sierracompany

Faith, Love,Charity: HAVE YOU BEEN HURT?

Posted on 03/24/08, 03:07 pm

This is a serious question, as many have experienced emotional abuse from churches (including me). I think that for this group to work, we need to forgive those who have hurt us,as this is the first step to rebuilding our faith.

Any comments? Thanks.

Sincerely yours,
Jonathan Marshall, founder of Jonathan Marshall Ministries (NON-LICENSED PASTOR), called by God to preach the Word via the Net.

• Reply #1 03/25/08  5:44pm
  
  kiwicsi
  Someone very close to me was hurt by the church many years ago. He was going thru a divorce, so all his 'friends' including the pastor, sided with his ex-wife and stopped talking to him. It got to the stage where the pastor would cross the road to avoid passing him in the street. And the pastor told the congregation that he had been giving them marriage counselling to try and keep the marriage together. This never happened. I never thought a pastor would tell such outright lies. His faith has not suffered fortunately and he is an active member of a new church.Luckily God isn't hampered by human stuff-ups.
• Reply #2 04/08/08  12:23pm
  
  sierracompany
  Sorry to hear about such a travesty of emotional abuse that your friend has experienced. You are right, God is not hindered by human stuff-ups, but if we don't forgive those who have abused us in the church, then our prayers are hindered in the Spirit. In other words, our prayers do not go past the ceiling, if we are holding on to unforgiveness.
  
  My time is short today, but I'd like to share my experience briefly without going into details. My former pastor told me that I would have to leave my community--MY TOWN--to avoid some feelings that I was experiencing. Then, I asked his wife a couple of weeks later to make an announcement for volunteers to go up and see my friend. You know what the response was? "Well, there might not be an announcement made, but we can put her on the prayer list!" How is that going to help someone who cannot move from the neck down?
  That is emotional abuse to me and to my friend, and I've never been to that church again. My church now is Kenneth Copeland Ministries in Fort Worth, TX. More on this topic later. Until then, thanks for listening and God Bless!
• Reply #3 04/11/08  8:00am
  
  marie65
  i was in a bad religion for yrs when i left i was disowned by some family and friends that hurt bad
• Reply #4 04/13/08  9:32pm
  
  kiwicsi
  Marie, I feel bad for you that you got so hurt by others. And to have them treat you that way is shameful on their part. Thank God that God is ready and waiting to pick up the pieces of our lives. What makes me sad is that other people out there hear these sad tales of screwy religions and they think that is a reflection of Christianity. I'm sure it must make the Lord weep.
• Reply #5 07/01/08  1:53pm
  
  Marie33
  I have been hurt by many people in my youth group leadership and it was very painfull and I stopped attending any church because of it. Every time I went to any church I couldn't stop thinking about those people that hurt me. It took years for me to go back to church. I am saddened that I let those people hamper my going to church, but I am glad I'm at a new church now. I know this must be so sad for God to see happen and I empathise with all of you that were hurt also. I know these people that hurt me were just mean people and that has nothing to do with their religious beliefs.
• Reply #6 08/11/08  2:14pm
  
  jlucas
  I was hurt by my church because I am black and my mom who adopted me the day I was born is white. I just felt uneasy there and we were called some choice names.
• Reply #7 08/18/08  12:32am
  
  SimonM
  I am sorry to hear that jlucas, good christians do not judge people on the basis of race, color or country of origin.
  
  To all of you who have suffered at the hands of the church, remember this.
  
  Jesus on many occasions took a position against the church and preached against people who presumed to place themselves above others and if he were in the world today he would be doing it again.
  
  A pastor who is not humble and does not have humility in his heart is not a good pastor. Your personal realtionship with god is what matters, not what other church goers or even some pastors think.
• Reply #8 09/19/08  11:49pm
  
  kiwicsi
  Well put, SimonM.

We all need faith and love to survive. In god we trust.