Normal Is Not An Option

The church of Christ officially does not celebrate religious holidays. There is no Christmas pageant with the kids cutely flubbing their lines. There is no glorious Easter celebration with trumpets and lilies. In fact, every Easter Sunday, we were treated to a sermon explaining why true Christians don't celebrate Easter because it has its origins in pagan holidays (never mind the fact that Christianity itself is a blend of Jewish and pagan traditions). And around this time of year, we started getting lectures about how Christmas really isn't Jesus' birthday because we don't know for certain when he was born. In this regard, the CoC is very close doctrinally to the non-Christian sects, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Mormons, and is completely out of step with the rest of Christianity (which it rejects as being apostate anyway). Despite the church's official stance, many people in the church do have a Christmas tree and presents and they let their kids hu

The one point of church of Christ doctrine that I never believed or accepted is that women are inherently inferior to men. Of course, if you ask a CoC-er about this, they'll deny teaching that women are inferior and will insist that the sexes are equal in God's eyes, but that men and women have different "roles to play" in life and that women are not supposed to have leadership over a man in any circumstances. A woman's primary role is to be a wife and mother and stay at home if it's at all possibly economically, while a man's role is to be a husband and father and rule over his household, including his wife. Whether or not a CoC preacher comes right out and says that women are inferior, however, the attitude of the men in the church is crystal clear. Women are treated with utter condescension, especially if they try to question the men. A woman's opinion carries no weight. Her concerns are met with scorn. And no matter how well educated she is, she st