Discussing Church Of Christ with Two Ex Members 

Please, more interviews of ex religious members. I can listen to those all day. Thx for your diligent hard work.

I have traveled o & lived in the Philippines several times over the years & hearing this adopted Filipino speak with such a Southern white accent is incredible...It definitely makes a case for nature vs nurture. Nice discussion...

Just now found this. As an ex-CoC person, I found this oddly validating, and wow did it bring up memories.

Thank you very very much for this, right now I am stuck in a CoC and it feels amazing to know I’m not alone

Can I grow antlers and be the Deer Lord

I also was born into the Church of Christ and I am so glad I'm no longer there. I can finally be myself and Worship God in a loving wsy instead of being scared all the time

There is no problem with belief and with believing in something. The problem arises when the belief becomes organized and "religious leaders" take advantage of the system

I am a recovering member of the CoC. I was born and raised in it, and Southern, no less. My biggest beef with it is that it believes that it is the ONLY legitimate church. I often urge my parents, who are still faithful members, to ask themselves: What if I am wrong? How do I know that I have the perfect understanding of which religion is the true one? The arrogance of believing that nobody else has the answers is actually sinful. It's a form of pride and judgement.

I’m an ex CoC member, raised in it as well, and 70% of my therapy is about problems my church caused. The fear. The self loathing. The shame. The brainwashing. So thankful I was able to see the light to get out.

I was a minister for 31 years in the more progressive branch of the church of Christ. Even so I still got fired from my last two churches and my family essentially disfellowshipped and told never to come back under threat of financial retribution because I had two of my children who were gay and I stood up for them by loving them. The great irony being that two of the churches I worked for through the years covered up the preacher having an affair with somebody but would flip out over someone who was gay. Church is supposed to be a place where that people care for each other no matter what, it is such a travesty that the leader ship in so many churches have to be power-hungry control freaks and cause these kind of hurts on people.

Long comment. Telltale, I hope to hell you see this. You have done something invaluable here sir. I'm never going to be allowed into a Kingdom Hall, so I never would have had the insight I gained through watching your videos, researching things you've said, etc. I never would have known JW's were the way they were. I would have gone on thinking they were the best religion out there for their natural skepticism, their interpretations of the Bible that seemed analogous to views in the modern world that promote wellbeing, their exhaustive research of scriptures, their relatively accurate translations, etc... My parents joined relatively recently. They'd always been believers, but never the type to inform actions on those beliefs. Had JW grandparents, but they were cool and never pushy and never tried to indoctrinate us, just educate us on what the Bible said and what they believed to be accurate or inaccurate interpretations. Allowed and encouraged skepticism, and I honestly think it saved my mind. But a few years ago a sweet old guy from the local Hall came along and offered studies, and he was unwittingly the more indoctrinating type who'd inadvertently trained himself to subtly insert dogma without noticing. Nonetheless he was a good guy, and my parents ended up being pretty close with him. He passed away last year, and they took it pretty hard. I think it was a big part of the reason they decided to fully join the congregation. He came to see them even on his deathbed, the guy had conviction and a good heart. But about the same time they phoned to tell me they were joining, I started watching your videos. And I'm so so so so so so so so so glad, man. If it weren't for you I'd have never known how to talk to them, what kinds of things they were being exposed to, what kind of brainwashing they'd be going through once they were out of study and in the congregation. I'd have never been able to make concise guidelines for talking with them without jumping over the "us vs. them" fortress wall. I'd have had to generalize based on far more propagandistic and inaccurate material about witnesses, or would have been totally unaware of big chunks of the Hall experience, and I'd have ended up shunned in no time flat. But through the info you've provided, I was able to talk to them on terms they would be able to square, that wouldn't rip up their core beliefs and shock them into that "ears closed" state you showed in those hall-crashing videos that they can get when their beliefs are brought to question. I was able to have a conversation with them about epistemology, about harmful methods of indoctrination which could have caused psychological damage to both of them if they'd let it, about following truth even if it opposed what they were learning. All in productive ways. And tonight, when I said something about this church I work at in my town (as a technician for a company which failed to ask my opinion about it) and about the manipulation techniques I see them use, and hoped my mom wouldn't hang up the phone and never call again... She said "yeah, even when I go to the Hall, I see some of that. They encourage us to question and not take their words as absolute authority, but... The way they word things, it doesn't always seem like they want us to do that beyond a point." BOOM. That's you, my good sir. You armed me with info I needed. You helped prevent me from being shunned. You gave me seeds of doubt and inquisition to plant that would protect both their minds, and our relationship. Even though we only talk once or twice a month, I know that I helped them, I know I'll continue to be able to, and maybe one day I'll convince them not to tithe for child molester protection money. Maybe abandon the organization altogether and seek their faith on more honest terms. And I know if I'd found your channel a year later, I'd never talk to them again. Don't EVER let anyone tell you you should stop, or that you're not helping people. Some people might call you the devil. Some people might say you're working against god. Screw those people. Your work literally saved two people who mean a whole lot to me, who I was risking never seeing again after telling them I'm an atheist/ borderline antitheist. Now I feel pretty confident I can have that conversation next time I'm in town to visit. Just one story, I bet a lot of people can say the same whether they take the time to tell you or not, but I wanted to make sure you knew how directly and how significantly you helped me out. This one guy on the internet somewhere. Haha. Don't worry, I'll meet you at Faithless Forum next year, and I'll tell you this in person in case you don't see it here. Anyone else, watch everything on this channel. Telltale is an incredible content creator. He works really hard to help those of us who might be having family issues or personal issues because of religion. And he does particularly good work on Jehovah's Witnesses, having been there himself and bled horribly for the experience he can now share with us. He's a Messiah if I know what one looks like, and deserves massive reverence and support. Take the opportunity to learn everything he gives us. Let's change the future for good.

