Never Accepted

[hoipoloi]

:)

I am a Member of the Society of People Who Have Never Been Accepted as a Member of Any Christian Church and Have Now Given Up the Attempt to Be One.

Am I the only member of this society?

The idea has come from the UK's Daily Telegraph -- telegraph.co.uk--where, last Friday (17 Nov 2006) Bryan Dixon of Winchester wrote:

Now is the time to bring to the attention of music lovers The Society of People Who Have Never Seen The Sound of Music and Have No Intention of Doing So -- I believe I am the only member of this society.

This letter caused an avalanche of like letters, most absolutely hilarious, showing that the English are natural rebels.

Above is my take on this idea.

:D

[Carmen]

I have not seen the Sound of Music in its entirety, at least not that I can remember since I've been out of diapers (nappies). I did sing the Sound of Music song as part of a recital once, during a short romantic phase. :rolleyes:

I'm close to joining your society, but still have hope that I can find a group of Christians sometime where I feel safe, unified, loving and loved, well taught, etc. Might there still be a sliver of romanticism left?

[SueJean]

Dear Hoipoloi,
I'm leaning increasingly more in that direction. I feel like a fish out of water, a misfit, most of the time when I'm around those who call themselves Christians. When I'm around 12 Step people, I find myself feeling more at ease, safe, that it's okay for me to be myself kindasorta anyway. For me, I'm attending more 12 Step meetings. I gotta force myself to go & then force myself to walk through the door and then force myself to attend the meeting and force myself to stay there. Sometimes, following the meeting, I'll talk w/a couple of people. I'm taking small steps. For me, it's scary. I know that I gotta do something 'cause I'll isolate. As it is, I have yet to take anyone's name & phone number. I've had lunch w/a few women; that includes my sponsor as well as the woman that I'm sponsoring. It may not seem like a big deal to others; for me, it feels gigantic. Oh, I'm feeling choked up even writing this.

[mary]

:)

I am a Member of the Society of People Who Have Never Been Accepted as a Member of Any Christian Church and Have Now Given Up the Attempt to Be One.

Am I the only member of this society?


:D

You are emphatically not the only one, Hoipoloi! Welcome to our ever-less-exclusive club! I have the distinction of having been thrown out of four (4) churches in the last six (6) years. Those are just the non-Catholic churches I've been tossed from. Before that, as a cradle Catholic who attempted to remain one (but why? mais pourqoi?! :D ) into adulthood even though I believed almost nothing of its teaching, I was thrown out of three or four Catholic churches. (Well, Catholic churches don't really "throw you out" because it takes a diocesan action to excommunicate someone. They just make it "socially uncomfortable" for you and they ostracize you to the extent that you really can't stay.) Why is it "business as usual" for me to associate with/join a "Christian" assembly and then promptly - say, within three to four years, max - get tossed? Because I ask questions... :eek: :D :eek: And I expect reasonable answers. That's most of the time; another time (the one that led me to this forum), my tossing was caused by "pastor's" harassment of me, my rejection of him and other things. That one only minimally included the old "asking questions" offense.

Have I given up on belonging to a local Christian assembly? Oh, yes! Entirely. Eight churches over the course of... how many years? - well, it's embarrassing even to me to think about the sheer frequency with which I get thrown out of churches.

We still do go to church, but - no more joining! I've been "too late smart:" if you don't join, they can't throw you out. :rolleyes: :) I'm thinking about having one of those porch flags made and specially screen-printed with John 16:2-3. Then the next time some "pastor" thinks my husband and I would make good members of his congregation and wants to visit us in order to encourage us to join, he'd come over and see that flag waving in the breeze - and be forewarned... :cool: That would save an enormous amount of time.

Ah, it's a beautiful "Christian" world, isn't it?

mary

[ex-shep]

[QUOTE=hoipoloi;42453]:)

I am a Member of the Society of People Who Have Never Been Accepted as a Member of Any Christian Church and Have Now Given Up the Attempt to Be One.

