|
Post by throwaway2018 on Oct 12, 2021 12:22:30 GMT
For any of you who are still PR but want to leave, why can’t you leave right now? Vent about it here! Ex members who previously had the same issues, please share your stories as well!
|
|
|
Post by curiouscat on Oct 14, 2021 12:22:50 GMT
For any of you who are still PR but want to leave, why can’t you leave right now? Vent about it here! Ex members who previously had the same issues, please share your stories as well! I won't share too much because I don't want to dox myself. But a few general things: Unlike many PRs and exPRs, my fear was not being shunned. Many of my friends and family are already outside of the PR churches For me, I was highly involved with the life of my church to the point I was entangled in it. I fell into the "sunk cost" fallacy; because I had invested so much into it, I didn't feel right about walking away. Ironically, the more involved I became, the more I saw the flaws, hypocrisy, and downright horrors of the PRC. Their pride, ignorance, and stubbornness that resisted all forms of change began to leave a bad taste in my mouth. I think the hardest part was struggling with the fact that I had learned so much there. The PRC did fairly well in teaching me about God, for which I will forever be thankful. However, what the PRC failed to do was teach me how to live with God and my neighbor, and how to truly love God and anyone I interacted with. Life and love were not there. It was a cold, dead church. Leaving behind something you previously loved (in child like innocence/ ignorance) so much is hard. It's like breaking up with someone you've dated for a long time. You know them, and you know what to expect from them, but you also know this relationship is hurting you. So although it hurts to say goodbye, and it's scary to try something new, for your own well-being you have to leave.
|
|
|
Post by cannalily on Oct 14, 2021 12:39:52 GMT
For any of you who are still PR but want to leave, why can’t you leave right now? Vent about it here! Ex members who previously had the same issues, please share your stories as well! I won't share too much because I don't want to dox myself. But a few general things: Unlike many PRs and exPRs, my fear was not being shunned. Many of my friends and family are already outside of the PR churches For me, I was highly involved with the life of my church to the point I was entangled in it. I fell into the "sunk cost" fallacy; because I had invested so much into it, I didn't feel right about walking away. Ironically, the more involved I became, the more I saw the flaws, hypocrisy, and downright horrors of the PRC. Their pride, ignorance, and stubbornness that resisted all forms of change began to leave a bad taste in my mouth. I think the hardest part was struggling with the fact that I had learned so much there. The PRC did fairly well in teaching me about God, for which I will forever be thankful. However, what the PRC failed to do was teach me how to live with God and my neighbor, and how to truly love God and anyone I interacted with. Life and love were not there. It was a cold, dead church. Leaving behind something you previously loved (in child like innocence/ ignorance) so much is hard. It's like breaking up with someone you've dated for a long time. You know them, and you know what to expect from them, but you also know this relationship is hurting you. So although it hurts to say goodbye, and it's scary to try something new, for your own well-being you have to leave. Oh, I completely agree with a lot of this here. And there's no question - PRs know the bible inside and out. For sure. After catechism, bible studies, and twice on Sunday - church, you certainly do know it. But there's a serious flaw here with all of this, and it's the binary approach to right and wrong. Then, when you take a step back, you realize that the "presuppositions" that enable this strong stance on the bible and doctrine, are shaky at best. Get out and travel, and you see how twisted these presuppositions are. As a PR, we assumed that the three forms of unity, along with the KJV were rock solid. But do some research and you realize how horrible these "foundational" documents are - yes, including the KJV (don't even get me started with the other BS). Looking back, the people that taught me these things weren't intrinsically bad, but they were terribly narrow minded. Also (and I'll just add to that) if they weren't narrow minded, they they WERE intrinsically bad, evil, and should be shot. But that's just me.
