Where has Grace and Love gone...

[AreYouReady?]

Originally Posted by Praxeas

You guys really know how to milk that sweeping generalization. Where is the love?

Not trying to milk anything. Just stating what happened to me.

Your signature ...I love it.



There is One God. This one God reveals Himself as Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
I believe this.

The Son is God himself in a human form or "God manifested in the flesh" (1Tim 3:16)
I believe this.

Every sinner must repent of their sins.
I believe this is necessary.

That Jesus name baptism is the only biblical mode of water baptism.
I was baptized in Jesus Name. I don't understand why some people balk at it. After I came up out of the water, it was the cleanest I had ever felt in my entire life.

That the Holy Ghost is for today and is received by faith with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues.
I believe this and speak in tongues.

The saint will go on to strive to live a holy life, pleasing to God.
Holy life. I believe this but this is open to many different interpretations by various churches. Even the UPChurches cannot totally agree of what exactly a holy life is. Many claim only legalistic standards are the way to a holy life. God says he would write his laws into our hearts.

Since I agree with these basic tenets of Salvation, why can't people love me just because I am a fellow believer. Why do they try to make me be a carbon copy of the rest of the women and reject me and others who do not comply?

[Rudy]

Originally Posted by AreYouReady?

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Since I agree with these basic tenets of Salvation, why can't people love me just because I am a fellow believer. Why do they try to make me be a carbon copy of the rest of the women and reject me and others who do not comply?

It may be a cultural thing. Same reason why many don't accept inter-racial marriage. If you don't look and act like them you will not be accepted.

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by AreYouReady?

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Since I agree with these basic tenets of Salvation, why can't people love me just because I am a fellow believer. Why do they try to make me be a carbon copy of the rest of the women and reject me and others who do not comply?

what people? Who is doing that?

[AreYouReady?]

Originally Posted by Rudy

It may be a cultural thing. Same reason why many don't accept inter-racial marriage. If you don't look and act like them you will not be accepted.

Rudy, all I have to say is that is really SAD if this is the case to base one's acceptance in the Lord on looks and not by the heart.

[AreYouReady?]

Originally Posted by Praxeas

what people? Who is doing that?

The people in the UPC churches in my region. Or at least they did this when I used to attend.

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by AreYouReady?

The people in the UPC churches in my region. Or at least they did this when I used to attend.

Every one in every UPC?

[Rudy]

Originally Posted by AreYouReady?

Rudy, all I have to say is that is really SAD if this is the case to base one's acceptance in the Lord on looks and not by the heart.

Well, in many assemblies it is a reality. Not all are like that. It's a big world out there and there is a body of believers that are waiting for you. Seek and you shall find.

[AreYouReady?]

Originally Posted by Praxeas

Every one in every UPC?

Most every female in every UPC in this region. The few who did not, also did not want the rest of the women to know of their sympathetic feelings towards me.

[AreYouReady?]

Originally Posted by Rudy

Well, in many assemblies it is a reality. Not all are like that. It's a big world out there and there is a body of believers that are waiting for you. Seek and you shall find.

Yeah, I had a long chat one time with the wife of a UPC minister who left the organization. She had told me that they were going through somewhat the same ostracization. She said even some lies had been told on them. One of the lies were that they were engaging in wife-swapping.

Her husband was a powerful minister. We traveled 100 miles round trip to visit their church services several times.

I don't know what happened to them. That church folded up.

[Amanah]

Originally Posted by AreYouReady?

Since I agree with these basic tenets of Salvation, why can't people love me just because I am a fellow believer. Why do they try to make me be a carbon copy of the rest of the women and reject me and others who do not comply?

God bless you AreYouReady, I understand where you are coming from. In a very Ultra Conservative Church, people use peer pressure to control you and make you conform to the standards of the Church. They do it because they believe that it's necessary for salvation. But in fact it's very cultish. Taken to the extreme, it ends with everyone sizing everyone else up always checking to make sure you are lining up. And many cannot possibly be good enough to satisfy the ones in judgment. To some, most of the saints in the Church are not saved, and most people in other churches are also not lined up enough to be saved. If you let it get to you, you can start to believe it is impossible to be saved. Just know that you are God's and you are loved. You've been purchased with His blood and you are the apple of God's eye.

Another thing I might add is that men have no idea what it is like to be a woman in a UC church, so don't expect them to understand where you are coming from, particularly if they are from a liberal background.