I have a problem...

[joyinhislife]

I think that a lot of us can say with certainty that we have been hurt by the Body of Christ *ouch*. And I do know that I have done my share of this hurting, no matter how unintentional it was *more ouch*.
You have some wonderful, God-given advice before you. Pray......the Lord sees you, and who you are. He knows your needs, and will meet them. Ask Him where He would have you attending church. Hang in there!!!

 

[one11]

Another thing that I realized was common with all of the churches I went to, was that there was a lot of hate within them, which I found very strange.

A good example of this is the recent election. Almost the only thing anyone would talk about after the sermon is how much they "hated" Barack Obama (Hate is the actual word many people used). They'd say things like he was "Not a true Christian", and that they would "Move to Canada" if he became president. Even some of the pastors let it show in their sermons that they obviously were still bitter that McCain did not win.

I know they may not agree with some of Obama's views, but should we all not at least pray for him and love him?

I do know that some churches are not like this. Particularly because I used to go to one as a young adult which I loved, but sadly it eventually shut down.

I guess I made this topic not so much for advice in finding a new church, but more in curiosity why it seems so many Christians are (At least on the outside) like this. I do not claim to be perfect, it just makes me sad that there is so much hate and ignorance within so many churches today.

Yes this issue above can be confusing.

I'd say the best way to deal with it is to pray for them and then forget about it for awhile. Let it go cause it will cause a bitter root to grow up in you and then you need to go through the process of getting RID of that bitter root.

Just try some peace and joy and worship with The Lord, and pray over this circumstance.

Church is for fellowship in worship and prayer. Pray God finds a church like that for you because I've been to a lot without the "politics".

I pray you have a chance to find a church like that as I did and it was all about The Lord, which it should be.

Also, with President Obama, I don't know if he needs to move faster or slower? Obama said he'd work for the "sake of bipartisanship", so he needs time to accomplish this but also America has real bankrupt issues now (the post office just cut out Saturday mail, which is the first time that has happened in my life! Obama just got a bill passed that women now will receive equal pay for equal work -- first time ever!, and the Republicans have all voted NO about the stimulus bill, so for the sake of biparpartianship, we may have a while to wait before this economy gets better. Obama said it was going to get worse before it gets better. Maybe people don't like that answer. I'm glad I'm not president!)

 

[BereanTodd]

Speaking to the political issue, what saddens me more than the people on both sides spewing hate about the other side is that we as Christians care that much at all about it. The three biggest idols we as American Christians have are possessions/money, sexuality/sexual sin - both of those seem obvious to be issues - but the third one is America itself.

So many Christians seem to be American first and Christian second. We spend stupid ammounts of money on politics and PACs as Christians. When Hebrews 11 commended Abraham it did so because he was not looking for an earthly kingdom but "for a city whose foundation and builder was God". The Bible tells us that we are aliens in this world. We here in America, if we are Christians, are illegal aliens. Our citizenship is in the Heavenly Kingdom.

It sadens me when I walk into churches on July 4th or some similar holliday and instead of worship songs we hear and are told to sing songs to and about America, and we get patriotic sermons. It sometimes goes beyond sadenning me to angering me.

As for me? Sure I'm glad that I got it easy in life by being born in a country with strong protections of my freedom and great levels of wealth and affluence (even the poorest in America is rich compared to most of the world). But I odn't celebrate or revere my country above any other. I am a citizen of heaven and that is the country I love and sing about and long for.

 

[Kodos]

Says the man with an Israeli flag as his avatar

Don't mind me too much my brother in Christ, I'm just having some fun. I love my country, but the order is: God, Family, and then Country.

I praise God for the fact that we get to live in such an awesome place. I also praise God for the other blessings I have in my life such as my wife and children, and house and job. Why not my country?

As long as the praise is to God and not to America, I see no problem. But you're right, let's not make idols of it.

Speaking to the political issue, what saddens me more than the people on both sides spewing hate about the other side is that we as Christians care that much at all about it. The three biggest idols we as American Christians have are possessions/money, sexuality/sexual sin - both of those seem obvious to be issues - but the third one is America itself.

So many Christians seem to be American first and Christian second. We spend stupid ammounts of money on politics and PACs as Christians. When Hebrews 11 commended Abraham it did so because he was not looking for an earthly kingdom but "for a city whose foundation and builder was God". The Bible tells us that we are aliens in this world. We here in America, if we are Christians, are illegal aliens. Our citizenship is in the Heavenly Kingdom.

It sadens me when I walk into churches on July 4th or some similar holliday and instead of worship songs we hear and are told to sing songs to and about America, and we get patriotic sermons. It sometimes goes beyond sadenning me to angering me.

As for me? Sure I'm glad that I got it easy in life by being born in a country with strong protections of my freedom and great levels of wealth and affluence (even the poorest in America is rich compared to most of the world). But I odn't celebrate or revere my country above any other. I am a citizen of heaven and that is the country I love and sing about and long for.

 

[UnderHisWings1979]

Certainly Christians are not perfect. Fortunately for us, Jesus came to save the sinners. My best recommendation is to find a church where the Word of God is preached. The Word has a way of weeding out the cultural Christians and leaving you with the true believers. Also, get to know the pastors. E-mail a few from churches you are interested in visiting. The spirit of a congregation usually reflects heavily the spirit of its pastor. If he is a kind, gentle, loving pastor (but one who does not apologize for the scriptures), then generally the congregation will reflect that.

Another option is to go to a larger church. I do not like large churches because it is easy to get lost in the crowd. But most have small groups that you can get involved in. That tends to be the best environment for fellowship and growth, and those who devote their time to small groups tend to be genuine believers with a heart for Christ (though that may not ALWAYS hold... again, we are still all just a bunch of sinners).

 

[UnderHisWings1979]

I've been burned several times myself, so I understand where you are coming from. My only assurance for you is that when you do find the right church, it will be worth the pain in the end.