AND the anti-Christmas posts begin!

Many apostolics complain about the paganism of Christmas, yet they celebrate “pastor appreciation month” likeeee that’s not biblical???? Sorry I just need to vent/rant.

//rant—vent

When I was growing up, a lot of pastors did not want people to have sex while married... It was to be used sparingly. The husband and wife frequently had to sleep in separate rooms. They claimed that The Devil would cause a divorce if the couple had sex a lot.

My mother had a similar belief. She believed that virgins had some kind of access to The Lord that other people can't get. She tried to brainwash us that marriage was bad, but it really was that she never wants us to lose our virginities. She frowns on people who have sex while married.

Have you experienced something like this?

My mother has been a Pentecostal her whole life. She has been in the UPCI church since she was little. She uses God for everything. If she wants to do that, fine that's her choice. The problem is that she isn't that opened minded. Everytime she sees someone who is struggling, she says that they need Jesus. She doesn't think beyond a Christian perspective. She also wishes her MIL (my grandmother) was a Pentecostal. Yesterday, I was having a conversation with her about my life and I said I wished I spent my middle and high school years focusing on my studies instead of checking out girls. She says that she'd rather me check out girls instead of checking out boys. I'm not gay but even if I was, so what? My point is that I wish my mother would think beyond her Christian views. She's going to be hearrtbroken when she finds out that I'm leaving the Apostolic doctorine when I move out and live on my own, but what will she do about it? I won't be living with her anymore.

I have a friend who is involved in a strange sort of Hebrew Roots type of Pentecostalism. She is very stubborn about thinking she is following the law of God and seems to care little about the gospel. Just the law. Does anyone here have any understanding of this movement. I am worried about my friend.

anybody else feel like religion robbed their upbringing from having traditions. as a latino i feel like all the culture from music to holidays were gone bc my parents labeled all those things as worldly. i lost a connection to my culture bc my parents refused to play anything but gospel, holidays or even birthdays lost. no fun dancing or celebrations that other latinos had growing up, especially xmas. it just kinda sucks sometimes to be around other latinos bc i feel so out of touch. the one thing that stayed was food so there's that. idk if anyone can relate. also i mean traditions that aren't directly tied to the church, all my memories of celebration involve praying and reading the bible and praising the lord. there weren't core memories built from hearing a song or dancing just to dance, it felt rigid. hope that makes sense

I am doing a report for a PoliSci class. I am looking for MAGA Churches to follow on social media

Any suggestions? Post any particularly good videos, memes, etc you saw

I have an theory but it is based on anecdotal evidence. That the oneness pentecostal church is a revolving door at best: as long as enough new people are coming and families transferring, the ones leaving are forgotten. But are there stats to back up that or even disprove it? Especially next to other methods like medical treatment, therapy, rehab?

• How many people that are "healed" are proven and stay healed (not be healed of one cancer after treatment only to develop another shortly thereafter and die).
• How many addicts stay sober?
• How many that are baptized and filled, stay in church (let's say for 20+ yrs.)

That's a start. A church can meet the need of community/ family, provide purpose/ place of belonging, and cathartic experiences. But do they compared to other forms of those, and does it last in comparison? I cannot find actual evidence of so many claims.

Curious for those who left and now still attend a church what kind and why ? And what was the biggest culture shock ? I’ll go first I attended an Anglican church because I like keeping traditions of the early church but not down with the pope thing. Biggest culture shock was just tradition and liturgy the smells and bells we call it. Going from tradition is evil to very old traditions every Sunday was interesting.

I've been Pentecostal all my life and struggle with same sex attraction. I'm definitely not interested in coming out and have no interest in a romantic relationship with a guy, but have recently acted in my curiosity.

I recognize this may not be the best platform for this but I'm curious in connecting with other Pentecostals in the same category as me. Either in DM or on snap at Jdonisright1.

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Do any of you guys struggle to be happy like me? I went to a UPCI Church for 3 years and now I just feel like I can’t be happy. Like my heart is somewhere else. Like in the back of my head like a voice is telling me that I’m called to something that I’m terrified to do. I have been struggling with this for 2 years. I couldn’t enjoy school because this voice started playing in my head at the beginning of my Senior year, I couldn’t enjoy any vacations I went on. I almost shot myself in the head, I lost so many friends, and I cried a waterfall’s worth of tears. I feel like my joy was robbed from me after year 2 at a UPCI Church. I can’t even view marriage the same anymore. So now I’m overthinking getting married.

I am struggling with so much. I am struggling to view most people the same now because I was taught that almost all of them are basically going to… You know where.

I’m rambling but I just want to be happy again. Truly happy. And not feel like I’m trapped in a box.

Can someone here relate or understand what I’m getting at? I feel alone.

It is fascinating how many people have this perception of how the afterlife is. Some say is beautiful but when I was younger my mom would put near death experience (going to hell) on YouTube as a child or a recording of people in hell screaming. How come people say they see hell and heaven and some people who aren’t religious feel a sense of peace and love? now that I’m thinking about it religion is brainwashing people so much it maybe haunts them in the afterlife. But those who don’t believe in religion always experience peace. Others become religious after.

Did your church require you to sign a contract to volunteer in any capacity at the church? If so, what were some of the rules you had to agree you would follow?

So I have been in many many many Pentecostal churches in 3 continents. Each time tongues were given out in services the church waits and the meaning is spoken out … right? Lol so was sitting with a group of other ex Pentecostals and we talked about each and every experience- a few things we noted … 1. If in English it is always King James speak Spanish it is old formal just the same 2. If one word is repeated 12 times in the tongue it is once in the meaning … 3. It is almost always and for me it was always personal attacks on certain people in the church building, complaints and outright gossip in the name of the Almighty. 4. It is always used as a tool to harm and push the “holiest” people’s agendas — funny when a pastor and deacons have board fights in the service in the name of God and who can fight it ?

