The Fools Strike Again

[Occhidiangela]

I would like to make sure when people saw my post they also noted the disclaimer text saying I don't agree with it.

Being excommunicated from a church, at least where I live in the sleepy backwards South is in some ways even worse than Catholic excommunication. It's a social blackballing. In small towns, word spreads quickly, and the effect is life ending. The banker in the church you used to go to? He wont give you a loan to save your life or your house for that matter. The car dealer that was in the church you go to? Don't bother going to him for a car ever again... And miss your payment by one day and he might just send the repo guy after you. The cook behind the counter might spit, or worse, in your food. People will shun you, cast you out, treat you like dirt, and the only thing you can do is just move away. You're done for. You will never get a fair shake in that town ever again. People have been fired even, for being excommunicated from their church... It can be a very very ugly thing. After losing your job and having your bills pile up, the person behind the desk at the government assistance office might just "accidently" lose your application for aid. The churches, especially the So-Baps, are an exceptionally POWERFUL entity. They ARE the government round these parts. What they say goes. Turn against them, and they will make your life miserable. They can run you out of town, out of state even. I don't expect outsiders to understand what it is like, or for it to even make sense... Southern Politics is a deep and complicated subject... Church and state has no seperation down here... The church is the state and vice versa.

I know, probably better than most, because of my own experiences. I... I don't want to go into that right now, but if pressed I may or may not spill the beans. Some of you already know what I have done.

While many of you will be upset over this incident, very few of you will actually understand what it means to the people being excommunicated, and how it might effect their lives.
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Doc, I grant you your experience. No argument on that possible outcome growing to a shunning. Could happen.

However, depending on the density of churches in a given locale, and how they compete with one another for who is in their congregation, the reasons behind an excommunication will be as well known as the fact of communication . . . and will be taken into consideration. How small is small?

Occhi