Originally Posted by cozyk

Maybe I don't want to wear the label of Christian. It doesn't bother me to "revoke" my christian card. I don't consider it to be the only ticket to heaven. You say I did not put anything into it. Does this count?

I grew up baptist. Went through the whole G.A.s thing. For non baptist it's kind of like churchy girl scouts. You have to memorize a lot of scripture, and other things to advance to the next level. You have to go in front of the whole church for a yearly coronation and be able to answer any question thrown at you on the spot. I think there were 6 levels. I took part in Bible drills, I think it was every quarter. Went to GA camp. hated it. We were at church every time the doors opened. Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night. Went to Bible school every summer.

When I was a teenager, my mother remarried and we joined a Methodist church. Again, I participated in everything they offered. Sunday school, worship service, MYF, (Methodist Youth Fellowship) every Sunday night, junior choir, more summer bible school, and community service like trick or treating for unicef.

When I got married, I joined a presbyterian church with my husband. We served as Junior High Fellowship Leaders for 3 years straight. We were ushers at times, and my husband was a deacon. Later, I became an officer in The Presbyterian Woman for 2 years.
I taught Sunday School and Bible school. I was a member of and hosted the "circle meetings" in my home. My husband coached the junior high girls basketball team. My kids were involved in everything available.

We moved to Richmond Va. in 1996. I "scouted" many churches for our family while my husband stayed home with our 3 and 6 year old children. I finally found one I thought would be a fit for our family. After attending for a couple of years, I couldn't take it anymore. My family was actually relieved. Formal religion with all it's ceremonial ritual, hymn singing. choir music, standing to recite the apostles creed, sitting to recite something else, money spent on extravagant structures, and the cliques, got on my nerves. Somehow the deep personal relationship between God and each one of us never entered into it. I was in a prayer chain. It was new to me and I started the first payer of the "new season". I was told I was doing it wrong. You are supposed to say it this way, not that way. Put this in, leave that out. And it seemed more like a gossip chain than a prayer chain. I liked some of the ministers and some I did not. One always sounded like he was playing a part in a play. In the Baptist church, we had one that would shout at us, sob. and pound his fist. Between the moves, marriages, remarriages, etc. I have been a member of 7 churches.

When my oldest child was in the 4th grade, we found a church that took place at a high school. It was not any particular denomination. The music was mostly secular, but was related to what ever the message was that day. There was a full band with great musicians and singers. It was extremely informal. There was a drama team that was fantastic and would act out different life situations or challenges. Sometimes we would watch video that was inspirational.
Unfortunately, in less than a year we had to move to Pa. I did the whole church search again but never found one that I related to.

I knew I had God in my heart and that we had always been and always will be together even after my physical form is dead and gone. I would love to worship with others that feel the same way but if I don't , it's not going to make me drift away from my relationship with God , my desire to make Him proud, and my need to be a good steward of His love.

Originally Posted by N0help4u

Looked at the message boards. Particularly the spirit board. All it looked like to me was self help, self esteem stuff with some New Age teaching tossed in.

Originally Posted by Fr_Chuck

Yes, I see and the only thing I did not see is that you accepted Christ as your Savior. That you were as many call it "born again" being a user, being on this committee and other things are social activities, they have no saving grace, being a member of the church does not save. In fact many church members are just as doomed to hell as everyone else who has never accepted Christ as thier Savior.
There are even Pastors who are not saved and I do feel sorry for thier church members more than any.

So no doing all of that is not giving all of yourself, since you were what we called (playing church) doing all the outside world expects of you but never accepting the real message of what Christ is telling you.]]

But if any other teaching is showing you a way that is outside of Christ, then they are a false and dangerous teaching allow a person to "do thier own thing" which is of course the path most taken by people who do this without any guidance.

So if there is a teaching that does not incude Christ, it is false, it is dangerous an it should be avoided.

Originally Posted by Fr_Chuck

In fact many church members are just as doomed to hell as everyone else who has never accepted Christ as thier Savior.
There are even Pastors who are not saved and I do feel sorry for thier church members more than any.

Originally Posted by cozyk

For those of you that are following Oprah and Eckhart Tolle's , A New Earth what you think about it. Personally, I love it. Long ago, I knew that organized religion was not for me.

It seem to come down to someone or something (Bible) dictating what you are to believe.
Belief is something you either feel or you don't. It comes from the heart and soul, not the head. After going to church for 40 plus years, I finally stopped, I got nothing from it except frustration. I have been on my own spiritual journey for the last ten years. I felt my relationship with God was extremely personal and I have tried to live as Christ like as possible. A New Earth has taken my belief and driven it home. It solidifies what I have believed to be the truth for so long. The more I read, the more revelation I have. This book has been nothing but positive for me.