I AM soooooo excited I left the church of christ in FEBRUARY this year! after 30 years. thank you SO much for this i can't wait to finish watching this, is so awesome I am so excited

The verse which my CoC used to justify the lack of instruments was Ephesians 5:19. Because it says "make melody in your heart" rather than with an instrument. Very bizarre interpretation.

I went to Church of Christ for 15 years. I left and no one stopped me and if I wanna go back I’ll go! no one has control over you unless you allow it.

I am a member of the Church of Christ, and being part of this group has had a profound impact on my life and my family's lives. Many of my family members are also part of this group. I feel trapped in this group, as I recognize it as a cult. However, due to my family's long-standing involvement of over 55 years, I find it difficult to leave. I am 72 years old and ask for your prayers as I navigate this challenging situation. Being part of this Church of Christ has negatively affected my self-esteem and has significantly impacted my entire life. I pray for God to show me a way to escape this situation and move on from this nightmare of being part of this church.

I was raised in the church of christ and left at the age of 20. This interview really gives a very accurate analysis of the COC, and reminded me how glad I am that I got out when I did.

Thank you to these guests for sharing. I actually had a similar experience to what was mentioned at 20:37 …years ago I told an evangelical Christian friend I was gay & was terrified she would reject me, but she responded with, “of course it’s not a choice! Why would anyone choose to be discriminated against & hated by most of society?” It meant the world to me in that moment!

If there really is a God, do you think he'd care about how you look, what music you listen, who you love, what fun you have? Don't you think he'd rather care about the real issues in the world? The people in need, the wars we fight, ...

So much insight, these videos are more helpful than you probably know - best regards to everyone involved.

I am noticing that these gentlemen are not Biblically sound at all. As a Church of Christ member I am saddened for these guys to be our representatives. I pray for people who grew up in such strict and harsh congregations. I would love to hear a discussion with a Church of Christ minister who is biblically sound and only sticks with the doctrine of Christ. We stress the importance of salvation because we never know when Jesus will return. I am 24yrs old and seek knowledge through the scriptures and I encourage you all to do the same. Instrumental music is not recorded in the New Testament. It is recorded in the Old Testament. However, the only people allowed to use a particular instrument were the brethren Levites -1 Chronicles --15:16--. We are not Levites and today that is not applicable to Christianity. Jesus change the priesthood/law after Melchisedec- Hebrews 7:11 -12. That was under the Mosaic law/old testament. The New Testament teaches that there is no life in instruments- 1 Corinthians 14:7-15. God wants us to worship him in Spirit and in Truth which is life-John 4:20-24. God authorizes us to sing hymns- Mark 14: 16 and use our lips for praise- Hebrews 13:15. Old law/Mosaic law/Old testament has been for filled Luke 24:44. Jesus teaches that we cannot have 2 Testators in effect. It’s either the mosaic law or The New Testament which is grace- Romans 6:14-17, Galatians 5:3-4, Hebrews 9:15-17. I pray this helps. Much love.

I think it depends what Church of Christ you go to. I go to the church of Christ and have had nothing but good experiences (compared to other churches I've been to). I enjoy where I go and what I'm learning. My pastor doesn't seem to be as extreme as some of these they are talking about. Such as the hell and brimstone. My pastor doesn't try and scare anyone about it or shove it done your throat. Every church is different. More than anything I think you have to find a good group of people that runs the church.

