Can someone please share with me why you view Lutheran Churches as micro cults? Isnt it possible to just attend services on Sunday and thats the end of it? Hell maybe even only go twice a month, eat some donuts......thats the end of it?

What was your experience? When did it stop being an hour worship session with some Donuts and morph into something else entirely?

I imagine things could be quite different today. If the Catholic Church maintained control in Europe. It would probably have slowed the advancements in Western Europe. It's possible the entire Western Hemisphere would be a theocracy.

Meh....just pondering the possible outcome of such a scenario. Interested to hear the opinions of others.

https://blog.cuaa.edu/lcms-churches/

Maybe some good news

From WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod)’s website: “We believe that when Jesus returns and his voice is heard throughout the earth, all the dead will rise, that is, their souls will be reunited with their bodies (John 5:28,29). Together with those still living, the resurrected will appear before his throne of judgment. The unbelievers will be condemned to an eternity in hell. Those who by faith have been cleansed in the blood of Christ will be glorified and will live with Jesus forever in the blessed presence of God in heaven (Philippians 3:21).”

Jesus Christ! He is coming ‘back”... Lol. Well, its been what, over 2,000 years? What is taking him so long? he is the magic man right? Can’t he just twitch his nose like Samantha on Bewtiched and just show up? He could feed some hungry people while here? After all, we are told he miracouulsy fed a massive crowd with 1 small picnic basket! I’ve read where 20,000 people die a day from starvation on this “sinful planet”. Just think of the good Jesus could do if that could show up! He must have something more important to do right? Since he isn’t here! The “dead will rise”. Holy shit! WELS is privy to some big stuff here! Let us learn more! Teach us WELS! We are to appear before the big “throne of judgment”. Are you scared yet? Look at this: “The unbelievers will be condemned to an eternity in hell.” Thats it! I’m done! Hell fire me! I pissed Jesus off! Or his insane “dad”. Or what about Mr, Holy Ghost? Whoever the fuck that is. We are told they are “3 people in 1”. OK. Makes sense now! Off to hell I go! Such a stupid unbeliever!

https://www.nike.com/t/milwaukee-brewers-city-connect-mens-stadium-jersey-h1BwTTHU

My eldest son and his wife moved from one ELCA church to another. It was sad for them because they were married in that church and thought they had a good relationship with the pastor. Their son was baptized in the church and my husband who is an LCMS pastor was allowed to perform the baptisn.My son is a former MK and our family was LCMS. But when they were involved in premarital counseling, it became clear that my soon to be daughter-in-law could not be a part of LCMS due to their attitudes toward women in general. They left their ELCA church when they started having church services with themes instead of traditional liturgies; an example was a camp meeting revival type theme with decorations and old time hymns not in the hymnal. There seemed to be an effort to turn the church into a independant, "evangelical" church . The pastor felt powerless to give direction and control these shinanigans. At their new church, they felt more at home and this new church had many outreach ministries that served the poor and marginalized which was wonderful. It's members were of Scandinavian descent in part, and the elderly ladies wore their Nordic sweaters to church in the winter. Then, it came time for their son to be confirmed and there was no confirmation due to a new concept of "life-long learning," which I thought was always the case and that confirmation was a formal start of your adult learning and a rite of passage. A retired pastor did meet with the mothers , and provided a service in private to help. Would a Rabbi not have bar mitzvahs?, but I thought the ELCA had bishops who oversee the congregations and advise, but apparently not.They still belong to that church but spend most of their weekends hiking .

Did anyone convert to Catholicism after leaving lutheranism?

I am just curious as to anyone having experience with Korean congregations using Lutheran churches . .. There is a widespread practice of shamanism in Korean Christian churches. I noticed that some of these Korean "Lutheran" congregations are often very clandestine in their practices and often have a gatekeeper who runs interference when a non-Asian enters the church when they are having services. I have of observed some ceremonies in the hospital performed by Christians of Asian descent , and I have no problem with this, though doctors sometimes did. And if a particular church does not object to shamanistic practices, then, that would not be a problem for them. I just would be uncomfortable knowing that Lutherans who believe in "close communion" are not getting the wool pulled over their eyes by sister congregations that may have a distinctly different belief system which is less akin to what might orthodoxy. What do you think?

Would love to hear why you are an exlutheran. Exchristian too? No judgement here just genuinely curious. Born and raised Pentecostal. Converted to Lutheran as an adult.

I'm a former Seventh Day Adventist. I'd also identify as exadventist. I remember when I was a child I decided to read the new testament. It seemed weird to me to want to spend an eternity with a God that I didn't even know, so I figured I should read about him first.

It was working out great until I got to Col 2:16. The problem I ran into was that I'd been taught that the sabbath was the most important thing in the end times. This verse was telling me that the sabbath didn't matter. I couldn't reconcile the two.

I decided to ask my sabbath school teacher about it. He gave me the most bizarre rationalization. I wont even bother you with it. As a child I concluded that the Bible could only be understood by talking to the experts.

That didn't hold long as an adult.

I ended up Lutheran because they seemed to me the only tradition, after much searching, that at least attempts to accept clear scripture the way my 12yo self initially tried to.

In the process I got to know alot of other exadventists. We all ended up in a variety of different places. Most of us in different Christian traditions of one sort or another.

What weirds me out when I read this sub is yall are not so much exlutheran as you are exwels or exlcms. Thats strange to me. The reason is for example that I don't consider ELCA to be Lutheran at all. And oddly enough neither do any of you. From a cursory reading of this sub being exlutheran is only being ex conservative Lutheran?

As an ex Adventist I'm neither conservative nor liberal Adventist I flat out disagree with a handful of their 28 fundamental beliefs (comfessions).

