Ok and I've got to stop and put another blabber about my church. One reason I put this journal up is that I can post stuff here that I have not had success with or may not fit in with debate.
There was an issue that came into play here about my church as a reason why the church started asking me questions about my family in the end and played a role in me leaving.
I was 24 when I started church there. Usually most Pentecostal women are married by then, quite a few I knew who got married at 16 and 17 and quit high school to get married,and I knew a few who were illiterate.Women have families and get married at my old church.
I was in part going to that church to get away from my family. Even though they were not physically or sexually abusing me, my Mom and Dad had bad fights shouting and crazy until I was in my mid 30s. They had also gotten upset about me being in that church, my Mom was a woman liberal are you kidding me, I'm wearing long dresses long hair and no makeup just like church women did in the 1950s when she was growing up.
She was not happy. We had issues about sex in the home that were talked about too much. My Mom was beaten up and raped by her first husband. Back then in the 50s women had no rights she could not turn him in to the cops nope. Her Dad ran him off with a shot gun, that was about it, thats all that could be done back then.
But my Moms Dad was most likely a sex addict, had brought 2 teen age girls to live with them who were pregnant. My Grandma said it was so they could be a witness for Jezzus to them! Yea right we all know what Grandpa did ok.
My Grandma also said they were personally invited to an underground swinging party in Tx in order to witness to people!Usually everyone laughs about that but Ill tell you what happened.
Grandpa got the invite, and decided he wanted to have sex but hey hes the man its ok for him, but not for his wife, so he told her they were invited to go preach the gospel.So she sat there and witness while her husband went off to have sex in the party and swing.
Back to my story, the point is we had a lot of sexual talk and talk about sexism in part because my Mom had so many sexual issues.
So without any abuse going on there were a lot of family problems put it that way.My Mom use to talk dirty and tell dirty jokes a lot too flirt with men in AA, that was her thing. So just because there wasn't any abuse does not mean it was a healthy family situation for me.
Anyways church was an escape ok. But after my church saw that I had not married like a good girl does, I think they caught on to the fact that maybe I was using church as an escape. So they started beraiding me about why my family was not there, and I guess me not being married being there alone single, rubbed them the wrong way.
This is a topic my niece, and my 2 best friend who are all conservative Christians (one is Catholic and does not associate with the Evangelical churches) 2 don't go to church much,
have said they also have problems with. The church does not accept single women.If your not there with a husband or family, well your up there to do something evil.Somethings wrong. A woman should not be there without boyfriend husband or family.
They started telling me my Mother was a good christian when i told them my Mom had 34 years of sobriety in AA and chose AA as her church they said, I was lying, she is not an alcoholic shes a good Christian and it was my fault she wasn't in church. The singles leader was mad at me for not bringing in my parents.
So sense my church had always been a safe place to escape to to get away from family, when they started demanding me bring my parents or asking me too rather, I stopped feeling safe. I felt like there was no place to run too.
Another example of single woman issues in a religious place I had an issues at a zen Buddha temple not long ago. Whats does that have to do with the Christian church? Nothing except conservative traditional values. I don't see this as a problem in liberal Christian churches but in conservative churches this goes on a swell.
So I got a ride home with our director owner of our group shes from China, shes asking me if I live with my family, I said no, alone in the house my parents raised me. She asked if I had siblings I said yes they live close to me:
she asked if they see me and give advice I said yes we were close. She wanted to know what kind of job I had and if my sisters approve. I told her, but I am aware of Chinas conservative traditional family values, the family always stays together I know.
My church was the same way, they did not like it that I was single. I had 3 and a half boyfriends in those years trying to get married too. The pressure was on. I say 3 and a half the one i loved was a drug addict alcoholic, joe, he had a best friend who was his dealer, I had to sleep with his best friend a few times, though he did not come out and say this,I knew he was getting some free drugs off it.
but and 1 from AA a guy we knew from AA I had no spark with him, and Steve, Steve was a charismatic Christian who had a learning disability I met at Pizza Hut. We were together a few months. He had decided he wanted to marry me.He ran up to the pull pit area before my preacher was through and talked to my pastor about marrying me he was so excited to have sex.
I said no, he quit his Pizza hut job and told me he expected me not to work. He made 10 thousand dollars a year and lived in a trailer, he did not make enough money for us so.
Joe wanted to marry me too and his Mom when she first met me she was clapping her hands when I was coming in hugging me she was thrilled. I'm pretty sure she told everyone Joe would get straightened out his life straightened out when he got married, so uh I was his answer. I was raised up in Alanon and Alateen, I just knew too much about codependency and family issues to not know that it would not work in the end.
But I did love Joe, though he was cute, I enjoyed kissing and hugging him and having sex with joe.
Anyways back to the conservative church topic, yep women are to be married, they may not discuss this this way. But one reason Darlene the woman who got a job as secretary where I was at knew I worked there was because the church had to know every detail of my life, obviously they were afraid of my dirty sins, so everyone knew where I worked.
She in the end was one reason I quit church. She started talking to me about the way i dressed at work, I was pulling away from long dresses and wearing some pants suits. Still had fairly long hair, I wore it up in buns and french twists. My boss liked me TK but he was an alcoholic, great in sells and teaching sells but sick and dysfunctional .and alcoholic sex addict. I will write more about the job break up of church later.
But if anyone comes up with a topic of single women in religion I'd be interested. My friend Rose says she gets the 3rd degree from every church she goes too and they demand a lot of personal info that makes her uncomfortable too. I think some of these places think we are lesbians, its why with the personal questions.
My Niece Laura has been single her whole life at 31 she goes to a conservative community church that believes like Baptists and she says they talk down to her and they are sexist. She says if your a woman and not married in the conservative community churches, YOU are not a grown person.
You get respect when you get married. I don't think its right but anyways.