Playing this at 1.5 is better in my opinion, try it if you want 😊

I went to the Church of Christ for 60 years and taught classes and very active. I got a divorce and talked about something they thought was horrible (it wasn’t) and the elders excommunicated me and told me I was going to hell. Now.....women I was friends with for years do not speak to me and couples my husband and I were friends with, will not speak! Church was my life so now I have no friends. But i will be ok because I have my husband, kids, grandkids and friends outside the church. I still believe in God but I don’t think elders should have that much power. They cause more harm than good!

Wow .. the mention of Lonnie Jones here sent shivers down my spine. This man was the only "counselor" my ex-wife would meet with after I deconverted. I never got to meet him, and she had 1 "session" with him. 1 session. 45 minutes, and he told her to seek an annulment or divorce because I was a lost cause. He told her I was a Narcissist or an Engineer, and my ex-wife replied "he's both".

Are you still interested in delving deeper into the Church of Christ and its effects on former members? I was a preacher in the church for a brief period, and grew up indoctrinated in the church's dogma. It severely effected me, and I'd love the opportunity to share my story and offer advice to others who are facing these kinds of situations.

One of my uncles converted my parents to the church of christ (non-capitalization is intentional) when I was little more than a toddler so I was effectively born into the church. Mom was a great believer in bending the twig in the direction I should go. She shoved the church down my throat until I gagged on it. If the church doors were open, we were there; Sunday morning church school and preaching, Sunday night preaching, Wednesday night bible study, and every night during any "revival" service held within reasonable driving distance. Attendance was absolutely mandatory. If you were ambulatory and the church doors were open, you went to church - no excuses. This particular twig was bent far beyond the breaking point. Socialization with non-members other than to proselytize (to get to heaven, you had to take at least one other soul with you) was not prohibited, but was discouraged. Ours was a small congregation and the only other members that were near my age was one cousin. You can imagine the crimp that put on my social life. No school dances, no proms, no nothing if it involved the possibility of a one-on-one encounter with a (gasp) girl! You can count the number of dates I had with a (gasp) girl in high school on the fingers of a quadruple amputee. My social skills were non-existent. I lost my virginity to a professional lady in Tijuana, Mexico before boarding ship for Okinawa, Japan on the way to Vietnam. I never believed the s**t the church shoveled, because none of it made any sense, then or now. Even as young as I was, I recognized the circular reasoning, the lack of any supporting evidence, the biblical contradictions, and the absolute nonsense of almost everything in that "holy book", but questions or objections were not allowed. Throughout my development years I lived a lie; projecting the image of a pious, believing little church member drone, leading songs, serving communion, even preaching a couple of sermons while the real me lived behind a self-built wall; effectively a prison with me as the only inmate. I'm in my 70's and still have at least one foot in that prison. My wife has worked with me for over 50 years to dismantle the wall. It's not as high or as thick as it was, but it's still there and I'm resigned to the idea that my death certificate will be my only parole. My dad left the church after his father died. Grandpa was a deacon and founding member of a Baptist congregation, and dad refused to accept the church of christ teachings; Grandpa was not a member of the church of christ, he was going straight to hell. As you might imagine, that put some stress on the home environment during my pre-teen and early teen years. Mom and dad's screaming matches would seemingly last for hours while I cowered in my room, or on a couple of occasions left home to be anywhere but there. It never got physical, but I hoped they would get a divorce and end the warfare. Divorce in the 1950's in the bible belt of rural North Louisiana was not going to happen. I effectively walked out of the high school graduation line into the Marine Corps recruiting office at age 17. In any event, I would have enlisted on my 18th birthday, but prevailed on my parents to sign the permission for me to enlist at age 17. My primary motivation was a desperate attempt to get away from the church of christ and my family environment. The jungles of Vietnam was preferable to remaining in that environment. I had to promise mom that I would go to church before she would sign the permission slip. My first Sunday after arriving at Marine Corp Recruit Depot in San Diego, I went to the recruit church services. That was the one and only time, but I fulfilled my promise that "I would go to church". Marine Corps boot camp has a deserved reputation for severe and inflexible discipline. It may give you some idea of my experience with growing up in the church of christ when I say, quite truthfully, that the first time in my life that I remember feeling free was Marine Corp Boot Camp. They say there are no atheists in foxholes. All I can say on that subject is that anyone who can believe in a loving, omniscient, omnipotent "father in heaven" after experiencing what that "father" allows his "children" to do to each other on the battlefield has their head so far up their dorsal orifice their view of the world is constrained by their navel. A human "father" which "loved" his children the way the Judaeo/Christian god loves his would have all parental rights stripped away by any court in any civilized nation on Earth. If he doesn't know about it, he's not omniscient. If he knows about it and can't stop it, he's not omnipotent. If he knows about it, has the power to stop it and doesn't, he's an immoral, homicidal maniac and completely undeserving of any respect, much less worship. The church of christ made me agnostic, the foxhole made me atheist, and a lifetime of observing theism made me an anti-theist.

