"You need to have a personal relationship with Jesus" is a common refrain heard among fundamentalists and Pentecostals.
However, I have never seen this expression used in the bible, nor have I ever seen any theological or biblical justification for it. Does anyone know what is the history behind this belief and how its supported using the bible? I suspect it has more to do with modern individualism than biblical interpretation, but I'm not sure.
I left through my own personal study of the Bible and saw so many contradictions, but just about everyone I know that has left has become agnostic/atheist. It's not always easy because nobody I know understands what I've gone through and the heartache it was to leave. The Baptist church I attend is filled with some of the most sweet, welcoming, and non-crazy people that you could meet, but I'm having a hard time connecting because people just don't understand me and my background. People that have left don't understand why I'm still religious.
Edit for spelling.
I went to a Christian high school. One classmate's mother worked for a pentecostal megachurch in media. My classmate nonchalantly mentioned that one of her mother's duties involved making sure that nice-looking, enthusiastic people were sitting in the front few rows.
I thought that was horrible at the time and I remained a Christian for another 10 years. Wish it had been a motivator to deconvert.
So I tried that socializing thing you all suggested, I asked where a party was happening to this girl I knew somewhat. She just said "There aren't any parties we're just walking around". I thought that was fucking bullshit because nobody just randomly walks around at 10 pm. I try opening myself up and this is what I get. It's honestly like there are spiritual forces in play, and something doesn't want me to have fun. It's like satan is using them to discourage me or something, I can't believe I'm saying that because I don't even know if I believe in this stuff anymore. But there's something going on within me that has a repelling effect to others, I need to get rid of these bad vibes but I don't know how. Why do others get to have fun but I don't, I thought I was at the start of making positive choices. I started reading Change your Brain Change your Life by Daniel Amen and it was really encouraging, and I was glad that I got back into reading again. But tonight after that incident with that girl lying to me, I just got fucking wasted. To the point where I made a fucking sign that said "Fuck God" and I almost wanted to "protest" God outside and just yell "Fuck God". I did it a few times, I thought it would make me feel better but it didn't. I know there's anger in me somewhere but I just can't get it out. Before I asked the girl if there were any parties tonight, she said that "I'm always so happy". I've had multiple people tell me that, and I feel like it's my curse because this isn't really the case. Some people have a resting bitch face, and I guess I have a resting smiling face. I guess people figure I'm happy by myself which isn't really the message I want to send out. Sorry for all the heavy content it's 3 am and I'm drunk.
i was raised in a lutheran church but we were pretty agnostic, so imagine my surprise when i went to a charismatic assemblies of god university. i was turned off from pentecostalism almost immediately. for those of you raised with this being the norm, what drove you away?
Se você tem de 30 a 40 anos ou mais, uma má notícia: o país que te criou, o país que formou seu caráter, todo o conjunto de valores e crenças que aglutinavam os brasileiros e ajudaram a moldar a “alma Brasileira”, tudo isso morreu. O Brasil morreu.
O Brasil em que floresceu A Bossa Nova, Brasília, a Tropicália, o Cinema Novo; o Brasil onde Brasileiros amavam sua Brasilidade, que tinha amores simples como futebol, praia, cerveja com os amigos, música... esse país não existe mais. O Brasil abandonou esse lugar e nunca mais retornará.
Claro que esse mesmo Brasil deu à luz tumores como a ditadura militar, a Rede Globo, Jair Bolsonaro, Silvio Santos. Esse mesmo Brasil foi capaz de cavar sua própria cova. Esse mesmo Brasil que tem abalos psicológicos históricos e que foi incapaz de se tratar. De exorcizar seus demônios.
Esse país agora paga caro.
O Brasil está no ponto de bala pra se tornar uma nação fundamentalista cristã com coloração fascita de saturação sem precedentes. E isso é inevitável por um simples motivo: não há instituição nesse país capaz de deter essa trajetória.
A gente já normalizou o absurdo há décadas. Hoje terrorista e miliciano aparecem nas manchetes não como tais mas como figuras importantes e de peso no cenário político. Criminoso mesmo é quem quer justiça e bem estar social. É quem quer o pobre na escola, com comida no prato e com acesso a produçao cultural diversa.
O Brasil morreu. De suicídio. Com tiro na cara. E estamos vivendo o velório mais feio e longo de todos os velórios.
Edit: errinhos.
