I tried to listen to the video. I really did.
But it reminds me too much of the experience I had with an Assemblies of God Pentecostal church I sometimes refer to as "The No-Owls Church."
I know this video has nothing but good intentions and some useful information. I'm not into having anything in my home that I know is associated with pagan rituals either. But a married couple in this particular church took it to the next level.
They once did a "prayer cleansing" on my home and insisted on things like, the wife noticed acardboard produce box I was using for storage. The family farm name on the box was "Hellenstein," and the wife didn't like that "Hell" was part of that name -- and so, it had to be thrown away.
What would they have told the poor family -- that they needed to change their name?!
This cross stitch angel picture I did had to be not only thrown away, but cut up into pieces so no one could dig through the trash and take it home, because they insisted it had the same spirit attached to as the scene in The Passion of the Christ when the devil is holding the baby.
I was just a teenager when I started on these pictures (it's a series and I had completed several of them,) putting my heart, soul, and hundreds of hours of work into them, but no, they "obviously" had a demon behind them, and had to be cut up and thrown away (I mean, can't you see the demon right there?!)
View attachment 265920
Furthermore, they also insisted that people throw out anything in their homes with ANY images or references to "creatures of the night" -- including bats... and owls (which I happen to love.) Anyone with ANY home decor featuring any kind of nocturnal animal/anything associated with "darkness" needed to get rid of it because it could possibly be harboring demons.
But I was young, extremely emotionally vulnerable at the time, had been accused of rebellion by other church members, and was desperately wanting to follow God -- so I listened to every scrap of their "spiritual" advice.
Years later when I met Lynx and told him about this, he mentioned, "You know, cats are nocturnal..." and I was pretty sure the members of that church weren't going to be getting rid of their cats!!! This finally made me realize how some people cross the borders into a kind of spiritual insanity, and when they preach a good game, it can be hard to realize you're slipping across the line.
I am now the proud owner of 6 adorable stuffed owls, each with their own name and personality quirks (each one has a part of my personality projected into him or her,) and I frequently make jokes in reference to them in chat and here on the forum.
They all love God and frequently remind me to thank Him for His goodness.
And, owning said owls... may or may not be just a little slice of getting back at what these well-meaning church people took from me.
2
1