I'm an apostate from the Church of Christ and now an atheist myself. Nice to hear an interview with people similar to my background

Hello Tellale. I am glad that you did this interview. You three are awesome. It must be hard to be an ex-member.

Listen guys, there are many different churches with the name the Church of Christ, so if you intend to criticize this Church, you need to specifically tell us which one you are talking about, so those of us who are criticizing this Church should specifically tell us which ones you are talking about. I disappointed in a lot of people who are criticizing without knowing which one they are talking about. And even in the video, they talk about survival week and revivals, the one I attend does not entertain these things.

Hey I'm a jw right now and I've been recently questioning the religion I would like to ask some questions if you don't mind.

As a musician, I would be persona non grata instantly. Sometimes I think about walking in there and asking, "Hi, where do you want me to put this piano?"

💙 *quality content* 💙 I normally don't watch videos this long but it's you, so i knew it'd be good. And i was not wrong! Every second of this is interesting and insightful ☺ Thank you TellTale. You really are criminally under-subbed. ~ Owl

I don't think anyone here knows anything about Churches of Christ, so many people base their opinions on internet gossip and never step foot inside a church, if you have questions or concerns about any Churches of Christ you should visit those churches ask the preacher what the church believes in, is it a sound church etc.... yes there are some C.o.C that use instrumental music, and have added other things that are not scriptural, yes there's disunity even within the Churches of Christ, are there any religions out there that aren't struggling with similar issues?

Hey man. Current member of the CoC here. I would love to talk on here with you sometimes if you want some answers from a guy who isn't going to force anything on you. Just wanting to debunk some of the myths about the CoC

I quit being religious when my grandparents forced me to come to church. Thankfully my family wasn't super religious. My mom never went to church because she was busy going to college against my grandma's wishes. That and also working a job and taking care of us. I still love my mom because she cares for us a lot. My father sadly passed away a few years ago, but I've gotten over that since he didn't provide for the family and he wasted our money. We're now the happiest we've been. I want to thank you for bolstering the facts and bolstering the lies. Thank you. I know this was highly personal, but I'd like to tell my religious story.

My grandmother was church of christ. She had been for 50+ years. Taught a lady's bible class and knew her bible inside and out. Me and my brother lived with her and took care of her after her stroke. The Elders of her church were trying to make her kick my brother out because he was gay. Her response resonates with me to this day. "It's not my job to judge him. It's my job to love him." Too bad most of the other members were complete macaroni ass hats.

I have discovered your videos today and I have been enjoying your discussions about Christianity, especially in regards to the Church of Christ. I grew up in one, riding on “Joy Buses” each Sunday. For much of my life, I was indoctrinated and it definitely seemed like a cult in hindsight. I was a believer but I had doubts pretty early on. I remember one member I was friends with was ostracized for playing music with instruments in his church and he moved away. I was also at odds with the “we are the only church and all others are wrong.” I didn’t really feel truly alienated until college where I got plugged into a religious group on-campus supported by local Churches of Christ. At the time, I found it difficult to get employment and relied on money from school. I also didn’t own a car, but somehow the leadership felt they needed to insert themselves in my finances and told me to stop buying video games. In fact one of them told me to save money for car tires….like wtf! There was another moment where one of the leaders criticized me for drinking a soda on a trip despite everyone else having soft drinks (but was specifically singled out because I was obese). Gaslighting is the norm and public shaming is even used in some COCs. I never felt like I belong in that religion and shunning members are the normal. Some pretend to be your friends but they really don’t care about you. It must have been in 2012 when I left the church and religion for good and only a few people I met are truly friends. I have even less now since I came out as a trans woman over 2 years ago. (Fun fact…one pastor from my first COC church asked me about my genitals and if I was getting bottom surgery as if he thought that was okay asking someone he barely knew). I doubt they will let me sit foot in their churches, but I am okay with that honestly. I also have to still unpack so much anxiety and depression as a result of the Church of Christ.

Thank you for this. Theres nothing like being shunned for choosing a different path. Hope and help to hear from others.

Thank you. Thank you! I was raised in the CoC and, at 67, I am still recovering.

please if u ever have any questions and want to talk to anyone else i would answer anything, iwas in the church of christ 30 years, i was forced to go each week 3 times. and it was SO abusive. i have been a member of a few different churches and even went to church of christ camp. my mom was forced too since she was born. my parents started doing church in their house last week and so they kind of left too, i hope.

