My mom told my church pastor that I was looking at non-Christian stuff, and they told me that I had to stop.?

Question

I go to a Fundamental Baptist church, and they told me to only read the Bible (which I read through every year anyway!)

They told my parents to ground me because of some websites I had saved on my computer: These:

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=SoldierInGodsArmy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INttODEPzp0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKb1LXxKNHY

http://atheistempire.com/

I love God, but what kind of reasonable person would I be if I only read the Bible? WHY DO CHRISTIANS HAVE TO SHUT THEMSELVES OFF FROM ALL INFORMATION?

Why do I feel like I'm being brainwashed?!? Are Christians so weak that they should be afraid of information that counters Christianity's claims!? I am only interested in truth! And if something out there disproves Christianity, I don't care. I love God anyway, and do not care what any one religion calls Him, or which one claims they are the "Only Truth" - My heart is right and God knows that! I don't believe my inquiry scares God!

Answer 1

Christians don't have to do that. It is good to inform yourself with what Satan is putting out there these days. However, if you are sinning while doing it (such as if you were looking at porn, things of that nature) then I could see how it would be a problem.

You can be a witness wherever you are. People in the bar are the people that need to be saved, not the people in the churches (so to speak of course). I think in the future you should look into a different type of Baptist church.. I attend a baptist church and could never imagine my pastor telling anyone anything like that..

Answer 2

Nowhere is it stated that you must only read the bible. Note that I am referring to a Christian. If you only read secular books, magazines, and websites, I could see how that could influence your thoughts. I believe that the bible teaches something is wrong when:

1) The bible strictly prohibits it: say, like drunkenness, or lying, or adultery. If the bible says no, there is no arguing.

2) When what you are doing is affecting your relationship with God. If reading, watching, or doing something is drawing you away from the Lord, then how can you possibly justify it?

3) And finally, when what you do offends your brother. 1 Corinthians 14:13 says, Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
The previous verse reads: But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

Something may not necessarily be wrong, but if it offends your brother or sister in Christ, you shouldn't necessarily do it.

Say for example, watching tv. There are those who are offended by it. Does that mean you shouldn't watch it? Not necessarily. But if you were to invite someone to your house who you knew was offended by it, it wouldn't be right to have them watch it.

Of course, everything does have its limits. Liberty is not a license to sin.

Sometimes other people mean well when they give you advice, but it all depends on how they go about it.

If you sincerely pray about something, and the Holy Spirit convicts you, then you should stop. If not, and you're serious about serving God, then it shouldn't matter what people say.

Answer 3

I am a former Baptist and attended a Baptist college for several years and intended to enter the ministry. These people try to mesh the Law with Grace. It doesn't work very well. Rules,rules and more rules is what they are all about and they think they are the only ones going to heaven. Their concept of God and salvation is that you either get saved the Baptist way or God will beat the hell out of you. Their concept of God is thst he is some sort of sadistic ogre .

I had one Baptist preacher tell me that a baby would go to hell unless it had accepted Christ. Pretty mean I'd say!! To Baptists, salvation is an avoidance of fire and brimstone;ie, pain avoidance. Thats why their stomach is allways in knots and their tail is allways twisted. They are allways uptight about something. If you simply follow the Golden Rule and believe in Christ ypu'll be O.K. God Bless

Answer 4

*Gasp* Non-Christian stuff... oh no! You mean, you're actually LOOKING at that stuff???? *faints*

I use to attend a Southern Baptist Church when I was young and that is how they acted as well. Some people can not handle anything outside of the world they have built for themselves. As a group, they will hold each other up, which isn't a bad thing, but they use that to block others as well. Personally, I can't agree with such actions. If it was all Absolute Truth, it wouldn't matter what else you read. Such fear of the "outside" isn't healthy.

Answer 5

They are fearful people. God, Christ, has no fear of you reading anything. Some stuff is bad for you, like porn but censorship of literary works is based in control which is based in fear.

love can only come from free will. It can not be forced through control. if your parents want you to have a real relationship with christ they have to give you the freedom He gave you which is the freedom to explore and even reject him.

I have learned a great deal about humanity from Budhists but remain a devoted Christian. My christianity developed over years of asking questions only to have Christ give me the answers.

