I'll try to keep this as short as possible. My wife and I employ a full time, live-in nanny to help with the kids and housework etc (we have 4 kids under 6 yrd old). She has been with us for over 3 years now and has become part of our family in every sense of the word. We are also currently sponsoring her so that she can become a US citizen. She is filipino. She was born a Catholic and practiced Catholicism up until about 5 or 6 years ago. I am Jewish. I am not an overly-religious Jew by any means (my kids will most likely be bar/bat mitzvahed but for me to ever attend a Friday night Shabbat service is extremely rare..usually only on special occasions.) What I am trying to say is that I know very little about my own religion, let alone anyone else's. Our nanny converted to a form of Christianity (I think that is the correct terminology...dont kill me if I said it wrong or referred to it wrong) and attends services twice a week at a Church of Jesus Christ. (that isn't the name of the church, its how the type of church is classified). Anyway, for her to miss a service she has to be pretty much near death. She has been told by her Priest/Pastor (I'm not exactly sure what the 'leader' of her church is referred to as) that if she misses too many services, she will go to hell and God will never forgive her. She has been told by her Priest/Pastor that if she converts back to Catholicism (or any other religion for that matter) she will go to hell and God will never forgive her. Basically, she has had it embedded in her head that all other religions are not "approved" by God and everyone else is going to hell. I'm starting to really worry about her because I am starting to think this religion she is practicing is more of a cult than a religion. I mean, who tells their congregation that all other religions are bad? She religiously (no pun intended) donates a small portion of her paycheck each week (maybe 25 bucks or so) to the church and feels that if she stops, God will look badly upon her and she will go to hell. I have tried to talk to her and tell her that the "other religions are bad" thing is a crock but I don't know enough about religion to make a good argument. I'm not looking to try to get her to convert back to Catholicism as much as Im trying to convince her that she will not go to hell and od will still love her if she misses a service here and there, if she doesnt donate money each week, etc. First off, does anyone know about this religion. If so, could you fill me in as to what is expected of it followers. If you don't know about this religion but you know about religion in general and you have some input, I'd love to hear it. I know there are a lot of posters here that seem to know an awful lot about various religions and I would love to hear you guys' take on this. Thanks!
I know about the Church of Christ...but that doesn't sound like what we're talking about here. While they are certainly to the right of most mainline Protestant churches, I've never heard the kind of rhetoric you're talking about. Point her to stories in the Bible of flawed men and women whom God forgave. Point her to King David, who God called "a man after my own heart."...show her all his fallacies, and God's love for him despite those fallacies. Point her to the legalistic Pharisees of Christ's day...show her where Christ pointed out how adherence to strict observances is not necessarily indicative of a real relationship with God. Point her to the words of Paul who takes about salvation through faith alone...ask her if all of these requirements aren't simply demeaning the importance of the cross itself....I mean, it sounds like he's saying Jesus Christ isn't enough...and his words of promise for those who believed in him are being qualified by these extra requirements. I'll pray for her too.
Does she have any Priests that she trusts from her Catholic days? Maybe she could discuss this with a Priest (I fear they may also confuse her, but it sounds like she needs some kind of shock to get away from that grip.) Do you think that maybe she misunderstood the Pastor? If you asked the Pastor about the beliefs directly, would she be offended?
I have thought about that. I spoke to the people she lived with before she started living with us and I asked them about it. They told me that what she was saying is exactly what she is taught and they tried for a long time to get her to understand that she is being brainwashed so to speak. I may have to resort to talking to her Pastor but I woud like to do that as a last resort. If I were Catholic, I would bring her to my church and have a Priest/Pastor speak to her...but I think she is even afraid to do that.
I'm not familiar with Church of Jesus Christ. I know of a Church of Christ and Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints (mormons). I can say that it's not true Christianity. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Works (how much you do, don't do, give, pray, serve, etc) has nothing to do with salvation - otherwise you could boast. God wants humble servants just like Christ. He left His place in heaven to be a man to be ridiculed, spit on, whipped and crusified - because of His love for the Father and us. The difference between Jewish and Christianity is that Jews believe the Messiah is still to come. Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah. There are a lot of churchs under a "Christian" label that have some form of works in their message. A little works message robs God of what He did - taking credit for something He did. I'd have more fear of that than what I do or don't do. But, IMO, you are correct - that much works talk equals what we today would call a cult. They may not have you drinking the red coolaid yet, but it is not Christianity. Cults usually have a way to skate around all scripture they don't like but to someone who is new and isn't fully brainwashed - you might ask her that someone told you to read Ephesians 2:8,9. Ask her what that means to her. That would be a very sutle way of having her think about that scripture and the scripture around it (cults have a way of taking scripture out of context) and how it relates to her "new religion".
