I call BS.

I grew up Roman Catholic and about 8 years ago started going to a Pentecostal church. How do you consider that stricter (is that a word? lol) than Catholicism? I would say the otherwise. I understand there are different secs of a Pentecostal church (which some are very strict) but you claim you aren't a member of those.


Also on another note (based on a PM) I would say that you have to worry more about your grades than you do about money. Sororities have a minimum GPA that you have to have.

Every Pentecostal I know is very fundemental. And, most Catholics I know, go to Friday Night mass before they hit Happy Hour.

I agree! I grew up in very Catholic South Louisiana. Any rules the Catholics have, the Pentecostals have plus more. No pants, no short hair, no makeup, no drinking, no rock music, no tv/movies for some sects. I consider that pretty darn strict...I should know, I got grounded for a month in 8th grade after my parents caught me listening to New Kids on the Block!

You said your parents go to a nondenominational church, but they followed the radical sec (or sect?) of "Pentecostalism." Nondenominational is just that...not following a certain denomination. That's interesting to me.

Anyways, that is why I said there are different aspects of Pentecostalism. My church doesn't have those rules, nor do we feel that anyone should follow that.

Just like you have the radical sections of the Pentecostal church, you have the radical sections of the Roman Catholic church. I still think the Catholic church is stricter than the Pentecostal church (of course i'm not including the more "radical" secs).

Actually, the name Non-denominational is a euphemism for Charismatic which has bad connotations. It is the same arm as Pentecostal but much less strict for women (no prohibitions on pants, short hair or makeup.) I grew up hearing people speak in tongues at church, dance in the Spirit and laugh in the Spirit. Being "filled with the Holy Spirit" is the common theme that encompasses these groups. They no longer call themselves Charismatic because this conjures images of snakes, etc from the really far right wing groups in this religious sect. If your pentecostal church is rather moderate, yours is the exception not the rule. A true Pentecostal church as originally conceived believes that you do not go to heaven if you are not filled with the Holy Spirit. The believers who only accept Christ as their personal savior do not qualify. They also are very strict and adhere to all of the rules I stated before.

I know that you probably don't mean it that way, but I take offense to not going to a "true pentecostal church" because we don't follow any of those silly rules. That makes me feel that i'm being led by false teachers, and that we aren't being taught the "truth." The Pentecostal church came about after the day of Pentecost (as described in Acts:2) I've been around people speaking in tounges, the "slaying" of the Spirit, etc.

Like I said, you might not mean it in that way, but that is how I took it. Anyways, if anyone wants to discuss this further, you can PM me.

Back to your regularly scheduled thread (which i still call BS on)

What I meant by the "True Pentecostal Church" is what the church was originally. Just like the "True Church" mentioned by catholics is the Catholic church and only the Catholic church. Since I am not a pentecostal (if you remember, I was raised Charismatic or Non-denominational), I have no reason to make anyone feel like they are following a false religion. My point is that what you are calling pentecostal is a modern take on the original church. Get offended if you want, but it's the truth. Do you know any "classic" Pentecostals? I knew a lot of them through the years. Your Pentecostal church sounds more like my Non-denominational church. They sound more alike in style rather than in name. If your church chooses to label itself as Pentecostal, more power to them, but be aware that it's not the traditional version of the name. And...it sounds like the OP's version of Pentecostal is more like the version of Pentecostal I know. This would explain your disbelief in the level of strictness.

I paid my own way and still managed to make the Dean's List and be an officer in the sorority, as well as belonging to a few other campus organizations. If you are over 18, how you manage your time and money is your business. UNLESS mom and dad are paying for college and living expenses, and will cut you off if you disobey them on this... then, I think you need to weigh your priorities. What is more important? Debt and independence OR all expenses paid and family support, knowing you will eventually have the freedom once you graduate in a few short years?

You can get student loans and a job and still go to school full time and be a member of a sorority. I had no choice but to get student loans b/c my family could not pay for my college. If my parents had the money and said to me, "We will pay for all of your schooling and expenses on the condition you don't join a sorority," I can tell you that I would have readily agreed. The sorority has been a wonderful and positive influence in my life, but student debt is an expense I would rather do without!

The problem with this is that many students don't know anything about Greek Life-- they learn about it at recruitment. They know coming in that it is a chance to meet and interview with the sororities, which are women-only campus organizations with exclusive membership. I haven't met a great number PNMs with successful recruitments who knew all about Greek Life and sororities who weren't already legacies or from a hometown that was pro-Greek.

I used to advise at a campus with a lot of first generation Americans. There were a good number of sororities, but there were some retention issues right after recruitment because of the cultural barrier between the first generation American new members and their foreign born parents. It's just the nature of the beast, and if the parents have financial control, that means a lot. And respect for one's elders and abiding by the family's wishes is a very big part of those cultures. If the student can get through to her parents or pay for it on her own, half the battle is won. The other half comes if you can coax them into coming up for Family Weekend or bringing your sisters home to meet the family so they can see what you've gotten yourself into and come around once they see what a positive influence it can be. But if a girl goes through recruitment, she is expected to plunk down $25-250 on Bid Day or soon thereafter. Many who go through without telling mom and dad and don't have the $$$ will have to drop.

Damn. I actually thought the title meant there was a support group out there for this.

Parents Against Sororities (PAS) And PAS was posting here to kick our asses.

Been following the whole Pentecostal vs. Catholic thing. Though there are some very conservative Catholic sects, I haven't seen any sects that prohibit dancing, drinking, etc. (Speaking strictly about the laity here) These things have been prohibited in some Pentecostal, Baptist, and other Protestant sects. That isn't to say that some Catholic families aren't incredibly strict. Rule wise though, that isn't there.

Now if you mean other sorts of strictness, yeah the Catholic church can be very orthodox on many things (attire for Mass, Lenten rules, Communion rules, etc) .

For the record, the current Pentecostal movement isn't older than the 1700s. Throughout history, people have spoken in tongues, but they weren't a separate sect at the time, and were part of the Roman or Eastern church.

It isn't surprising that a person from India/first generation Indian-American would follow stricter rules of whatever religion since familial rules tend to be stricter in the first place. Telling the OP or others that they must not really be X, or that they're misunderstanding X's rules won't change the rules of her family and how she and her family practice their religion.

Catholics are in favor of the fruit of the vine, but we don't go to Friday night Mass. :)

Lol, how did I miss that.

However, Saturday night Mass for the WIN.

You are right, it's Saturday night mass. As you can see, I don't go to either:)

Going to a Catholic high school, I had many Saturday nights where I had to wait for my date to get out of Mass so we could go on our date.:p

My last steady boyfriend in highschool, however, went to Sunday morning Mass.

CRAP. everytime i try to post back my comp screws up.
(*&$(*@&#@. :mad: