How to handle pentecostal MIL situation?

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rayne89 said:
If it helps these are “Church of God” Pentecostals. Even looking that up online I can’t get a clear set of beliefs.:rolleyes:
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Rayne:

If this is the group ( pcg.org/s_22.asp ) then you can tell that they are Trinitarian, ie, they believe as we do about the Trinity. You can use their “Find a Church” ( pcg.org/s_67.asp ) to look up your MIL’s location to confirm that it is, indeed, the same group.

Having said that, I stand by my original point: the program that they might have for twelve-years-olds is likely to be too pointed.

Regards,
Joe
 
The movie “Jesus Camp” is a documentary about what Pentecostals do with children. One little girl of about nine tells the camera that (paraphrasing) God doesn’t live in churches with liturgical worship. I would never, ever let my child go to anything run by this sect, of any stripe, if there is even a chance that. Sorry if that sounds hard-line; it’s not that I think Pentecostals are bad people, but I think their beliefs and practices are in serious, dangerous error. A child of 12 is at an especially impressionable age. It is beside the point whether grandma has or doesn’t have the conscious intent to “sway” the girl - I can guarantee that exposure to Pentecostal practices will make a huge impression on her. There are appropriate times and places to learn about other faiths and I do not think that sending a 12-year-old off alone and unprepared is the right way to go about that.
 
ibkc said:
The movie “Jesus Camp” is a documentary about what Pentecostals do with children. One little girl of about nine tells the camera that (paraphrasing) God doesn’t live in churches with liturgical worship. I would never, ever let my child go to anything run by this sect, of any stripe, if there is even a chance that. Sorry if that sounds hard-line; it’s not that I think Pentecostals are bad people, but I think their beliefs and practices are in serious, dangerous error. A child of 12 is at an especially impressionable age. It is beside the point whether grandma has or doesn’t have the conscious intent to “sway” the girl - I can guarantee that exposure to Pentecostal practices will make a huge impression on her. There are appropriate times and places to learn about other faiths and I do not think that sending a 12-year-old off alone and unprepared is the right way to go about that.
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Okay… easy now… are you sure this is main streem Pentecostalism?
I am pretty sure this is one church doing something… lets not blame all pentecostals for the expression of one girl… I have heard nonsense from Catholics too… but wouldnt want all protestants to blame the whole RCC for these statements…
 
GraceDK said:
Okay… easy now… are you sure this is main streem Pentecostalism?
I am pretty sure this is one church doing something… lets not blame all pentecostals for the expression of one girl… I have heard nonsense from Catholics too… but wouldnt want all protestants to blame the whole RCC for these statements…
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Yes, that is mainstream Pentecostalism. As I said, they are not bad people. At all. But their teachings are very far away from Catholic teachings. They proselytize intensely and are known for putting hard pressure on visitors to participate. I just don’t think it is wise to send a 12-year-old Catholic girl into that situation.
 
ibkc said:
Yes, that is mainstream Pentecostalism. As I said, they are not bad people. At all. But their teachings are very far away from Catholic teachings. They proselytize intensely and are known for putting hard pressure on visitors to participate. I just don’t think it is wise to send a 12-year-old Catholic girl into that situation.
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Okay… thats your experience… I cant argue with that. Only say it was not my experience… I have never been pressured in any way, been protelytized to etc… and I have been going to a Pentecostal Church for about two years… also… I would not be going if there was anti-catholic preaching… there isnt though. Its just the simple Gospel…
But I know… I am in Europe and in my country the churches work much better with one another than in America… we dont go around calling each other non-Christians and preach against each others churches…

However… what you see on the video… well… I only saw the first few and they do seem rather harsh about making a statement about being “bible believing evangelicals”… who do they think are not Bible believing?.. hehe… :confused:
As for the pentecostal style of worship… its not strictly pentecostal… also many Catholics speak in tongues and have experiences of being seized by the Holy Spirit… there is nothing wrong with that… but it has to be understood…
Many people dont… they just see it and get scared.
 