I know a few people that are former members of a Church of Christ congregation. My uncle being one of them. What you are saying about your nanny's pastor is exactly the reason my uncle left the church. He disagreed with the doctrine that they were the only right church and that other religions or denominations are false. After he chose to change churches he had 2 of his good friends tell him they could not see or do things with him any longer because he was "with satan now". I also had a good friend who was raised in the Church of Christ. When we were in High School she decided to become a member of the church where I was a member. She moved in with her mother and started attending services at our church. She finally decided to join the congregation. The night she was to be Baptized her father(who was still a member of her old church) Threatened to come to the church and make a big scene about her joining with the devil. He did not but he did show up at my house that nite where we were having a Youth get together. It took me and a couple of my friends to escort him out while my parents called the police to have him removed. I am not trying to categorize every member of the Church of Christ with this behavior. I am just relating my experience with it.
Don't shoot me for asking this because I truly don't know....Is Ephesians a book of the bible? This sounds like a great idea...I appreciate it
NJ- Unfortunately I think alot of church's bad-mouth other religions from the "pulpit", it is often very "competitive" and many many many religions are (historically) fear-based. Most importantly, I think your heart tells you when to "worry"- so your concern (it sounds like) certainly had foundation. Not really info or advise, but my 2 cents...
Castor ---your and your uncles experience with the Church of Jesus Christ is exactly what our nanny is going through. You bascally summed up her thoughts on what would happen if she left the congregation.
The church of Christ I went to was nothing like that. In fact, we had a group splinter off because we weren't like that. I miss that church.
yeah...i think this is clearly not the Church of Christ...it's called the Church of Jesus Christ. small difference in name, but apparently big difference in practice.
Actually, from what I've heard from many others who grew up going to churches of Christ, mine was very liberal (relatively), highlighted by the defection of many who believed we were too liberal. My ex-girlfriend's parents both bad-mouthed the church for what hell they went through when they were kids, very similar to what NJ's nanny seems to be going through.
Your nanny may be part of the International Church of Christ. I don't want to offend anyone from that group or from the Church of Christ, but my understanding is that they both have a very "works based" theology. In other words, where as more mainstream denominations say that salvation (heaven) is a gift from God through Jesus, the International Church of Christ says you need to "earn entry". (I think this is true of their beliefs. If I mischaracterized anything, I will very willingly stand corrected)
What MadMax said (his first post). Also, I would tell her that as long as she has a personal relationship with Christ, it doesn't matter what church she goes to. To say otherwise would suggest to me a cult.
NJR, Also the 9th book in the New Testament is all about Christians that were saved through faith, but put themselves back under the law through works. He tells them how foolish that is. Galations 2:19 through 3:29.
JP... I think you hit the nail on the head...everything you said (along with what some others have said regarding this church) have described exactly what is going on ....I think I am definitely going to take ArtV's advice with the bible suggestion for sure. Guys...you have been extremely helpful...any other suggestions are certainly welcomed as well. I truly appreciate it!
That much I actually have told her. I told her that regardless of what religion she practices, as long as she believes that she, herself, has a relationship with Christ, that is all that matters. I asked her if she thought people with no money to donate or no time or transportation to get to a church were going to hell and she didn;t really have an answer.
Sorry... Seriously...this sounds like a cult to me. Most legitimate churches will tell you that it does not matter whether you attend services or not, but they welcome you whenever you can make it. Actual churches are also generally accepting of other denominations as valid. My priest told me just before I married a Jew that "we are all children of Abraham, and it would be our (the church's) honor to celebrate your marriage." Any church that does not do these things IMO is a cult. Jesus Christ shouldn't need to hard sales pitch your nanny's "church" has been giving.