|
|
|
Post by prnolonger on Oct 14, 2021 13:43:25 GMT
For any of you who are still PR but want to leave, why can’t you leave right now? Vent about it here! Ex members who previously had the same issues, please share your stories as well! I won't share too much because I don't want to dox myself. But a few general things: Unlike many PRs and exPRs, my fear was not being shunned. Many of my friends and family are already outside of the PR churches For me, I was highly involved with the life of my church to the point I was entangled in it. I fell into the "sunk cost" fallacy; because I had invested so much into it, I didn't feel right about walking away. Ironically, the more involved I became, the more I saw the flaws, hypocrisy, and downright horrors of the PRC. Their pride, ignorance, and stubbornness that resisted all forms of change began to leave a bad taste in my mouth. I think the hardest part was struggling with the fact that I had learned so much there. The PRC did fairly well in teaching me about God, for which I will forever be thankful. However, what the PRC failed to do was teach me how to live with God and my neighbor, and how to truly love God and anyone I interacted with. Life and love were not there. It was a cold, dead church. Leaving behind something you previously loved (in child like innocence/ ignorance) so much is hard. It's like breaking up with someone you've dated for a long time. You know them, and you know what to expect from them, but you also know this relationship is hurting you. So although it hurts to say goodbye, and it's scary to try something new, for your own well-being you have to leave. I strongly resonate with this post. I also hurt when I left and a good part of me yearned to still be part of it after leaving. At the same point I also recognized how my membership in it was contributive to these terrible and abusive systems and empowering just awful, awful people. Once you open your eyes to the very real damage the church is doing, you can't unsee it. The damage to people's faith, the damage to people's relationships, the emotional damage they dole out to people who don't conform, the intellectual damage to people who question, the damage done to children, even the tolerated physically abusive damage, notwithstanding the overall damage to society. I saw the damage to people that the PRC was doing, and I just couldn't play pretend anymore. I initially tried to make a positive impact and point out some of these problems, but was quickly and thoroughly rebuffed. I know so, so many genuinely good people who are in the PRC. I really have to wrestle with that, some days more than others. I have to believe that these are genuinely good people who are in the PRC who genuinely believe that the PRCA is a genuinely good organization. I struggle with intentions of these PR's I still have relationships with. Struggling to think that either these good people are stuck and playing pretend like I did or that they are willfully ignorant to the extent of the damage being caused. Tacked onto that is their unwillingness to address or even acknowledge my pains and hurts from the PRC, it just makes it all the easier to believe that they're all just playing pretend and not bringing up anything that would shatter the illusion. For many of us that leave and attempt to keep relationships with PR friends and family, this is a constant struggle. They're just never going to acknowledge my pain, let alone address it or apologize in any meaningful way, and if I am to keep my relationships with them then I just have to swallow that whole every time I see them and ask for seconds and pretend I like the taste. Even after leaving, I still have to play pretend. It's really hard sometimes to carry on relationships with people like that. I truly understand and sympathize when people make the decision to just drop off the radar and start over somewhere. Wherever you're at, I hope you're doing okay.
|
|
|
Post by caked on Oct 14, 2021 13:50:51 GMT
I am a current member in the PRCA. I never minded going to church as I grew up as a child. When I got into high school I would go to friends churches in other denominations for a night service here and there but still liked the PRCA. As i got out of high school from 17 years old through my early 20's I got curious as to what else was out there for other church denominations so I started visiting several of them.
I attended the United Reformed, Presbyterian, Cristian Reformed, Reformed, Lutheran, baptist and non-denominational churches etc...I never found a church home I liked outside of the PRCA. I made confession of faith when I was 16 years old, I did not get much flack at all from the elders in the PRC church I still attend. I had talks with them about why I was visiting other churches and they understood and I also told them what I didn't like about the PRCA. I mentioned that I feel they don't preach that you have to love your neighbor enough. I didn't like the mentioning of other denominations "faults" over the pulpit, I don't feel that is the place to go with your grievances against another denomination. And I feel the ministers preach to harshly on the whole wives submitting to your husbands which can give a man a false sense that he has to be dictator in the family as it gets to some mens heads and they don't know how to handle it and treat their wives and children harshly. My PRC church has grown substantially in these 3 areas of preaching in the last couple decades.
