Quote:
Originally Posted by Trapped
I have this problem too. Meeting new people in a new church inevitably brings up the logical question of how you got there or where you came from - how do you even begin to explain where you came from without turning their smile into frozen steel and their eyes wide as they get a weirder story than they bargained for? From the get-go you are "weird", when you just need help and understanding about something that is impossible to understand unless you lived it!
Also finding out that elders in the LC are quite comfortable speaking half-truths makes it difficult to trust people in positions of authority anywhere as upright persons too.
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Consider a person from North Korea who just escaped. All their life they were told of the evil outside world. New York City, for instance, is supposedly full of heroin addicts, muggers and rapists. Then somehow, they escape and they're in NYC. Sure enough, there's a heroin addict laying on the street. A wino with no teeth grabs at them. Another person accosts them for a handout. Wow! It's really that bad!
No, it's not. It
is bad, actually, but not as bad as North Korea. In the land of freedom, people do indeed misbehave, but that's better than a totalitarian state where jaywalkers and heroin addicts are summarily executed, as well as people who don't clap loudly enough when the Great Man speaks.
But it's hard, I admit, when you get out of the One Party State, to sort it all out. First impressions become snap judgments. It sure does look messy! (and yes, they look at you often as a "weirdo").
In my case, I left physically, as the practices were bad (no love), but I was firmly convinced that all the doctrines were without flaw. Somehow we just had to meld the teachings with the right practices, and the "life" of "Elden Hall" would come back into the Podunk Community Church. I really thought this - I mean, how could any teachings be an improvement on God's New Testament Economy?
So I had a lot to unlearn before I could learn. I was programmed to think a certain way. (They call it "training"). I had to be de-programmed first. Only then could I begin to look around and sort out what was what.
In short, "Christianity" is arguably a mess. On many levels. But if you boil down the gospel, either you believe or you don't. Either Jesus Christ rose from the dead according to the scripture (OT and NT) or no. Either its the truth or it's a lie. Once I boiled down the gospel to it's irreducible core (for my satisfaction), then suddenly I could begin to navigate the subject of "church" among others. But that took years of frustration and confusion. Hopefully it won't be as bad for you.