The Hymns That Haunt Us

Earlier this year, NPR told the story of Teresa MacBain, a United Methodist pastor who had stopped believing in God. In March, when she just couldn't keep it to herself anymore, she told the American Atheists Convention that she was one of them.

Coming out as an atheist felt good. But when she got home to Tallahassee, Florida, she discovered that a video of her coming-out speech had gone viral. Her church and community shunned her.

I was saddened but not surprised. Many people attend seminary because they are seeking answers to serious questions about the faith. When they do pastoral care, those questions become sharper.

What really caught my attention about MacBain's story was this: "I miss the music," she told NPR. "Some of the hymns, I still catch myself singing them," she said. "I mean, they're beautiful pieces of music."

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Myrtle

Continue to sing the songs but as you sing listen to the words, there are great messages in these words, much more than the tunes that you are listening, too are beautiful.Maybe GOD'S message will eventually enter your heart, at a moment whent you have not completely closed it to GOD!
PaulN

Sadest is that she doesn't realize that the songs she hears in her mind are actually the Holy Spirit calling her back to the truth!
- fliteking
  
  Agreed. And the person who gave you the negative mark clearly has no understanding of the world they live in.
Dionesius3

It's kind of hard to sing Atheist Hymns isn't it?
You know why?
Because there aren't any that should tell this poor lady something.
She ought to have found God before she tried to be a minister.
Along with a few other things she ought to have learned before trying to be a minister.
- Ithamar
  
  "She ought to have found God before she tried to be a minister." Cuts to the heart of the issue. This woman is on a natural progression into self destruction. She starts out with a self-willed religion, picking and choosing what she likes, making it up as she goes along – strictly "will worship", having created her own god in her own mind and determining for herself what is good and evil. Of course, the members of her 'church' are as blind as she is; they just don't know it. Christianity is the revealed truth of God; God alone is to be worshiped only in the fashion that He prescribes. His Word is the only standard; His Holy Spirit is the only guide into that truth. Without the Spirit and the Word, everything is darkness.
  - Pastor Dwayne
    
    Unfortunately , it is people like her that migrate to Mormonism or Jehovah Witness, and others!! Tthen both groups use that as one of the reasons their group are Christian
    - Fr.Robert30
      
      This very fine woman does and and did not cause a migration towards Mormonism or JW's or any other religion. People go to places of worship that fit their needs. Most likely you preach to a group who wish to be browbeaten and held in a form of social slavery based upon your ideas of what God has said.
      - Pastor Dwayne
        
        You have a very worldly view of what a church is supposed tp preach/teach.
        When you say, (People go to places of worship that fit there needs ) , what you are saying is people are tired of obeying the doctrine delivered by the Apostles, anf heap teachers together to satisfy their itching ears to hear a MUCH watered down version of the Gospel.
        
        Tell me of your Born Again experience?????
      - Fr.Robert30
        
        Well it is like this. We do not teach anything such as a born again experience as it is appointed that we are born once and then die. Such a difficult concept for those who claim to be Bag's. We are a Liturgical church and an inclusive church. We do not accept those who have not graduated from an appropriate seminary of our church or of the Roman Catholic or Orthodox churches.
        You would never have the ability to understand our concepts as your mind has been closed long ago by your lack of education.
      - Pastor Dwayne
        
        Born once and then die. Please explain Jn. 3:3 "Jesus answered , saying to him, Truly, truly, I say unto you, If a man is not born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God"
        
        Born again in Northern Aramaic means to change one's thoughts and habits. Nicodemus spoke Southern Aramaic and hence did not understand Jesus.
        
        To finish your quote, we are born once and then die, and after that Judgement..
        
        Since you are not born again, I could care less about you concepts, for they will not line up with the Word of God!!!
  - Fr.Robert30
    
    You words are certainly AntiChristian. You have no point of reference for your innane comments!
    - Pastor Dwayne
      
      You are blind in one eye and can't see out of the other
    - Pastor Dwayne
      
      Blinded mind AND hearts, Spiritual Education does that most of the time!
Ken

According to God's word in 1 Timothy 3, women are not eligible to be pastors, preachers, or deacons. I don't think God would approve of an atheist either. So how did she get to be a pastor anyway? People ignore passages that they don't agree with.
- http://www.answersingenesis.org/ keyboardshark
  
  Exactly, Ken. We have all become so 'modernized' by the feminist ideology that most no longer realize that it is contrary to God's Word for a woman to be a pastor, preacher, or deacon. I Timothy 3 states that they must be a husband, which alone disqualifies them. This does not imply that men are better than women.
  