My parents never once criticized me or judged me harshly. I had a great home to grow up in. My parents had other children that had left the PRCA and still are out of the PRCA at various denominations and we all still get together and have a great time. there are no hard feelings between anyone in my family. I know you all probably think I am crazy but I do enjoy the Psalm singing and longer sermons the PRCA offers. I feel engaged in my worship of and with God each week.
I still do attend other church denominations here and there and love to worship with other Christians as we all share a common bond and that is our love for our saviour Jesus Christ and what He did for us on the cross.
|
|
|
Post by prnolonger on Oct 14, 2021 14:12:13 GMT
I am a current member in the PRCA. I never minded going to church as I grew up as a child. When I got into high school I would go to friends churches in other denominations for a night service here and there but still liked the PRCA. As i got out of high school from 17 years old through my early 20's I got curious as to what else was out there for other church denominations so I started visiting several of them. I attended the United Reformed, Presbyterian, Cristian Reformed, Reformed, Lutheran, baptist and non-denominational churches etc...I never found a church home I liked outside of the PRCA. I made confession of faith when I was 16 years old, I did not get much flack at all from the elders in the PRC church I still attend. I had talks with them about why I was visiting other churches and they understood and I also told them what I didn't like about the PRCA. I mentioned that I feel they don't preach that you have to love your neighbor enough. I didn't like the mentioning of other denominations "faults" over the pulpit, I don't feel that is the place to go with your grievances against another denomination. And I feel the ministers preach to harshly on the whole wives submitting to your husbands which can give a man a false sense that he has to be dictator in the family as it gets to some mens heads and they don't know how to handle it and treat their wives and children harshly. My PRC church has grown substantially in these 3 areas of preaching in the last couple decades. My parents never once criticized me or judged me harshly. I had a great home to grow up in. My parents had other children that had left the PRCA and still are out of the PRCA at various denominations and we all still get together and have a great time. there are no hard feelings between anyone in my family. I know you all probably think I am crazy but I do enjoy the Psalm singing and longer sermons the PRCA offers. I feel engaged in my worship of and with God each week. I still do attend other church denominations here and there and love to worship with other Christians as we all share a common bond and that is our love for our saviour Jesus Christ and what He did for us on the cross. Welcome, caked. Congratulations on your first post! I don't think you're crazy at all regarding song singing. Maybe a bit on the longer sermons... but to each their own. And to pad out this paragraph and hit the required length, I'm going to repeat that it in slightly different words. I do not believe that you are demented regarding the psalter. Perhaps some on the extended services... but whatever floats your boat. (jk)I think there's ample space on this site for PR's to tell their experience, including the ones who have good experiences. You are welcome here, too. You will likely be in the minority, but conversations like this are a two-way street. All perspectives need to be heard in order to get a full picture of what's happening, including the good ones. I hope to illustrate that this site is not just some gossip site hell-bent on shaming and shading PR's whenever we get the chance. This stuff is real. We have to hear each other.
|
|
|
Post by caked on Oct 14, 2021 14:23:24 GMT
I am not denying at all the abuse that has and is taking place in the PRCA as i mentioned in my original post, I have talked to my elders and pastor about it and to pray during the congregational prayer for the victims of this abuse as it has to stop. I hope all who are guilty find it in their hearts to stop what they are doing, repent and are disciplined to the fullest extent of the law. I feel the preaching has a huge influence on how people act in their lives and I'm trying to do what I can to help this problem
|
|
|
Post by prnolonger on Oct 14, 2021 14:33:46 GMT
I am not denying at all the abuse that has and is taking place in the PRCA as i mentioned in my original post, I have talked to my elders and pastor about it and to pray during the congregational prayer for the victims of this abuse as it has to stop. I hope all who are guilty find it in their hearts to stop what they are doing, repent and are disciplined to the fullest extent of the law. I feel the preaching has a huge influence on how people act in their lives and I'm trying to do what I can to help this problemMore power to you, man. As someone who has also at one point been on that side attempting to try and make a cultural change in the PRC to fix problems, I wish you luck. It's a deeply unpleasant and precarious position to be in, one you would not put yourself in unless you truly believed it to be the right thing to do. We both want to help the victims and stop the abuse and seek justice, that's common ground I will gladly share any day.
