Love bombing

[savedtoast]

Have you ever heard of the term love bombing. It's something that many churches do to new comers. Basically it is when a group of religious people shower a new member with attention and lavish love on them.

Many lonely people seek to be with others at their local church, they are susceptible to love bombing. Many of them remember the attention they received and fear to leave. Even after the love bombing stops, and it does.

 

[trofimus]

I received love bombing several times in various churches and it was always very unpleasant to me.

"Older ladies" are always in the first line, beware of them!

"Young ladies" will ignore you always... oh what a situation....

Men are usually behaving normally.

 

[savedtoast]

I received love bombing several times in various churches and it was always very unpleasant to me.

"Older ladies" are always in the first line, beware of them!

"Young ladies" will ignore you always... oh what a situation....

Men are usually "so-so".

Yeah very sad.

 

[loveme1]

Have you ever heard of the term love bombing. It's something that many churches do to new comers. Basically it is when a group of religious people shower a new member with attention and lavish love on them.

Many lonely people seek to be with others at their local church, they are susceptible to love bombing. Many of them remember the attention they received and fear to leave. Even after the love bombing stops, and it does.

i believe consistent unfeigned love and patience should always be the norm..

i have never heard of it by the term you use but someone told me how accommodating the jw's are at first and then require
Much in return for their Jw society.

 

[loveme1]

I was sent to a Gospel church to show myself... and found what some here say to be true now I think back.. the older ladies gather and the younger held back ... they wanted to Baptise me promptly... and they wanted me to cover my head like they also did... They seemed set in their ways but friendly enough... I was not Baptized by them.

 

[resurrection33]

Have you ever heard of the term love bombing. It's something that many churches do to new comers. Basically it is when a group of religious people shower a new member with attention and lavish love on them.

Many lonely people seek to be with others at their local church, they are susceptible to love bombing. Many of them remember the attention they received and fear to leave. Even after the love bombing stops, and it does.

I'd never heard that before, but it makes sense. A cult might employ such a strategy.

 

[dcontroversal]

Motive determines the reason.....I fully agree if this is to "add numbers" to the roll or books it is erroneous....but will also say....Jesus said that LOVE would be a sure sign of a disciple of Christ if it was exercised on toward another......

 

[Meggido]

Motive determines the reason.....I fully agree if this is to "add numbers" to the roll or books it is erroneous....but will also say....Jesus said that LOVE would be a sure sign of a disciple of Christ if it was exercised on toward another......

John 13.34-35:
[SUP]34 [/SUP]A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. [SUP]35 [/SUP]By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

 

[hornetguy]

something akin to that happened on our first visit to our present church, about 19 years ago. Our daughter was 11 or 12, and when we walked into the foyer area and started "meeting" people before the worship started, about 4 or 5 teen girls came over, grabbed our daughter, and said "come on, you come sit with us!" and dragged her away with them...

Those of you that understand just how clique-ish young teen girls can be, especially in a 300 member church setting, can appreciate the enormity of that gesture... we were pleasantly astonished. My wife and I were also made to feel like family, on the first visit... "Oh, you're from Lubbock? The Joneses are from Lubbock, come meet them!" that kind of thing....

We immediately felt like we were at home, and that is the first, and only time we have felt that way when visiting a church....

We are still there.... the church has tripled in size, so some of that feeling of family is missing, but I still try to purposely seek out new people that I think are "fringe" kind of folks, and engage them... trying to let them experience the same feeling we felt...

 

[Joidevivre]

When I first come to a church, it is more to discern if that is the one for me. So, I prefer a quiet, warm welcome by only a few people the first time. If I was "love bombed" by a lot of people, I would feel a little uncomfortable in not returning to that church.

The way in which I am welcomed is not as important as the message I'm hearing, or the atmosphere for worship. I do not let how I'm greeted determine if that is the place where I will grow spiritually. Probably because I have a large network of Christian friends (from many churches) that I already lovingly fellowship with. But, I can also see that if a person is lonely without that support, they would be more apt to stay where they are "love bombed".

