Myths for the young

Last week, I was in a group of women who were laughing about what they were told as adolescents about the wine in the Bible. We were told that the wine at the wedding in Cana and in other places where Jesus and others drank it, was not fermented and therefore was not alcoholic. Another version was that the wine back then was not AS fermented as the wine today. What about the comment at the wedding about "saving the best for last."

Other myths we were told by youth ministers, elders and various other teachers:

The Church of Christ was founded in AD 33. (The university church actually had that on its cornerstone until just a few years ago). I wonder if Antioch knew it was the first Church of Christ?

Members of the Church of Christ are the only ones going to heaven. (And some of them are not going). This one is really hard to combat in people who have heard it from "Cambellites" all their lives. It was not what one could consider an evangelistic tool.

Women cannot be involved in any phase of leadership in the Church of Christ. And who were Phoebe, Priscilla, and Lydia?

Excuse the indelicacy of the following:

Masturbation brings insanity. No comment.

Dancing will lead to lust, fornication and unwed parenthood. (no comment--except, even square-dancing?) One of the regrets of my life is that I never learned to dance.

The same goes for "mixed bathing"--swimming with members of the opposite sex. A club in Abilene which had many members of the Church of Christ built a wall down the middle of the pool. I never learned to swim either.

The church's name should be The Church of Christ and that must be spelled with a small "c" for church to delineate it from the denominations--church of Christ. An affront to all the English teachers who ever taught that proper names should be capitalized.And oh yes, Church of God, The Redeemed, and other names can be found in that book we all revere.

God does not speak outside the Bible. That effectively shut-up the Holy Spirit in my growing up years. Fortunately, the Spirit is out of the box now.

Miracles ceased when the last apostle died. Why pray?

The Old Testament was of very little value--after all, it had been fulfilled in Christ. I am so sorry I spent all those years skipping the first half of my Bible.

Back to AD 33--we were never told what happened to the church after the 2nd century and where it went. Almost 17 centuries of its history are missing in my knowledge.

The Catholic Church and other denominations are part of the apostacy mentioned in Revelation. And we certainly do not have Churches of Christ which have gone astray? I have so much to learn about the sacraments and practices of others outside my fellowship.

Divorce is the unforgivable sin. Still believed by many.

Alexander Campbell is to be worshipped. He would scream, 'No, no. You have it wrong."

Acappella music is the only type accepted by God. Remember the Psalms don't matter.
Why was Bach created?

The New Testament gives the pattern for acceptable worship. Where?

Christians may not pray "The Lord's Prayer" because it contains the phrase "thy kingdom come." The kingdom has already come. It is the church. That leaves so many kingdom passages unexplainable.

What a sad commentary on my intelligence that I actually took all that in for a while without much questioning. I pray that I am not in position now as an "older woman" who is teaching others that I not perpetuate any similar myths.

God help our ignorance of you and your ways, and bless us as we continue to open our minds and drink of you.