Ex-Church of Christ Support Board

one of those dirty, nasty denominations

Eeeewwwwww.

They explained it to us in Youth Group class: dancing is sinful because it's a form of Revelry.

Didn't know what "Revelry" meant, so I looked it up: merrymaking, celebration, boisterous festivity.

Well, no wonder!

One of the saddest statements I ever encountered over on 'the other side' of this board (where coc and ex-coc talk to each other - or, rather, past each other) was from a kid around 19 or so -
he said (in response to something or other, I forget what):

'worship isn't supposed to be FUN!'

Maybe not, but it isn't 'supposed' to be horrendously boring and tedious, either.

I got SO sick and tired of hearing, "Worship isn't supposed to be fun!" Throughout my years in the CoC. Their black and white thinking couldn't see any other way besides "their way" and a "rock concert", as they always put it. People didn't necessarily want fun, but they did want to feel inspired and genuinely closer to God, which is something you would never feel in the CoC.

Kind of a semi-related side note...did anyone else always hear during the closing prayer, "If anything we did here today was not in accordance to your will, we pray for your forgiveness." That always rubbed me the wrong way. Here they worry about having the more bland and boring service possible because they think it's what God demands, then they end it with, "Please don't send us to hell if we did one little thing wrong, please!!" Then again, these are also the people that act like God is up there with pencil and paper just waiting for us to screw up so he can write it down and throw it in our face on judgement day...

MusicMan826 wrote: Kind of a semi-related side note...did anyone else always hear during the closing prayer, "If anything we did here today was not in accordance to your will, we pray for your forgiveness."

I never heard that one!

Actually, we used that one a lot at my parents' CoC. It wasn't necessarily in that form but it was definitely there. And it would explain a lot of things about me, both my own personality and my own actions.

MusicMan826 wrote: Kind of a semi-related side note...did anyone else always hear during the closing prayer, "If anything we did here today was not in accordance to your will, we pray for your forgiveness."

No wonder so many exers are in treatment for severe anxiety.

Ivy wrote:

MusicMan826 wrote: Kind of a semi-related side note...did anyone else always hear during the closing prayer, "If anything we did here today was not in accordance to your will, we pray for your forgiveness."

No wonder so many exers are in treatment for severe anxiety.

Fear, just plain fear of not being perfect.

MusicMan826 wrote:Kind of a semi-related side note...did anyone else always hear during the closing prayer, "If anything we did here today was not in accordance to your will, we pray for your forgiveness."

This always rubbed me the wrong way. It was like damned if I do and damned if I don't. It was like what's the use?

The Apocrypha. I can read the Apocrypha and not fear being caught.