|
|
|
Post by curiouscat on Oct 14, 2021 14:53:58 GMT
I won't share too much because I don't want to dox myself. But a few general things: Unlike many PRs and exPRs, my fear was not being shunned. Many of my friends and family are already outside of the PR churches For me, I was highly involved with the life of my church to the point I was entangled in it. I fell into the "sunk cost" fallacy; because I had invested so much into it, I didn't feel right about walking away. Ironically, the more involved I became, the more I saw the flaws, hypocrisy, and downright horrors of the PRC. Their pride, ignorance, and stubbornness that resisted all forms of change began to leave a bad taste in my mouth. I think the hardest part was struggling with the fact that I had learned so much there. The PRC did fairly well in teaching me about God, for which I will forever be thankful. However, what the PRC failed to do was teach me how to live with God and my neighbor, and how to truly love God and anyone I interacted with. Life and love were not there. It was a cold, dead church. Leaving behind something you previously loved (in child like innocence/ ignorance) so much is hard. It's like breaking up with someone you've dated for a long time. You know them, and you know what to expect from them, but you also know this relationship is hurting you. So although it hurts to say goodbye, and it's scary to try something new, for your own well-being you have to leave. Oh, I completely agree with a lot of this here. And there's no question - PRs know the bible inside and out. For sure. After catechism, bible studies, and twice on Sunday - church, you certainly do know it. But there's a serious flaw here with all of this, and it's the binary approach to right and wrong. Then, when you take a step back, you realize that the "presuppositions" that enable this strong stance on the bible and doctrine, are shaky at best. Get out and travel, and you see how twisted these presuppositions are. As a PR, we assumed that the three forms of unity, along with the KJV were rock solid. But do some research and you realize how horrible these "foundational" documents are - yes, including the KJV (don't even get me started with the other BS). Looking back, the people that taught me these things weren't intrinsically bad, but they were terribly narrow minded. Also (and I'll just add to that) if they weren't narrow minded, they they WERE intrinsically bad, evil, and should be shot. But that's just me. That binary approach as you mentioned it really pushed me away. If you're not 100% right, you are 100% wrong. This black and white thinking leads to people justifying themselves because the other person is just slightly wrong. This then leads to a church who thinks that they can do no wrong and that they have a monopoly on the truth because they view others - like the URC just as an example- as absolutely corrupt because they believe in divorce and remarriage... even though that's basically THE ONLY DOCTRINAL DIFFERENCE between the two denominations. Even substitute doctrine for bible versions like you mentioned or life practices and you get the same line of thinking. You're right, it's very twisted. And I feel for those who grow up here and ignorantly submit to PR mindset because that's all they've known. It's really just intellectual inbreeding and brainwashing
|
|
|
Post by questioneverything on Oct 14, 2021 15:44:31 GMT
Oh, I completely agree with a lot of this here. And there's no question - PRs know the bible inside and out. For sure. After catechism, bible studies, and twice on Sunday - church, you certainly do know it. But there's a serious flaw here with all of this, and it's the binary approach to right and wrong. Then, when you take a step back, you realize that the "presuppositions" that enable this strong stance on the bible and doctrine, are shaky at best. Get out and travel, and you see how twisted these presuppositions are. As a PR, we assumed that the three forms of unity, along with the KJV were rock solid. But do some research and you realize how horrible these "foundational" documents are - yes, including the KJV (don't even get me started with the other BS). Looking back, the people that taught me these things weren't intrinsically bad, but they were terribly narrow minded. Also (and I'll just add to that) if they weren't narrow minded, they they WERE intrinsically bad, evil, and should be shot. But that's just me. That binary approach as you mentioned it really pushed me away. If you're not 100% right, you are 100% wrong. This black and white thinking leads to people justifying themselves because the other person is just slightly wrong. This then leads to a church who thinks that they can do no wrong and that they have a monopoly on the truth because they view others - like the URC just as an example- as absolutely corrupt because they believe in divorce and remarriage... even though that's basically THE ONLY DOCTRINAL DIFFERENCE between the two denominations. Even substitute doctrine for bible versions like you mentioned or life practices and you get the same line of thinking. You're right, it's very twisted. And I feel for those who grow up here and ignorantly submit to PR mindset because that's all they've known. It's really just intellectual inbreeding and brainwashing Binary/Dualism = Argumentative/Oppositional = PRC/We have the TRUTH = Binary/Dualism...
|
|
|
Post by enlightened on Oct 17, 2021 1:22:10 GMT
I’ve shared my story before but I’ll gladly share it again, especially if it will help anyone who is in a similar situation.