My family used to be church of christ when I was a kid but we eventually kind of just stopped going and i didn't know why. My parents are still Christians and I still identify as a Christian, so I asked them about it. Come to find out my mom wanted to lead an adult Bible study class and they wouldn't let her because "women aren't allowed to lead", so after a long argument with the elders about it they decided to leave the church. I still have a lot of nostalgia for churches of christ because I went there so many times a week as a kid, and I find their style of worship really comforting, but looking back they were extremely misogynistic and elitist, not to mention super homophobic.

This hit me hard because my best friend and first love committed suicide at fourteen because he was gay. This was in 1984. His father was a Baptist minister. My ultra religious stepmother said he was in hell for killing himself. It messed me up bad. Love you David! Miss you!

There are 13,000 churches of Christ, no two are identical. I do believe the two accounts given here. You have 12,998 left to explore. What they share in common is the belief that all authority in things Biblical are rooted in Scriptures.

My ex boyfriend was a part of the church of Christ growing up. It absolutely ruined him. He used to tell this story about a man (who the family is actually still friends with) who took a Walkman CD player (this was in the early 2000s) up in front of the church and smashed it with a sledgehammer, encouraging the church to do the same to all of the technology they owned.

When I was after of the CoC I didnt feel like I had much friends. And most the time I only mainly spoke to one older lady that was my mom.

I am what you call an "Ex Hardline coc member". Always here if you want to talk whether that be on your podcast or through online sources 👍✝

Thank you for this interview. I was a member in the International Churches of Christ for 10 years and thankfully was able to escape. It was damaging to me, but I'm on the mend, thankfully. Interviews like this helps in that healing process: just sharing their experiences and how they were able to get out.

I love you channel it's amazing it make me fell more normal I'm an atheist with an entirely religious family

My husband was raised Church of Christ. This is definitely a sleeper. I thought it was like any other Church. A lot of the doctrine sounds the same as most mainstream, except they have one detail that destroys the whole thing. They truly believe that if you are not a part of that church, tithe paying card-carrying baptized in their church member, you're going to hell. They're staunch about this. They don't talk about it. But they believe it. They also believe that if you get married and then divorce, you're going to hell. Of course unless your spouse dies. I won't say that all members take this too far, but some do. They will consider options that normal people would not. Having said that, listening to these stories breaks my heart. In spite of everything, I'm still a Christian, but I firmly believe that people need to walk their own walks. Live their own story. I just don't think everybody goes to hell if they don't go to church or follow a particular prescribed Theology. It doesn't even make sense. I'm sorry these things happened to you all. It really is tragic. Just in passing, I have a discussion with my father-in-law regarding the music in church. He said that it was because it Didn't appear anywhere in the New Testament. I asked him about King David. he quoted the same scripture in Psalms that this man did, that then! I quoted Psalms 150 which is a virtual band and Orchestra all put together. He said that it was invalid because it didn't appear in the New Testament. I finally said, okay, if you can demonstrate to me scripturally that musical instruments will send you to hell, then I will concede. He pulled out his Bible and talked and talked, then looked kind of worried. Finally he snapped it shut and said it doesn't matter. If God decides to draw the line between the churches who have pianos and the ones who don't, I want to be on the right side. And that was the end of our conversation.

I'm a CoC member....Sad to hear all that I heard.....All CoC is not created equal and that's sad to say also but much luck to all..

get a shot for every "that is fascinating" Great video. It is really nice to be able to hear people's experiences and their thoughts.

Love watching your videos,very informative and you definitely do your homework.Where as one can’t say having faith in a religion is a good thing or bad.As we all know historically more bloodshed has been a result of religion than anything else,There are still many people who as a result of religious upbringing took to heart the moral and civil teachings and do many good things.So in that regard sometimes the end justifies the means,and everything even science is a double edged sword.So if it gets you through the night its alright.Stay gold TTA stay gold.

Awesome podcast!..Being raised a JW since 6 y/o I can relate on many levels!..Thanks to all for sharing a part of their "Cult Life" with the community! I know that it will help save so many lives. Just a suggestion...Make this a "Sunday's Podcast" on this channel...This would be neat!

Hi. I was Church of Christ for 1 year. They prey on lonely and vulnerable young people. It was the emptiest year of my life. What a waste.

I was living with my fiancé (my husband of 42 years now) for about 6 months before our wedding. My mother just now told me the church (Church of Christ) had discussed disfellowshipping me during that time. The preacher (now deceased) stood up for me and shut that down. What a shame my parents did not stand up for me. I am shattered and completely disillusioned.

