Well, I haven't posted in almost 3 weeks (bad I know), but it's summer and life is busy so I have an excuse lol. I just wanted to post something I've been thinking about that always bothered me. According to a certain ex-pastor of mine, you aren't a real man until you go through labour with your wife when she's having a baby. This said multiple times over his "pulpit". My question then is thus: Does that mean Jesus and Paul were not "real men"? How about the rest of the Biblical Patriarchs that, historically according to custom, did not attend their wives during childbirth? Sounds like another instance of the Legalistic Pentecostal Cultish measuring stick that is never accurately and consistently applied.
Have a great summer and God Bless you
Friday, August 21, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
Salvation - Can It Be Obtained Or Retained By Works?
One of my pet peeves about the UPCI (and every other legalistic organization I've encountered) is that works are always taught as requirements of Salvation. The main examples of this are required baptism in Jesus name only, mandatory tithing of 10% of gross income (and usually required offerings too), mandatory attendance of services, and absolute compliance with a strict set of standards defining dress, conduct, even hair style.
There are two issues with this and those are number one that the Bible says that our Salvation was paid for by Jesus Christ on the cross and is guaranteed for all that believe on Him, and number two that the standards required are flexible in certain circumstances.
Let me elaborate: We were always taught that makeup was wrong because it meant you were trying to be seductive and fake like Jezebel in the Bible (side note: her intentions are not defined in the Bible when she dolled herself up, but legalistic cult leaders say she intended to seduce the man coming to kill her. But what's amusing about that belief is that makeup predated Jezebel by centuries, possibly a millennia). However, the same people saying that mascara and lipstick, and rouge etc are bad, immoral, blah blah blah, don't mind when someone uses cover up to conceal a pimple, or lip gloss to make their lips shinier. Hypocrites. If you teach against artificial beautification, then you preach against it. Period. I don't buy for one second that the lip gloss is to prevent dry lips....that's what blistex and chapstick are for...and they don't make your lips shiny or a different colour.
Dress standards were rigidly enforced EXCEPT if you were the pastor's son, daughter, wife. Or a new convert. The latter makes sense UNLESS you examine the fact that the rest of the congregation is taught NO FREAKIN PANTS ON WOMEN OR YOU'LL BURN!!! Ok, so if I'm a woman (hypothetically) and I wear pants so I'm going to burn, then what's the difference between me and that lady over there? Not a thing in God's eyes. It's men that differentiate. And Men that create these ridiculous standards. I do disagree with pants on women for the most part, but seriously, if my wife was a nurse and had to climb up on a gurney to do CPR on some guy that just quit breathing, you can darn well believe that I prefer she be wearing a full length pair of loose fitting pants than a knee length skirt that some guy is going to look up. A full fitting pair of pants is far more modest than a great number of the skirts I see worn by UPCI licensed pastor's wives and daughters.
But that's all academic. Because John 3:16 says: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have Everlasting life."
John 11:25 "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:"
John 7:37-39 "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)"
Even Paul stressed faith and belief in God rather than works...and he was a Jew of the Jews. He was raised on the Law, yet he renounced it and actively taught against it, especially in the book of Hebrews.
Yes there are fruits associated with the faithful, and there are things that someone who trusts in and believes in God will not do. But these do not buy, obtain, retain, or ensure Salvation. They are exhibited by those with true faith in God. They cannot be legislated by an organization or "Pastor". They must come from a sincere belief in God. Baptism does not buy Salvation...it is caused by Salvation. Modesty and humility do not cause salvation...they are fruits of it. Tithing and church attendance do not bring blessing...they are the result of blessings brought by faith in God.
The fallacious statement by a pastor that he has to "force people into blessings" is ridiculous. It's the self-righteous, arrogant, selfish statement of a man that enjoys power and authority. True belief in Jesus Christ will bring the fruits that these people try to legislate. It will also bring freedom to live with peace and joy and harmony.
Legalistic organizations sneeringly refer to this as easy believism. So, the question I want to end with is this: Is it easier to believe that God came as a man to earth 2000 years ago and lived and died to buy our salvation and we must believe? Or to follow the lead of some self-proclaimed midlife "elder" (pastor) that says he will lead us to heaven, and abdicate our own responsibility to search the scripture? Haven't we heard of these types of things before? Waco? Hale-Bopp? Which is easier?
God Bless You
There are two issues with this and those are number one that the Bible says that our Salvation was paid for by Jesus Christ on the cross and is guaranteed for all that believe on Him, and number two that the standards required are flexible in certain circumstances.
Let me elaborate: We were always taught that makeup was wrong because it meant you were trying to be seductive and fake like Jezebel in the Bible (side note: her intentions are not defined in the Bible when she dolled herself up, but legalistic cult leaders say she intended to seduce the man coming to kill her. But what's amusing about that belief is that makeup predated Jezebel by centuries, possibly a millennia). However, the same people saying that mascara and lipstick, and rouge etc are bad, immoral, blah blah blah, don't mind when someone uses cover up to conceal a pimple, or lip gloss to make their lips shinier. Hypocrites. If you teach against artificial beautification, then you preach against it. Period. I don't buy for one second that the lip gloss is to prevent dry lips....that's what blistex and chapstick are for...and they don't make your lips shiny or a different colour.
