Protecting kids from church!!

[Truthseeker]

My wife and I are amazed we feel like we have to protect our kids from church. If they go to the alter we go as well to make sure no one "gives them the Holy ghost". We see it alot, IMO, follks say hallelejah(sp?) real fast or cries then someone wantss to say they got it.

Yesterday our sons SS teacher told my son if he dies in an accident he's gong to hell to try to get him baptized. I teach my son about baptism, but told him it's between him and God. When God touches his heart with repentance then baptism will mean something. What is baptism if a child is forced or pressued??? Anyhow, he listened and absorbed it in I believe.

Just think it's kinda of sad you feel you got to protect kids from church, but it's true.

[OnTheFritz]

Originally Posted by Truthseeker

My wife and I are amazed we feel like we have to protect our kids from church. If they go to the alter we go as well to make sure no one "gives them the Holy ghost". We see it alot, IMO, follks say hallelejah(sp?) real fast or cries then someone wantss to say they got it.

Yesterday our sons SS teacher told my son if he dies in a accident he's gong to hell to try to get him baptized. I teach my son about baptism, but told him it's between him and God. When God touches his heart with repentance then baptism will mean something. What is baptism if a child is forced or pressued??? Anyhow, he listened and absorbed it in I believe.

Just think it's kinda of sad you feel you got to protect kids from church, but it's true.

Yep. I've been to some churches where I can definitely relate.

[Hoovie]

Originally Posted by Truthseeker

My wife and I are amazed we feel like we have to protect our kids from church. If they go to the alter we go as well to make sure no one "gives them the Holy ghost". We see it alot, IMO, follks say hallelejah(sp?) real fast or cries then someone wantss to say they got it.

Yesterday our sons SS teacher told my son if he dies in a accident he's gong to hell to try to get him baptized. I teach my son about baptism, but told him it's between him and God. When God touches his heart with repentance then baptism will mean something. What is baptism if a child is forced or pressued??? Anyhow, he listened and absorbed it in I believe.

Just think it's kinda of sad you feel you got to protect kids from church, but it's true.

Personally, I would tell the SS teacher to lay off.

[Truthseeker]

It was said in SS class too. Amazing

[ImThankful]

I have a 30 yrs old child who has been out of the church for 10 yrs. When she comes and has went to the altar, well meaning people crowd around her and get in her face and try and pray with her. She wont come back for that reason. She isnt a touchy person and dont like strangers with their hands on her.

You might think that is petty but unless you know all about the visitor that comes, you should back off and let the person that brought them deal with them. Not everyone is at the same place. Sometimes that might even be there first time in a Pentecostal type church.

It is sometimes very distracting to me when I want to pray at the altar about something personal and people want to crowd around me. It appears from my observation that women do this far more than men do.

Does anyone else feel this way?

[Margies3]

I am so glad to hear that I am not the only one who hates it when people crowd around you and get in your face when you are at the altar! I do believe that the Spirit of God will give the gift of tongues. But I wonder how often we "give it" instead. It bothers me when someone is praying and someone is right in their face hollering, "speak it, honey. Just open your mouth and say it" and then they take off in tongues themselves. And the poor person praying feels this tremendous pressure to perform, so they start gurgling and BINGO! Everyone thinks they have the Holy Ghost (which they may have - just not tongues)

The other thing I always hated was when the pastor would end the sermon with an altar call and then when either not enough people came forward, or maybe not the person he wanted to some came forward, he would launch into this story about how a certain young person was in a service just like this one, the Spirit was wooing him to the altar but he refused, and then on the way home he ran off the road, hit a tree and was killed instantly. PLEASE!!

Let GOD do the work. I guess some forget the scripture that talks about how one plants, another waters, but GOD GIVES THE INCREASE.

[ImThankful]

I do believe that the spirit of God moves upon someone at times to pray with a person at the altar..Its just that the same people tend to do this time and time again. If God prompts you to pray with someone by all means do it. Just make sure its God. Otherwise allow the person who brough them to deal with them because more than likely they know that person well and know what would be right for them.

Scare tactics rarely make stickability. More then likely, it will not make someone run to tha altar. God is not served out of fear but rather love , relationship and conviction.

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by ImThankful

I do believe that the spirit of God moves upon someone at times to pray with a person at the altar..Its just that the same people tend to do this time and time again. If God prompts you to pray with someone by all means do it. Just make sure its God. Otherwise allow the person who brough them to deal with them because more than likely they know that person well and know what would be right for them.

Scare tactics rarely make stickability. More then likely, it will not make someone run to tha altar. God is not served out of fear but rather love , relationship and conviction.

That could be a problem. A lot of times the person that brought them isn't doing anything or doesn't know what to do.

[Sam]

Originally Posted by Margies3

I am so glad to hear that I am not the only one who hates it when people crowd around you and get in your face when you are at the altar! I do believe that the Spirit of God will give the gift of tongues. But I wonder how often we "give it" instead. It bothers me when someone is praying and someone is right in their face hollering, "speak it, honey. Just open your mouth and say it" and then they take off in tongues themselves. And the poor person praying feels this tremendous pressure to perform, so they start gurgling and BINGO! Everyone thinks they have the Holy Ghost (which they may have - just not tongues)

The other thing I always hated was when the pastor would end the sermon with an altar call and then when either not enough people came forward, or maybe not the person he wanted to some came forward, he would launch into this story about how a certain young person was in a service just like this one, the Spirit was wooing him to the altar but he refused, and then on the way home he ran off the road, hit a tree and was killed instantly. PLEASE!!

Let GOD do the work. I guess some forget the scripture that talks about how one plants, another waters, but GOD GIVES THE INCREASE.

People do this kind of stuff sincerely. It goes with the territory.

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by ImThankful

I have a 30 yrs old child who has been out of the church for 10 yrs. When she comes and has went to the altar, well meaning people crowd around her and get in her face and try and pray with her. She wont come back for that reason. She isnt a touchy person and dont like strangers with their hands on her.

You might think that is petty but unless you know all about the visitor that comes, you should back off and let the person that brought them deal with them. Not everyone is at the same place. Sometimes that might even be there first time in a Pentecostal type church.

It is sometimes very distracting to me when I want to pray at the altar about something personal and people want to crowd around me. It appears from my observation that women do this far more than men do.

Does anyone else feel this way?

If we are gonna have alter calls,we should also teach alter call etiquette