My folks were Iowa/Norwegian/Lutherans and their parents all came from the Old Country. All my relatives back there (I'm in California) are still Lutherans as are most of the folks currently living in Norway. The Lutheran theology was a part of my early memories.
My folks were divorced in 1954 and my Mother retained custody of me. We moved to a different town about fifty miles away from where I had grown up and attempted to join the Lutheran Church there. My mother was rejected as a potential member......as she was......(now)......a divorcee'. But.....the Pastor said that I could still attend and take Confirmation/Catechism classes (I was 12 at the time).
I can remember that night, sitting on the stairway, out of sight, and eavesdropping on the conversation the pastor was having with my "divorcee'" Mother in our living room. In fact.....I will never forget it!
I later told the pastor to "Pound Sand" and left the Lutheran Church the day I told him to do so.....face to face. My Father, Grandparents and other relatives were chagrined..... and just knew I was on my way to Hell.
The vision of my Mother sitting on the couch, bawling for about an hour after the pastor had left, is forever etched in my memories. As I grew older I realized that it was the pastor.....and not the congregation.....or the theology that had "treated me and my family like crap".... to coin a phrase.
This incident caused me to begin searching the scriptures at a very young age.....hoping to find some answers. I did find many things in scripture that eventually caused me to feel O.K. about what had transpired....and to even consider it a blessing.
So.....I know what you are feeling. The memories are difficult to live with. I would hope that you eventually are able to get over your bitterness. It took me time to do this and I hold no animosity against the Lutheran Church to this day for that incident. I cannot speak for Douglas but perhaps he feels the same about the Nazarenes. I don't know.
Blessings to your home and all who reside therein.
My wife was also raised Lutheran. When she was younger her grandfather died and her mother came down with MS. The Lutheran pastor told my wife's father that this happened because he hadn't been attending church.
The point is that I think it's easy for anyone in authority to act like jerks. It doesn't matter if they're religious or not. But when they're religious it SEEMS like hypocrisy. But sometimes it's not really hypocrisy, but rather it's human weakness.
And no, I hold no bitterness toward Nazarenes. But there are lessons we can learn from these actions.
Thank you for your reply, God bless you and yours too.