How to avoid the church hug

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When I taught a class with about ten kids between the ages of 8-10. I put into practice of welcoming each and every one with a warm hug and after a while they would see me around and run up and give me a hug that melted my heart each and every time. I have had one very inappropriate hug from a gentleman, but I still enjoyed loving on people and still do. However, I'm not one to enjoy a hug from someone I don't know at least give me one good conversation.
If you kept teaching that class and stayed in the same church, I can see you as the old lady generations of past students and their kids would come to for the hug. I can see you in a church full of huggers because you started it way back when you were young. (And yes, this is a picture of the future. You are young now. Not missing that. And NOT aging you prematurely. lol)
 

hornetguy

Senior Member
Jan 18, 2016
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Yeah, a sneak up behind you and hug you kind of thing would be pretty weird.... especially for a woman...

Heck ..... even for ME. I'd probably jump away and be like Will Ferrill..... "hey man, I almost NUM CHUCKED you...."
 
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if you have a problem with someone hugging you in church, you might wanna examine yourself because church is about love.
Same problem as anywhere else. Just because someone comes to church doesn't make them a believer, so doesn't guarantee it is an act of God's love. How often have you heard, "and my bf/gf only came to church because I asked them, but they never became a Christian"? Do you think that only happens when dating?

My brother goes to mass because his wife wanted to raise their kids as Catholics. He has only gone from atheism to "I believe in God" because he's now in his 60's and wants his get-out-of-jail-free card to avoid hell. Lots of people like that who walk into a church building once a week.
 
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really...its a hug...it aint that serious
I feel like this is the $20,000 Pyramid, and the category is "Things never to say to your wife." lol
 
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just seems kinda petty to freak out over simple thing as a hug...unless you have OCD
OCD isn't what you think it is. Joking around about it is as offensive as calling someone any other slur.
 
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There's a reason Jesus stands at the door and knocks. He doesn't demand people let Him in. He stands with His arms open for us to enter into His embrace. But He doesn't chase us down and force Himself upon us. Jesus makes Himself approachable. He draws people to Him by being kind and reasonable and meek. He's not hostile or tactless or a creeper.
Disagreeing here. (Not angry. Just disagreeing.)

John 3:16-21

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
 
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Hi ,

lets look at this from another point of view , if your church does not accept others who are different from you , and they know you quite well and make a point of ...wont ,... accept you , you can rest assured you will never ever get a or any hugs from those people .

Okay I,ll take it that most here and those with in the church,s your all taking about are in the main normal as in , if your a male your a male or a female your a female , okay, does that come as about right , if so , then this lets myself off the hook ,

Why because I'm not normal okay , and because of that I wont be given a hug wether I like it or not ,

I know for a fact and have experanced it from a church group and was told I would never be accepted because if you,v read my profile of being intersexed even though I'm an intersexed female this is what happens ,I know of other church groups that are the same ,

So even though we are ...born... different we are treated different from others my REAL friends are out side the church,s and they understand, why should we be treated different because I don't have my womb or don't have any organs male or female , they don't care they accept and they give myself a hug that really means so much more ,its real and its something many in the churchs here in New Zealand don't have a clue about they talk a lot yet are not real in their lives ,

so you know I have 58 years of being involved with ...churchs ...and I have very few who I call as friends , in fact some I know attend a meeting house church building and I,v known them for 20 years and one friend we hug out on the street , its real and means as I said so so much , they don't Judge , they accept ,

I think you need to look at the intenstions of people and are they real or just acting on a Sunday at a meeting to look good ,

Any way to not get a hug be different , now that works ........life experance ,

...noeleena...
I'm just not a hugger. Doesn't mean I'm not accepting. Doesn't mean I'm judging. I'm just not a hugger.
 
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I love hugging, unless the other person is smelling real bad:)
(Note to self, and maybe this answers Miri's OP: Eat roasted garlic in baked beans BEFORE going to church.)
 

melita916

Senior Member
Aug 12, 2011
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I walk by faith, not by sight. I have spiritual intimacy with my brothers & sisters on this site in Jesus Christ. I was drawn to love the Spirit of Jesus Christ in Melita before we ever met in person. I knew in my heart my son would love her, too. She's genuinely beautiful inside and out!
thank you :eek:

btw, when i met auntieant in person, she straight up hugged me before her son could. she said, "she was my friend first!!!" hahaha :D
 
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so why should we have a problem with a simple hug? one morning, my pastors wife kissed me on the cheek as she hugged me. I thought nothing of it
You thought something of it, or you wouldn't remember it.
 
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This conversation has become juvenile. unfollowing
(Didn't we get the message out early this IS juvenile? Miri's OP was funny! Why would all the rest automatically become curmudgeonly?)
 
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How does control have anything to do with it?

1 Cor.All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

I'm not up for kissing people in church but a hug seems harmless unless there is an impure intent behind it.
Oddly enough, I'd rather kiss.
 
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I live in the south and hugs are a given. Im from Canada where hugs weren't acceptable. When I moved south and went back home I hugged my pastor and he acted like I had made a sexual move against him,his wife was right beside him! I said "they aren't repressed in the south,a little hug wont kill you". He laughed it off. My family doesn't even hug so when I moved to the south and fellow Christians greeted me with a hug I learned to loosen up.
Alas! I only lived in the South one year. I caught "y'all." Just never caught hugs. lol
 
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Miri

Guest
(Note to self, and maybe this answers Miri's OP: Eat roasted garlic in baked beans BEFORE going to church.)

Oh must tell this.

We had a bit of a fund raising event at work two years ago. A man on our team
said that if people would donate £20 he would eat an entire raw garlic bulb.

Anyway people gave left right and centre so he ate the garlic, nearly choked
himself in the process and gagged a lot.

Trouble is no one would go near his desk for a week he stank of garlic and also
every time he caughed, belched or even breathed in the direction of the man
next to him, his colleague almost passed out!

The office must have gone through a tin of air fresher a day. Goodness knows
what his poor wife thought when he got home, I bet he did not get any hugs!

So funny though - now we know why vampires don't like garlic!

4288.gif
 
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I can deal with being hugged by people I even give out hugs but when a person in an animal suit tries it I'm like no way! That and also clowns they don't scare me but they annoy the life out of me they are one of the few things in existence that can bring out my dark side
I might take a hug from our Phillies Phanatic, but the guy in the costume averages 20 pounds of weight loss from sweating per game, and it doesn't get cleaned until off-season, so maybe not.

 
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AuntieAnt

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thank you :eek:

btw, when i met auntieant in person, she straight up hugged me before her son could. she said, "she was my friend first!!!" hahaha :D
LOL! True story. mwuhahaha.jpg