Youth groups
Dec. 4th, 2002 08:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
inteligrrlI hate our church. With a passion.
It's an okay church really, but the trouble is I had the privilege of growing up in two exceptionally good churches. There are so many problems with this one that I can't even get into them all, so I'll just address my current irritant : the youth group.
First of all, I dislike youth groups. They never teach anything but dumbed down doctrine. Having come from these two exceptional churches (neither of which believed in the concept of a youth group) I have an excellent founding in doctrine, and I know what they're feeding us is utter trollop. The other kids in there are morons who wouldn't recognize a logical argument if it was presented in a Dick and Jane book. And worst of all, the teachers feel it's their job to brainwash us into their particular doctrine.
When we first moved here I went to the youth group at the insistence of my parents, who were attempting to push me into friendships with the nitwits. I sat, I listened, I got fed up because I was the only one who paid any attention and thereby ended up answering all the questions. So, after about two years in there I decided I had enough. I was frustrated with everything about the classes, so I began to challenge some of the minor doctrinal issues, such as Calvary Chapel's stance on baptism. ("Outward sign of an inward change," they feel it's pointless really. Bullshit.)
I've considered myself an adult mentally since I hit thirteen, so when I questioned them I questioned them like an adult. I asked serious questions and expected serious answers. They treated me like a kid and basically said, "well, you're just not listening properly, because I'm the adult and I'm right".
I HATE being patronized.
I refuse to be patronized.
So I spent a good half hour pointing out all the scripturally based reasons I disagreed with their point of view and asking them how they came to their conclusions when they read the same bible I did (Although it could have been a children's version in one of the teacher's case.)
I thought that given this further proof that I wasn't some childish nincompoop they would take me seriously and try to answer my questions. The prospect of an actual debate over doctrinal issues made me look forward to church for the first time since we'd been there.
Guess what happened?
I had overestimated the youth leader. Billy Falstitch had shown in numerous small ways that he felt women were not quite equal to a men, and I had forgotten to take this into account. So, rather than seeing an equal who was ready to debate the intricacies of the faith (something he was supposedly encouraging), he saw a foolish child, female at that, who was challenging his authority.
Suddenly, I was no longer just the know it all. I was branded a rebellious teen (despite the fact that I've never gotten into anywhere near the trouble that their precious sons and ditzy daughters had). The entire church came to the conclusion that I was some kind of trouble maker. My parents were approached multiple times about their poor daughter.
The only good part of the story is my parents no longer make me go to youth group (they expressly forbade it in fact). Most people have come to the conclusion that the whole thing was exaggerated, though Billy still slanders me whenever my name is brought up.
This is the biggest reason why I can't stand our church.
It's an okay church really, but the trouble is I had the privilege of growing up in two exceptionally good churches. There are so many problems with this one that I can't even get into them all, so I'll just address my current irritant : the youth group.
First of all, I dislike youth groups. They never teach anything but dumbed down doctrine. Having come from these two exceptional churches (neither of which believed in the concept of a youth group) I have an excellent founding in doctrine, and I know what they're feeding us is utter trollop. The other kids in there are morons who wouldn't recognize a logical argument if it was presented in a Dick and Jane book. And worst of all, the teachers feel it's their job to brainwash us into their particular doctrine.
When we first moved here I went to the youth group at the insistence of my parents, who were attempting to push me into friendships with the nitwits. I sat, I listened, I got fed up because I was the only one who paid any attention and thereby ended up answering all the questions. So, after about two years in there I decided I had enough. I was frustrated with everything about the classes, so I began to challenge some of the minor doctrinal issues, such as Calvary Chapel's stance on baptism. ("Outward sign of an inward change," they feel it's pointless really. Bullshit.)
I've considered myself an adult mentally since I hit thirteen, so when I questioned them I questioned them like an adult. I asked serious questions and expected serious answers. They treated me like a kid and basically said, "well, you're just not listening properly, because I'm the adult and I'm right".
I HATE being patronized.
I refuse to be patronized.
So I spent a good half hour pointing out all the scripturally based reasons I disagreed with their point of view and asking them how they came to their conclusions when they read the same bible I did (Although it could have been a children's version in one of the teacher's case.)
I thought that given this further proof that I wasn't some childish nincompoop they would take me seriously and try to answer my questions. The prospect of an actual debate over doctrinal issues made me look forward to church for the first time since we'd been there.
Guess what happened?
I had overestimated the youth leader. Billy Falstitch had shown in numerous small ways that he felt women were not quite equal to a men, and I had forgotten to take this into account. So, rather than seeing an equal who was ready to debate the intricacies of the faith (something he was supposedly encouraging), he saw a foolish child, female at that, who was challenging his authority.
Suddenly, I was no longer just the know it all. I was branded a rebellious teen (despite the fact that I've never gotten into anywhere near the trouble that their precious sons and ditzy daughters had). The entire church came to the conclusion that I was some kind of trouble maker. My parents were approached multiple times about their poor daughter.
The only good part of the story is my parents no longer make me go to youth group (they expressly forbade it in fact). Most people have come to the conclusion that the whole thing was exaggerated, though Billy still slanders me whenever my name is brought up.
This is the biggest reason why I can't stand our church.
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(no subject)
Date: 2002-12-04 09:07 pm (UTC)i personally don't know what you believe, or how secure you are in it. but it doesn't matter--you're the equal in god's eyes of anyone, in my opinion, and you deserve all the respect and honesty anyone can give you. don't settle for less.