My grandmother almost sucked me into this church and she frequently choose the church over our actual family. I still have trauma from going to Church of Christ summer camps. It was so subtle in it's tactics by just.... implanting in your head that you aren't good enough unless you were baptized.

+39:34 I heard that line so many times from my dad when it came to metal, grunge, or psychedelic rock from the 60's and 70's ...I mean he's calmed down so much now but that line always got me frustrated, These interviews are so amazing I feel so comforted to know that my experiences with the church were similar to other ex-religious folk

You should do a video about Awana.

good podcast. If you had a woman on the panel it could have brought some clarity in the way they are treated. One CoC I attended as a child, women were not allowed to wear anything but dresses/skirts. Another CoC the men held a meeting as to at what point women were to be silent. Should it be in the parking lot, lobby, sanctuary? Disgusting.

I once went to a church with a friend of mine. I have no idea home her mom found this church, and I can't remember the name. They were "planting" it when I started going to it. They practically made me pray with them. The last Sunday of the month they had pizza and told people to invite their friends. Also on your first visit if you donated some money they would give you a $5 Starbucks gift card. I was sitting in some of their meetings, and they told us how they planned their meetings. Oh, and they spoke in tongues. Scared the heck out of me. Also her mom said that schizophrenia was of the devil (my friend also had schizophrenia). She died of a blot clot, I'm so mad because they thought they could pray it away.

I'm a member of the church of Christ. I love it, the one I attend is a great church. We just try to follow what the Bible teaches. :)

Have you thought about possibly doing an interview with former female members of the CoC denomination? My great grandfather started a congregation in our area 70+ years ago and I grew up in a church where 99% of the members are related to me. I was never really a part of the clique because I was “weird” and asked too many questions. I went to church camp in Kentucky when I was 12 (Taylor Christian Camp is beyond awful). I wasn’t allowed to go swimming on our only free day because I was on my period. I was also punished for commenting when our day teacher was explaining to the class why the New King James Version of the Bible is the only translation you’re allowed to read because “nothing can be added or taken away from the Bible”. I interrupted her lesson with “then why aren’t we reading it in Greek?” 😂 I had to scrub toilets with no gloves on after that. One day later I stole my phone from the camp counselor and called home, demanding to be picked up. My parents finally came to get me but only when the week was over. I never went back. I had a similar experience to Mark, my brother outed me to our assistant preacher when I was a teenager and I was shunned publicly for many years until I “finally” married a man (I’m bisexual). Recently I was allowed back in, but because my husband doesn’t believe in the way they treat women we’ve been very openly ostracized, especially by my mother. I just wonder how the experiences of other women might be.

I would be interested to hear from women who leave these churches and what they deal with (I am a recovering ex-several-religious-beliefs before I finally allowed myself to face the fact that I lack the 'belief gene' and I stopped trying to find God or whatever is supposed to be out there. If God or whatever is out there, they will need to find me because I am 'belief disabled' and don't 'get it'). Seriously though, I think women have a harder time and have more to lose in a lot of situations. They need to be heard also and I hope you will look into doing that one day.

Woah, I didn't realize how long this video was or how long I've been listening until I checked

Man, Mark has amazing taste in music. I love Rammstein, Korn and all them. Very nice! (I know that isn't on topic, it's just so awesome to find other people who like Rammstein.)

I feel like this is a misrepresentation of the Church of Christ at least the one I attend now and the one I was raised in. All we do is try our best to do the truth and to do Gods will to the best of our ability.

Quite a few CoC defenders in the comments. As a former CoC member for 25 years, these guys are accurate as fuck. The only solace I have for the years of mental abuse endured under this backward thinking denomination is that the church is slowly dying out. When I went as a kid we averaged 200 people every Sunday. My parents still go and they're down to about 60 now. Anybody in here defending CoC are delusional. Fallacies all over the place. "Well MY church isn't like that." Yeah it is...you just don't see it because you're part of the problem.

Much love💙 Keep up the amazing work!

hahaha. I'm listening to this as I have some red wine.

Wow. This is so perfect. As a minor who is forced to go to the Church of Christ, this is so true and perfect.

The CoC I went to didnt exactly have a beef with instruments, but I did notice they use them less than other places, acoustic guitars and a strange box drum is what they mostly use.

Unbelievable how similar all these cults are in their control techniques. It's amazing how life can be when you reject fear.

Very confused about all of this. I grew up in church of Christ and I’ve never had any issues other than normal Christianity bs. Everyone encouraged me to learn about it myself, do my own research, and question everything about it. None of my friends are church of Christ members and honestly these horror stories just make me confused as to why my church is so different (not a bad thing) from other church of Christ churches Although, church of Christ went through MASSIVE reform in the 80s-90s, and they openly admit their misguided views from back then (At least mine does/did) Edit: I should add that I have literally never heard of revival week, and much of the conversations/debates I hate with my youth minister and pastor involved lots of metaphysical philosophy and apologetics, my youth minister and pastor actually had me read arguments against the Bible just so that I could understand the other side.