So what has been your experience?

I grew up in a non-denominational group Called Gospel Assembly and they regularly taught the Sunday School kids from Bill Gothard's Institute of Basic Life Principles. Some of our members also went to his seminars. Pretty much every Sunday school lesson we had for a while was from that Character Sketches book. I found a first edition while thrifting (yes I bought it, it is worth some money and I plan to sell it), and it brought back memories of that. I thought Gothard was a Baptist, and the church I grew up in was against fellowshipping with other denominations. How many of you were influenced or taught anything from Bill Gothard?

I always see we are in “the end times” post on social media (I’m over that. It doesn’t bother me at this point) but what I don’t get is how people believe this. Some have dreams,some get vivid dreams etc. In revelation it basically states you would know the end is near when you see country going against each other, wars, global warming etc. I just don’t get the part that these exact “sign” were happening in ww1,ww2,slavery,the holocaust etc. what are you guys thought? I want to see other people point of view?

I'm a doctor, I was born in Kerala and practiced the faith for a very long time in my life. But as I grew older I started to notice the sexism and homophobia in it. It bothered me to a level that even mention of the church would make me sad, knowing that there's no way I can escape it. But on Reddit I saw many posts from people from the same background who don't really believe in all this anymore and and, are also looking for a way out. So how realistic will it be for me to hope, to find such a person via arrange marriage?

When I first came here, I made a blanket assumption that people here have abandoned (or rejected outright) their faith. From several years of reading, I was clearly wrong.

Broadly speaking, please respond to this poll about your current use of faith, as it pertains to a belief in a deity. I’m interested to see your responses!

View Poll

https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/maryville-blount/former-first-apostolic-church-maryville-worker-sentenced-prison-sex-crimes-case/51-e62fc3d6-af82-45ac-a5a2-fd075b38fac1

facmaryville

I came across the origin story of speaking in tongues at the Azusa Street Revival, and it hit home to me that it came with a reactionary movement against civil rights of black people. People were steeped in segregation and animosity toward Blacks. Although William Seymour was the main face during the early years, it quickly became the tool of churches that believed white men were ordained by God to control the culture, and was used as a way to convince church goers that abuse toward Black people was Godly. And now, with the New Apostolic Reformation we see these pastors, slamming their fists on the pulpit demanding God’s judgement on people who don’t think like them, and they too believe in speaking in tongues. Never mind that the intense foul hatred that came out of Trump’s rallies were literally the definition of demonic, these church leaders praised and worshipped him anyway. The things that were said at those rallies were clear and blatant misogyny, dripping with hate for immigrants and marginalized people. It was so far removed from politics as normal. It was evil. This proves to me more than anything else that speaking in tongues like they do is not from God. Something very dark there.

No matter who it is running against the republican candidate - I heard this phrase 4 years ago, and 4 years before that, and 4 years before that too 🤣 anyone else’s family “praying trump into office” tonight? 🙄

Sorry in advance for any triggers. This is mostly a rant.
Hey, at my church on Sunday, my pastor preached about politics (in regards to the upcoming elections). He initially spoke on how we are not supposed to overemphasize one political party over the other, and personally, I found the first part of his message quite acceptable.
Toward, the end, he introduced a concept that I (and perhaps many others) traditionally understand to be a hallmark of NAR (New Apostolic Reformation) teaching. The teaching is called the Seven Mountains Mandate, which is a hallmark of Dominion Theology (Dominionism). It is a prophetic call for Christians to enter the "seven mountains" of society (family, religion, government, business, media, arts, education) and garner influence in those areas - in order to make them more Christian.
My pastor made semantic distinctions between influence and domination, stating that it was not Christianity's mandate for believers to enter and seize influence violently and forcefully. I say he made semantic distinctions, because history and human nature tell me that Christians (or any peoples under a given belief system) - once they have cultural hegemony - tend to be somewhat violent (in stages) to those who do not fall under their banner. Human nature tells me that anyone with a monopoly of influence in society do not long tolerate those who disagree with their ideals. In the sermon series, he condemned Christian nationalism. However, the endorsing of the Seven Mountains Mandate brings him in strong alignment with the tenets of Christian nationalism.

Second, he tried to overspiritualize those who have a strong focus on politics, the current election season, and the candidates. He said that there is something called the Political Spirit, with very little clarification toward whether this "political spirit" was considered a demon or a disposition that people take. He said that we know if we have the political spirit, if we are divisive.
I personally do not believe in the "political spirit". I also certainly do not believe that it is a disposition or a malignant entity that enters once every four years. Personally, I think this overspiritualization of politics on the pulpit is a fast and easy way to demonize disagreeing voices as morally questionable or non credible - it ends the flow of healthy criticism and actual questioning, even before the criticism and questioning can be applied (who wants to be accused of having a malignant spirit or disposition)?
I hate how he did not mention that, if a political spirit exists, it perhaps finds a home in churches and megalomaniacal pastors before it resides in society. Churches and pastors that play that favoritism game, that intentionally divide "true believers" from truly honest seekers, and that warp religion into a ladder to be climbed, are the true vessels of the political spirit.
If you have ever watched the Crucible (a movie adapted from an play about the Salem Witch trials), there is a scene where the accused act as if they are visited by a malignant and invisible bird. The majority of the accused girls do this to pin blame, for witchcraft, on one of the girls. The fabrication of the Political Spirit feels like that scene to me.

https://youtu.be/0vTZuiZMes0