Fundamentalists are a major reason for people rejecting christ and the church. Keep Christ close and ask your questions, search for your answers and in the end it will all lead back to Him. This doesn't mean you have to leave him. It means that He is loving and understanding and will lead you to the knowledge you need without censorship. God Bless. You are on the right track.

Answer 6

I too was brought up in a church setting, (I'm mormon) but one thing I was taught was never, ever blindly accept what everyone says, especially if something deep inside tells you it is wrong or you need to know more. I learned a long time ago to think outside the box. God and Christ always preach understanding, study, and prayer.

We cannot ever hope to understand others if we blindly follow without thinking! This is ignorance of the worst sort. Love Thy Neighbor often begins by trying to understand them. How shallow is it then to sit there and blindly condemn them behind their back or worse, to their face when you yourself don't know what you are talking about and don't understand them well enough to try and make a tenative step towards understanding? We march to war, scream holy war and jihad, etc when we are blindly following dictates and prating from sheer igorance.

I keep my religous articles close at hand. But I also research other religions and have even read stuff like the Koran, all for the purpose of better understanding how others are. When you know more about such things, how much easier it is to reach out your hand to teach, and perhaps, just perhaps, by knowing them and loving them, you might find a mind open to your ideas without bloodshed.

But even if you cannot, Christs preaching that we are ALL God's Children, and Love Thy Neighbor still stand, and that means trying to understand them and accepting them for who they are. Christ's own words, and God's! Those aren't the words that preach blind igorance.

Think for YOURSELF. Good luck!

Answer 7

Im not going to watch everything else but that first video was from a goofball that obviously isnt a Christian yet is pretending to be in order to mock it.

Your mom is doing a good thing by trying to keep bad influences away from you and when youre a parent you will do similiar things for your kids.

The idea isnt to get you to read only the Bible in your life, the idea is to read things that will help encourage your faith as well as challenge it. Yes it is good for our faith to be challenged by differing ideas so that we have an answer for them, but not to adopt them and become one with the world.

Heres the problem we get into. Jesus made a bold claim that HE was the truth and the ONLY way to God. If he is lying, then you are correct and basically anybody that has an ounce of belief will be saved. Contrary to Scripture however, that is not true and to deny Jesus is to deny the truth thereby denying your only way to be saved.

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. -John 14:6

So I would just encourage you to develop faith in Jesus and read up on things that are going to HELP your faith, not slander it and tell you youre dumb for following it. That road leads to hatred, atheism, and emptiness.

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." -John 3:36

Answer 8

It would indeed be unreasonable to only read the bible.
Christians shut themselves off from other information because they're insecure about their beliefs.
You feel like you're being brainwashed because you are, though not very effectively, since you still want to read other things. And you seem clever enough to realise that truth is more important than comfort.
And indeed, if there is a god, your enquiry would not bother him in the slightest. I believe that if a god did exist, he would be much more worried about your parents' blind obedience than your search for truth.

Answer 9

You ARE being brainwashed. They need to threaten and punish your desire to know other theories about life and religion, because they fear education on the subjects. That's how religion snares you. It starts telling you fantastical, unbelievable tales as a child, when you're vulnerable and believe anything a trusted adult tells you, and then fills your head with the idea that you're going to be damned for all eternity if you even THINK about questioning anything you're told. You grow up with the fear ingrained in your system. That's how brainwashing of all sorts works. Making you afraid to think anything other than what the brainwasher wants to to think.

Answer 10

People do everything out of love and fear.
Write a letter to the pastor and copy to your parents.
Tell them that god gave you the right to choose and that his teachings only make your beliefs stronger.
The world was meant to be experienced for us to learn more about ourselves. Tell them that the more you learn about the world, the more you know that your relationship with god is solid.
It may not change how they feel, but you will have been heard.
Remember that the word of god may have been twisted to suit man's needs when they were translated but one thing remains the same. god made us all. and we all belong here the way we are, and the way we love... Love. Do what you do out of love... not fear.
Also. There is good stuff on you tube... do not save the crap that you've got saved. It is hateful.
search barbra streisand on you tube and watch one of god's gifts.
Note. my lack of capitals is not out of disrespect. God doesn't CARE if I use capitals.