I haven’t been to a Church of Christ congregation since my mom passed away. I have been questioning a lot before she passed away but I tried to keep it to myself knowing how devote she was. I now appreciate this virus because it gives me a reason to not go that can’t be argued. I don’t argue but I absolutely HATE the judgment. The high and mighty mess. I’m spiritual but I don’t follow these people anymore. None of them. My mom and dad raised me in the church but my dad is definitely more laid back than my mom was growing up. The fear is what kept me docile and scared to even question things. They are passive aggressive for sure.

I always love discussions like these, learning about what other Churches are like on the inside.

Need to be lighten the truthful way.. WVBS, GBN, Apologetics Press

I was a member until I started doing investigation of the world around me and educated myself through books and college...I remember one time in a service a preacher said he should spot in the congregations face for their sins.. I remember being ten at that time ...standing up and saying give it a try and see what happens 👌🤣😭😭 the rest was history lol.

I was in the Church Of Christ until my mom left the Church and my father when I was around 8, but continued to be indoctrinated by the Christian church in general until I was 18. I still remember at age 7 how bad the pressure was to get baptized. And how much I had to hide growing up. Yeah. I honestly think CoC beats out JW in a lot of cases (no listening to any music with instruments, no playing musical instruments, weird beliefs surrounding angels and nephilim, constant and militant misogyny, aswell as demoralizing young men they didn't deem good enough). I'm not entirely sure how much the Church was involved with my father distancing himself from my brother and my mom, but continuing to reach out to me and try and pull me back in (I honestly don't want to get into it here, but several elders had weird ideas about me in particular). The New England Church of Christ community is very extremist & I encourage you to please seek out and speak to more Church of Christ survivors. I'd be happy to.

That joke about hallways in heaven was pretty funny, id never heard it before!

Hearing the joke about CoC and heaven, followed by the brief discussion of dancing, reminds me of an old Mennonite joke we used to have; "Why can't Mennonites have sex standing up?"..."Cuz it might lead to dancing."

Lol. Amen on the Pot luck's!!!!!! They won't pray with ya, but they'll stuff you full of cabbage ! 😂

I think religion is quite important for some people, and it can be helpful for anyone. But as soon as religion is organized it gets messed up

I was baptized into the CoC when I was 15, im 27 now and I’m still messed up from what I learned back then.

I found this channel for a completely different reason. Now I really want to talk about this place that I was raised in. I'd seriously do an interview with you.

I believe it depends on what Church of Christ your talking about. I wasn't raised Church of Christ, But became a member of a Church of Christ because of my Personal studys. The Church I attended dosen't teach fire and brimstone perpetually, but we go into deep issues like current events and how some issues in the world try to destroy the family, the world warping the minds men and boys to become defective women and women and girls becoming defective men. Men can't be men anymore because now if you demonstrate masculinity you are seen as portraying toxic masculinity. As an individual, personally, I dress with dark heavy clothing like heavy metal heavy and I have long hair. The people at the Church I attend love me not because of my outward appearance, but because of my heart, and yes I am a trained musician, and no we don't use instruments, but I know why in deep knowledgeable level. What I seen this interview is that these men have the peragdime of there minds warped. Wheather you were raised or converted it is up to you to Study The Scriptures to properly vet the Churches you attended, yes I understand some mental and emotional scarring has been done. However, as adults there needs to be healing and understanding of your past traumas to move forward. What I would suggest is that people do a deep study by themselves in the Scripture and properly vet the Churches they are in, all Churches are different, some have ultra conservative others are ultra liberal and in beatween. Some Churches isolate have reguris restrictions, other Churches have what I call "anything goes" kind of feel. I know this because The Church of Christ I attended encourages us to visit other Churches to see what they are like and what they teach. All I want personally is Real Truth, and the Real Truth is always transparent never watered down or toxic like poison that will make you brain fatigue and brain washed. I know the Journey isn't easy, but your not trees you can move from Church to Church, If I were in a Church of Christ that these men discussed about I would at any prepared and planned moment leave, and join another Church of Christ that wasn't the same. That takes alot of patience and preparing to just get out, but is do able. There is more I can say, but my finally I would like to say seek wisdom, knowledge and understanding because that's what I did and things become so much clearer and you get to enjoy life better because for me my struggle less, I understand why I go threw things in life and I become stronger, and it's hard for bad people to hurt you and out do you with diception with such Wisdom, knowledge and understanding.

