As an adult I have mostly found churches counterproductive to living. However, as a child I think it probably was important to be raised in a church

One of the effects of going to church growing up was that I was a virgin until I was 21. I often meet men who stopped being a virgin at between 10 and 15 years of age but I'm not sure that helped them psychologically deal with the rest of their lives at all.

I think one of the reasons I'm as balanced as I am now is that though I started dating a 15 year old girl when I was 15 too, and at 16 I was dating a 21 year old girl from church mostly I believe because I had my own car at 16 which was much easier to do in 1964 when I was 16 than now partly because I was able to buy a 1956 Ford Station Wagon for surfing there in Los Angeles County where I was growing up then in places like Huntington Beach and Malibu and places like this then on Longboards (which was al they had then because the shorter boards came a little later I believe. So, knee paddling with surfer knots on your knees was pretty common then from knee paddling your Longboard out through the waves. I don't even think we had leashes yet (However, I'm not sure having a leash on a longboard is actually that safe anyway because if it hits you in a wave when you wipe out you are going to be unconcsious and therefore drown.

So, anyway, as an adult I was raised in my life to be a Christian Mystic and if you are mystic the statement you live by is: "God is where you find him, her the Being".

In otherwords "If an Ant is your Guru Feed him!"

So, when someone tells you "OH NO! You cannot worship in that way. You look at them and say: "God is where I find him" "I listen to God not you".

So, this is why churches mostly have been counterproductive to me because they just come in between God and me since I'm a mystic anyway where I'm constanding communicating with God and his angels 24 hours a day.

So, anyone who limits my discource with God and Angels is therefore not my friend. Or should I better say: "Anyone who tries to llmit my experiences with God and his Angels I don't listen to anyway".

Because what sensible person would do that?

By God's Grace 

PS However, I consider all life in the universe to be my friend. However, I'm also a consummate survivor too!