Don't Let Religious Scrupulosity Drive You Crazy

1st John 3:18-21, “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.”

Dear reader, you have to be really careful with our text passage of Scripture. Although it is true that we will have confidence toward God if our heart doesn't condemn us in the things which we allow in our life (e.g., booze, movies, rock music, smoking, missing church, et cetera), it is also true that many people needlessly torture themselves with guilt because of paranoia over what God thinks. I am guilty of doing this, which is why I am writing about it, to help you.

I am not an optimist nor a pessimist, I am a realist. The old adage is very true: There is a fine line between faith and foolishness. Many adults struggle with Religious Scrupulosity. Most people suffer from much milder forms of the disorder than severe cases, as I also do sometimes. Honestly, I think we all do.

And we must differentiate between legitimate feelings of guilt or Holy Spirit conviction due to present sins in our life (which is a good thing); versus feeling guilt or conviction for eating a steak, or for watching a Hollywood movie, listening to secular music, missing church because you need a break from church, or guilt over sins committed decades ago that you've done all you can to rectify (these are all bad things). Yes, these are realities of life that few Bible preachers are honest enough to admit.

It Is Not A Sin To Miss Church

I suffer horribly day and night from stenosis and radiculitis in my cervical spine due to being severely rear-ended by a church bus 34 years ago in 1992 (which accident left the bus behind our vehicle in pieces on the street), and a 15' fall at work in 2005 that worsened my injury. I underwent two major neck surgeries in 2009 and 2010 the second of which made me 100% worse. I suffer 24/1 from burning nerves throughout my upper body, debilitating tension and pain in the bony area in back of my neck, the whole right side of my body feeling half asleep, et cetera.

That being said, sitting through a church service for me is torture! I rarely make it to church, or anywhere else. I just love to stay home where I am safe. I used to feel Religious Scrupulosity, guilt for missing church. Even after being kicked out of five wicked neo-evangelical churches over the past 12 years, for merely TELLING THE TRUTH on my fundamentalist ministry website, they all despised and rejected me.

Those ungodly churches are; namely, Harvest Baptist Church on Guam (Pastor Marty Herron), Lighthouse Baptist Church on Guam (Pastor Sean Quinlan), Campus Church at Pensacola Christian College (Pastor Jeff Redlin), Smyrna Baptist Church in Pensacola (Pastor Bill Adams), Family Baptist Church in Pensacola (Pastors' Bobby and Brad Moffett). These are prisonhouses of religion, not New Testament churches! They are ALL pathetically WRONG on repentance and the Gospel of free grace!!! SHAME! RUN from these hellholes of apostasy!!!

People are quitting the churches today to walk closer with God. Please don't misunderstand my Bible preaching. We should go to church. The Bible says in Hebrews 10:25, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” But this passage of inspired Scripture doesn't mean that you should attend a corrupt church, which is effectively a theological cult if they are wrong on Bible repentance and the Gospel.

God knows that I have been ruthlessly kicked out of six churches since 2009 (3 on Guam, 3 in Pensacola). Seven churches if you go back to 2001. My own father kicked me out of his church. My Dad was a Moody Bible Institute graduate in Chicago, a neo-evangelical. He hated my Bible preaching against booze, movies and sin. Moody college went liberal a half century ago. All my adult life I have been despised, persecuted and rejected by neo-evangelicals pastors, even my own father. They are arrogant, wrong on God's simple plan of salvation, and they all have low moral standards. They detest me as a fundamentalist, which is exactly why neo-evangelicals hate Pastor Jack Hyles vehemently.

Feeling Guilt Is Not An Indication of God's Displeasure

I admit that whenever I have eaten a steak dinner in a fancy restaurant, I always feel so unworthy and undeserving. Does that mean God is upset with me? Of course not. God knows that I never eat a bite of food without thanking Him for the food and my health to enjoy the food. There are 10,080 minutes in each week. Have we thanked God with even one of them?

I am often reminded of a horrific incident in Europe. In 2012, a stupid group of teenage girls couldn't wait to take their naïve friend on her 18th birthday to the local nightclub to drink her first booze. The young fella who worked at the bar brought the girl a fancy drink fuming with liquid nitrogen. While her senseless “friends” were cheering her on like idiots to consume her first alcoholic beverage, she guzzled the drink down, including the pieces of liquid nitrogen, which ate holes in her stomach's lining.

The injured girl fell to the floor screaming in pain. Hours later she woke up in the hospital with her stomach removed. Surgeons did the only thing they could do, they attached her large colon from her esophagus in her throat to her anus. That poor girl will NEVER eat any solid food again for the rest of her miserable life! No pizza! No cheeseburgers! No steak! No French fries! She has to eat baby food (pulp) 20 times a day just to survive. I'd rather be dead!

