So back when I first joined there was a thread on here the title of which I can't remember in which I discussed problems my father was having with the church he preaches at and just how frustrating it was.
Let me recap this story, because it's gotten worse and I have to share otherwise I'm going to go insane.
-Really without mentioning anything to my father in terms of complaints a group of parishoners rent a room at the town auditorium/civic center and hold a meeting discussing their grievances with him and passing around petitions to have him resign.
-Dad announces he's planning to leave due to his inability to deal with these people. The plan was to leave at the end of the school year so my brother and sister could finish the school year. The anti-father group insists that my father not be allowed to preach. The church council caves (not the last time) and confiscates his keys to the church and suspends him, not before several members resign in protest.
-The bishop is called in and points out the church council broke several synod rules in their conduct with my father. The anti-father group and the remaining council members actually tell him it's none of his business. After being unable to reach a deal my father resigns. The church council informs him one of them will give an announcement, there will be no farewell and no final service.
-My father calls two days later about cleaning out his office. The church council informs him he cannot without a group of them watching him to make sure he doesn't steal anything that belongs to them. Meanwhile they have by this point taken his keyboard, his hard drive and my now-dead grandfather's childhood rosary claiming all of them are property of the church. The computer repairman who is a good friend of my father is informed that his company's contract with the church will be severed if he does anything to the computers by the order of my father. Eventually my dad gets to clean out his office and got the rosary back.
-Eventually the bishop and an attorney get the church to sign a severance agreement and we have the house until the end of May. For those of you who don't know, churches usually provide a residence for the pastor and his family. In a rather chilling moment one of the older worshippers calls my dad and in the middle of the conversation announces that these same people have done this to other pastors before.
Am I the only one who has a hard time finding God in all of this bullshit? I don't get how my family does it, It's all I can do to not run in and start breaking shit and people. Even going to a friend's brother's Confirmation just to be there for the family I was so intensely paranoid without even really thinking about it, I don't know if I can put myself into an environment like that again.
I've never been a really faithful person, I must've been the only seven-eight year old who asked his father whether the shepherds could've just hallucinated the angels, but this has pushed me over into atheism I must say. The only thing my dad has done is tried to open up these people's worship experience to something a little more non-traditional and they shit-canned him in the worst possible way.
Am I alone? I know I'm probably fuckin stupid to put this out there for just anybody to read, but I'm hoping maybe there'll be somebody here who will get it.
Let me recap this story, because it's gotten worse and I have to share otherwise I'm going to go insane.
-Really without mentioning anything to my father in terms of complaints a group of parishoners rent a room at the town auditorium/civic center and hold a meeting discussing their grievances with him and passing around petitions to have him resign.
-Dad announces he's planning to leave due to his inability to deal with these people. The plan was to leave at the end of the school year so my brother and sister could finish the school year. The anti-father group insists that my father not be allowed to preach. The church council caves (not the last time) and confiscates his keys to the church and suspends him, not before several members resign in protest.
-The bishop is called in and points out the church council broke several synod rules in their conduct with my father. The anti-father group and the remaining council members actually tell him it's none of his business. After being unable to reach a deal my father resigns. The church council informs him one of them will give an announcement, there will be no farewell and no final service.
-My father calls two days later about cleaning out his office. The church council informs him he cannot without a group of them watching him to make sure he doesn't steal anything that belongs to them. Meanwhile they have by this point taken his keyboard, his hard drive and my now-dead grandfather's childhood rosary claiming all of them are property of the church. The computer repairman who is a good friend of my father is informed that his company's contract with the church will be severed if he does anything to the computers by the order of my father. Eventually my dad gets to clean out his office and got the rosary back.
-Eventually the bishop and an attorney get the church to sign a severance agreement and we have the house until the end of May. For those of you who don't know, churches usually provide a residence for the pastor and his family. In a rather chilling moment one of the older worshippers calls my dad and in the middle of the conversation announces that these same people have done this to other pastors before.
Am I the only one who has a hard time finding God in all of this bullshit? I don't get how my family does it, It's all I can do to not run in and start breaking shit and people. Even going to a friend's brother's Confirmation just to be there for the family I was so intensely paranoid without even really thinking about it, I don't know if I can put myself into an environment like that again.
I've never been a really faithful person, I must've been the only seven-eight year old who asked his father whether the shepherds could've just hallucinated the angels, but this has pushed me over into atheism I must say. The only thing my dad has done is tried to open up these people's worship experience to something a little more non-traditional and they shit-canned him in the worst possible way.
Am I alone? I know I'm probably fuckin stupid to put this out there for just anybody to read, but I'm hoping maybe there'll be somebody here who will get it.
