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Unhealthy Church Part 2: Am I A Divisive Person?

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Justmehere

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The church called.

They told me I am a divisive person. This is the one sin some types of Christians see as the ultimate sin that can not be ever allowed to happen in a church. It is what it is. I'm semi going over the edge about this.

This is what happened:

I went to a new bible study at the church. They told me I could not go because of the "incident" - a matter I posted about before. A matter I thought they finally dropped and were going to move on about. It's been several months. I was told not to go to this new study after I went one time. They said I did nothing wrong at the new study. They can't risk having me there. "But we welcome you to come to services." Like the one this weekend where they said the service is not real check but the small community bible studies are and everyone needs people in their life, not just talks to watch.

So, since I was sick of hypocrisy, I went to a new and very diferent church. I didn't tell anyone at the old church and I didn't talk about the old church to the new ones. But months ago, they had been contacted by the old church. They told me I needed to go back and resolve matters with the old church before attending their church.

Right.

I went back to the old church. I called the senior pastor. I asked what my sin was to exclude me yet again from a new bible study. I didn't mention the new church, as I was too scared to do so. I begged in tears to know. They told me they can not risk incidents. I asked what I had done to cause incidents. What are you talking about? They would not tell me.

The senior pastor told me to go look up a verse. I said, "I have no hope. I can never be good enough for you, can I? There is no way out of this." We kept talking. Well, I kept begging to be told what I did wrong and they would not tell me. He did say they previously did offer me a path to address my unnamed sin, and I asked what it was. He said I didn't do it. I asked what didn't I do. He said he couldn't tell me but I didn't do it.

I asked "would you like evidence to show I did everything you asked of me?"
He said, "No."

I began crying and pacing. I begged for them to tell me what is my sin? What did I do wrong and what is the path to move forward past this? Why doesn't evidence of doing he asked matter? (What he asked me to do was wrong for him to ask but I did it anyhow and they rejected it and decided not to do it.)

He told me to go look up the verse and passive aggressively told me it was nice speaking to me and hung up before I could say anything else.

I looked up the verse.

It says to "warn the divisive person once" and then "have nothing to do with them."

I went into a severe panic. I did the worst thing possible. I called him back and begged to know what I did that was divisive. What can I do to protect unity?

I was shaking with fear and so panicky. All these abandonment alarms were going off and I felt like that 7 year old kid again trying to make my dad happy. I told them "I am being publicly shunned because of this accusation and it's extremely painful, please tell me me how to make it stop. Please."

They said it was clear it was unhelpful to talk to me. "We will talk later, face to face." I hysterically said, "no please stop, I don't want to breathe anymore. I can't take this anymore." They asked where I was and I told them I was walking to a meeting for work. They said they wanted to help me. Kept asking me my location and I asked them to leave me alone, I don't need your help I need you to treat me like a person. They again said "there is clearly no point to asking with you right now, we will meet face to face."

I told them "no, I am sick of this please stop." I told them that ever since "you found out I had PTSD you have treated me like a freak and pathologist everything about me and never treat me like a normal human being and I can't take it anymore. I want to be treated like a human again and no more of this nonsense. If you can't tell me what specific thing I did wrong then leave me alone please. I just can't take this anymore."

I can't feel anything. I couldn't make them happy. I couldn't get away from them. It feels too much like some of my childhood hell.

The police called me, said the church called them and was concerned I was "suicidal or something."

I told them to "please leave me alone, please do not speak to me." I know. Stupid to say and do. I don't know if I should call the police back and tell them how I am doing or what.

I am fighting a storm of suicidal thoughts, but I am not going to act on them. I am not. I don't know why I am sure of that, but I am. I still have the thoughts. I am spinning. I am missing my meeting for work and sitting in my bathroom trying to feel my body again.

How the heck did I walk into this mess again? Why do I keep trying to make these people happy? Why can't they just leave me alone? How did I get accused of being divisive? Am I this stupid or crazy that I was divisive and I don't know it? Why do I keep trying to make these jerks happy?

I'm crying. My only plans for the holidays are with people from this church. Now? I am shunned.