I was born and raised in the PRC. As a child I was the perfect PR kid, singing psalter songs in the car and totally brainwashed into their beliefs. It wasn’t until I was around 15 that I started seeing this church for who they really were. It was mainly because I saw how my sister was treated. She was in an abusive marriage and it was mishandled by the minister and elders. She was told to stay with her husband and give him what he wanted sexually to make him happy and things would be better then. That they would build an apartment for him in their basement so they didn’t have to get divorced.
Because she was the one to file for divorce, she was excommunicated and he could stay. She was abused but the abuser was still welcome to come to church. Let me say that one more time. The abuser was welcomed with open arms while the abused was kicked to the curb! I saw my whole extended family dismiss her. Told her because of her decision in getting a divorce they no longer considered her part of the family. She was shunned. Her and her 4 kids had no support from anyone…because she was abused and left.
I knew then that I wanted out but I was only 15/16 years old, where would I go? What if I was shunned? High school sucked. I felt like an outsider. I made a lot of bad choices as a way of rebellion, a cry for help. No one was there to help though. Instead I was called names, had my car egged and just made to feel different. No one knew what was going on in my home life, maybe if they did it would have been different.
I started making a plan then. I had a job once I turned 15 and saved money so that by the time I graduated from CCHS I moved out with a friend of mine from outside the church. The elders came to our apartment 3 times to talk to me. They told me I was making a mistake and that my future children would burn in hell because they would not be baptized in the PRC church. They made so many threats to me and I was too afraid to stand up to them and tell them to leave. I was thankful for my roommate who finally came out and kicked them out of our place and told them to never come back. She gave them an earful about how messed up they were. I am so thankful for her, she did something I could have never done because I was taught to be submissive and respectful to my elders. I am thankful for her showing me how crazy their actions were.
I’m going to be honest. Leaving was very very hard. I am 41 now and left that place when I was 18/19 years old. I went through a very dark time for a couple years after I left. I had no family in my life, I was shunned and I turned to drugs to help me cope. Thankfully after a few years I was able to come out of it and get help. I can’t stress enough how much therapy has helped to deal with growing up in a place like that. I am now happy married with amazing kids who will never have to be damaged by that church. There is hope out there, no matter how scary it is to leave, it’s the best decision you can make. It might not be easy at first but it gets so so much better. Life is amazing once you are free from their grasp!!!
The PRC world is not a good, safe, welcoming place. It is damaging and will tear apart peoples lives to save their good image. This is not normal. I used to think the PR’s were such a big community, it was my whole world. Once I got out I realized how small and insignificant they actually are. How crazy their teachings actually are.
There is a big, beautiful, loving place outside the PR circle. You just need to open your eyes to the wickedness going on inside your own world in order to actually see how dangerous it is. If you decide to stay then you need to do something to demand a change for how the PRCA is run. How it treats its woman. How it covers up abuse and defends their perfect ministers over the young girls. This church is an old school, abusive, and damaging religion. It’s not too late to make a change and get out.