I was raised from birth in what I now consider a Pentecostal cult. Despite looking the right way - skirt to the ankles, hair to the ass, woefully mistreated eyebrows - I was treated the same as a dirty 'backslider' for not taking my constant judgment and liking it. It's a Narcissist's wet dream for control, every bit of gossip about me that made it's way back to my mother ended up with me being screamed at, hit, etc for embarrasing her. I felt like I didn't belong anywhere, because she was too fake even by Pentecostal standards. I saw the r/me_irl pic recently: "wow, you're so mature for your age! Thanks, it was all the trauma." and that really hit home with me. All I could do anywhere was sit there quietly, hope I was ignored for a few hours until the day was over.
The thing that makes me angriest now is my mom claiming I was "prancing around" at the beach for all the men in my bathing suit. I was maybe 6 at the time. As a teenager, she yelled that I needed to change from my pajama shorts because my dad and brother were home. It makes me a type of angry I can't describe that I was threatened with molestation by my own family for (gasp) showing my legs.
I'm so happy my kids don't know a thing about church twice on Sundays. That their bodies aren't evil for inexplicable reasons. They can enjoy age appropriate movies without some weird fear-mongering that magic is the devil.
I just found this sub, cheers escapees.
I feel intimidated going to an old school Pentecostal church. I do not like how the Pastor shouts and hollers during sermons, and the crowds getting fired up. I want to listen to a Pastor who can connect with you without screaming and thumping. The music in the old Pentecostal church is dated, they are singing songs from the 90s. I wanted a church with modern worship music. Another problem in old school Pentecostal churches, they lost their youth. They blame the problems on the culture but you can clearly see why there are no young people in old school pentecostal churches. The youth evangelicals have gone to modern churches because the old heads cannot connect with them.
At the Brownsville Revival:
- People crawling around on all fours, barking like dogs
- During a Sunday service, the news hit about the vote recount when Bush was trying to get elected as president. Someone stood up and said they had a prophetic word from God. God had told them that the reason for the recount was that God was judging America for all the abortions taking place, and that we must all pray and repent on behalf of America so that God would have mercy on our country. For the next half hour, everyone cried and spoke in tongues and pleaded for God's mercy. Bush did end up getting elected, so it worked, we saved America.
- After one service where all these people had gone through the prayer lines and were showing all kinds of Holy Spirit manifestations like shaking, being laid out on the floor, barking like dogs, and staggering like drunk people, the minister announced that since we were all carrying the Holy Spirit anointing so heavy, we should all go to Denny's to eat, because everyone in there would get saved because of the presence of God that was upon us at the moment. So we all went to Denny's. A lot of us got stared at because they were still barking like dogs and speaking jibberish, but nobody got saved. We just ate, freaked people out, and went home.
- I went through the prayer line to be prayed for by Steve Hill, the big-time evangelist of the revival, because obviously he had the most anointing and his prayers would be most effective. I told him I wanted to be delivered from depression. He told me there was no reason to be depressed in life and acted like I was just a whiner, but he prayed for me anyway just to shut me up so he could move on to the next person. Later in life I'd be diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
- When someone was praying for me, I started "speaking in tongues," but unlike other people who really sounded like they were speaking in another language, I was just repeating the same syllable over and over. The ministers acted like that meant I hadn't completely received the gift, so they'd pray aggressively for me to get more words, but nothing would happen. Finally they'd give up and say, "Some people just a get syllable, and that's ok."
- My church went to a minister's convention at Brownsville, and John Kilpatrick, the pastor, was talking about how you should never speak against those God has placed in spiritual authority. He used some verse that says "touch not my anointed." Then he said that everyone who had ever spo
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Any young guys preferably, or anyone I guess out there who are ex pentecostal. I could use some advice on how to open up in college after having grown up in a strict pentecostal home. I struggle to connect with anyone really because they know a variety of topics, and my parents only really talked to me about religion. It's hard for me to relate to guys because I haven't seen a lot of sports or participated in any, because church was our "priority". My parents also didn't allow me to have video games growing up so I'm very lost there too. It's partly the church that was to blame for how I am today, but mostly my parents approach to the morals. I don't really have a strong aggressive personality either so I didn't really fight back because the environment I was in was comfortable in a sense, but still isolating. I'm free now but I still feel like I'm in a prison of what my parents taught me, but also didn't teach me. I just need some support because meeting another pentecostal who feels this way is rare.
