Why did you stop going to church?

As a kid, the pastor of my church that really connected with the youth died in a car accident. As I got older and wanted to go back they had an older, FIRE AND BRIMSTONE type pastor there and I just didn't relate to him nor did he to me. So I stopped going.

Now, nfl defensive end Bertrand Berry's younger brother, T.O. Berry is the pastor of that church and he is a great man who is doing things the right way, but I'm too far gone now. I've met him, talked to him, know him personally, and respect him immensely for what he's done for that community, myself and my family personally, but I just can't get back into church. If I were to find it in me this is where I'd likely go.

My sister has begged me to come to their church but I can't go. She goes to Ira "IV" Hilliard's church in Greenspoint. My family has a relationship with them also as my sister and her husband are prominent members in the church, my uncles used to keep Ira from getting beat up back as a kid growing up in 5th Ward, and I've even had his wife Bridgette talk to me personally about joining church. When my mom passed 3 years ago my sister was in Egypt on vacation... she got back to Houston in a little over a day and that was in large part due to the Hilliards. They gave my sister and brother in law their airline miles and upgraded all their flights to first class. Even let us use their church and cafeteria for repass, free of charge.

They too are good people but their church and ministry seems like one of those prosperity preaching ministries and I can't do that.
 
It’s all fake, phony bullshit

My grandparents left one church cuz the pastor was fuckin hoes in there. He even left his first wife and made his jumpoff the First Lady at his new church.

Church folks claim to be all loving but there are some of the most chatty patty, sneaky, and lustful people you could meet.
 
It’s all fake, phony bullshit

My grandparents left one church cuz the pastor was fuckin hoes in there. He even left his first wife and made his jumpoff the First Lady at his new church.

Church folks claim to be all loving but there are some of the most chatty patty, sneaky, and lustful people you could meet.
You aint lying church is cillex with busy bodies and dizzy hotties like killa priest said.
 
I went a lot until high school, and to support my mother who played the organ and sang on the choir. Have not been back since she died, for different reasons.



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I can understand where you are coming from on that. It is a lot I could say on that but now is not the time. And it is strange that you mentioned that when I have been wondering if things will surface soon on some people that have been working on some things. They wanted to build layer gardens in abandoned lots. If they cannot buy or rent the lots they had other plans. But what they were trying to do is the inner city slums they were trying to build something similar to community operated health food stores. But instead they wanted to introduce real food and the desire for it to poor inner city black youth. A move away from drugs. Street drugs and doctors drugs. And a move away from heavily processed foods. Our adolescence youth should be introduced to real food instead of being junkies or addicted to processed foods and meats the way we were growing up.
 
I've always been a non-believer but thoughts like this and the behavior of the church and it's followers made it easier for me.

 
We go to my wife's church and must say its a good one... good conversation, great pastor,good fellowship...almost became a member but i know my limits... it's not something i need to do literally every Sunday. Maybe at least 4 times a year to hear the Pastor's good word and I'm good. I'd rather spend my Sunday morning relaxing doing whatever...cooking a good breakfast, reading on the patio,walking to the park, go visit family,listening to the back in the day buffet on the radio, watch a church service on tv or a device...i love options. Also I know I'm a spiritual person and not a religious one..... religion is someone else's beliefs. I can't just follow like that....I'm too scientific for that. There's a lot of good things churches do for communities but I just can't devote and follow the masses wholeheartedly. And i like porn.
 
I stop believing about 10 years ago...if you looking outside of yourself for a god your definitely looking in the wrong place!!

so you are an atheist yet believe god is inside of you? :confused: explain.

not to digress, but i’ve noticed quite a few in this thread saying they are atheists, are some of the main ones afraid to leave the house in fear of “catching the Coronavirus”. How can an atheist live in fear?
 
I've said this before and I'll say it again... When did God come and save us during the over 400 years we were enslaved and brutalised... we sure did a lot to praying to white Jesus then.
 
I'm agnostic. CACs forcibly took our ancestors from Africa, shipped us to the US and enslaved us. Then they told us that our religion was BS and to instead believe in their religion and gave us a white blonde and blue eyed Jesus to pray to. Its crazy to me that we continue praying to this to this day. It is also really for me to believe that a God would not just appear and directly tell us to worship him if he wanted to be worshiped. Why be secretive and leave it to chance?
 
Too many to list but here are just a few...

1. I actually read the Bible and it is filled with foolishness like this:

God sends bears to maul kids for laughing at a bald man :smh: :

2. Nobody could ever explain how God had time to answer prayers for "prosperity" but not those of suffering/dying children and other people suffering. It seems that an all powerful/all knowing being would be able to respond to things in order of importance. We would fire and probably criminally charge an EMT that stopped performing CPR on a dying person to help someone with a headache...
3. If god is omniscient, how the fuck does he choose the most fucked up/scheming people to be his earthly ambassadors every time? :lol:I wouldn't trust an accountant with multiple civil judgements to do my taxes or a crackhead doctor, but I am supposed to trust an ex con preacher to "save" me from eternal damnation?:smh:
Thise kids deserved it . Just kiding lol...nah really
 



I understand but i left all that stuff where i got it from!! Not right away, but over time!! I wash my hands with all that!! But i definitely respect people who still believe and also people who still attend!! Much love to the fam!!
 
My testimony. Most of us were raised in the church. A lot of us had bad experiences but we got to separate the relationship we had with God through the church with the relationship with the people at the church. Just by us going to church reading the bible praying it brought us closer to God and it made us better people. There is no way a kid is walking around talking about he is on demon time if he went to church. Going to church every sunday kept us grounded and connected with our community and our families outside of our connection to the hood and the world. It gave us a different identity that we could turn to when times get rough. Unfortunately our generation (me included) stopped going to church and therefore our kids didn't have the same experience or relationship with God that we had. For us it was required for them it's optional.

I recently started going back to church. And I can tell you what it has done for my mental health and spirit has been amazing. You do have to find the right church that fits with who you are. Some people like the spiritual churches some people like the educational churches. I need a message that makes me think so I search for that. Luckily we live in a time when churches all over America are streamed every Sunday. If you don't like what they are saying you can find another church with the click of a button. My parent's don't even go in to church since Covid but they go to 4 or 5 different churches every Sunday online.

I say this to say just because you don't like church doesn't mean you don't like God. Having that connection to a God is just like working out. You have to keep it up if you want to stay strong spiritually. You have to keep reading keep praying keep learning about yourself and you will be a more well balanced person.
 
Also, If you have kids. You have to develop some sort of moral compass with them. If you don't the world will create it. So if you aren't taking your kid to some sort of church you have to teach them about morality and ethics. Also please pray for your kids as well. You don't know how many times I was blessed from the prayers my mother prayed for me.
 
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