Ex-Church of Christ Support Board

Hello Everyone in this Support Group,
I am so glad to have found you. God's patience is amazing. I was raised Roman Catholic...left the church at 17...floundered a little...confessed Jesus in a non-denominational Church in SE Penna.. afterward met a ROGUE, RADICAL Church of Christ Evangelist from Alabama...who'd formed his own group of proselytes..and was quickly baptized...and then later re-baptized, into a 17yr relationship with a small group of "the only saved people of the known world". We did all the COC doctrines and much more...women dressed in long dresses, wore head-coverings, and had babies.... We ate only healthy foods... "Gave-up" and/or shared all worldly possessions....broke "real unleavened" freshly baked loaf and shared one cup every Sunday,,,then a meal afterwards. 17yrs later, my husband and I divorced,,,,after many, many years of mental, emotional, and some physical abuse in our family of five lovely children. I remarried...and that was over 14 yrs ago...and I have gone searching from church to church...including COC, but JUST NOW, after reading extensively on this website... I know I am still "Ensared" in legalism.....Want desperately to fly with freedom in my wings... given by the Lord Jesus Himself. Your help will be abundantly appreciated!!

Hi Ensnared and welcome to the ex-board. There is both 'milk' and 'strong meat' here - choose your place!

Please interpret..

That is a reference to a statement in the New Testament (NT) about the 'milk' (the easily digested, child's food) of the gospels versus the 'strong meat' - the harder more challenging teachings. A new believer should not be given the meat (yet) because it may be impossible for him or her to manage it.

This is a site for people who once were members of a coc, but are no longer members. The paths we have taken since leaving have been varied, and our experiences with the coc range from relatively benign ('it was okay, I just don't believe any longer that they are right') to pretty bad ('my parents tried to take my children away because they said I was an unfit mother because I didn't go to the coc any more'; or 'I lost my job and my family').

We have two parts to this board. The first section is a 'support' section, where people can share their personal stories and explore the New Paths which others have taken since leaving the coc.

The second part of the board is perhaps more challenging ('strong meat'). In there, we may discuss the very notion of the existence of God and the nature of faith - and appeals to 'Biblical authority' are not the last word.

Please feel free to browse all the available discussion areas. In the first section, you will find support and understanding. In the second section, you may find yourself confronted with demands for explanations, instead of with support - but many people find that very invigorating. It is up to you!

Welcome. I hope you find the place that is right for you. I am SO glad I left the legalism of the COC. I was in a pretty conservative church, but at least they didn't regulate my food choices or require a head-covering. It is hard to leave the legalism behind, since it gets so ingrained in our thought processes. Try some really different denominations or just take a break from attending any church. Either can give you a chance to breathe again!

Welcome and I hope your wings heal and grow stronger. Not sure how much actual "meat" there is to much of what is here, but yes some of it can be hard to stomach at times.

I caution you not to jump out of the pan into the fire. Any group the believes the Bible should be adhered to literally is likely just trading one legalistic fundamentalist group for another one.

If freedom & Grace is what you're searching for then you might want to consider some mainline denomination like Methodist or Presbyterian. I suggest you read their statement of faith before you get involved with any particular group. Any group that strikes you as a little radical should probably be avoided.

It's one thing to leave the Church of Christ it's quite another thing to let go of that kind of thinking. That usually takes a lot of study & time.

I hope you find what you're seeking.