sisabet | Protestant Churches... Getting Kicked out is EASY

So that church in North Carolina, run by an obvious hate-mongering nutjob, kicked a bunch of members out cause they wouldn't vote for George W. Bush.

Ooookay. Not surprised, but then I have long learned that just cause the thing has the word "church" in the title does not mean they are devoted to good-deeds.

Hell, my cubicle-mate's evil ass-hole uncle's church is run by the KKK. Seriously. That is his church. I think they also kick you out if you vote for a democrat. Not really sure about it, but y'know, I don't think I'll ask.

This is not an Excommunication from an entire denomination - this is not like what a Catholic Excommunication would be like. These people are Baptists and we don't even really know what flavor of Baptists they are - hell, I am sure there are about 4 nearby churches they can all attend if they want to. OR! They will just do what all the fricking churches down here do when there is a big disagreement over Important Issues: The congregation splits and a new church is born.

Kind of the theological equivalent of taking your ball and going home. Hee, the church I grew up in split from the Disciples of Christ over *something* (can't remember what) in the 1800's and then the Church of Christ split from them later over the issue of Musical Instruments in the Sanctuary. Whether or not to have a piano drove an entire denomination apart. As Jesus intended.

Communion: Once a Week or only on Holidays has caused meltdowns. Women: Potential Deacons or Satan's Whores has also driven churches apart.

This happens All the Fricking Time cause these people have nothing better to do. And nothing better to apparently read. Bastards.

Now - I am not saying that we shouldn't be upset about this asshole preacher. I think his actions are completely fucked up and if he wants to run his church like a political action committee, then I say we treat it like a political action committe. Fucktard. I'm not surprised there were people in the demonination who clapped and I hope to dear God that this story makes the national wires and gets broadcast all over America cause no one wants to be the obnoxious townsfolk from "Footloose" -- the extreme Right Wing is reaping what it sows and is that from the Bible or Star Trek?

I am saying, don't get your knickers in a twist cause a Baptist church is splitting up. That is nothing new under the sun.

Personally, I think a house of worship turning away *anyone* is sinful, but I don't run this shit. I know people who have been kicked out of churches. I could get kicked out of churches (but first I would have to get up early on Sundays and it just becomes this great big thing and I'll prefer to stay home and pretend I've already been excommunicated, kthxbai). OH! My great-grandfather got kicked out of his church. YAY!!

What you have to understand is, joining these churches involves just basically walking up on a Sunday morning and saying "Hey! I want to join this church" - they will then evaluate your level of Baptism-having (and depending on the church they just might want to dunk you again, just to be safe --I've actually been told I need a rebaptism, people) and then you are In Like Flynn.

Sometimes there are study-groups. The minister might want to talk to you a bit, beforehand, but most of these places LOVE getting new members and there is no test other than you make a profession of faith in front of the church.

Yes, there are highly organized Protestant Denominations. I am hazarding a guess that East Waynesville Baptist Church ain't one of 'em.

Protestant Excommunication: The New Black.

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Yes, there are highly organized Protestant Denominations. I am hazarding a guess that East Waynesville Baptist Church ain't one of 'em.

Oh, now you've got me thinking about the path my religious upbringing took from staid, upstanding, highly organized Presbyterianism to the wilder (Pentacostalism! the culture shock!) but still administratively well-organized Assemblies of God to the string of small, non-denominational churches in storefronts, rented buildings (one building was later a martial arts studio and then a very small tool and die shop) and the second floor of the (not very large) Strawberry Antiques Mall. Denomination? Ha! Ordination? Yeah, okay, probably from somewhere. Membership? I dunno — why don't you ask the scary dude who lived in the rec room in our basement after his wife kicked him out for domestic violence or whatever when I was in high school if he was a member and, if so, what he had to do to join. Or the couple who didn't get legally married, in the sense of registering it with the state, but who did get "spiritually married" at the future martial arts studio presided over by the yeah, probably ordained minister in a service that included wine being drunk from a "chalice" that I was incensed to find out later was my silver wine goblet from Harvest Dance junior year. My mother had swiped it out of the dining room china cabinet without telling me. I don't know...can a marriage be sanctified by wine from a goblet engraved with the dates of a high school dance and lyrics from Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight"?

