Allowing children to seek the Holy Ghost?

[deltaguitar]

Originally Posted by trialedbyfire

It's a common practice in this forum. UPC bashing is a sport here...

It's hard for me to believe that having parents that loved you enough to raise you, put a roof over your head, and bring you to church (really ANY church, but ESPECIALLY a church where they teach the TRUTH about salvation) and wanting you to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.... was really THAT HORRIFIC. Seriously, I wake up every morning wishing that I would have been raised in the truth, with two parents in the truth to train and direct me and protect me from some of the things I was exposed to as a child. I THANK GOD the worst things my children MAY ever have to go through is maybe somebody yelling in their ear telling them to get the Holy Ghost (not that I condone shaking them or using violence but I've never personally seen that and I'm not raising them UPC, we're PAW and do things a tad bit differently). I saw three dead bodies (on street corners) by the age of 10. I'd trade going to youth retreats for going home to home from age 8 to age 16 any day.

I'm definitely happy with the fact that I'll be raising them in the truth, and that I'll be providing a home for them where they won't have to go through what I've gone through. I don't think raising my children in a Pentecostal church makes me any worse of a parent.

OK, I do want to set the record straight.

There were a ton of good things in my life growing up. I was taught at a young age right and wrong and to love God with all my heart. My parents are truly godly people. Yes, they are pentecostal, and are like a lot of the people in this thread. I have never shared with them any of this because I really don't want them to think that I think they raised me wrong or did not protect me. They do know that I do not believe in altar calls and get very anxious around pentecostal stuff. They basically blame that on improper teaching.

I made the mistake of telling them that I thought I was not taught the gospel in the UPC and it upset them so bad there was tension between us for over a year. I don't blame my parents for anything other than picking the wrong group of people to serve God with. I never once felt any of this craziness that I am talking about directly from my parents. I was always at peace with them and always felt loved. Yet I knew the beliefs, I knew that if I didn't speak in tongues I was not saved and that meant hell.

I grew up in a christian school, went to every Sunday school class, had perfect attendance for 11 years straight. My dad was the Sunday school leader, youth leader, and overall leader in the church. He was teaching the college and career class about holiness right during the middle of our church split and I saw him lose many of the young people he had invested so much time in. And over the years I have seen my parents both suffer because of the movement they are a part of though I have never once heard them complain. My dad is known my many as a great teacher. I saw kids that were older than myself love my parents and almost become dependent on their help. Everyone respected them and still does. The most common question is how could I have left the church with such good parents. Both my brother and sister are in the UPC still. My sister is married to a minister in California and my brother is dating the pastor's daughter at a very popular church in Louisiana so I guess I am the only one with an issue.

The point is that if there was ever a "perfect" UPC home to grow up in it was mine. But my parents still could not shield me from everything.

If you met them, and I am sure there are people on this forum who know them you would never suspect that they could have a long lost black sheep like myself.

So, I am not at all comparing growing up in a godless home with the my family. I want all children to grow up learning about the grace and love of Christ and to learn to love His commands.

All I am doing is trying to find out if people with children would want to protect them from this the type of altar call situation I explained in the opening post.