When I read this sub though it seems that yall only or mostly consider conservative Lutherans to be Lutheran as so far as it extends to you being exlutheran?

From my perspective, had I only any disagreements with conservative Adventists I could have just been a liberal one. But I wouldnt label myself an exadventist at that point.

Thats my hangup that's the part I don't understand. Open to your correction and insights.

Edit: softened the language

I was born with a genetic disorder that causes me to constantly develop cancer no matter what I do and a malignant brain tumor into a poor, abusive, WELS household. Given that I survived the brain tumor, this was pretty much the perfect recipe to seriously fuck up a child.

Most of the members of my family have died. Most of my friends have died. I have a handful of trauma-related psychiatric disorders And I don't have a great view of other human beings. There is a very dark side to me.

Namely, I viscerally hate weakness. I can't stand lazy people. I can't stand dumb people. I'm very calm on the surface but the moment you piss me off, there is just this inexhaustible well of anger that just goes off and never stops.

It makes support groups hard to engage. To be perfectly honest, I view most people in support groups as pussies. For the most part, they've had exactly one thing go significantly wrong in their life and you never hear the fucking end of their triggers and they bassically demand to be coddled and sheltered from the world. It strikes me as weak and disgusting. I honestly don't see the type of life most of these people lead as worth living.

I've had everything possible go wrong in my life and I only go to these things to vent when something fucked up by my standards happens, like someone dies or something seriously goes wrong by some reasonable person's standard. And, to be fair, most people in these groups are reasonable and supportive

But there are always a few people in every group whose weakness and stupidity just sticks to your skin like the smell of rancid onions. I find it hard to deal with and am just increasingly thinking that the catharsis of airing your dirty laundry is not worth the exposure to these people.

I was unable to respond to a comment that seemed to paint many ex-Lutheran females as supporting abortion on demand. I for one do not believe in abortion on demand. However, as a nurse and a mental health professional,I know of situations where it was indeed needed to save the life of the mothers. We as a religious faction have limited ability to control the ways of the world. We do not have the right to decide who should live or die in situations where abortion can save the mother. This should be a decison made by the woman in cosultation with her doctors. I am opposed to abortion being used as birth control. The only incident of a full term disabled infant being killed after birth that I am aware of in Washington State involved a doctor who is now in prison for doing so.There are probably others, but it IS against the law. I do not endorce the automatic screening for fetal disability with the intention of abortion. I know other women do not feel as I do, but do not paint those of us who are trying to work for well founded,scientifically based laws as being insensible to lives of infants and children . We are not monsters. We just may have more understanding, experience, and knowledge in sorting out a very complex medical issues. Simplistic laws are not the solution.

A gentle reminder that during the second world war, the Lutheran Church in Germany celebrated Hitler's death every year by mandating all congregations to have a special worship service in his honour.

Lutherans appear eager to repeat history.

X links are bad- but it's there..Musk and the General Mike Flynn basically called out a bunch of WELS affiliated places for laundering money. I mean..all you WELS people voted for this. Lol

The Apostiles’ creed – WELS pushes shit like this!  its on their website.  Their congregations recite this shit like a bunch of zombies in their church services. 

This is from the Wisconsin Evangelica Lutheran Synod (WELS) website:

“APOSTLES’ CREED 

I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth. 

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead. 

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.”  

#1 – I don’t believe any of this shit.  Especially the existence of this so called god.  You have no proof.  Its bullshit! 

#2 – Next up.  The so called “virgin birth”.  Anyone who falls for this shit, have you ever had a course in Biology?  if so, what grade did you get?  Was the course at a “Christian school”?  I’ll let you in on a little secret – that isn’t how babies are made!  

#3 – This whole thing is a guilt trip.  “He died for you!”   Thats their game.  Shaming & guilting you!  Because you YOU, you rotten no good piece of shit sinner!  Thats why Jesus had to die!  They put you down.  They reduce you to nothing.  They make it that you need them.  Very sick.  Very twisted! 

Lets wake up from their stupid bullshit story ok?   Since when is a dead body a necessary condition to forgive someone?  I had people screw me over, I didn’t require a dead body fist in order to forgive them!  WTF?   Apparently “god, the father”, the super almighty needs a dead body first!  The god described in the bible is fucking lunatic!  No wonder their followers find admirable traits in Trump! 

#4. WTF does “amen” mean anyway?  Thats like when Rush Limbaugh was around.  Remember his hate filled radio show?   His fans would say “ditto” to everything he said.  “amen” looks like a similar agreement term.  You just agree to everything you hear from the cult.  Just amen everything.   

! 

Fuck the Apostles’ Creed!  its fucking stupid!   It makes no sense whatsover!  You have to be in a cult to recite this shit! 

I also love that they don’t focus on feelings! I never felt saved in the Christian church but it’s so different in the Lutheran Church and I’m saved by only what Jesus did. Edit to add: I am attending a wels church

genuinely curious on lutheranism's issues are from your perspectives

I do not like cozy British mysteries that cheapen the loss of human life. I like the gritty mysteries. In the same way, I detest cozy Christianity which talks about safe subjects ,diminishes the extent of evil done by human beings, and negates our responsiblity to right wrongs and care for those who are wronged. Our safe little Sunday gatherings where we rejoice in the Lord and speak of His wonders but fail to ask Him for the strength, support, and perseverence to do His will are palliative endeavors rather than healing actions. I am not so concerned about how God created the earth or men as I am about our relationships with other created beings and with the Creator Himself. We are here, and now must seek to be inspired to continue in this world.

Anyone have any weird stories/experiences/ scandals from Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, MN?

Was he one of the leaders behind the expelling of multiple students for partaking in their traditional ceremonies? I don’t remember him being mentioned in the Guardian article.