This is not what Jesus was about or biblical or healthy or ok. Which is why I went somewhere else to a new church. Only to run into this because this crazy church is well known. It is normally seen as healthy. So why is this happening? Why am I obsessing over this? How do I stop?

I don't know I don't know. My therapist thinks this is a whack church and that its not me. I tried to walk away. I did.

Am I a divisive person? How do I not be divisive? I feel so stupid. No one has told me I am divisive before, and maybe I am someone who divides people. I don't know. I am the scapegoat. My therapist says I'm good at getting myself scapegoated. I think I am doing that again.
 
This church is extremely toxic to you and I suggest that you just wipe off your hands of them and leave them to themselves. You are not a divisive person at all. This is just a very sick and unhealthy church for you. Run away and do not look back and I so understand the struggles you are experiencing. This is just more trauma for you in my opinion and secondary wounding. Get as far away from these people and get rid of them being in your life. You are not the first nor the last person they will do this too. It is very shaming and shunning is evil in my opinion. Nothing wrong with you at all. I wish for you to have well being and some inner peace. You have done nothing to deserve the way you are being treated at all. Hugs.
 
What;s the denomination, that they would be so connected to other parishes?

If I recall correctly, they asked for a sit-down of some kind with you, and you and your therapist thought it was not a good idea to do so?

Regardless - you and this church do not communicate well. The thing you can manage is how much power you give them. Right now, you're giving them an awful lot of authority over you. How are your basic CBT skills? Would they help you put this church into an appropriate scale, importance-wise?

I'd strongly recommend that you call the police back and explain that you were misunderstood, and that you are not suicidal, and apologize for the confusion. If you told the church-person that you didn't want to breathe anymore, they probably took that as a possible threat against your own life. Clearing things with the police will likely serve you well sometime down the road.
 
Maybe a change of the type of church should be in order if the new one told you the old one has to "forgive" you first.

I don't think the new one would be any better because they expect that of you. If its a new church of a different denomination, I think they would be less likely to be called about you.

And if they had a more forgiving expectations for members, they would not even ask you to make amends with the old church.
 
This church is non- denominational, no other parishes. They are well
connected in the community because they are known for giving away a lot of financial support to various groups in town, non-profits.

I went to a episcopalian church, because they had this ministry of being present along side people who were homeless and working their way out of it even if it took decades, I figured they might understand people in pain, I didn't even tell them I was at the old church. I asked to volunteer in the soup kitchen. I wanted to help clean floors. I've been down and stuff like that helps me get out of my head. The church secretary who handled the sign up sheet told me that so and so (an admin assistant to the senior pastor at this church) called them and told them I might be looking for a new church.

I freaked that anyone knew I was at the old church. My town is not that small, but it is also not that friendly to Christians so maybe these churches all know each other? I don't know.

CBT techniques - that's a good idea: I'm spinning, obsessing about this.

I am going to go call back the police officer now.
 
Sorry to hear that it's going on even in a different type of church.

So um how do you feel about going Jewish or Buddism, or something not necessarily Christian, but still with some higher power involved?

Just something I'd explore if I were in your situation.

Personally I prefer being out in nature to feel any type of connectedness. And you don't have to be part of a church to give back and feel like you are doing something worthwhile for others.

I hope you find what you are looking for. It's not you, you just haven't found your home for that part of your life.
 
Why would he tell me he wanted "to send people to help me" and later report to the police he thought I was sucidal ad that's why he was asking me where my location was... And then after asking where my location was, tell me to go read a verse about being a sinner?

What pastor tells someone they think is a danger to themselves that they are a divisive person to be warned and abandoned?

Who even does that?

Everyone says this senior pastor is a wonderful guy, so compassionate.

Why would he say that to me? Why would a wonderful guy say that to me?

Spinning. I'm absolutely spinning.
 
Saying that he was sending people to help you, meaning contacting police because you stated suicidal intent - there isn't anything contradictory in there. I'm responding to:
Why would he tell me he wanted "to send people to help me" and later report to the police he thought I was sucidal ad that's why he was asking me where my location was...
Spinning. I'm absolutely spinning.
You've got two choices: stay enmeshed or detach yourself. I really think the sooner you accept that what happened, happened, and move forward without any of those people in your mind, the better.
 
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