This is the group her church is associated with -I found the address of her church while doing a “Locate a Church” on this website. churchofgod.org/index.cfm

My MIL has changed churches (all Pentecostal) at least three times since they moved to where they are (about 13 years ago). I have been to them all, her first church was the most extreme. They are all big on the end times “left behind” nonsense. I have had considerable experience with Pentecostals, so I’m not in the dark about their general beliefs. Every church my MIL has been to has been different though. The one she went to when she lived in our area was awful, and the first one she attended after the move was a tiny church where I’m positive the pastor had no theological training what-so-ever. He preached nonsense. I have been to this last church but I think they may have a different pastor since the time I was there.

I would bet if I call up the leader of the VBS group at MIL’s church and ask her if she would send her children to a Catholic VBS her answer would be a resounding NO.

I know I’m going to have to tell my MIL no, I’m just not looking forward to it.
 
GraceDK said:
I disagree with the suspicion.
I have been attending a Pentecostal - Trinity beleiving- Church along side the Catholic Church for about two years… got good friends with pastors and lay people alike in that church and never once had to defend my faith… I was never attacked in any shape or form… they let me in peace and was just honored to have me there… and then I sometimes invited to some discussions where I explained catholic views on things… but it was always peaceful and nothing bad came out of it.
I have had so much joy seeing these pentecostal people and experiencing their zeal for Christ that we many times lack in my Catholic congregation. The way I see it there are two kinds of Pentecostals: those who are unity oriented and feel one with their Catholic brothers inspite of our differences ( I know only such) and those that have a clear anti-catholic teaching in their church… which I think is more widespread in the US than in Europe.
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And – you are an ADULT.

BIG, BIG, DIFFERENCE.

I wouldn’t allow it. I would be as gracious as ever, but there is no way, shape or form that I would allow it. Just say respectfully that you would love for her to visit with her grandma, but she’s only to attend Catholic Ceremonies and Events. You can even say “Gee MIL, this is such an impressionable age, for now she needs to stick with the Faith she’s being raised in. When she’s an adult, she’ll be better able to discern the different ways of worship. I would rather you introduce her to your church at that time. I know you don’t want to confuse her anymore than we do. I know you think it would simply be for fun, but it could cause confusion for her.” Add a big, loving grin here. Even give her a hug. 👍
 
Many years ago, I allowed our oldest (who was a pre-teen then) to attend an inter-denominational (read evangelical) Bible camp with my ex-Catholic sister, who was counseling there for the week.

Big Mistake.

I was assured that because he was older, he wouldn’t be involved with so many of the sessions, but would fellowship with the jr. counselors and just have fun and help the little kids.

One of the activities was a group song where all the kids shouted the chorus, “and we all marched into heaven!” Various denominations were called on to shout their own verses. Baptists, Pentecostals, Holiness Church, Weslyans etc “All Marched into Heaven!” but no Catholics. This was not an oversight. Catholic was never mentioned as a credible faith.

Instead, at the end of the week, a young fellow informed my kid, “there’s no hope in the pope.” If one person asked my son if/ when he was saved ten did.

Sure, most of the time it was all Jonah and David and Ruth stories, but the environment was pretty heavy-handed.

Thing is, if it weren’t my own sister, I’d have never let him go. I learned a good lesson in drawing the line.
 
ibkc said:
The movie “Jesus Camp” is a documentary about what Pentecostals do with children. One little girl of about nine tells the camera that (paraphrasing) God doesn’t live in churches with liturgical worship. I would never, ever let my child go to anything run by this sect, of any stripe, if there is even a chance that. Sorry if that sounds hard-line; it’s not that I think Pentecostals are bad people, but I think their beliefs and practices are in serious, dangerous error. A child of 12 is at an especially impressionable age. It is beside the point whether grandma has or doesn’t have the conscious intent to “sway” the girl - I can guarantee that exposure to Pentecostal practices will make a huge impression on her. There are appropriate times and places to learn about other faiths and I do not think that sending a 12-year-old off alone and unprepared is the right way to go about that.
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Uhm. I go to a pentecostal/charismatic church. I promise you not all Pentecostals do that to their children.
 
