Anyone here have any experience with Pentecostal Christianity?
I've been dating my girlfriend for 6 months now; we're madly in love and I want to spend the rest of my life with her.
I knew she was Christian this whole time, but I assumed standard Anglican/Protestant (go to church on Sundays, pray in spare time, etc.), but it turns out she's Pentecostal.
Over time, I noticed some odd things; for example, sometimes she would have to go home early because she had been assigned an hour prayer time by her Church in a designated time slot, almost like homework (she would say "I'm on the prayer team so I need to pray from 10-11" or something like that).
And now, just recently, she mentioned an upcoming conference at her Church where members have been advised on how to catch people if they fall down upon being overcome by the Holy Spirit (apparently this is something that happens semi-regularly there?). She mentioned that while she's never completely fallen down, she has stumbled and been brought to tears by the presence of the Holy Spirit.
I am trying not to be judgmental, but all of this is painting a scary picture for me. On the one hand, I can see that the Church means so much to her and has brought her so much good. She found the Church 2 years ago in a particularly traumatic period of her life, and she credits it with saving her. On top of that, she met most of her friends there, and almost her entire social life revolves around it. On the other hand, I am worried about the preachers in these kinds of places taking advantage of vulnerable people, what kind of things are being preached there, and if an overly-dependent relationship is being fostered.
We have spoken about our misaligned faiths before, and I know it bothers her that I am not Christian (she has told me as such, and even almost broke up with me in the early days because of it before changing her mind). I have reassured her in the past by telling her that if we have kids, I am happy to raise them in a Christian household; however, that was before I knew she was Pentecostal. The thought of raising a child in that kind of environment does give me pause, as I wouldn't want our child to grow up feeling shame connected to religious obligation and their adherence to a strict set of rules.
For reference, I was raised Catholic but am agnostic now.
TLDR: Agnostic man dating a Pentecostal Christian woman worried about what it means for our future if we decide to start a family. Does anyone have any experience with this kind of situation or the Pentecostal Church in general?