I often think about that poor girl when I enjoy all the wonderful foods that God has given to us to enjoy. Curse those stupid friends of that poor girl! Listen to me carefully dear reader—people will get you killed! I'd say ask legendary Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Randy Rhoads, but he was murdered at age 25 by someone whom he trusted. To survive in this insane world of lunatics you have to be smarter than the average bear. I digress.

When I was younger as a teenage, I had heard a lot of Bible preaching against watching movies, listening to rock music, et cetera. I really felt convicted, not because of the Holy Bible, but because that is what pastors were saying from the pulpit.

Much Of Our Guilt Is Self Induced

I actually took a hammer to my Beach Boys collection at age 19. Decades later I found peace with myself and started listening to the Beach Boys again. I went to a Beach Boys concert in Pensacola in 2021 and it was one of the greatest and most enjoyable musical events I ever attended. I am so glad that I went. Are the Beach Boys a Christian band? Of course not. Their personal lives were filled with sin and shame, as well as much charity and good things that the band members have done (just like you and me, and every other human being). But the music itself is beautiful, I humbly think. I see nothing wrong with songs like: “Be True To Your School” and “God Only Knows” and “Wouldn't It Be Nice” and “Surfer Girl.” I am a lifelong stringed instrument musician, so I naturally love all kinds of pretty music. God made the gift of music!

I enjoy watching some Hollywood movies: “Jurassic Park” and “The Thing” (1982) and “Star Wars” and “Close Encounters Of The Third Kind.” Can you find some fault in those films? Yes, absolutely. But that is true of nearly everything in American culture today. I make no apologies for being a normal human being, having grown up in American culture, and being myself. I love hard fundamentalist Bible preaching, but I learned a long time ago to take it all with a grain of salt, or you'll go crazy with guilt for watching a movie, listening to “New Kid In Town” by The Eagles, et cetera. I love that song by the way! I make no apologies for being human. I would go crazy if I tried to live a touch not, taste not, handle not type of legalist lifestyle.

I preach against everything on my website ministry, so that Christians can be informed. For example: I preach against the true meaning behind Halloween. But that doesn't mean that I hate pumpkins on Halloween. No one preaches against booze more than I do, but I have used some Brandy in the past to make the famous Steak Diane Flambé recipe. The alcohol burns off in the frying pan. I enjoy cooking because I enjoy eating. If you are worried that you might be tempted to drink some of the alcohol, then don't use it! I take Nyquil (with 10% alcohol in it) sometimes to help me sleep at night, due to my chronic neck pain. Pastor Jerry Falwell (1933-2007) called Nyquil “Baptist wine.” I like that title.

You're Only As Good A Christian As You Love

Please hear my out dear reader. If you don't watch secular movies, don't listen to secular music, don't chew, don't smoke, don't gamble the lottery, don't drink booze, don't go to the beach, don't miss church, never say a cuss word, et cetera—those things make you RELIGIOUS, but not necessarily a GOOD CHRISTIAN! You're only as good of a Christian as you LOVE God and your neighbour (everyone you meet on the planet). Pastor Lester Roloff (1914-1982) rightly said that the two greatest commandments in the Bible to love God and love thy neighbour as thyself are really just one—TO LOVE.

I know a Christian wife who writes out Bible genealogies for fun. She loves going to church. She never cusses, never drinks booze, never smokes, never gambles the lottery, and you won't find a better goodie-two-shoes type person! She is RELIGIOUS! But she is rebellious against her husband, sassing him, disobeying his authority and causing him much grief and needless pain. She is a HORRIBLE CHRISTIAN! I hope you are getting my point.

I stopped feeling guilty for listening to secular music 35 years ago. I would feel guilty if I mistreated someone. We've got an epidemic of fundamentalist Christians today who go around avoiding this and avoiding that, and they foolishly think that pleases God. Meanwhile, they treat others like garbage. The wicked incompetent pastor of Campus Church at Pensacola Christian College (PCC), Jeff Redlin, would never drink a beer, smoke a cigarette or go to Pensacola Beach in the summer when it's filled with 99% naked women; but he sinfully kicked me out of their church (in 2022) in his hatred, simply because he could.

I love the guy with Christ's unconditional love, but Dr. Redlin is a HORRIBLE RELIGIOUS PERSON who woefully lacks God's love. I doubt if he is saved because he preaches another gospel. At PCC they're in the religious business for the INCOME, not the OUTCOME. That's why they're now offering engineering classes, going secular. SHAME!!!

Don't Let Religion Drive You Crazy

I wrote this blog to encourage anyone who may be driving yourself crazy with religion. Please don't feel guilty for being a human being. I'm not saying that we should play The Beatles' music for the church youth department, God forbid. We should set the moral standards higher than that for our youth. But if you like listening to The Beatles in your own backyard while having a barbeque, I think that is fine (with the exception of certain lewd song, like: “Let's Do It In The Street.” Use common sense folks. I think lovely songs like: “Penny Lane” and “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “'Til There Was You” are just fine. I love music. I sometimes enjoy Old Christian Radio religious music, but I prefer secular music myself, and I always have, and that is okay. For the past few years I've really gotten into my banjo playing. I'm saying that you don't have to become religious to still please God. The good LORD loves you just as you are. All God desires friend is that you do better today than you did yesterday.

I enjoy a Christmas tree in December. I actually like to keep my Christmas lights up all year round. They are pretty and cheerful. I enjoy pumpkins on Halloween. I don't celebrate witches or worship Satan, I just enjoy our traditional American holidays. I think kids should enjoy Easter Egg Hunts on Easter. Just make sure they know that to your family, Easter is about Jesus' resurrection. You don't need to feel guilty as a born again Christian for being yourself.

Please understand that I am not sanctioning any form of sin. I just turned 59 years old on March 5th, 2026. I have never smoked a cigarette in my life. I have never drank a drop of booze (Liquid Devil). I have never been drunk, not once. I have never used any form of illegal drugs. I don't know what a cocaine high feels like, nor a heroine trip. I've been an innocent guy all my life, for the most part. I definitely have my own Skelton Closet. There but for the grace of God, go I. I have never claimed to be anything more than a broken redeemed sinner. As I am typing out this blog I found this pretty Christian medley on Old Christin Radio. ...

Let's Talk About Jesus/I Will Sing of the Mercies of the Lord

Pastor Jack Hyles use to wisely say: “Don't be reluctant to admit to others that you have feet of clay, but don't ever show them your feet.” To that I say amen and amen! I have had countless web visitors over the past 24 years of ministry confess some horrible sins to me. I have always suspected that perhaps they were fishing, hoping that I would confess some of my sins to them. Not a chance in Heaven or Hell! I'm not that dumb. As a fundamentalist Bible preacher I need to be careful to protect myself (Proverbs 4:23). So, never confess your sins to anyone except God, and that includes not even to your spouse.

When my wife divorced me in 2006 after 19 years of marriage, I was absolutely devastated. I've been to hell and back in my personal life. I've been bilked for $77,000 in my lifetime by three greedy lawyers. My wife cost us one million dollars in lost retirement savings. Now I will die a thousandaire...lol. Praise God anyhow! Our God is faithful, good and wonderful!!! Let's talk about Jesus more and more!

A lot of Christians struggle with Religious Scrupulosity—feeling guilt, worry and stress needlessly. Relax dear saint of God. Everything is just fine. There have been times in my life when I started thinking too much. I have a bad habit of reading into things, connecting dots that don't exist. I know that I am not alone in doing this. I tend to blame myself for everything. When my wife became angry at me, I felt like somehow I was always at fault. In truth, I wasn't, but because I have a tender heart I tend to blame myself in humility.

Then I began to think God was upset with me, and that thought process escalated until I felt horrible. In hindsight, I did that to myself. Bible preaching will make you go crazy if you don't filter it with Bible truth. I know that God loves me (1st John 4:19). I know that God is faithful (1st Corinthians 1:9). I know that God cares about me (1st Peter 5:7). And most of all, I know that “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2nd Timothy 1:7). God wants all of His children to be mentally stable; not worried, uncertain, fearful or stressed.

I take seven different prescription medications, which also affect my mood. Sometimes I just feel like crying. My constant burning nerves throughout my upper body are overwhelming at times. There is no escape from my torment. My health afflictions keep me humble, kind of like fasting all the time. My neck pain is so bad on a continual basis that is burns. It is my painful thorn in the flesh. I long to receive my resurrected body fashioned like unto the LORD's glorified body at the Rapture (Philippians 3:21; 1st Corinthians 15:51-58).

The way that you treat OTHERS is a direct indication of your walk with God. I dare say that only 1-in-50 born again believers truly walk regularly in the Holy Spirit. That is why today's churches are pathetic and dead spiritually. When a pastor and his wife couldn't care less if you ever come back to their church, it plainly reveals that they don't walk closely with the LORD, because God cares!!! I care dear reader.

I hope this article has been helpful and edifying. There have been times over the decades when I thought I might lose my mind, but God's grace saw me through. Hebrews 12:2, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus is precious!!!