can it be bad for me.  Again Interpretation. 

There are other things that go on in Churches and People I hate to tell you this, but Non believers, new Christians and People who have been Christians their whole lives know what goes on in Churches.  So do not think for a minute anything I’ve said in this blog post is not something people didn’t already know.  The point of this is to help you understand where I am coming from.  Where and why I believe in things I do or do not. 

I did not believe in Churches and slowly I was on my way to believing and in the last 4 weeks things that have happened at more than one Church to friends of mine, it’s made me realize that I still don’t believe in Churches.  Now before you judge me, remember: Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” I can worship from home just as easily as I can at Church.  So for now, Bible studying is what we’ll be doing as a family instead of going to Church to Worship. 

I’m sure I’m forgetting points I wanted to make, but it’s taken me 3 weeks or so to write this. 

Thank you for reading my blog and remember as long as you aren’t bashing I love comments.  Everyone is allowed to have their own opinion.