Church has limits

Never blogged before. The address and title are intentionally provocative,
because I intend to write about this with the hope of reaching other people
who are searching God beyond what the churches are offering, which I believe
is based on fallible teachings. I find I can barely tolerate the jibberish that is
offered by most of the preachers, but also understand that to someone who is
in the church is where God wants them to be. Maybe. Or maybe wanted,
at one time.

I do believe the church serves a purpose in our society, and acknowledge they
do much good. But for those who are earnestly seeking God in their lives, it's
only a stepping stone. There is no church that has a corner on the truth, and
much of what is taught is actually AGAINST the true teaching of the Bible and
Christ. To know this, however, you have to take the Bible yourself, and read it
for yourself without the influence of what you've been taught. Sound
impossible? Difficult. Especially if you've been raised on Bible verses. They
need to be read the way they were written. The letters by Paul were letters,
and while the historical understanding that theologians might (or might not)
have helps, it isn't necessary to understand most of the points he's trying to make.

For instance, in his letters Paul refers to not defiling the body of the Lord. He's
talking about the body of believers, the church. Many preachers use this to tell
you it's a sin to smoke or drink. If you hear this from a pulpit, you're listening
to someone who hasn't even got the slightest clue what sin even is. They would
have you begging forgiveness over and over, even though the Bible teaches our
forgiveness is once for all time. When you have been forgiven in Christ, sin is
no longer in your life. It's a concept that teachers of law can't grasp, because
human nature being what it is, you will naturally go out and do things that
would be considered breaking the old law. But if there is no more law, there
is no lawbreaking. The idea is that you are free to be in the presence of God,
without guilt. Being in his presence starts a transformation in you, but it's a
process. A lifelong process.

Most people who grow up in stable homes, and who lead stable lives, don't
really 'search' out God. The people who really search are the people who
have trouble, at least at some point. And finding Christ really is a life
changing experience. And so, having gone through this, you naturally
have a certain loyalty to the church or people who led you down this path.
This is a good thing, and it takes a ton of courage to be able to continue on
in search for the truth, because the fact is that noone has ALL the truth.
So at some point in your growth, to continue growing you have to learn
from the only one who does (God Himself). If He teaches you something
that contradicts what you've been taught, you must understand that your
teachers are His as well, and were bringing you along as far as He would
have them do His work. That's kind of what my writing is about, I need
to continue my own growth and this is a tool to help me do that. If I get
into a dialogue with someone else who is searching, then that would be
awesome. I have no desire to get into any arguements with anyone who
is going to be dogmatic and stunted in their opinions, especially if they're
grounded in what they've been taught by their denominational doctrines.
Been there done that. I'll do it if necessary for someone else's benefit,
but I'm past it for myself.