[TLFisher]

Originally Posted by Anon-San

This took a while to answer all the questions in detail as I had to reflect closely with my experience growing up in the Local Churches. Here it goes (it's a long read):

I think in general churchkids may experience varying degrees of social dysfunction. In my opinion it may change from one family to the next how prone their parents may be to peer pressure.
I also feel churchkids experience a lack of boundaries. No empowerment to say no. Because to say no may very well be received as being in rebellion. I admit I had a lack of boundaries. It was easy for the older saints to get me to comply when I really wanted to say no.

I woke up and instead saw intellectual suicide.

That's succinct way to sum up being in the local churches. To exist there for a long period of time you really have to commit intellectual suicide (throw out reason and ignore your conscience). Remember the central character in The Emperor's New Clothes? That's what you experience.
The Recovery discourages asking questions. Leading brothers being asked questions will receive it as "questionings". It's because of the lack of transparency are brothers motives and their integrity fall under scrutiny.
A common phrase is to "get out of your mind". The Recovery does not want brothers and sisters to be analytical. Rather the Recovery wants brothers and sisters to comply and conform.

The church and LSM expects them to act, speak, behave, learn, and dress the same under the principle of “What would Witness Lee think and do XYZ if he was still alive to keep the LC gravy train going” (I don’t think it was Witness Lee’s intention to exploit his teachings initially, but I would not be surprised if the brothers who formerly worked directly under him had other plans after his passing).

Not sure whom Anon-San is referring to, but from my perspective if it were the Ingalls-Mallon-Knoch type of brothers, I think what one would expect to see is a message given followed by a time of testimonies. Certainly not parroting the ministry of a man.
I think the churches associated with LSM are nothing more than ministry churches, but if it wasn't for LSM these churches have the capacity to be so much more. Just drop the ministry and come back to the pure Word of God.

As for the members reflecting on the Exodus of young people leaving the LC, I cannot say much about it. I did sense fellow members being judgmental towards young people leaving the LC prematurely if they were raised in a single parent home. They blame the lack of shepherding and secular smartphone usage responsible for the Exodus of young people leaving the LC, but with our busy lives and young people trying to figure out themselves it shouldn’t be a surprise. For me, I experienced more corruption, petty politicking, and lies presented by the LC/LSM than enjoying the church’s wholesome teachings.

I'm a Gen X. In my generation of young people from the late 1980's, even then there was an exodus of young people. Each one has their experience why they left. For me it was the door knocking flow and the peer pressure that went with it. My feeling is had the Recovery blessed and given grace to those who left, maybe we wouldn't be on this forum? Instead their propaganda condemns those who left.

To think that LC/LSM is free from faults & corruption is naïve and ignorant. A lot of the problems in the LC are overlooked or ignored because there is so much denial such as how much we venerate Witness Lee’s teachings/writings in LSM books than the actual Bible itself.

I agree with this statement and would even take it further to say reliance on Recovery Version footnotes is given far more attention than Scripture. As if the footnotes are treated as a 3rd testament.