Here I go, breaking it down:

I was raised in a very exclusive “separatist” Christian environment. It’s really hard to explain if you weren’t brought up in the middle of it. There are some sites like this and this written by my Uncle... I'm sure there are more but so far everything I've found is very poorly designed and pretty much unreadable.

The nuts and bolts are basically this:

1. We are humble visitors to this planet waiting for the day when we will be with God in heaven (the rapture).

2. They way you get “saved” (secure your afterlife in heaven) is pretty much the same as with any other Christian belief: ask for forgiveness, believe that Jesus Christ, God’s son died on the cross for your sins and Jesus will come into your heart and your eternity will be sealed in heaven. There is no getting “unsaved”. (Which is a relief to me since sometimes I get superstitious and worry about such things)

3. While on this planet it is important not to give in to the devil and allow yourself to enjoy anything of the “flesh.” The “flesh” meaning anything that gives you pleasure and takes away from your “enjoyment of Christ.” Things of the “flesh” could be music, dancing, telling too many funny jokes, fashion, school sports, blogging, masturbating, premarital sex, adultery, lusting after Victoria Secret models, loving your fast car, becoming a rock star etc etc...pretty much anything under the sun that makes you happy. Of course it’s not put forth in those words but you get the drift.

4. We meet in regular buildings with as little pomp and circumstance as possible. The meek shall inherit the earth... Which means no church steeple, no stained glass windows, no choir, no organ music, no pastor, no pews etc etc. I think this was a side effect of Martin Luther and all the scrapping of anything Catholic.

5. The “breaking of bread” (communion) is not structured. It is very much like the Quakers or Shakers of old where anybody (except women) can be “lead of the Spirit” and stand up to read a verse, speak a bit or call out a hymn number for everyone sing. There is no time limit and these meetings could conceptually last forever but they usually have a funny way of ending right after an hour or so. I guess the Spirit likes things timely.

So how could all these good rules go so wrong?

Well, it depends on how you look at it. Whenever you gather a group of people together there will be those who seek power and those who gossip and those who lead double lives and cause trouble. If you listen to my parents you will go to “meeting” for God and not the people and thus be saved from any of the trouble I’ve got hung up on.

But if you’re me and you actually believe everything above and then you fall in love and you give in to your animal instincts like the weak human that you are, then things get complicated. See main blog for the rest of the story.