Recently, they created a petition asking Pastor Mark Bryan to stop bullying his current and ex-members.

On a related side note, I saw via Facebook that Bill Scheidler is relocating from South Africa to the Boise/Meridian area. I have no insight into why he is making this move, but my  guess is that it has something to do with the issues expressed in the petition above.

I have been reading this blog for years but have never had the guts to actually send an e-mail with how grateful I am to have found this site. I found this site after I had been out of CBC for a few years. I was hurt badly at CBC from a lot of people ranging from “pastors” (I unfortunately use the quotes because the lack of maturity is maddening to me) to just other church members who were friends and family friends. I never felt like I fit in at CBC and was always treated as such. I never did drugs, wasn’t having sex, wasn’t drinking, wasn’t partying etc. There wasn’t any reason for me to be treated the way I was treated.

I went through serious health and mental issues in high school and found no help when in “counselling” sessions from CBC pastors. I also realized the emphasis on outward appearance there more than I already had. My doctors were extremely excited because I was 10 pounds away from gaining to the “goal” weight they wanted. I was approached by a “mentor” who negatively commented on my weight gain.

I stopped going to youth group during my freshman year of high school. I literally came home crying from some comment either another GU member said to me or a pastor. Comments about my non Nordstrom jeans, and other stuff. The day before and day of GU became days that I had so much anxiety that I could not handle it anymore. I found that it was less stressful to take heat for not going to GU than to actually just go.

Leaving City Bible was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. I no longer found my identity in CBC, but found it in my studies. I felt confident, happy, and worth something. These feeligns were something I never felt before because my life revolved solely around a church that I felt like an outcast in.

I don’t have a problem with God, and I never have. I’m not an immoral person, I still read my bible and pray daily and try to live my life according to the Word. But as for a church I have not gone in forever. However over the past few years I have formed a friendship with a lady I met through my work and she has finally convinced me to try her church. Her church is a place where jeans and a tee shirt are fine and that it’s okay to make a mistake because pastors help you through it. If this church is anything like the person she is, I can’t wait to try it.

I read your blog not because I am bitter anymore, but because it’s a place where people can go through the process. They find out they aren’t the only one, or they read it because it puts CBC in a negative light, but then they just end up reading it to thank God they are out and in a new and better place. I like to look at this blog, it’s a constant reminder that leaving CBC was the best decision I have ever made.

I have never had the guts to really tell my story, and I know this is a long email, but I’ve never really told anyone besides a few close friends about what I went through and how I felt. Your blog has been a great place for me to have the courage to stand by my decision to stay away from CBC and I love seeing people come  out with their stories and what they went through. If it had not been for this blog, I would still have this nagging thought of am I awful because I feel this way about CBC. I love seeing stories of people breaking free and finding a better place.

I have to laugh at myself because as I went to send this, I almost didn’t because I became afraid if you mentioned my name in conversation someday to a CBC person that happened to know me,  what would they say? Would they claim I was lying? Would they judge me? Would they say I overreacted? But thoughts like that, fear of being judged for saying the truth….that’s exactly why I left CBC. I am telling my story in this e-mail to you because it just feels good to tell someone who would understand because they’ve been there too. I’m sure you may think I’m crazy blabbering on to you in this, but then I remember..I’m not the only one that has e-mailed you before to thank you for the blog.

However, permit me to offer a “Jewish” perspective. Much of Pauls writings (ie Romans are taken WAY out of context. Are we saved by grace – Of course. However, that means the “moral” law of the Torah is very much intact and in fact now much more strict ( ie look at a woman with lust = adultery as Jesus said).

The new covenant as stated in Heb 8 is the writing of Gods law on our hearts and mind vs. stone tablets. A disciple of Jesus is under the Torah – however it has transcended as seen in Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

A Christian that continues in known sin is not a Christian and will not inherit eternal life and the Kingdom of God

My take is that everyone, even Christians after they are saved, continue in “known sin”. Christians may stop the easily identifiable “sins” – Drugs, Sex and Rock & Roll. But the more abstract sins — pride, anger, lust, greed — are all still very much present.

A reader also pointed me to Acts 15, which discusses the different requirements between Christian Jews and Christian Gentiles.  I had not read this chapter in awhile, so I was a little surprised to see that apparently at one point, according to the Bible, the amount of skin on a man’s penis affected his Salvation.

…and Mormons have the crazy religion.

The hardest part of my healing process was feeling like I was the only one struggling with CBC backlash. I felt like I was awful because I seemed to be the only one hurt by that church. I googled this blog because I saw a facebook post from a “friend” bashing your blog and false information. I had been taught that this blog was run by a few boys who hated rules and God, so I never looked into it. I was so excited when I found this blog that I was not the only one. There were others, LOTS of others who had been through much worse than I went through.

A couple of thoughts.

1 – I have spent the last four years aggressively friending on Facebook every person I ever made contact with at City Bible, all with the hope that someday I would find someone complaining about this blog. And in all those years, nary a peep has been said about me or this blog. So, who is this “friend”? And, more importantly, WHY AREN’T WE “FRIENDS” ON FACEBOOK?

2 – Yes. I hate your rules and your “god”. Primarily, because your rules permit church leadership to emotionally, spiritually and financially  abuse church membership. And because your “god” is a traveling salesman hustling for change on the street corner.

Reminds me of a certain delightful musical number — just imagine Poncho & Matt instead of Renee & Catherine.

Generation Unleashed is a show, folks. And from what I hear from the kids who attend, a pretty good show at that. But can we please stop pretending it has anything to do with Jesus. Generation Unleashed is about Generation Unleashed, just like every other show out there.

But I do think it is interesting that Romney tithes so much.  Apparently, the Mormon church is a solid investment. Who knew?

Mr. Romney, a Mormon, has long said that he had promised to give 10 percent of his income to his church. His tax return shows that over two years he and his wife, Ann, gave $7 million in charitable contributions, including $4.1 million to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Perhaps Romney is onto something. Maybe tonight, at the State of the Union, Obama should start talking about Prosperity Taxing. You know, he can tell the American People, “The more money you give to the government, the more God will bless you and make you rich.” He can call it, “Courageous Taxing“. Might even help pay down the deficit.

(For what it is worth. I don’t think this is a Republican/Democrat issue. I think it is a “The wealthy own this country” issue.)

In 1974, when Colbert was 10, his father, a doctor, and his brothers Peter and Paul, the two closest to him in age, died in a plane crash while flying to a prep school in New England. “There’s a common explanation that profound sadness leads to someone’s becoming a comedian, but I’m not sure that’s a proven equation in my case,” he told me. “I’m not bitter about what happened to me as a child, and my mother was instrumental in keeping me from being so.” He added, in a tone so humble and sincere that his character would never have used it: “She taught me to be grateful for my life regardless of what that entailed, and that’s directly related to the image of Christ on the cross and the example of sacrifice that he gave us. What she taught me is that the deliverance God offers you from pain is not no pain — it’s that the pain is actually a gift. What’s the option? God doesn’t really give you another choice.”

I find this approach to Faith much more realistic and refreshing. God isn’t Santa Clause.

I’m looking specifially for news items about people who have sincerely trusted God for healing and declined medical help and suffered or died as a result – would you have any links or direction for to look into those kinds of stories?

If any of you have such a story or news item, please feel free to leave it in the comments.