You know my views on this...

David Bowie : “Religion is for people who fear hell, spirituality is for people who have been there.”

You're conflicted because they set all these rules up to get you to do stuff just for the reason you fear hell. Once you realise this is it and don't worry about that just do what feels right for you then life will be so much better for you.

And.... Don't start me off about Bake Off again 🤣🤣🤣

I can understand your conflict as @KatyO83 has hit the nail on the head as I think it!
There is a REAL difference between RELIGIOSITY and SPIRITUALITY. I never really liked religion as those 'words' just come from everyday people who are so involved in trying their best to keep their own world together that they don't see the gaps between what they say and the reaction they get from 'society' (as a whole) whose needs are broader than the 'seeds' of hope that religion feeds us.

I added to a discussion about "God" just the other day: The postulation was that there are 3 Gods in the Bible: In the Old Testament we first hear about 1/ the "Tribal" God - who belongs only to the Isrealites and he commanded them to kill all adversaries in order to attain right to the "Promised Land." This is the God who Benjamin Netanyahyu still worships as he decrees the genocide in Palestine.

2/ The "Controlling" God who is the one who created everything and who decides what remains and what gets destroyed; This is the God who when something goes wrong we say, "It was God's will." or "God knows best.", etc. Believing this is 'God' leaves us with no control over our own being.

3/ In the New Testament we have the "Jesus" God - the God who sends salvation to people by way of His son. The son (Jesus) teaches us love and compassion and is the current model of the Christian church (Universally - but perhaps not in the USA). I like this God, but He still is distant and belongs only to Jesus as His communicator to us.

On reading these postulates (and I don't disagree with them as interpretations) I put forth my own idea of "God". And it mirrors my beliefs: That God is not a controller, nor does He favor anyone. Yes, He is The Creator - but He doesn't set terms for us to live by. Instead, my God is a God of Empowerment: He gives us our Spirit (Soul) with 'free will' to use it in our lives with the (as Jesus taught) idea that we do 'good' for each other and the good that we do will enlighten us and enrich our souls to the glory of God. Yet, we may sin - or just ignore developing our soul entirely.... that is our choice; however, when the Day of Judgement comes, God will look at what we did with our souls while we had them in the 'human' world and decide if we are worthy of eternal life or if we squandered them and will send us to the "Abyss".
Saying that, I do not ask my God for favours: Instead, I ask for 'GUIDANCE' - opening my mind to what He may subtly suggest through inspirations (ideas) as ways to improve myself, or to resolve a problem that I have, or ways to help me encourage someone else to see a way out of their dilemmas in life. Prayer is still there and it is strong, but, to me, it is not a time to ask GOD for concrete favours, like asking Him to heal someone, but instead, to give someone the strength and positive thoughts to heal themselves through belief in Him.
So: There's an idea for you - Not that I expect you to seize upon it but as something to think about to see if it fits you. The real 'ask' from me to you is that you 'talk' with your God about it through prayer; but you have to open your mind to 'listen' to the ideas that come back to you - as those are the answers to your prayers.

I think in today’s day and age there are so many denominations of Christianity and non denominational churches it depends on what church you were raised in. Especially with your father being a pastor. In the end we are all sinners and no one is perfect other than the Savior. There is nothing wrong with experiences yet still believing in my humble opinion

My experience with religion was extreme, that's another story. What i found is fear ruled my life ,fear of what father martin would think ,fear of what the congregation might think ,fear of thinking for myself, fear of stepping out line and facing the wrath of god . When i got free all the fear went away .Don't let the fear they built stop you from living .Who says you can't be a teenager again?

The stretching is 100% compatible; the first command given to humanity is to "take care of the Garden", i.e., take care of Creation.

Our bodies are part of that.
Staying fit is part of that.

If you go into the other side of it...idk. But stretching makes all kinds of sense, as does getting rid of stress.

Maybe don’t see the teenager in terms of years. Look at it as the time of your life when you start stretching your wings, checking your limits and exploring who you really are rather than what you’ve been told you are and this process can take place at any age.

Im christian, and I am a part of the kink/BDSM community. You can still have fun, go to parties, go out to dinner etc. 2000 years ago men had multible wives, and life was vastly different then it is now.

Don't look at it as the Christian church. It's a cult that wishes to control your life. It's clear, you can see that for yourself. You're 45, and they still want to dictate what you do with your life. He's your ex. He has no right to preach anything to you. Life is full and rich and complex, but also wonderful. Don't let these people rule your life. Chances are, they don't live exactly how you think they do. It's YOUR life, not their's. You owe them nothing. They've already taken enough away from you. Don't let them steal any more of it.

Yoga classes aren't compatible with being a Christian? Seriously?? Not to be rude, but were you raised in a cult? I'd ignore him, since he's now the ex, although you probably have to "co-parent" with him. That doesn't mean he rules your life.

You need to be happy and live your life. You ex should not be telling you if it is okay, sounds like he did a lot of stuff not compatible.

Live your life Angela,
Get rid of your shackles and don’t listen to your ex!
You can message me to chat if you feel the need
Make yourself happy

Well are you a believer? Do you believe Jesus ( i am assuming the religion your talking about is Christianity) If it is then yeah yoga is incompatable, because yoga has both a spiritual element and a physical element.. If it was only about physical then it would bo ok with Christianity.. But the spiritual side of yoga does make it incompatable..

Hard one... Indoctrination meets reality and it's never easy...

Is he your ex for a reason ?
Why listen to him ?


What's wrong with yoga classes ?

Omg...get out and live a little. Start dating, go out to bars, do some hiking, travel some...get a job where you work with lots of people and make some normal friends. Go to the beach and hit some cool places.
And have sex with some nice guys.

Don’t spend your life fearing fairy tales.

Live.

The best way to escape from a cult is to cut off all contact with members of the cult and find a positive, supportive community.

Your should leave that church!