10-29-2010, 01:28 AM
(This post was last modified: 10-29-2010, 01:30 AM by kristy1111.)
(10-28-2010, 11:10 PM)Bring4th_Monica Wrote: Kristy, ditto for me! All of the above, my experiences exactly!
Here's one that always makes me shake my head in disbelief. And I'm not trying to judge. But this seems as plain as the nose on my face, so it makes me wonder how it can't be blatantly obvious to those who decide to make me their enemies.
In my former church, we had a thing called "The Articles of Faith". The second one went like this:
"We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgressions."
Say what? If that is the case, then why did they also teach me that Adam partook of the fruit that Eve gave him, and thus "sinned", and because of that sin, ALL of us are subject to the "fall"? I didn't do it, Adam did (supposedly). So why do every single of us (supposedly) suffer for Adam's sin? I mean, didn't they even think when they made this up?
And then they taught me that Cain killed his brother, and because he did that, he received a "mark" (which in that religion, is the skin of blackness). I was also taught that Cain's descendants, from then until the end of time, will also receive this mark. I was taught that these are the negro people (sheeesh). Okay - I don't believe in any of that stuff. Just trying to make a point. If CAIN is the one who made the boo-boo...then why are all his descendants "cursed" with this "mark"? That church even forbid any black people from receiving the "priesthood" and it was said that this was the way it would be until every single person that would ever be born on this earth HAD been born and accepted the 'true' gospel. But...social pressure got the best of them and they changed their mind, so in 1978, blacks were allowed to have the priesthood.
That's just one of the many things that jumped out at me like a big red flag.
I have tried to talk to my mother about these things (she is still very active in that church) but she literally put her hand in my face and said, "I don't want to hear it. If I hear it, I'll believe it. And I am happy where I'm at. My faith is weak and I want to stay where I'm at." It made me feel sad, but it is her choice. The only bad thing is, she judges me and says that I am deceived by satan and she believes that if I don't change, I will not inherit the highest kingdom (or even the lowest). They believe in three kingdoms. She believes that I will go to a place called "outer darkness" reserved for those who apostatize from the "true" church.
This, again, is a big time FEAR tactic and it has proven very effective in most cases.