| Cougar is here [message #88] |
Wed, 22 February 2006 00:28  |
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I was just a kid when I attended FA. I attended from 1976 to 1986 and set under the teachings in home churches until 1991 or so. I lost a brother and a grandmother under the faith healing message. I almost lost another sister under it as well. While I agree with the scriptural basis of much of the teaching, I believe something went wrong somewhere and have been in a search for a couple years to determine what. FA was a special place to be in the early years but as the years went on it became very legalistic and almost cultlike. I believe that the Holy Spirit was very prevelant in FA. I have yet to find a church that has a worship service as led of the spirit as FA did. I currently do not go to church but in the last 10 years I have attended Methodist, Wesleyan, Nazarine among others. I am married with three daughters. Hello to all.
If we all maintained the status quo, how quickly we would fall!
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| Re: Cougar is here [message #108 is a reply to message #88] |
Thu, 23 February 2006 03:00  |
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I agree with you it is easy to look for someone to blame, and I don't think it was the fault of any one person. The struggle that I have is that I believe a majority of what was taught has scriptural basis so it is hard to refute the teachings. The problem is in many cases, people weren't healed or even died. But what they were believing when they were sick was scriptural. Does that mean that God doesn't answer prayers, no I don't think so. It is hard to know what God's plan is in our lives but I don't know what plan would be served by allowing children to die. The sin of David caused him to lose a child, but I seriously doubt that every parent at FA that lost a child under the faith message was living in that level of sin. Then the other point of contention that I have is that Jesus said you only need the faith of a mustard seed to believe. That's not much faith. When my brother died there were a number of "believers" who told my parents, well you weren't in the word enough. There was always some excuse as to why it didn't work and no compassion. When my brother died we got more compassion from non believers than those that did. Everyone associated with FA would distance themselves from the individual that had lost a family member in the faith as if this person was contagious. As a child everytime I got the flu or was sick, it was some sort of chastisement for something that I had done wrong. The scriptural side of the message I really can't argue with and much of the theology, ethics and such was a very good education, but I just really have some concerns with the "Faith Message" as a way of life. That message ruined many members lives, not only physically, but mentally and financially. I don't go to church anymore primarily for 2 reasons, first because like many have said the services are dead and second because there are a lot of people that go to church because it is the socially accepted thing to do. They'll lie cheat and steal in business Monday-Saturday and then Sunday they're holier than thou. Not my idea of church. Good night to all
If we all maintained the status quo, how quickly we would fall!
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| What went wrong? [message #109 is a reply to message #108] |
Thu, 23 February 2006 04:37 |
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 william
Messages: 1464
Registered: January 2006 |
Senior Member
Administrator |
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Something you said really hits home and maybe provides at least a part of the answer we all seem to be looking for...
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When my brother died there were a number of "believers" who told my parents, well you weren't in the word enough. There was always some excuse as to why it didn't work and no compassion. When my brother died we got more compassion from non believers than those that did. Everyone associated with FA would distance themselves from the individual that had lost a family member in the faith as if this person was contagious.
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Exactly.
I've elsewhere attributed this to fear which I believe provided some of the motivation but to complete the picture it was the island mentality. We were a body of isolated believers and this mentality was so very prevalent. Brother Freeman's message contributed to this and he was himself an isolated individual. (I hope I don't need to balance that statement with positive accolades--I certainly can if necessary.)
For all of the talk on body ministry--there was little.
I mentioned the trial my wife and I endured in another post and she reminded me that she remembers to this day the one person who came and simply said that she would be praying for us and standing with us. That simple act ministered to her and to this day she remembers it.
We were lone-rangers trying to be a body but failing miserably. I know I speak as a fool here extrapolating from our experience to the whole of FA, but I don't think our experience was unique.
This mentality was fostered from the pulpit as well--so it wasn't just the people. It was brought to my attention that Brother Freeman even said that to call for the elders of the church was a lack of faith. Of course he went on to say that if you needed to call for the elders don't hesitate--but who wanted to be labeled as one who lacked faith (in Faith Assembly?)
Jesus made the statement in Mt 25:42f
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For I was ... sick, and in prison and you visited me not...
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Sick people need help. Sometimes just a visit is all you can do.Oftentimes a person in the midst of a fiery trial needs only the intangible acknowledgment that he or she isn't alone and won't be ostracized by the other members of the faithful.
I'm certainly not knocking the ability to stand on one's own two feet, I'm thankful everyday that we were taught to do that, but who knows what could have been had we all taken the hand of our brothers and sisters and refused to let go?
William
[Updated on: Thu, 23 February 2006 05:04]
I want to believe!
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