Hello everyone!
I'm a current member of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church (PBCC) , but I am going through some serious struggles with church membership right now.
To start off, I'm typing this on an "open phone" - brethren speak for a phone that doesn't have the church-mandated internet protection software on it. It blocks any website deemed unsafe, including other Christian websites!
Maybe you can see where I'm going with this.
I'm not allowed to eat or drink with anyone not in the PBCC, and 2 Timothy 2:19-21 is quoted to support this. Employment at non-brethren businesses is banned. Video games are banned. Open phones and computers are banned. Going to theaters is banned. Attending a concert is banned. Going to a different church is banned. If I miss a church meeting (there are 9 per week) my commitment to the church is questioned.
The brethren attitude towards Christians outside is that they are saved, but they don't have the light that the brethren have, which has been brought to us by the "men of God".
The "Man of God", as our leader is called, is above questioning. If he says something, it's true. For example, "a person who smokes doesn't have the spirit" and "people with beards have something to hide". I wish I was making those up! If I questioned those, I would likely be "shut up" (a brethren version of quarantine, essentially) or withdrawn from (excommunicated).
Being withdrawn from means that everyone in the PBCC with not talk to you; emails and phone calls will go unanswered; parcels and letters will be returned unopened. If you leave or are withdrawn from, it is said that you will likely end up in hell, as the brethren believe that if you are born into the PBCC, God meant for you to be there and if you leave you are questioning God's will.
My basic question is, is this normal and acceptable ? I have a serious gut feel about the whole situation and it isn't a good one. Half of me thinks the whole thing is a sham and the other half wants to think that the brethren are right and that I should stop questioning it.
Sorry for the rather long post. Would seriously appreciate some help and prayer . Thanks so much.
I'm a current member of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church (PBCC) , but I am going through some serious struggles with church membership right now.
To start off, I'm typing this on an "open phone" - brethren speak for a phone that doesn't have the church-mandated internet protection software on it. It blocks any website deemed unsafe, including other Christian websites!
Maybe you can see where I'm going with this.
I'm not allowed to eat or drink with anyone not in the PBCC, and 2 Timothy 2:19-21 is quoted to support this. Employment at non-brethren businesses is banned. Video games are banned. Open phones and computers are banned. Going to theaters is banned. Attending a concert is banned. Going to a different church is banned. If I miss a church meeting (there are 9 per week) my commitment to the church is questioned.
The brethren attitude towards Christians outside is that they are saved, but they don't have the light that the brethren have, which has been brought to us by the "men of God".
The "Man of God", as our leader is called, is above questioning. If he says something, it's true. For example, "a person who smokes doesn't have the spirit" and "people with beards have something to hide". I wish I was making those up! If I questioned those, I would likely be "shut up" (a brethren version of quarantine, essentially) or withdrawn from (excommunicated).
Being withdrawn from means that everyone in the PBCC with not talk to you; emails and phone calls will go unanswered; parcels and letters will be returned unopened. If you leave or are withdrawn from, it is said that you will likely end up in hell, as the brethren believe that if you are born into the PBCC, God meant for you to be there and if you leave you are questioning God's will.
My basic question is, is this normal and acceptable ? I have a serious gut feel about the whole situation and it isn't a good one. Half of me thinks the whole thing is a sham and the other half wants to think that the brethren are right and that I should stop questioning it.
Sorry for the rather long post. Would seriously appreciate some help and prayer . Thanks so much.