Dress standards were rigidly enforced EXCEPT if you were the pastor's son, daughter, wife. Or a new convert. The latter makes sense UNLESS you examine the fact that the rest of the congregation is taught NO FREAKIN PANTS ON WOMEN OR YOU'LL BURN!!! Ok, so if I'm a woman (hypothetically) and I wear pants so I'm going to burn, then what's the difference between me and that lady over there? Not a thing in God's eyes. It's men that differentiate. And Men that create these ridiculous standards. I do disagree with pants on women for the most part, but seriously, if my wife was a nurse and had to climb up on a gurney to do CPR on some guy that just quit breathing, you can darn well believe that I prefer she be wearing a full length pair of loose fitting pants than a knee length skirt that some guy is going to look up. A full fitting pair of pants is far more modest than a great number of the skirts I see worn by UPCI licensed pastor's wives and daughters.
But that's all academic. Because John 3:16 says: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have Everlasting life."
John 11:25 "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:"
John 7:37-39 "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)"
Even Paul stressed faith and belief in God rather than works...and he was a Jew of the Jews. He was raised on the Law, yet he renounced it and actively taught against it, especially in the book of Hebrews.
Yes there are fruits associated with the faithful, and there are things that someone who trusts in and believes in God will not do. But these do not buy, obtain, retain, or ensure Salvation. They are exhibited by those with true faith in God. They cannot be legislated by an organization or "Pastor". They must come from a sincere belief in God. Baptism does not buy Salvation...it is caused by Salvation. Modesty and humility do not cause salvation...they are fruits of it. Tithing and church attendance do not bring blessing...they are the result of blessings brought by faith in God.
The fallacious statement by a pastor that he has to "force people into blessings" is ridiculous. It's the self-righteous, arrogant, selfish statement of a man that enjoys power and authority. True belief in Jesus Christ will bring the fruits that these people try to legislate. It will also bring freedom to live with peace and joy and harmony.
Legalistic organizations sneeringly refer to this as easy believism. So, the question I want to end with is this: Is it easier to believe that God came as a man to earth 2000 years ago and lived and died to buy our salvation and we must believe? Or to follow the lead of some self-proclaimed midlife "elder" (pastor) that says he will lead us to heaven, and abdicate our own responsibility to search the scripture? Haven't we heard of these types of things before? Waco? Hale-Bopp? Which is easier?
God Bless You
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Still No Attempt To Reach For My Wife Or Myself
The following is a writing by my wife that she wanted posted on here. She also asked that I comment on it and why it was written. That will be found after her writing.
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I'm just so very angry and sad right now. I'm angry at the people who profess to love God, but then turn their backs. I'm angry that the pastor I loved, respected, and obeyed turned his back on me when I needed his counsel(1) most. Also even though none of my fellow saints were not directly told to avoid or shun me, it had been implied many times over the pulpit. I can't even be considered one of the lost they claim they are desperately trying to save. I am "backslid", and going to burn, unless I beg forgiveness of my "pastor".
Mat 18:12. How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?
13. And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that [sheep], than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
It is much easier for them to sit on their spiritual high horses, and poke fun....(cause Jesus did that all the time), than to actually admit that they might be wrong, or not have the answers.
I may not be right, but I am unwilling to be spoon fed twisted teachings from a church who expects strict compliance to standards of a man. I am not satisfied to be told that I don't have enough of a prayer life, or faith, or spiritualness because I come with questions that appear to be contrary to the UPC's doctrine. At least the writer of this blog is doing some homework, and coming up with some answers. That is more than I can say for the limp wristed attempt of a so-called “pastor” who in my opinion did nothing more than tuck tail and run.
(Editor's note: I made the following change to the above - (1) changed "council" to "counsel". The rest is the writing of my wife in it's entirety.)
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My wife and I left a UPCI congregation in May of 2009. I have posted on that previously, and am not going into the details that caused it here. However, my wife has gone through much more than I since the break, as I was preparing for it far earlier than she was. It's true that she left of her own choice, and, in her words: "Because I won't sit and listen to all the crap they will say about you after you leave".
I had of course informed her I was leaving, and why. As well, I agreed to stay until after a women's conference she wanted to attend, and so we set the date a little later than my original intentions of mid-April. However, it was the women's conference that cemented in her the desire to leave. Two things occurred that caused this: first, all the men in the church were repeatedly told over the pulpit that this was a girl's trip only, no men. That was no issue until my wife found out that the very man making those pronouncements had intended to drive the van the women were taking down to the conference. The intentions were no doubt honourable, but definitely not in line with what the rest of us were being told. She was a little perturbed by that.
