I think there will be one preacher I will not go to listen to again. He's from out of town and been teaching at our church now and then, and I have been getting bad vibes from him. Almost like, he seems really nice but you can expect him to turn on you with hatred at anytime.
Quite regularly, I found him quite the turn off.
Just today, he said some things that I can't relate too. He talked about the prison ministry, that it is important because we are all the same and its just that we haven't been caught.
Really? I have done something that warrants prison, its just that I didn't get caught? I don't think so.
Oh and if you have no blessings in your life you have to look at how you are living your life, perhaps you are not obeying God. That's a false teaching, God said we will have tribulation. Not that we should expect hard times at every corner, but it is a part of the life here. So anyone who experiences some trouble in life is not living in accordance to God's will?
Our church does not hold true to that principle, they told us enough times to expect tribulation, that it is part of this life. This isn't heaven.
Another thing he said was that we not to be blaming society for the ills in our life, it is our own doing. Really? I don't think so. I think society has a lot to do with it. I saw many times, teachers, doctors, would turn away at mother's abuse of me. Not that I can blame them, but they can stop protecting the bad guys here.
Please stop protecting the bad guys. They don't need protection. And stop victim blaming.
These little care packages given by the church to the prisoners are so important to them? Really? They can't get toothpaste but they can get their drugs imported in? Oh, please, I'm sick of it.
To me, the prisoners represents the narcissists and sociopaths that have got caught. This is a good thing. Ok, sure maybe some are innocents, but I am willing to bet they are next to nil. Give them a care package, and they will get it bullied out of them.
And when we left the church today, the man was standing next to my food box, the one that I always take to the food bank. I pulled out the groceries, and he smiled, and I said this is for the marginalized people in society. Then I left.
We live in a very difficult world, one that I was never ready for, I've had a bad day today because I'm feeling very confused. I understand poverty, and some people don't. Maybe I just don't understand prison either and some people do. Maybe.
As I venture into the authentic me, I feel so out of touch. I don't want to hurt anyone, but it's hard for me to pull it all together.
He said this was a tough teaching. Ok, I get it. I got that once from a church minister who gave tough teachings like this and in less than year he left his wife and five kids to go live with a woman he was supposed to be helping with alcoholism. And had two more kids with her, and left because she was an alcoholic.
I believe that guy is a false preacher. Listen to your vibes. That is weird about the prison saying most haven't been caught. I had someone invite me to write to prisoners as part of a Christian ministry, women to men even and I kept thinking they will trying to scam and manipulate me, so I refused. It was max security not minimum. Now of course I believe there are some who got railroaded or got oppressed by our thousands of laws, but the rapist, murderer, drug dealer play ground is sociopath/psychopath/antisocial land.
ReplyDeleteThe no blessings in the life thing, is harsh, and borders on prosperity gospel teachings. However I am noticing that in a lot of the churches around here. If bad things happen to you, it is your fault, and you do not have blessings by God. I am considering leaving my church and being unchurched, I just do not fit into the place and after a year of being there, I only really know the pastors name and one other ladies. They do not have any social events and everyone lives far out of town. It's not turning into a church family by any means. It kind of disturbs me. What little energy I have, I don't want wasted and if everyone is staying a stranger what's the use? Some of my beliefs are different anyhow, this one was the closest but I feel like if I open my mouth, well if anyone talks to me for any length of time ever, there'd be trouble.
I am glad your church teaches the truth about tribulation.
Yes many of the false ones say if your life is good you are blessed by God, I may write about this. But I have been given the "you are a wicked person" spiel enough or you are not blessed by God because you need deliverance and are "inherently wicked". I don't mind the idea of deliverance but it seems just another way to tell me I am wicked person and everything is my fault. The establishment excusers are nauseating. Does he also say "we are fighting for our freedom" in the Middle East. I see how the churches indoctrinate people on this stuff. So society is not to blame we are. When someone starts praising this sick wicked society watch out, they are of this world. He is telling people they are at fault for losing jobs, not the greedy corporations. I wonder about those who have had good lives and their looking down the noses at some of us.
It is victim blaming. Actually I think the whole society has Stockholm Syndrome. More wars and disasters for you all, so they praise their masters even more.
continuing....
I don't mind toothpaste for the prisoners but then all that does is absolve the prison system of taking decent care of them. Why can't they get toothpaste there? Why is it a rare commodity? I see those little bags as do-gooder stuff as the sentences get longer and prisoners are now used for pennies on the hour corporate labor, but you won't see those types discussing those issues or why we have entire segments of society basically in combat for the sake of the billions of dollar drug wars.