Thank you to all for reinforcing what I knew I needed to do. I’ll wait for the paperwork she’s supposed to send me on it. I’m really not worrying about them swaying my daughter away from the faith. My daughter is well grounded. What I’m most worried about is my daughter being put in a very comfortable situation where she will have to fend off people who teach things contrary to the faith.

When I was thirteen and went to the Pentecostal summer camp with my friend I blended in, I went along with what was going on and even produced tears at the appropriate times when everyone else was because I didn’t want to be zeroed in on. There was Bible study, church twice a day and all that. What I remember of it is a lot of dancing around; and a lot of incorhent babbling and falling down -I did not do that.:rolleyes: I also remember thinking these kids are faking this nonsense to fit in. They drive the kids to this emotional frenzy, it was very off putting.

I know my daughter will not do that, nor should she. She is very polite but she will not go along just to get along. I can’t subject to her to such a situation just to appease my MIL, no matter how well intentioned she may be.

Thanks so much for the support.🙂
 
My father was CoG Pentacostal growing up then was Baptist until he passed away a few years ago. Due to his knowledge of the Bible etc… I’m confident if he had been on this Earth during my Journey Home he would be Catholic now as well.

That being said there are some things to point out.

CoG is similar to us in the sense that they believe Salvation is a gift that can be lost or rejected. Unlike us they believe that any sin, read whatever people want to dream up as being a sin sometimes, can keep you from Heaven while we separate things as the Bible does into Mortal and venial sins.

Me personally I like to debate so even at my Baptist youth camps growing up figued out ways to agure theology with them. My guess is that my oldest would be the same… my guess for now is that my middle one won’t be so apt to argue his point.

She is your daugther, you know her and she will know no one there. Peer pressure is real, especially if you don’t have at least 1 person on your side and with Grandma possibly on “their” side it could be a traumatic week or if nothing else, an unhappy one.

In regards to Jesus Camp… man that was just scary. Protestants complain about our statues because they don’t understand them but that big statue of GWB scared me, I still have nightmares about it!

Joe
 
I would caution you about doing this because of what happened to my neighbor’s daughter

When they found out she was catholic the teacher barely tolerated her. It was dreadful, she was not allowed to make the same things the other children were doing in an arts and crafts session

It really depends on the people teaching and how kind they are and how tolerant of other faiths…I’m sure some could handle this beautifully and treat all of the children alike, but unfortunately everyone isn’t able to do this
 
I left the Catholic Church as a teenager due to the fact that I was permitted to attend a week-long mission trip with the exciting, “happening” youth group at the big evangelical Church that my friends went to. I just liked being with my friends so much, and kept wanting to be there instead of at Mass. While at that event, one of the youth counselors found out I was Catholic and asked me, “why do you pray to Mary when it’s against the Ten Commandments?”
I didn’t have enough knowledge of my Catholic faith to answer that question, so it was the first seed of doubt that was planted, not by a pastor, or a teacher, but by a young adult who wanted me to get saved. Eventually I stopped going to Mass altogether and spent 20 yrs as a protestant.

My own children are always trying to be saved by their pentecostal relatives. Any time my kids are out of line, it is because of their being Catholic.🤷 My kids are in a good place, though. They are lucky because their pentecostal relatives are kind of kooky:whacky: , and while extremely anti-Catholic, they aren’t good apologists.
 
jwashu said:
In regards to Jesus Camp… man that was just scary. Protestants complain about our statues because they don’t understand them but that big statue of GWB scared me, I still have nightmares about it!

Joe
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There’s a statue of George Bush at Jesus Camp??? :confused:
 
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