So... was it intentional that you released this video on a Sunday or a happy little accident? Either way I’m going to go back to listening to Mötorhead after watching this. That’s MY Sunday tradition.

I grew up "in the church". I had a somewhat weird church upbringing, because we didn't go to one specific church. My mom was a music teacher, and would take jobs as a choir director for various churches. We were technically Methodist (where I was baptized the first time). We went to a Presbyterian church for a while, and then to an Assembly of God church. We ended up back at the Methodist church when I was in middle school, and the church had an identity crisis. I decided to go to an American Baptist church on my own, before deciding to stop going to church altogether. My mom eventually decided to go to seminary, and became a Methodist minister. In college, I got a job as the soloist of a Christian Science church, while going to a liberal Lutheran college.

My mother was raised in a Church of Christ church by a mother who ate up the hellfire and brimstone message. My mother was completely turned off of church in general by the whole experience. She's 80 years old, and to this day, the only reason she'll even set foot inside a church is for a wedding or a funeral. CoC turned my mother off of God completely; it's sad.

Get to the core of the matter. The Church of Christ is based upon the Gospel of Christ and the Salvation Jesus offers. Don't look at the people, but the Word of God. People are not perfect - Jesus is! Read the Word and establish a relationship with Jesus. Keeping it real!!! Jesus is the way, the Truth and the Life. No one goes to the Father except through the Son! Study to show yourself approved into God. Know God's Word for yourself!

King David in the story played the harp; that was why Saul kept him around. How do they know that he didn't use it to accompany the psalms?

1. It's not called revival, it's called Gospel Meeting. It may seem like splitting hairs, but it's an important distinction. 2. True c of C do not have any governing body outside of the congregation. 3. No Christian congregation is going to encourage "heavy metal, rap, etc." The c of C only takes a stand on instruments within worship and/or the church building. 4. Not using instruments in worship does NOT come from Psalms. It comes from zero mention of instruments in the New Testament church. 5. The discussion on the Jesus twist was hilarious and spot on. 6. LOVE THE FINAL THOUGHTS.

I am a way late on this broadcast, I know that. I am NOT defending all of the Churches of Christ by any means. I am a Church of Christ member myself. I apologize for the actions of these other churches, I really do. I have no idea what "branches" or "divisions" of Church of Christ are being referred to, but the one I attend, and the ones that I am associated with do not act like that. In fact, Lonnie Jones is not allowed to speak at our church at all, period. Yes, our church does have its problems, and I will talk about those problems, we are not perfect. I am so sorry these guys went through that. It's horrible.

I hear "as the dear" and i actually have flashbacks to my church of christ experience. I'm diagnosed with cptsd from it. Cptsd means complex post traumatic stress disorder. It comes from repeated inescapable traumas. For many years my youth group ignored me and would not talk to me because i was not baptized, many of the adults would make fun of me and other children for asking questions. If you got in trouble you would be backed into a corner and yelled at by an adult who towered over you, threatening kids with a belt was also common. My schizophrenia was never treated growing up because i heard the voice of god and my delusions weren't demons, but they were the holy spirit and the devil. I also got kicked out of a church of christ summer camp because they assumed i was gay and was acting on it (my only act was carrying a passed out girl to the nurse) The church of christ is incredibly harmful and dangerous to children, especially mentally ill children. Many of the preachers "hear the word of god" or receive commands from him actually have ocd and/or psychosis. Edit: "as the deer" is a song sung very often in the church of christ

Book of Enoch. Please cover it???? :)))))))

Another ex C.O.C. member, I deconstructed from the religion, because I had questions about if God, angels, or demons really existed, which stemmed from the fact that I saw none of my prayers being answered. I remember that the people were really nice, but my problem became the fact that they thought that their particular section of Christianity was the only section which interpreted the documents correctly. This smacks as a cult. If some of you can remember, they even had a tract, 'Why the church of Christ is not a cult.' Well, I think that's quite telling, of a group which isolates all other theological perspectives throughout the centuries of Christianity.

I got an ad for a version of the church of Christ Lol

Love the pic of El Capitan...I have been to Yosemite many times & it is an incredible place. Perhaps a little "heaven on Earth" ;)

Funny thing about love, there’s no end to the crazy we will all swallow to be with someone. That said, any religion who makes someone have to ask why God doesn’t love them, cannot be right.

Just wanna say, the church of Christ of the 70s did so much damage to the mission of the church of Christ as a whole with all the hellfire and brimstone. I’m a member today, and just want to say that many congregations are working really hard to undo that damage that was done.

Super interesting. If you ever want to interview an ex-Southern Baptist of 18 years, let me know.