The second thing that happened was that at the conference, a woman got up and spent most of a service teaching on UPCI standards of holiness and separation. Bear in mind that this was an audience comprised of 99.9999% UPCI women that already knew the standards and lived them in all the self-righteous arrogance that the UPCI is known for. My wife said there was one visitor she noticed that was obviously not UPCI as the attire she was in was not what would be normally observed in such a setting. It was this that really offended my wife. Here they are, all proud of their standards and how much God loves them because of their standards, and a lady in the crowd is totally out of place and being forced to see it. How christian of them.
Of course, this was what caused my wife to leave. What has caused her to stay away, is outlined in the paragraphs she wrote above. Since leaving, she has witnessed (from a distance) the exact behavior she knew would come. She found some videos on Facebook that apparently make fun of me and my blog. Instead of showing compassion and reaching for her, the members and leadership of that cult have distanced themselves, ignored her, and ridiculed everything she and I have discovered about the truth. This was precisely what I told her would happen, and I pointed her in the direction of a website (spiritualabuse.org) that specifically deals with people leaving the legalism and works-based Salvation of the UPCI.
She finally had enough and decided she wanted to "rant" a little. So she did. Her goal, as expressed to me, is to make a statement, to vent, and to possibly help someone else that goes through the same deal someday. Her hope is that others will someday see that there is a better life available to those that trust in God....which leads directly into the post I was planning on doing today.
God Bless You
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I'm just so very angry and sad right now. I'm angry at the people who profess to love God, but then turn their backs. I'm angry that the pastor I loved, respected, and obeyed turned his back on me when I needed his counsel(1) most. Also even though none of my fellow saints were not directly told to avoid or shun me, it had been implied many times over the pulpit. I can't even be considered one of the lost they claim they are desperately trying to save. I am "backslid", and going to burn, unless I beg forgiveness of my "pastor".
Mat 18:12. How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?
13. And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that [sheep], than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
It is much easier for them to sit on their spiritual high horses, and poke fun....(cause Jesus did that all the time), than to actually admit that they might be wrong, or not have the answers.
I may not be right, but I am unwilling to be spoon fed twisted teachings from a church who expects strict compliance to standards of a man. I am not satisfied to be told that I don't have enough of a prayer life, or faith, or spiritualness because I come with questions that appear to be contrary to the UPC's doctrine. At least the writer of this blog is doing some homework, and coming up with some answers. That is more than I can say for the limp wristed attempt of a so-called “pastor” who in my opinion did nothing more than tuck tail and run.
(Editor's note: I made the following change to the above - (1) changed "council" to "counsel". The rest is the writing of my wife in it's entirety.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My wife and I left a UPCI congregation in May of 2009. I have posted on that previously, and am not going into the details that caused it here. However, my wife has gone through much more than I since the break, as I was preparing for it far earlier than she was. It's true that she left of her own choice, and, in her words: "Because I won't sit and listen to all the crap they will say about you after you leave".
I had of course informed her I was leaving, and why. As well, I agreed to stay until after a women's conference she wanted to attend, and so we set the date a little later than my original intentions of mid-April. However, it was the women's conference that cemented in her the desire to leave. Two things occurred that caused this: first, all the men in the church were repeatedly told over the pulpit that this was a girl's trip only, no men. That was no issue until my wife found out that the very man making those pronouncements had intended to drive the van the women were taking down to the conference. The intentions were no doubt honourable, but definitely not in line with what the rest of us were being told. She was a little perturbed by that.
The second thing that happened was that at the conference, a woman got up and spent most of a service teaching on UPCI standards of holiness and separation. Bear in mind that this was an audience comprised of 99.9999% UPCI women that already knew the standards and lived them in all the self-righteous arrogance that the UPCI is known for. My wife said there was one visitor she noticed that was obviously not UPCI as the attire she was in was not what would be normally observed in such a setting. It was this that really offended my wife. Here they are, all proud of their standards and how much God loves them because of their standards, and a lady in the crowd is totally out of place and being forced to see it. How christian of them.
Of course, this was what caused my wife to leave. What has caused her to stay away, is outlined in the paragraphs she wrote above. Since leaving, she has witnessed (from a distance) the exact behavior she knew would come. She found some videos on Facebook that apparently make fun of me and my blog. Instead of showing compassion and reaching for her, the members and leadership of that cult have distanced themselves, ignored her, and ridiculed everything she and I have discovered about the truth. This was precisely what I told her would happen, and I pointed her in the direction of a website (spiritualabuse.org) that specifically deals with people leaving the legalism and works-based Salvation of the UPCI.
She finally had enough and decided she wanted to "rant" a little. So she did. Her goal, as expressed to me, is to make a statement, to vent, and to possibly help someone else that goes through the same deal someday. Her hope is that others will someday see that there is a better life available to those that trust in God....which leads directly into the post I was planning on doing today.
God Bless You
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