Did You Ever Join A Church And Then Leave It???????

Question

If you did,what was going on in your church that made you reach that decision?

Answer 1

I was once a Catholic by faith but I leave that church for many reasons, like the worshiping of man made image of God repeated prayers ( the alleged holy rosary)offering worship to idols, the sacraments, alleged holy week which are made on different dates every year, the calling of the priest as father the kissing of the feet of the Pope and calling him the most holiness , baptizing a newly born child and children of young age, the marriage ceremony, the alleged blessing of the priest to a dead man(it is God who could bless man) and many others.
jtm

Answer 2

I've done this several times, sometimes because I've moved, sometimes because I didn't agree with the church, and once because we had a falling out with the church. And a once because the church didn't have what I was looking for (had a praise team rather than a choir). We actually started attending the church we do now because I had a job that I had to work Sunday mornings (seems Presbyterians and Methodists, seem to think the entire world works M-F 9-5) and this church had an evening service. When I left that job we went to a Methodist one briefly, didn't like it and just went back to the one we attend now. As for joining a church again, we're not too sure after the last Presyterian one we went to.

Answer 3

Yes it wasn't what was going on in the Church. It was what was going on outside the Church that made me leave it. The Church had actually kept me protected from the outside world. Since I had joined the Pentecostal Holiness when I was five years old and attended Church services and bible study twice a week for eleven years. When I discover Atheism I was sixteen years old. I became an Atheist and never attended Church again.

Answer 4

I left an Assembly of God church after 11 years of my faithful service to them.

They were sneaky about it, but looking back, they were abusive in their power.
I was pressured to stay with my cheating and abusive husband and then shunned when I left him.
No matter how much I managed to tithe, it was never enough. My tithes were constantly compared to the rich parishioners, who were able to give a lot.
Everyone's social status depended on their earnings.
When I questioned some blatant hypocrisy I noticed among the socially superior (the rich ones) I was accused of unfaithfulness to Jesus.
When I went into hiding from my abusive husband, a pastor told him exactly where I was.
My children were sometimes misplaced or forgotten when they were supposed to be in a church class.
That was just the tip of the iceberg. When I left, I brought my kids there one last time to say goodbye to their friends. I never went back.
Nobody from there has bothered to contact me. No "Why did you leave" or even a "Glad you're gone."
It's as if I never went, except for a few years ago, when I got a computerized letter stating that I was behind on my tithes.

I now go to an Episcopal church where the people love me as a person and not a wallet.

Answer 5

I was in a great church and then we got a new pastor and he started making up his own rules and started micro-managing the church. If he did something a certain way, then he expected everyone to do it. All the churches money went out the window because of him. He was starting to be like Jim Jones. He would lie and cover up his lies or say he never said that. He was more holy than anyone. Dude was strange. I had to leave. I'm one of those people that do not put my faith in man but only in God. So there were way too many red lights going on and this guy was starting to creep me out and he wanted to control peoples lives and many people left the church because of him. To me he was not preacher material, he was strange. The youth group would go and do fun things and he put a stop to that. He would not allow his kids to talk or speak to non-believers, his kids were home schooled, they were only allowed to have contact with other people in the church. He felt women should not wear make-up or do this or that. I think he truly believed the only way to get to God was through him. I was like nope nope nope I got to go. Next thing you know he would have people drinking some tainted kool-aide, don't think so.

Answer 6

I have joined four churches in my life and left all of them. The first one because the pastor was mean and arrogant. The second one because the pastor took vacations every other week. The third one because the pastor kept preaching that God told him to tell the church to give him lots of money. The fourth one because the pastor's daughter told me he had molested her

Now I'm on church number five. I haven't officially joined yet, but so far so good. The pastor is older and conservative, but very kind. He's not perfect, and he knows it, and he tries to do the best he can everyday. His sermons always have something in them that I can apply to my life. This one's a keeper I think.

I love God and I love attending church, but the harsh truth is that churches attract all kinds of hypocrites and weirdos because church is the best place for people like this to show off. Church is also a good "cover" for people who are actually full of meanness and hatred. After all, how could someone be bad if they go to church, right? That's how some people think. They're not fooling anyone, though.

Answer 7

I was a Catholic even an altar boy. My older brother was going through to be a priest. My whole family became aware there is a difference folowing a church and following God. My brother left the church and my two sister and parents all made a personal comittment to follow Jesus. We also had a close family friend who had been in the Christain brothers for some number of years who left. We all cam to the same conclusion that if we are to follow the first commandment to love God with all your heart and mind and soul it meant loving him above your church or any man. I don't dislike catholics and where I can I look for areas of agreement with them. I have been involved in several different denominatins al of which would say have good and bad points. But I found there was to much stuff in Scriptues that contradicted the teaching of the bible and the premise to put God first. To any Catholic in my opinion take the Pope's word over Jesus and don't seem to be aware of the difference.

Answer 8

Yeah, about four or five times,

1. a bapsit Church that I almost grew up almost 15 years, new pastor and didn't feel like 'home' than what it used to be.

2. one those church that I used to go with an old man who remind me more of my grandpa after 4 years because as I got older things don't make any sense anymore.

3. another bapist church talking about bad about deafness or so whatever said that there is no hope for people like me or anyone with something wrong with 'em or health issue.

4. Catholic I got one those feeling about not right be a part of that church.

5. a bapist church where my ex husband used to go to before we broke up... the pastor was complain about money and people disappearing... so I hated that church since I frist went there.

Now I am attending three differnt churches, One of them is my good friend who was a pastor there since 1981 who is a bapist believer, a another cathoic church, and another friend of my dad from bapist church as well.. So.. I am attend three becase so far they are good...

Answer 9

Yes they started preaching money, God doesn't need money, this came from when God was on earth. The congregation would bring animals, vegetables or what thy had then the best 10% of this was given to God. It never said to give 10% of your income. This came from Europe where the poor woul have to give to the lords of the land, the churches incorporated this into giving 10% of your pay to the lord (God) not true. Wherever a group gathers to pray is a church, even if it is your home. When Moses led his people across the sea and they rebelled against God, he said there shall be no images idols made of him nor high places (church's) built to praise him, it's in the bible. If people would read the bible for themselves, instead letting someone else tell them what it says their eyes would be opened.

Answer 10

A few. One was the Worldwide Church of God. I realized that they are a cult and got out of there.

A couple years back I was in a Baptist church. To make a long story short, I explained to the preacher that a) Xmas is a pagan holiday and I can't in good conscience observe it and I feel uncomfortable with them accepting it and b) Bush is evil.

I wound up being taken off the membership rolls right then and there. *shrugs*

You don't *have* to go to a church. The Bible says not to forsake the assembling yourselves (believers) together--it doesn't say Thou Shalt Go to Church On Sunday. Assembling could be me meeting up with some Christian friends somewhere, which I've done.

I'm a Christian. I try not to let people discourage me. After that episode with the Baptist preacher, though, I was really upset and my husband suggested that I read the Psalms, which I did--and it helped. :)

Answer 11

yes The church is my sister in laws We left the church because she made my husband resign from being the deacon because of a bad problem he was having. I wanted to leave because I didn't agree with some of the things she preached and wanted to be where I was getting the truth instead of the prosperity gospel. I don't want to hear something to make me feel good I want the truth so we ended up leaving. We still visit there isn't any hard feelings or anything we just knew it was time for change.