Where Do I Begin?

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I used to try to be normal. I longed to be normal. I wanted to be like the other kids at school--pretty, popular, easy-going. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't fit in. Part of it was me. I was shy and withdrawn. But the biggest problem was that my family belonged to a church that borders on being a cult. When you grow up in that weird, airless environment of a small Midwestern, fundamentalist church, you can never be normal. Your life can never be like the lives of your friends or the people you meet. You will always be on the outside looking in. You will never fit in with the wider culture, no matter how hard you try. This is my story of how I got out of that church and learned to stand on my own two feet. I'm still not normal, but at least I escaped with my sanity and my soul. Normal is not an option....

Comments

Search4Truth said…
Finally I got back to the beginning. It is hard to leave a cult- notice I did not use the word cult like, or near cult. There is so much false teaching out there, even in some of the mainline denominations. I personally am unfamiliar with the COC, but feel that I have learned a lot today.

You feel oppressed by the way women were treated, and rightly so. God used and uses women every day. Some in miraculous ways. Lydia started a church. Mary and Martha were very instrumental, but I guess the COC says that was because they were taking care of domestic duties. You referred to Proverbs 31. She did more than cook and clean, she did the research and bought a field. Her family was well cared for though. Some are given to be apostles, some prophets and some teachers. Gender is never shown here in Eph 4.

May God bless you in your quest, and I hope to be in touch through your blog. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.
January 10, 2010
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