 

[sevenseas]

not into love bombing for sure

mind you, my dogs love bomb me every time I go away for awhile and then come back LOL!

never heard the term, but hugs from people I don't know and even some I do, makes me draw back and so does what is called 'the right hand of fellowship'

I think most of us understand superficial love; even those doing it

 

[DustyRhodes]

Love should never be contrived or manipulated. Whatever is done in church should be
done with the love of God. It should never be done for gain or promise or as a hook.
In my younger years I belonged to a large national fraternity and they coddled new
members just as this OP posted. Soon things level out and the cliques are still cliques
and the lonely remain lonely. God's love should always and only come from the love of
God for us and our love for Him. Welcoming and embracing new members should be
an inherent thing to do otherwise the hypocrisy will soon flush out.

 

[tourist]

Have you ever heard of the term love bombing. It's something that many churches do to new comers. Basically it is when a group of religious people shower a new member with attention and lavish love on them.

Many lonely people seek to be with others at their local church, they are susceptible to love bombing. Many of them remember the attention they received and fear to leave. Even after the love bombing stops, and it does.

Even if I was lonely I'm a private person and would not appreciate a bunch of strangers slobbering over me.

 

[savedtoast]

i believe consistent unfeigned love and patience should always be the norm..

i have never heard of it by the term you use but someone told me how accommodating the jw's are at first and then require
Much in return for their Jw society.

Watch out for the Jehovah Witness and the Mormons, they use love bombing as their campaign to convert people.

 

[savedtoast]

I was sent to a Gospel church to show myself... and found what some here say to be true now I think back.. the older ladies gather and the younger held back ... they wanted to Baptise me promptly... and they wanted me to cover my head like they also did... They seemed set in their ways but friendly enough... I was not Baptized by them.

It's hard to resist the lure of the love bomb once the pin is pulled.

Love much be consistent and not worked in as a strategy to manipulate sick people to convert.

 

[savedtoast]

I'd never heard that before, but it makes sense. A cult might employ such a strategy.

Yeah cults do, my friend was loved bombed so far as to devote his undying allegiance to that church.

 

[CaptainGoat]

Have you ever heard of the term love bombing. It's something that many churches do to new comers. Basically it is when a group of religious people shower a new member with attention and lavish love on them.

Many lonely people seek to be with others at their local church, they are susceptible to love bombing. Many of them remember the attention they received and fear to leave. Even after the love bombing stops, and it does.

That would be frightening for me if I was new to a church as I'd like to slip into a church un-noticed.

 

[savedtoast]

Motive determines the reason.....I fully agree if this is to "add numbers" to the roll or books it is erroneous....but will also say....Jesus said that LOVE would be a sure sign of a disciple of Christ if it was exercised on toward another......

Swish! × 10

 

[savedtoast]

something akin to that happened on our first visit to our present church, about 19 years ago. Our daughter was 11 or 12, and when we walked into the foyer area and started "meeting" people before the worship started, about 4 or 5 teen girls came over, grabbed our daughter, and said "come on, you come sit with us!" and dragged her away with them...

Those of you that understand just how clique-ish young teen girls can be, especially in a 300 member church setting, can appreciate the enormity of that gesture... we were pleasantly astonished. My wife and I were also made to feel like family, on the first visit... "Oh, you're from Lubbock? The Joneses are from Lubbock, come meet them!" that kind of thing....

We immediately felt like we were at home, and that is the first, and only time we have felt that way when visiting a church....

We are still there.... the church has tripled in size, so some of that feeling of family is missing, but I still try to purposely seek out new people that I think are "fringe" kind of folks, and engage them... trying to let them experience the same feeling we felt...

Like my gran, gran said

"Eat eat, you're to thin!"

 

[savedtoast]

When I first come to a church, it is more to discern if that is the one for me. So, I prefer a quiet, warm welcome by only a few people the first time. If I was "love bombed" by a lot of people, I would feel a little uncomfortable in not returning to that church.

The way in which I am welcomed is not as important as the message I'm hearing, or the atmosphere for worship. I do not let how I'm greeted determine if that is the place where I will grow spiritually. Probably because I have a large network of Christian friends (from many churches) that I already lovingly fellowship with. But, I can also see that if a person is lonely without that support, they would be more apt to stay where they are "love bombed".

That is very true.