What denomination were you?

I hear sometimes about how hard it must have been to turn away from a Pentecostal lifestyle...being compared to how much easier it would be for a Baptist, etc. to walk away from Xianity.

Granted, maybe my upbringing was more fanatical, but I personally think that any connection to a 'god' can be harmful and difficult in it's own way.

I'm very interested in finding out other people's denominations/sects and how they see this.

Tags: christian, denomination, god, sect, xian

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Daley on October 12, 2008 at 6:16pm

We can hope that your sisters will learn from your critical thinking and learn that the system is meant to feed off of your feelings like that. Creepy, yes. I agree.

I was also very disturbed to see part of that church's Global Mission:
"Give till it hurts."

Permalink Reply by Krista on October 12, 2008 at 7:47pm

I think my difficulty stemmed from the fact that I was home schooled, my dad was a preacher and missionary to Mexico, and I was raised centering every little aspect of my life around the religion. I was taught to be afraid of anyone who didn't think like us. People who weren't us were treated with friendliness but not friendship. A life in the real world was literally unimaginable. It took me years to get over that feeling of being afraid and lost in the world.

Permalink Reply by Charles on October 13, 2008 at 2:09am

With some family I would attend Baptist services and with others the Pentecostal.There was a difference for sure.The Pentecostals were into all the speaking in tongues and stressing Acts 2:38 .This saids something about receiving the gift of holy ghost or something.Been a long time.I look back on it now and see how it was all cult like.

Permalink Reply by Julia Rutledge on May 21, 2009 at 2:05pm

My home life would definitely have been a disaster if I had voiced my doubts younger. My parents believed that they and they alone knew the complete truth, and that if we weren't very careful about what we said to outsiders, they might turn us in to "Them". (The authorities: Child Services, police, mental health workers, etc.) Therefore we were practically an island as a family, and dissention within would have destroyed us. Or they would have kicked me out earlier, as they did when I finally started to walk away.
Yeah, I catch myself singing hymns and modern "worship" songs as well, even though the lyrics irritate me at least. Does anyone know how to break that deeply ingrained habit?

Permalink Reply by Kosak Grabovsky on May 27, 2009 at 6:55am

Being a music major in college and having been in christian singing groups from the age of 7, I am always catching myself humming songs that are religious. As to how to break that habit, try immersing yourself in popular music. It has somewhat worked for me.

Permalink Reply by Angie Jackson on June 5, 2009 at 6:44am

Ah "Them". Yes, I was warned about "them" also. Glad we're both part of them now :)

Permalink Reply by Kalan Oplin on July 4, 2009 at 3:06pm

I guess I just like the old gospel music for its memory value. Even though I do not believe the way I used to, my memories are wrapped up in the music of the United Pentecostal Church from the 70's and 80's. I don't believe in the message any more but I do believe in the memories they resurect.

Permalink Reply by fortunate on December 3, 2008 at 6:42pm

I watched this thing with the sound off, 'cause it's late.... Why are those people in blue robes (angels?) all creepily identical blonde Aryans?

Permalink Reply by Richard on December 29, 2008 at 5:47am

haha mormons are godamn stupid

Permalink Reply by Jasen on November 26, 2008 at 8:09pm

I was Church of the Nazarene, which is very similar to the Free Methodist church described in the first reply. My last two years as a Christian I was in a quasi- Emerging type church.

I don't know which denoms might be harder to reject. Pentecostals tend to be fairly non-rational, whereas most other denoms take a stab at being rational. There's pluses and minuses for that though regarding breakaway ability.

Permalink Reply by Summie on December 13, 2008 at 1:24am

I was raised by a Southern Baptist Navy Chaplain, who retired to become a minister at a local church, and then became a missionary to the Far East. I was old enough and away in college when the missionary 'calling' arrived for my father.
I was raised with the understanding that I HAD to be in church Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening. There were also other nights for choir practice and other 'group' meetings, such as the Churches equivalent of Boy Scouts called Royal Ambassadors. Frightening to think that the Boy Scouts was too secular for the Southern Baptist Church!
Since my father was the minister at the church we attended, I was sort of a celebrity, but I also found it very easy to get in trouble. There was always someone from the church who I would run into regardless how petty my 'crime of the day' was.
As I grew into adolescence and realized I was gay, that certainly started to complicate matters. I was attending a church who's message was that I was going to go to hell if I continued to fantasize about other boys or men.
Needless to say.... the moment I had the chance, which was at the ripe old age of 16, I stopped going to church and can count the number of times I've crossed the threshold of any house of worship on two hands to this day, (and I'm 45).
I wandered aimlessly forever even going as far as to think that many of my problems may indeed be caused by not having Jesus as the center of my life! But then I really started to study and THINK and went through quite a bit of drama to get to the point of being proud to say that I am an atheist.

Permalink Reply by Terry on December 13, 2008 at 2:32pm

I used to be catholic, and to some extent feel that it still haunts me. It is a damnable doctrine drenched in fear, I cant tell you how many nightmares of hell I've had from it. I always found it uncomfortable to say jesus or the devil or heaven knowing somehow there was something horribly wrong and while I can still have some rational talks with them I think the world would be better without religion. One blow to me that has always affected me mentally was when I was very little I guess I misbehaved in a store and my mother called me the devil and a second time when I asked a question about the devil. For a long time as a child I wondered if I was this hell spawn. Although my profile tends to say I want to co exist with them and fit with a religious family I will always be the black sheep. I am starting to hate it even more now that my mother disowned me and said come back when you have more faith. Haha to make matters worse I was homeschooled by "Christian Liberty Academy" which had laughable explanations to the dinosaurs and stars and had god littered in EVERY page in the curriculum.