I'm not really sure how I missed this
This article came out earlier in September and talks about Sarah Palin's church. I'm going to tell you right now that all of the descriptors that they have about her Assemblies of God church are identical to my experiences at Assemblies of God churches. That in and of itself isn't what's concerning to me. Honestly. I mean, I lived with it for years and while I think it's nutty, I don't think it's inherently harmful. I have said on many occasions that, while I don't personally believe in god, there is something to this speaking in tongues thing (even if it's just mass hysteria) because I saw my dad do it - and my did did NOT fuck around about god.
What's concerning to me is that if their interpretation of Revelations is also consistent, it indicates that there will never be peace in the Middle East. Never. And (therefore) that it's part of God's plan that there will never be peace in the Middle East. And if that's what you truly believe on a personal level, I find it hard to believe that you're going to give your all to facilitating or encouraging a peace process in your professional life. The things we believe affect the amount of effort we put forth and which things we decide to work on. If you've already decided it's a useless venture, I don't want you to be my president. I don't want you to be advising my president. I don't want you to be anywhere near my president.
That's not personal. I think you're entitled to your personal religious beliefs (or lack thereof). I'm also entitled to know whether or not it's going to have an influence on how you interact with world leaders and make foreign policy decisions.
Their verbiage and customs don't shock or surprise me. If the church is anything like my parents' church, the atmosphere is at least mildly cult-like. There's an us vs. them mentality that is encouraged. For example, our church discouraged participation in things like Brownies and Girl Scouts. Instead, the Assemblies of God has Missionettes. Brownies with Jesus. We got merit badges for doing things like memorizing (and reciting) all of First Corinthians 13. Because Brownies is good and all, but Missionettes is so much more supportive of your kid's spiritual development.
The church is probably entertaining. Not just a choir/band, but also a damn-near theater group. Our church put on plays and musicals several times a year. They also had traveling ministries in at least once quarter (including a guaranteed Fire and Brimstone ministry - if not several). There were always tears and laughter in any given sermon. I say sermon, but it's really like performance. Someone always got slain in the spirit. Someone always spoke in tongues. There was always the laying on of hands and the call to be saved. I've never been to a church (and I've been to all sorts of churches) that rivals it. The closest I've ever been (outside another Assemblies of God church) was a Southern Baptist church in Pontiac, which was missing all the laying on of hands and speaking in tongues - in other words, all the crazy parts.
I'm hoping that this election is going to bring this stuff into the light a little more because the word from these churches teach that the 'secular world' is out to get them and that it's inherently bad. They wanted us to forgo movies and radio, no dancing (unless it was in the name of the lord inside church - and there totally was), overnight camps where they could tell you that your body was unclean and it was your job to make it pure, and limited school activities because they "didn't glorify god."
I get that when I talk about my experiences with the Pentecostal Assemblies of God I can sound derisive and sometimes bitter. I honestly have a pretty good sense of humor about it and recognize that there were positive aspects of my life during that time. What I'm saying is that just because it *sounds* like bitterness doesn't mean it didn't *happen*.
I would also like to note that I didn't agree with a lot of things the church did, so at age 15 I left - under duress from my parents, who did not. I got a job so that I had an excuse not to be at that church and my parents continued at that church until I was out of college. Sarah Palin didn't leave her church until she ran for state office.
Look around. Learn more.
What's concerning to me is that if their interpretation of Revelations is also consistent, it indicates that there will never be peace in the Middle East. Never. And (therefore) that it's part of God's plan that there will never be peace in the Middle East. And if that's what you truly believe on a personal level, I find it hard to believe that you're going to give your all to facilitating or encouraging a peace process in your professional life. The things we believe affect the amount of effort we put forth and which things we decide to work on. If you've already decided it's a useless venture, I don't want you to be my president. I don't want you to be advising my president. I don't want you to be anywhere near my president.
That's not personal. I think you're entitled to your personal religious beliefs (or lack thereof). I'm also entitled to know whether or not it's going to have an influence on how you interact with world leaders and make foreign policy decisions.
Their verbiage and customs don't shock or surprise me. If the church is anything like my parents' church, the atmosphere is at least mildly cult-like. There's an us vs. them mentality that is encouraged. For example, our church discouraged participation in things like Brownies and Girl Scouts. Instead, the Assemblies of God has Missionettes. Brownies with Jesus. We got merit badges for doing things like memorizing (and reciting) all of First Corinthians 13. Because Brownies is good and all, but Missionettes is so much more supportive of your kid's spiritual development.
The church is probably entertaining. Not just a choir/band, but also a damn-near theater group. Our church put on plays and musicals several times a year. They also had traveling ministries in at least once quarter (including a guaranteed Fire and Brimstone ministry - if not several). There were always tears and laughter in any given sermon. I say sermon, but it's really like performance. Someone always got slain in the spirit. Someone always spoke in tongues. There was always the laying on of hands and the call to be saved. I've never been to a church (and I've been to all sorts of churches) that rivals it. The closest I've ever been (outside another Assemblies of God church) was a Southern Baptist church in Pontiac, which was missing all the laying on of hands and speaking in tongues - in other words, all the crazy parts.
I'm hoping that this election is going to bring this stuff into the light a little more because the word from these churches teach that the 'secular world' is out to get them and that it's inherently bad. They wanted us to forgo movies and radio, no dancing (unless it was in the name of the lord inside church - and there totally was), overnight camps where they could tell you that your body was unclean and it was your job to make it pure, and limited school activities because they "didn't glorify god."
I get that when I talk about my experiences with the Pentecostal Assemblies of God I can sound derisive and sometimes bitter. I honestly have a pretty good sense of humor about it and recognize that there were positive aspects of my life during that time. What I'm saying is that just because it *sounds* like bitterness doesn't mean it didn't *happen*.
I would also like to note that I didn't agree with a lot of things the church did, so at age 15 I left - under duress from my parents, who did not. I got a job so that I had an excuse not to be at that church and my parents continued at that church until I was out of college. Sarah Palin didn't leave her church until she ran for state office.
Look around. Learn more.