Okay, now I'm getting flashbacks of scary basement guy dressed in a tie with his I-thought-they-were-estranged-but-what-do-I-know? wife and their several small, stringy-haird, snot-nosed children looking on as he became a member of the church. So I guess he was. Now I know he could answer our question.

Note: This was at the Strawberry Mall site.

I am saying, don't get your knickers in a twist cause a Baptist church is splitting up. That is nothing new under the sun.

This is one of the things that's distressing about the current meltdown in the Episcopal Church -- it's just so, so... BAPTIST! *g* Traditionally, we *encompass* multiple viewpoints, accomodate, etc., only now our more conservative members are forgetting that and setting hard lines as to what is acceptable and what isn't. It's... very distressing and ahistoric.

*nod* My mom and her half-sibs were told to leave some flavor of Protestant because their mom was living in sin, i.e., had remarried. Me, I was just kicked out of Sunday School... getting kicked out of Catholicism is a Long, Involved Process, but apparently they can tell your dad not to re-enroll you in CCD if you ask too many questions. Who knew? *whistles innocently*

there is no test other than you make a profession of faith in front of the church.

And probably sign a pledge card :D

I admit excommunication is the wrong word. And I never thought this was indicative of more than just the actions of one congregation. (I live in a town where new churches pop up all the time, and a few years ago my main interest was seeing what strange new name they'd find to distinguish themselves and advertise themselves as the only true Biblical Church--accept no substitutes, especially not the one we belonged to until that fight over the kool-aid and green bean casserole last Sunday!)

But I don't think it's wrong to show some outrage at this incident, even if it happens all the time. Especially if it happens all the time.

Politics and regligon are becoming very mixy things again in our society, dangerously so. We need to protest that, loudly and vehemently. This demonination may not be organized, but the right as a whole is. We need to whip up some public indignation from the other side. It's hard to do when you're preaching tolerance, but we have to try.

It's also hard because I'm very depressed and humor impaired today. I keep trying to rev myself up to some optimism about anything and then I just want to crawl in bed, pull the covers over my head, and disappear. Even John Crichton's ass can't make me feel better.

*crawls away*

As a teen, I attended a very conservative Lutheran church and a bunch of people left when they started playing song *gasp* not from the hymnal. My best friend was excommunicated when he wore a Marilyn Manson t-shirt to church and was accused of talking during the service. (He was actually snoring as he'd fallen asleep.)

Hee, the church I grew up in split from the Disciples of Christ over *something* (can't remember what) in the 1800's and then the Church of Christ split from them later over the issue of Musical Instruments in the Sanctuary. Whether or not to have a piano drove an entire denomination apart. As Jesus intended.

Actually, I think you need to chalk this one up to God the Father, because us Jews do it too. I'm pretty sure Reform Judaism was started back in the 1800s when a bunch of German Jews decide that what they really wanted on Saturday mornings was some nice organ music, like all the Lutherans and Catholics then knew had on Sundays.

*nods* big huge word to this.

When I heard about this i went "BUH?!"

I can just picture my pastor trying this. *Snort* the provincial branch would have a coronary and then the federal version would have a coronary and *he* would be kicked out on his arse.

In my case, I'm Pentecostal and for us? Joining our church in the sense of becoming a member who can hold office in the varying departments and such is actually an administrative thing and the only reason we have that is because the insurance company pitched a fit a few years back.

They definitely can't kick you out depending on political believes. Good GRIEF.

Last time I checked, the bible teaches to leave the political stuff to the political types.

Oy.

Oy.

Oy.

(And yeah, came here the friends friends. I think it was

voleuse? *looks confuzzled*)

Protestant Churches... Getting Kicked out is EASY

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