I was brought up in a non-religious/spiritual family. My parents and sisters did belong to a Souther Baptist church back in the last 60's & early 70's but stopped going when my father had to use a wheelchair for mobility. He had MS. I attended a Christian preschool as a child and did attend church with one of my sisters when I was 4. I stopped going with her when she yelled at me about not keeping my legs together when I wore a skirt or dress. My parents never really talked about God or religion/spirituality with me. I went to a church with a friend of mine at 8 and when the preacher started spouting hell, fire and brimstone it scared me so much I ran out. I have never stepped into another church service since. That was 23 yrs ago.
When I was 10 my father died. At that time, I basically lost all faith. Slowly became an atheist for about 10 yrs. I slowly became an agnostic when my dh came into my life back in 1996. He was a born-again Christian. I say was because when we were planning our wedding, his old church would not allow us to get married when we wanted to due to the fact that we were "living in sin". That made dh just a bit upset. I couldn't care less because I preferred the idea of eloping anyway. We eloped.
After giving birth to our daughters and then the death of my mother this year, I have realized that I am missing something in my life. Now, I do not like organized religions at all period. A lot of them in my opinion seem cultish to me. If any of you have been in the same boat as I am, how did you find something for your spiritual release? Most of my friends are devout Christians and they just don't understand my journey. Hope I can find someway to help me with my spiritual side.
__________________ Georgette(32)
Diagnosed 2/07 Mom of Caitlyn(9) Tristan(7) and Heather(6)
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
wow what a story! It's really sad that you have been so mistreated by the institution of the church.
I personally am a follower of Jesus, I say 'follower of Jesus' as I completely understand you disullusionment with the church, I personally have never fit in, get angry and still don't fit in with the institution. But it's important that we always 'look to the cross' and not to the church.
What I would say to you is don't shut out Jesus completely yet. People will distort any 'religion' for personal gain, unfortunatley, thats just people and the world.
But if you go back to the words of Jesus, the cross and the life and sacrifice of this great man/God. (Read any of the Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) You will realise what you have experienced out from the 'church' is in fact NOT Jesus but people.
I hope you find the truth on your search for true spirituality. Many Many Blessings to you.
I too am a follower of Jesus. Its been a hard hike up that mountain but' in the end the sunset is magnificent. I too hope you search scriptures to find the true meaning of Gods love.
I agree. . . Jesus is who your heart is searching for. It sounds like He may be calling you to Him. Please read the Gospel of John and Romans in the Bible. The word "religion" is rarely mentioned in the Bible, and is usually with a negative connotation. Faith in Jesus is what the Bible teaches.
Elkanah, Thank you for the very mature advice you offered here. It's so eloquent and true. People don't always act perfect. The church is filled with imperfect people, but those imperfect people are closer to God than many.
I am a follower of Christ too and I have been so ever since I was old enough to attend church alone. Before then, my grandmother would take me to her baptist church, but I could not relate. Later, I found my way to a pentecostal church. I felt good there. I heard all the rumors about the church, the paster this, the pastor that...but I didn't care because the word the pastor delivered help me...it helped to find love and it helped me to understand/experience commitment. Now, I belong to a non-denominational church (with a pentecostal twist). Those people know how to pray a person thru a situation, and they know how to praise. I thank God for leading me to such a place. It took awhile, but He did it.
I would agree with all the responses here! I am a born-again Christian. However, as a I grew up, I remained in the church out of fear of my parents. I became a born-again Christian when I felt I was ready and not at "the appropriate time". I do things my own way. I always have. I always will. I am 28 years old and I have, only in the last 5 months, really started my spiritual journey with God. Before, I had the faith, I had the actions, and I was religious. But I wasn't spiritual.
I have found an incredible peace and happiness wash over me the past couple weeks. I have found myself CRAVING meditation with God. I am thirsty for His Word. I am learning to let Him have all control and no longer myself. I want God to lead me in life where I need to go - no matter what bad things befall me. Just take a look at the book of Job. He was tested and tested and when he realized God could do ANYTHING for him and that He knew what was best for Job, Job's life improved. God took care of him. Job let God lead his life. That is all we can hope for in this life.
Churches may feel like cults to some people. But they shouldn't. The church is actually the members -- not the buildings. The worship services should be attractive to seekers. The whole point of worshipping with others was not to exclude others - it was to come together with people who were like-minded (similar beliefs) in order to strengthen their faith and grow as a Christian. Worship services should also appeal to seekers - those who don't have God in their lives or those who do not have a church family. But you must remember that all churches are just people - sinful people...people who make mistakes. The only way to avoid that is to make it to Heaven.
__________________ Mandi (29) To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Shoha (21) To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Metformin ER @ 500mg
Spironalactone @ 50mg
Women's Multivitamin
I wasn't raised overly religious, because my parents are of different religious backgrounds. But, as an adult I did feel the need to find my own church to call home. After "trying out" many churches and different Christian denominations, Baptist, Southern Baptist, Christian, etc, I found one that instantly felt like home. It is a local United Methodist Church. I absolutely love it there!
I think trial and error did it for me... you will know when you are in the right place. You will feel at home.
Good luck!
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Not sure about this, but here it goes... 