Please please open your eyes. If you feel like something is not being handled properly then speak up. Woman need to start speaking up!! You have a voice but it’s the PRC that is trying to shut you down! We hear you and are here for you! You are not alone and have help here if you need it.
|
|
|
Post by curiouscat on Oct 18, 2021 1:05:05 GMT
I won't share too much because I don't want to dox myself. But a few general things: Unlike many PRs and exPRs, my fear was not being shunned. Many of my friends and family are already outside of the PR churches For me, I was highly involved with the life of my church to the point I was entangled in it. I fell into the "sunk cost" fallacy; because I had invested so much into it, I didn't feel right about walking away. Ironically, the more involved I became, the more I saw the flaws, hypocrisy, and downright horrors of the PRC. Their pride, ignorance, and stubbornness that resisted all forms of change began to leave a bad taste in my mouth. I think the hardest part was struggling with the fact that I had learned so much there. The PRC did fairly well in teaching me about God, for which I will forever be thankful. However, what the PRC failed to do was teach me how to live with God and my neighbor, and how to truly love God and anyone I interacted with. Life and love were not there. It was a cold, dead church. Leaving behind something you previously loved (in child like innocence/ ignorance) so much is hard. It's like breaking up with someone you've dated for a long time. You know them, and you know what to expect from them, but you also know this relationship is hurting you. So although it hurts to say goodbye, and it's scary to try something new, for your own well-being you have to leave. I strongly resonate with this post. I also hurt when I left and a good part of me yearned to still be part of it after leaving. At the same point I also recognized how my membership in it was contributive to these terrible and abusive systems and empowering just awful, awful people. Once you open your eyes to the very real damage the church is doing, you can't unsee it. The damage to people's faith, the damage to people's relationships, the emotional damage they dole out to people who don't conform, the intellectual damage to people who question, the damage done to children, even the tolerated physically abusive damage, notwithstanding the overall damage to society. I saw the damage to people that the PRC was doing, and I just couldn't play pretend anymore. I initially tried to make a positive impact and point out some of these problems, but was quickly and thoroughly rebuffed. I know so, so many genuinely good people who are in the PRC. I really have to wrestle with that, some days more than others. I have to believe that these are genuinely good people who are in the PRC who genuinely believe that the PRCA is a genuinely good organization. I struggle with intentions of these PR's I still have relationships with. Struggling to think that either these good people are stuck and playing pretend like I did or that they are willfully ignorant to the extent of the damage being caused. Tacked onto that is their unwillingness to address or even acknowledge my pains and hurts from the PRC, it just makes it all the easier to believe that they're all just playing pretend and not bringing up anything that would shatter the illusion. For many of us that leave and attempt to keep relationships with PR friends and family, this is a constant struggle. They're just never going to acknowledge my pain, let alone address it or apologize in any meaningful way, and if I am to keep my relationships with them then I just have to swallow that whole every time I see them and ask for seconds and pretend I like the taste. Even after leaving, I still have to play pretend. It's really hard sometimes to carry on relationships with people like that. I truly understand and sympathize when people make the decision to just drop off the radar and start over somewhere. Wherever you're at, I hope you're doing okay. That disillusion that you talk about was huge for me. You really see what happens behind the scenes, behind the curtains... And once you see it you can never go back. I've told friends that I sometimes wish I didn't what I do, so I could live in blissful ignorance. To be honest, I don't know when it happened and what triggered it, but one day it hit me like a ton of bricks. Could I have been that dense? How did I live with these issues for this long? How did I not see that change would never happen? I give those who choose to stay the benefit of the doubt that their eyes haven't been opened yet. I know it's not the case for all, but that was my case. At one point in my life I too followed willingly and blindly. I'm... Working toward a better tomorrow. Today is still hard, but I hope one day I'll feel whole again. Just trying to take one day at a time
|
|
|
Post by questioneverything on Feb 8, 2022 17:39:35 GMT
I was trying to find the right thread to put this on. But one of the only arguments that was said against me leaving was that I was breaking the confession of faith I made when I was younger. This is because "when I made it I promised to adhere to the doctrines of the church". Now that I am going to a church with a different belief on a lot of these main doctrines I have "broken my confession of faith". This obviously hurts because I am Christian and still hold fast to my confession of faith. I wonder if this has been said to/used against anyone else? Sounds to me like you're working out your faith. Does it have to be static? As for me, I definitely broke my confession, but it doez not sound at all like you have to me. And, there's a new sheriff in town that thinks the whole PRCA has broke their confessions. So what's a guy to do, join him and take a trip across the world?
