Friday, October 30, 2009

Being shunned bites

For the most part I don't get overly invested in friendships. I am more of a life of the party, lots and lots of acquaintences but one a couple good friends kinda gal. My heart hurts for that good friend who can't deal with me not being a part of the hive mind. I'm actually surprised, she rarely goes with the flow. Or so it seemed. The pastor started preaching pretty hard about not fellowshipping with people who were in sin, or who would infleuance you negatively ect. Two of my good friends, that I traveled with,camped with, prayed with and loved took a giant step back from me. It took me a week or two to figure it out as they were polite enough. I went to the one that I felt the closest to and said "Hey, have I offended you somehow..tell me or I will do it again" she smiled her soft spoken I'm so so spiritual little smile and said nothing was the matter at all. Shes just busy! what with having eight kids and all! I know her, we went and did a ton of stuff when she had little kids, babies ect. Now one is out of the house, two in college and the baby is four so I dont buy it. I have seen her pull that I am so busy with my own family stuff a hundred times when she didn't want to do something. Three weeks or so went on and Sister more spiritual than you called and wanted me to come to her house. We needed to talk face to face. I thought GREAT. Lets hash this junk out. It really was more of the same. Basically she said she'd taken a job in the evenings cleaning commercial buildings. She was taking homeschooling way more seriously with the two littles and just didn't have time to be a good friend. She indicated that this wasn' tgoing to change. WOW, I felt like I was being broken up with after all these years. I took that time to tell her I was having serious doubts about the church and the supposed "prophet" we'd had. She btw also thought he was just the Devil. She told me she'd taken wise counsel (read talked to the pastor) and was told that if she disagreed to "rise above it, endure to the end" and thats what she aimed to do. I said "Sister yall go on ahead, but that man wised cancer on folks last night and I am NOT having my children sit under this mess not one more service. Husband and I have decided to leave. She again was loving and meek and kind and all that crap she puts on to be.Nothing like the real her I have known all these years. I was getting public face and it was making me angry. During this talk Sister Shunner number 2 called! One of the kids announced who it was off the caller id and she said she'd call her back. So then I decided it was time to conclude this whole mess..I said we'll I'll let you go so you can call her back and give her the downlow on our little convo. She was stunned I'd be that direct but the whole thing hurt my feelings terribly. I haven't spoken to either of them since. I am still in very close contact with ONE Apostolic friend. Her husband moved the entire family away to go to another church because he thought the prophet stuff going on at our church wasn't of God. Obviously they are more inclined to have independent thoughts than some of the others. I say only one person really hurt my feelings because I expected it from the rest. There are still times I'd like to call up someone for dinner, or to go to the park that kind of thing and its kinda nuts to realize I have like two friends at this point. Crazy huh? Thats two friends ahead of alot of folks. My grandmother has told me how awful and unchristian ect shunning is and I didn't really think it'd be any big deal. It is a big deal. This is how the whole culty deal works. People can't leave because their entire family,friends (thankfully we had outside friends) their whole life is there and its traumatic to have it shut down on you. So do what I say or you'll have no life. How nutty is that!

3 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry y'all are going through this. :( I know it's only the one or two that hurt, but they hurt! It's not fair that people are so small like that. Especially when you've invested time into a friendship, to find out it's only worth the name of the church you go to.... Ew.

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  2. and to realize that those friendships weren't founded a mutual like but on them trying to convert me.

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  3. Shunning stinks, the Mormons did that to my FIL.
    Hang in there.

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