The danger of born again Christianity exists in many Christian churches because a disappointing number of churches promote unhealthy values. But you must carefully look for their signs. These may be in unspoken rules and views a believer is expected to follow or believe. Not all churches and religious organizations carry these unhealthy characteristics, but more than you might think do. We will share here what we have found in our extensive experience with church membership over many decades here in America, mostly in Colorado. The word church used here refers to a religious organization, not the true meaning which is God’s chosen.
All churches are open about what they believe and teach as gospel truth from the Bible. Where they begin to show their true colors is in how they view and interpret those values in their view of you and the world around them in their ministry. If you are lucky enough to find a good honest church, you will feel it right from the beginning. What they teach they will follow, and how they govern themselves will be uniform. Where rules are necessary, they will be for and to everyone, and not selectively applied to some members and not to others. This does not apply to preferential treatment for senior members regarding status for seniority within the congregation. This type of preferential treatment for longer standing members is normal and healthy social group behavior everywhere. That is an indication of a group that you want to merge into socially and spiritually. Your long-time membership will be recognized, and that is good.
Look for danger signs of caste status. This is not a church where you would want to belong and have their input in you or your children’s upbringing. Spiritually reptilian churches have a passion for hating and looking down at things they see as evil. For them it is not enough to stand for good, they need to hate things, that means persons and families, they see as bad. Within their ranks they see all persons as equal, but some are created more equal than others, if that makes any sense. The best way to test them for this is telling them you, your husband or a family member is a registered sex offender. Also, a test would be if you as a woman are divorced. In our old church, divorced men were honored for living restored lives seen as heroes, but divorced women were banned from employment and church volunteer service because they were permanently fallen in spiritual status much like a felony record might indicate. This is much practiced in unhealthy churches and is a caste system from the Hindu Religion in India but still alive in America. Disclosing derogatory information such as this will bring out their true nature immediately, saving you years of your social life wasted with these poisoners.
Another thing to look for is boundary violation regarding restriction in how you see things. Bad unhealthy churches want more than to instruct you in teachings about the bible and religion. They insist on making you not only agree on every detail of biblical instruction but also make you conform about how you think about everything. Theological agreement they see as a sign of spiritual perfection, just mimic the church management and you are in. They will insist that all life is in the bible, and their church and the bible are all you need. That sounds good on paper, from the pulpit but has no relevance in real life. No doctor ever became a doctor by reading the bible, no lawyer ever became a lawyer by reading the bible. Lastly no engineer ever became an engineer by reading the bible or going to their church. They all attended their respective colleges and took their training and internships in their chosen professions chosen by themselves out in the sinful world. Many bad churches will violate your spiritual boundaries by insisting they think for you and make your lives for you because they have God’s ordination to do so.
Your group identity as a Christian will end with your accepting Jesus as your savior and your choice to follow Him in putting character in everything you do beyond that. After that is all falls back on you to build your own life path based upon your gifts, talents, potentialities. Those things are expressed through your hobbies, interests, talents and lifestyle preferences. Those are part of who you are and do not change after salvation. What life path preferences you have made for your future generally remain the same, except for an obviously bad previous life that was injurious and life damaging.
Beware of unspoken inferences in your church settings such as using certain phrases and terms and ways of thinking that do not fit you. Common phrases might be, “Everything goes to God.” Or “Only God gets all the glory, we deserve nothing.” And “We will pray about it, and we will do what God wants.” By themselves these phrases can be healthy and normal, but along with other gut feelings you will get from other things noticed they can mean trouble big time. Being superficial and fake is out!
Go with your gut feeling over time and see what you feel overall. There should be a sense that they care about you as the individual and want you to be fully yourself. If there are underlying feelings that they are not about God, they are about their church organization and filling their congregation with cherry picked members then you are in the wrong place. If you sense how they see things is that they see the world as below God, and they are the portal between people and God and they are isolationist, then get out.
Look for a church that sees God in life and in people, not separate from it. Monastic isolation is a strong cult characteristic of power trip pastors who want mindless robot followers so they can manipulate their followers’ lives. They build up the church as a necessary castle to protect their followers from the evil world. A healthy church serves the followers and encourages them to interact with the world and participate in Humankind, not withdraw from it. A good church will encourage your individuality and your personal pride, not try to kill it.
For Getting Past The False Church Finding Your Purpose In God
Finding God Can Be Very Confusing If You Have Had A Bad Experience With Any Church Pastors Or Staff And Otherwise Abused By The Church
Some Characteristics of Christianity For Which To Beware. Church Participation Does Not Mean They Can Control Your Mind. Keeping Your Identity And Mind Within The Congregation
If You Need Encouragement Because Your Christian Walk Has Too Many Burdens, Know God Has Chosen You Because Of Your Outstanding Character Because Of You, Others Will Make It To Heaven
Finding your purpose in God may not be found in religion. God is not in religion; God is in the individuality of each person. Religion’s Answers May Not Fit Your Emotional Need Questions
What is the right religion is asked by many spiritually awakening people. Perhaps this insight will make this question more understandable. What Is The Right Religion Is Like Asking What Is The Only Right Shoe Size
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Just for the record, this is an emotional and spiritual encouragement ministry. We are selling nothing here and are not at the present time even set up to take donations, and probably never will. Your healed life is our reward enough, and we are very pleased with that. If you want to, please share your strength with others in your future so our nurturing can live on.