Ex-Church of Christ Support Board

I remember asking questions and never being satisfied with the answers. Oddly, I just incorporated the poor responses to my questions in my beliefs.

Cognitive dissonance comes to mind as an explanation. Holding two contradictory concepts as truth in your mind at the same time.

The really weird thing is I'm not talking about "how did God make the world in just six days" kind of questions but rather "if I sin and am immediately killed in a car accident do I go to hell" type questions.

I remember hearing a sermon on grace at a "liberal" congregation and having my first real ah-ha moment. I'd always read those verses and it made sense that grace protected us, but hardliners teach damnation on a hair trigger.

agricola wrote:All you folks still living in TN/AR/AL/GA etc - is that still a thing? Is 'what are you' supposed to get an answer like 'Methodist' or 'Baptist' or Presbyterian'?
(out here in the west, it gets answers like 'lawyer, rancher, teacher' although it is usually 'what is it you do' instead of 'what ARE you').

Sadly, in the part of the South where I grew up, someone asking "what are you?" nearly always expected an answer related to racial or ethnic background. "Your hair is kinky but you don't look black and you talk with an accent. What are you? ... Oh, Dominican, got it." Of course this question was almost never asked of someone who appeared to be just white.

Lev

P.S. Glad to be back on the board after a few weeks' hiatus.

I do remember things not making sense to me. I remember my grandmother saying that the CofC was not started by a man. Then one day I was sitting in my 4th grade classroom and the principal had come in the room and someone started discussing churches. He said that the CofC was started by Alexander Campbell. I was so puzzled by this. The next time I saw my grandmother, I told her about this. She said that A. Campbell just restored it. She said they found people in Europe that had been worshipping like this. That must have been something they told people in the 1930's. I sometimes resent the fact that my immediate family's beliefs were decided by someone who only went through the 9th grade, but without the CofC, I would never have been born because my parents met at Lipscomb. I would never have met my husband, either. So, I am not bitter. I am happy for what I have and know now and I make the most of every day!

Lev wrote:

agricola wrote:All you folks still living in TN/AR/AL/GA etc - is that still a thing? Is 'what are you' supposed to get an answer like 'Methodist' or 'Baptist' or Presbyterian'?
(out here in the west, it gets answers like 'lawyer, rancher, teacher' although it is usually 'what is it you do' instead of 'what ARE you').

Sadly, in the part of the South where I grew up, someone asking "what are you?" nearly always expected an answer related to racial or ethnic background. "Your hair is kinky but you don't look black and you talk with an accent. What are you? ... Oh, Dominican, got it." Of course this question was almost never asked of someone who appeared to be just white.

.

I've gotten the question "what are you?" and I am white. Some people have very narrow racial definitions, and believe that unless someone is blue eyed and blond, they aren't white. Many people think "white" only applies to people of Northern European heritage.

Anyway, I don't ask people what race or ethnicity they are, if they want to tell me fine, if not, I don't care.