I haven't attended church for decades, but I thought about doing so yesterday morning.
I have some old horrible memories from my pre-teen years, when I was beginning to understand my own identity. It was obvious to me that I was far too attracted to other dudes. I felt as though I had nobody to turn to in my support network (the church). A small part of my whole being seemed fundamentally flawed, as if my creator had somehow made a mistake and failed to give me a choice in the matter. I tried wishful thinking, "Maybe I'm special because I don't have to choose... I am the chosen one; hand selected to be the token heavenly homosexual human." Not that it would matter anyway, because sex is a worldly virtue. So why do Christians give sex so much power anyway?
Elders and peers frequently told me about men lying with men and why everyone should hate them because it's an abomination. *back into wishful thinking mode- "They're just not understanding it! "Lying" can be a tricky word. LYING is evil unless your just LYING down." For the first time I felt hatred from my spiritual leaders, my peers, my savior, my creator, and even from my own self. I constantly prayed in Jesus' name to be magically turned into some straight, Southern, holy-rollin', cat-callin', toejam-football-lovin' country boy because I couldn't live with (or die with) having to hear hate-filled psychic tails of my afterlife. I WAS DONE! That is why I'm leery of ever returning to an Evangelical Protestant church.
I met a humble guy just before noon yesterday, so I told him that I was looking for a place of spiritual healing. He began to tell me how his church's ideology differed from that of the Southern Baptist Convention, so I decided to listen and not change the subject. He continued by sharing his belief, unlike the SBC's, that repentance (remorse) will not help with salvation, and may even hinder it. Heaven is an eternal gift that we receive when we are saved by JC. IT IS A GIFT, so it cant be taken back. Doing so would make JC a liar and a thief, which is just not possible for the divine. IT IS A GIFT, so you aren't expected to work for it. You don't have to go to church 2 days per week, or put any effort into helping others, or tithing your 10%. IT IS A GIFT, so you must believe in the savior in order for it to exist. The only thing that we must do is believe and everything else will automatically fall into place. He referenced passages of scripture for proof.
I haven't attended church for decades, but I thought about doing so yesterday morning. I was ready to attend Stedfast Baptist Church, until I watched a 40 minute video of Pastor Donnie Romero delivering sermon. His message was angry, and riddled with judgement, far worse than any Southern Baptist preacher that I've seen. He celebrated the Orlando and called the victims "Scum of the Earth." Along with so many others, he propagates evil which ultimately destroys human relationships and any chance of salvation. Donnie Romero spreads his message under the guise of Christianity to turn good people against their creator and savior. read more