  That is not the issue, but God has given both men and women very specific roles in society and in the spiritual realm, and for very good reasons in His infinite wisdom. Where we get into trouble is when we think we are smarter than God, and decide to fudge on the rules, and then we wonder why it causes problems.
  - Pastor Dwayne
    
    It goes further than this woman, the seminary she went to was no better, as are most seminaries today. The Holy Ghost spoke to me once , and said 80% of church leadership are not going to enter God's Kingdom. I will add, because they are not born again. I was raised Methodist, I know what I'm talking about!
    - http://www.answersingenesis.org/ keyboardshark
      
      Yes, only a remnant will be saved, even though it will be a great multitude in total. since the gathering has been taking place throughout the thousands of years of history of planet earth. I don't know if we can assign it any percentage, but I would venture to say that you are correct that it is also only a remnant of church leaders who are actually born again, just as it is in the population as a whole.
      - Pastor Dwayne
        
        Double Amen
timpclimber

Great hymns come from from the heart, mind and soul of inspired people that whisper to our our own souls comfort, guidance and confirmation of God. They shine light on our earthly path and she is missing they light. May she rethink her choice and then she will swing with even greater fervor "How Great Thou Art." P.S. don't look for a hymn at the Demo convention.
mallen11

I grew up singing all the good old hymns and still love to sing and hear them; however, some are not doctrinally correct and should not be sung.
The Methodist church has been teaching the social gospel for many years and no longer teach the truths from God's Word. They teach to be critical of the American culture more than Russia. Outlaw atomic warfare, oppose military training, and claim that there is religious freedom in Russia. No wonder that woman is confused.
I Cor 14:3 The women are to keep silent IN THE CHURCHES; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says.

Pros methodeia – accusative of purpose – organized scheming – (where the Methodist get the name
of their church)
- Evermyrtle
  
  How do you sing and keep silent at the same time??.
  - mallen11
    
    It means teaching, Myrtle, teaching; not praising God in song along with the rest of the congregation. Also, see Ken & Keyboardshark's comments.
  - Fr.Robert30
    
    The eternal song is heard from within, not without.
- Pastor Dwayne
  
  And to think that over 100 years ago, the Methodists of that day would put today's Pentecostals to shame!
  - Fr.Robert30
    
    Hardly true.
    - Pastor Dwayne
      
      If she is /was a non Born Again person, and left her denominational church then went to what ever cult that wants to be called Christians, such as mormonism or J Ws. They would then say , ah, a christian has joined us, when in reality she was not, not having the Born Again experience in her life. ….. Methodists more than 100 years ago in their services did speak in tongues, and translated the tongues, and used the other gifts of the Holy Ghost also.
      - Pastor Dwayne
        
        A few of the Free Methodist churches still move in the gifts of the Holy Ghost today
- Fr.Robert30
  
  There is room in the church for both men and women. Before God when both stand in all their glory He sees neither male or female.
  - mallen11
    
    Yes, there is room for women in our churches but not to be pastors or have authority over men. We can sing in the choir, teach children, work in the nursery, clean the church, prepare food for social occasions, secretaries, and many other necessary things but not as a youth or regular pastor. If you can find that it is acceptable to God in the Bible, let me know.
Wesley

being a Methodist many of these hymns would have been written by Charles Wesley full of rich theology. if she listens to the words that she find herself singing she could find the answers that she had questions about. that is what Methodism was all about building a faith that not just transforms a person's heart but would help to change society. the faith comes for more than just scripture but also tradition, reason, and experience. Christ is for all of our lives not just for the after life but this life as well. the curse of sin is broken when Jesus says, "it is finished." we are born in sin but it does not have to control us for we let Christ control us when we accept him as savior.
A.

It is likely that this poor woman attended a seminary in which Satan had planted a few heretics. Unfortunately, there are some such around. Seminary teachers who theach doctrine contrary to what is clearly evident in scripture. Paul warned Timothy about just such people.
- Mary Wood
  
  Shakespeare did also warn us, at the risk of losing his head. He wrote historical plays closely aligned with rotten monarchs but was so entertaining the monarchs even enjoyed him, even found him harmless. The Book of Mormon warns us as well, quote "
Mary Wood

No wonder hymns haunt us. Heart strings are not solely indigenous to the Christian community. It has long been known that the development of Christian ideology – regardless of what Christ taught – was centered on the adoption of things that were not particularly Christian but of things close to the heart. It was a better way to control people, as the church inspired the monarchs in Europe – to the western turn of mind – music developed in the courts as it developed in the churches. One practice of the Catholic Church was to adopt the practice of turning young boys into eunuchs (castration to keep their voices "pure".) So no, I don't particularly attribute the development of good music to the churches in particular, in fact, when ever a subject like this comes up, although I don't dwell on this, I can often think of a reason for nipping it in the bud. That is simply the reality of the situation.
Byron

Christian or not, I'm ralling around nobody, as conservitve as you think you are, SO-WHAT??!!
Byron

Alot of those old Hymns I do not like. Granded, some I do,but most no chance.
fliteking

This is a good lesson on how the worldly around us can lead us astray.