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From first hand experience I know this is true: fundamentalism quenches creativity and causes emotional stress. Religious Fundamentalism by nature limits personal expression and suppresses individualism and this causes a great deal of emotional stress. The inner pain can be devastating, especially for young people and many either give up their dreams, or rebel. The more strict the rules and regulations, spoken or unspoken, written or unwritten, the more damage is done. I experienced this for many years and my own children suffered from the same pressure to conform. What can be done? It is not so easy to stand up for what you truly believe sometimes, especially in the face of domineering church leaders who are inflexible and certain of their "righteousness." You soon find yourself labeled as a rebel, lukewarm, worldly, half-hearted, a Jezebel, an enemy of the cross and any other such pigeon-hole where you are so conveniently placed. Yet, the only right course is to be honest with yourself and your God, even if your superiors disagree. Far from being unfaithful, you are actually being faithful! What can you do if you are an artist or a musician, for example? You can try to make your art fit in with church doctrine, or acceptable limitations, but sometimes this is impossible. Some fundamentalist churches are so restrictive that all you can do is sing pre-approved church songs, or maybe the occasional classical song, as long as it is old enough, or somebody held in esteem approves of it. What if you love jazz, or bluegrass or rock and roll? What if your conscience is as clear as light when you make music that is different? The family stress that can come as a result is devastating, if you don't know what to do. You need to sing out! Paint that picture, play that song, read that book, write that book, let your stream flow. If you don't, you will die the slow death of a hypocrite and you will be a slave to the opinions of others. Personally, I felt as if my "gold watch was in pawn" for 20 years. I have so many gifts that just do not fit in with a fundamentalist teaching and I was always in conflict with myself and my leaders. I was reproved for the most ridiculous things as a consequence. One funny but sad example is when I was a Sunday school teacher (which I was for many years until they made me step down). The children, aged 6- 9, were learning about Hebrew customs and the psalms. So, I got my guitar, took them outside and taught them the Horah, which is a traditional Hebrew dance, if you can call it that. You hold hands and move around in a circle. This was too much for them! You see, the boys and girls were now in a position to flirt! At the age of 7! I actually had to stop and this was the last straw, I was just too liberal! What about the children, what do they learn from all this? As soon becomes evident, they are maladjusted and have no idea how to healthily interact with each other as well as "outsiders." This emotional stress really comes out when they become teenagers. They rarely submit to the teachings, but sneak and live a double life, until they either can't manage to continue. They sometimes give in and are "converted", but usually they just go off and spend the next 15 years figuring out why they are human beings with a soul and how all this fits in with their confusion. This is unhealthy religion and stress is the result! Just in case you are curious, this fundamentalist church to which I belonged actually has no official name, but people call it "Smith's Friends." It began in Norway in the early 1900's and has members all over the world. It is constantly questioned to be a cult, though some call it a sect. These lines are not so easy to distinguish though. My intention is not to slander them, but to expose the absurdity of the actual practice of church life in the USA. Here is some help My little ebook, Stress Secrets is really a result of finding my way through all of this, personally and with my children. It is an ongoing process. Fortunately, we have mostly been able to find peace and happiness in the way God created us: athletic, artistic, creative, inquisitive and natural. Anyone who struggles with stress, especially the emotional stress that is connected with a life of faith will find genuine help in this book. It is very practical and has many useful methods for helping those you love, while growing as a person. You can find it on my site: http://stress-familyhealth.net/blog. You have to look in the navigation tab at the top under stress and teenagers to find it!
Article Source: http://www.4gvn.com
Randy Hough lives and works in the Upper Valley of Vermont. He has been a master plastic injection mold maker for 30 years, a youth pastor for many years and has traveled and studied extensively in Europe. He also has 8 lively children who have taught him more than anything else. He has a Family Health site and a manufacturing site. stress-familyhealth.net/blog global-plastic-injection-molding.com/
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