Am I the only member of this society?

Not in this forum. Until a few years ago, I never went to Florida. I have a TV but no hookup to over the air, satelite, or cable. I am probably the only person who owns two Chartruex and takes them out for a walk.

I have the ability to downplay the holidays.

[mary]

[quote=hoipoloi;42453]:)


I am probably the only person who owns two Chartruex and takes them out for a walk.

I have the ability to downplay the holidays.

Congrats on the two blessings, Ex-shep: the Chartreuxes (beautiful!) - and the ability to downplay the holidays... That's a wonderful skill to have mastered & I hope to reach your level of skill someday.

mary

[renee nelson]

:)
Am I the only member of this society?
:D
NO unfortunantly you are not alone. But Jesus loves and accepts us all. When I woke up this am the negative thoughts came rushing in, I hate holidays... I hate myself... etc.... etc... But then I just started to sing Jesus loves me... And He really does. May you also find comfort in Him today dear sister.
Love, Renee

[hoipoloi]

:)

May I give a positive view of our position?

I said that I am a natural rebel --and that could be very positive indeed.

Maybe someone in the church communities actually reads SA.com and we are the avant guarde of a new kind of compassionate church.

I know that what we have to put up with is nothing like the persecution of Christians in China and elsewhere: nothing like the horrors of torture that Christians of the past endured -- and yet, and yet .....

When Tertulian said that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church, he may be speaking for us also. Church people who read this forum may begin to wonder and doubt that their enclosed attitude is right: they may start changing their attitudes to church.

Let us hold our heads high -- I think we are doing something really positive -- remember the song:

Do you hear the People sing?
Singing the song of angry (wo)men?
It is the music of the People
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is life about to start
When tomorrow comes!

To the barricades, my Friends!

[ex-shep]

NO unfortunantly you are not alone. But Jesus loves and accepts us all. When I woke up this am the negative thoughts came rushing in, I hate holidays... I hate myself... etc.... etc... But then I just started to sing Jesus loves me... And He really does. May you also find comfort in Him today dear sister.
Love, Renee

I had to turn off the radio because of the ads. I woke up in a cold sweat. Thankfully I live on the first floor, so no balcony to jump off. The bad thing I discovered is one that just prefers not to is labelled a Scrooge or some type of radical sympathizer. It drives me nuts that I can not be holiday optional. I do anyway.

I realize the book is written by an atheist, but the Trouble with Christmas by Tom Flynn is a good read. If it were not for Thomas Nast and Charles Dickens, we would not be in this mess. I would invite you to our church decoration party this Saturday 1230 GMT -6. The reason why there is a large group of us who can vent without retribution and check in. The pastor always does a series of coping with the holidays sermon. [It sure beats the traditional gang up session with the courteous and supportive elders, prevelent in years past- but that is another post]

[DiligentLily]

:)

Maybe someone in the church communities actually reads SA.com and we are the avant guarde of a new kind of compassionate church.

I know that what we have to put up with is nothing like the persecution of Christians in China and elsewhere: nothing like the horrors of torture that Christians of the past endured -- and yet, and yet .....

.....To the barricades, my Friends!

Hoipoloi, yes, it is not the same kind of persecution, certainly. But the Jesus had some very very hard words for the pharisees, who lay unbearable burdens on people and then don't lift a finger to help. So if we can bring relief, how wonderful! For a long time I have thought this same thing as you just said.

The good, healthy church I am in now is headed by a recovering addict, and his wife is an addiction counsellor. So I see how the 12-steps have brought an ethic of love and patience and understanding to this little congregation. So I have often thought that once my husband and I get our heads around this abuse thing, maybe we can bring some understanding about SA to the churches in our area as well, and a new ethic of non-judgmentalism, freedom of conscience and love there. We have fantasized about starting a support group for 'refugees' from our former congregation. There are many who have left over the years.