sarahsweets: That response is a winner. Thank you so much! We all have our own ways of seeing the world, including our own ways of connecting with a higher power. Unless we are actually doing ministry, most of our lives are outside the confines of a religious construct. As the oft quoted saying goes, "Are we worshipping God, or an institution?"

MickeyCheeky: Thank you so much and appreciate your kind words as always! I do understand where you are coming from, like @downandlonely stated, I want an explanation for what lines I've crossed or what went wrong before falling off another person's radar. If a painful subject like this comes up again in the future, I will definitely be more proactive at dropping it from the table, or if I see him again I will tell him. I may consider following through with the block, since I need to leave behind toxic friendships and get on with life, but of course blocks and approaches to these situations aren't in a box. Mark has mentioned the subject a couple of times before when he has inquired about it, but this convo was the most insistent he has been. But I'm glad that you agree that he was being overwhelming, he's not my father, and even then I'm almost 24 and am capable of making my own choices

BonsaiGuy:Thank you so much for your input, again this is a winner! It's good to have someone like you to validate my feelings. I agree that silence is the permission slip allowing people to step on you and smear you around for the world to see. Thank you for sharing that story of yours; I'm SO sorry that you had to endure that pain. Just grimaced reading it, because though I have been hurt by religion, it was never to the point where someone practically assaulted me. It is just a sobering reminder of how many people are willing to invade boundaries and degrade others in the name of religion or love, also a reason that though I still have kept my faith through my whirlwind with religion, it has been liberating to separate myself from the overbearing control and guilt involved with religious institutions. It sure doesn't sound very "Christian" to me.

downandlonely: Thank you so much for replying. Always nice to hear from you. Again I'm so glad that you support my decision and feelings. That's a good option, and I understand where he might come from if I follow through with this move. I would do the same thing if I was worried about a friend and they would be willing to listen. But just like in the past when people have tried to drag me into the same organizations that hurt me in the first place, this is just another attempt at imposing emotional control and dogma.