Hm.

I grew up in a Nazarene family. My Mom and her sisters are Nazarene, my grandparents are Nazarene, and my great-grandparents were Nazarene.

The rule of thumb for a Nazarene guy is: "I don't drink, I don't chew, I don't go with girls that do."

Obviously, a parallel statement goes for girls.

The other basic rules in the Nazarene church are don't come to church dressed like a slob, don't dance, don't cuss, don't smoke, and don't have sex. And if you're really old school, the rules are don't go to movies (or at least not rated R movies, and PG-13 is skeptical) and don't listen to rock music (or at least limit it to Christian music). Also, don't hang out with people that do any of these things. If you do any of these things, by the way, you aren't saved and we will pray for you.

Um.

Yeah, where do I go from there?

I am a very good girl. I don't come to church dressed like a slob, I don't drink, chew, smoke, cuss, have sex, nor have I ever been any more than acquaintances with anyone who does these things. I do, however, go to the movies (but not rated R ones) and listen to rock music (but not usually secular rock music, and not the hard stuff--I just don't like that :P). I also dance occasionally--and yes, when I informed my grandparents that I had learned to salsa dance, they got "Pray for Stephanie" looks on their faces.

One person thought I was a Mormon. :) Sorry, I like my caffeine. And I do plan on using birth control. And, as you can see, I am not married yet.

Well.

I have a reason for saying this that I don't care to share at the moment.

But I'm just kind of curious. Did anyone else grow up in this same kind of background as me--ultraconservative, Nazarene or not? Or is this really as extreme as people seem to think it is? It's all I have ever known, and I am happy to oblige to rules (YAY RULES!), so it doesn't seem extreme to me--but when I tell people outside my Nazarene bubble, they get these astonished looks on their faces.

Wrestle, wrestle, wrestle... That is so what I feel like I'm doing lately. Doubting and confusion.

-Stephanie

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