ReplyDeleteI was never ready for this world either. I feel like this place is crushing me. I had a bad nightmare about my church, people smiling at me and then pulling away. Maybe it is a dream to listen to. Even with that one false friend I had negative feelings about her, I would think "she is so nice", but I should have listened to the small voice inside.
The "good" people or "church" people live in another world then me. I'm still a Christian but I am realizing, I'm not really part of their circle. I wonder if some of the church people would tell Jesus Christ as he is being crucified, he did bad things and deserved it. They probably would. Imagine how a man with no home would be treated in most churches today.
I can have mercy for prisoners in some of them probably were abused but then they choose to go down evil highway in many of the cases. They have so many laws here in the USA, that if you forget to cross dot one I, they can send you off but the max security crowd? I worked in a juvenile home, and even there you could see the closed down consciences.
It wasn't tough teaching it was a false teaching.
He might not be one of the good guys. He has even said that he made 50 thousand bucks a year in 1971. It would be nice if that were to happen for everyone, but, I can't remember why that was part of the teaching, he is a big of a braggart. He has great kids. His wife was adopted to a good family when she was a baby from a single mom. Never has he talked of a difficulty and how he got through, or that he didn't get through it.
ReplyDeleteI also heard others say that his teeth are too white, I mean so bright it hurts your eyes.
I know lots of preachers in my life. I remember once a minister chewing gum during a teaching, then soon after a great fall from grace. The gum was a red flag for me, I know its silly, but I see those little things. Even this one was wearing designer jeans, men don't dress up anymore. I would rather see a preacher in even a worn out suit than designer jeans. Maybe I'm too picky.
I wanted to tell him as I was picking up a box of Kraft dinner, that this is for the oppressed in our society, or something like that. I want people to acknowledge these things. It is like we are being ignored. I still feel weird, like I'll never fit in.
No one seems to talk about wars in our church. I think everyone knows it is wrong. We are doing pretty good, except when this guy comes along. He might be a poisonous person. I talk to one elder all the time, he is like the shepherd, he might not call him back. We are just a small country church. Everyone is friendly, and the music is old time Christian music.
Of course I feel like we are under attack. But I'm the only one I think.
We have people who are going through tough circumstances, it is no way to talk, they are not being blessed. Life has its ups and downs, we are not to expect it not to be. We learn, we grow because of it.
I know some innocents have ended up in jail. I feel sad for them. That's where it gets extremely complicated for me. I think my mother had fantasies of me ending up in jail, by some of the stuff she said. She wanted my destruction thats for sure.
I just want this stuff to be acknowledged. As one person I can't do it. But then again, I don't think it is meant to happen, perhaps this is just for judgement. Not to expect sociopaths will ever be dealt with in this world.
If a person seems to be overly eager to give ex-cons a pass it might be that they are an ex-con themselves. People that have been in, don't feel the need to re-punish people that found themselves in jail. And those that have ended up in jail get tired of the stigma people want to hang on our heads for the rest of forever. I went to prison on a spurious charge and had my conviction over turned later. But it will be hanging over my head for the rest of my life.
ReplyDeleteI don't like to hurt people over this. Just lots of cause for them and well, I guess I just don't understand it all. We watched a lot of shows growing up where some would get raped and bullied in jail. I saw myself in those situations, that if I ever ended up in jail I would be a supreme target. Hope you were ok going through it.
ReplyDeleteBut Peep hit the nail on the head where it is the max security that held the actual sociopaths.
When people are poor, they too, get stigmatized. One bag of tobacco, and it doesn't even cost alot, can offset the budget so much the person has to go hungry for it. One mistake with the budget and you have to pay through the nose with so much difficulty. It is murder to live on a tight budget, because there is no extra. I used to end up with 20 bucks left over after bills for a month and I think that was doing well. But people still think that they live on lobster and steak, which is a huge stupidity.
I guess I'm saying that I just don't know about jails is all. But when I think of bullies there raises so much anger in me.
By the time a prisoner is far enough down the line for people to pass judgement on us we have usually had our marriages dissolved, businesses tanked savings looted and there ain't much left for us to get in trouble with. We got way more than enough people making our business their business I would agree with peep. Most people you find in jail are honest to a fault. I have never stolen or cheated anyone out of a dime.
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