|
|
|
Post by prnolonger on Feb 8, 2022 17:54:10 GMT
I was trying to find the right thread to put this on. But one of the only arguments that was said against me leaving was that I was breaking the confession of faith I made when I was younger. This is because "when I made it I promised to adhere to the doctrines of the church". Now that I am going to a church with a different belief on a lot of these main doctrines I have "broken my confession of faith". This obviously hurts because I am Christian and still hold fast to my confession of faith. I wonder if this has been said to/used against anyone else?Yep. Me. They likened it to a marriage vow. If I left I would be breaking the promise I made in front of my friends and family that I would believe and adhere. Because of my confession of faith, I'm not allowed to leave with a clean conscience and I must submit to church discipline, not leave, and drop my inquiries that was causing me to doubt. It's why they they pressure you so hard to make the confession of faith before you go to college. They control your entire education for birth to end of high school. Once you're exposed to the outside, it's risking exposure that might make you question the group. They even use peer pressure to make you do it with a bunch of your friends. Normalize attending other PR churches at night services to go see your friends do it. You'll even get cake and soda! It's a big party with all your friends! The minister will, in front of all your friends and family, talk about how proud he is of you, how you're such a special person to God for doing this, how the world hates it and hates you, but in here we love you. Outside bad. Inside good. Outside hate. Inside love. It's just a control mechanism. So are the "papers" that come along with the confession. Very cult-y stuff.
|
|
|
Post by wewerepr on Feb 8, 2022 18:08:12 GMT
I was trying to find the right thread to put this on. But one of the only arguments that was said against me leaving was that I was breaking the confession of faith I made when I was younger. This is because "when I made it I promised to adhere to the doctrines of the church". Now that I am going to a church with a different belief on a lot of these main doctrines I have "broken my confession of faith". This obviously hurts because I am Christian and still hold fast to my confession of faith. I wonder if this has been said to/used against anyone else? "......I was breaking the confession of faith I made when I was younger. This is because "when I made it I promised to adhere to the doctrines of the church." Here is another example where the PRCA twists and turns good sound doctrine into farce and sin. I can not match the level of ridiculousness the prca leaders reach and have a hard time explaining their error, but I do know they are in error. The PRCA, at least the leaders and elders in the consistory rooms, (there may not be an "official" "denomination wide rule") the ministers and the elders and the some of the people in the pew think/believe that when a person utters the words "adhere to the doctrines of THE church" when they make profession of faith or when a child gets baptised the words "promise to see them raised in the doctrines taught in THIS Christian church"... that those words indicate profession of faith, baptism INTO THE PROTESTANT REFORMED CHURCH ONLY! ONLY!! Not the holy catholic church, not Jesus' church here on earth, BUT INTO THE PROTESTANT REFORMED DENOMINATION ONLY! Such an error! It is akin to a Roman Catholic doctrine....we are the only true church, if you're not a Roman Catholic you're not in Jesus' fold..... Yes, we were given this argument when we left...."you're leaving THE church! you're breaking your vow." And many agreed with that error. Here's a thing: Mr. Green dies and goes to heaven. St. Peter is showing him around. They go past as open door...St. Peter says "this is where the Pentecostal believers gather" and in the room there's dancing and raising of hands... Mr. Green and St. Peter continue. Next door is open and there's a wonderful meal being served...pies and hot dish... St. Peter says "here's the Lutherans at their Sunday Social"... they continue down the hall...the next door is closed....St. Peter: "Shh! Tip toe past this door" and after they've past the door Mr. Green inquiries "What was that all about?" St. Peter replies: "That was the Protestant Reformed room....they think they are the only ones here." I'll be rejoicing with the pentecostals, dining with the lutherans, and tip toeing past the prots, thank you very much. The Protestant Reformed hierarchy changes every word, every jot and tittle, to consolidate their control over the people in the pews. At first (in the early 1900's) the leaders may have thought it was necessary to protect the people from doctrinal error, but anymore it's just a tool of control. You can leave the PRCA and still be true to your vow and part of Christ's church.
|
|