Quote:
Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah
In the meeting with the elders I would want clarification as to exactly why I am being censured, I would take notes. If they have a problem with that I would explain that I will be taking this fellowship home to pray and I want to pray over what it is they want me to repent for. I would then thank them for the fellowship and shake their hands. The Bible says to be thankful in all things and I would not want anyone to say I left in a negative attitude.
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And I would probably have done the same thing. Or something like it. At least until there were some clear errors in their "facts." I might have had something to say if they either refused to be specific or gave specifics that were simply false.
But neither you nor I are Jane. And she had no advance warning — at least not of the kind of thing that came. For many people, being blind-sided throws all the "would haves" and "could haves" out the window. I know that my mind often does not catch up to a clear processing until it is over. That is why I like these forums. Read. Think. Write a reply. Think about it. Edit it. Post. A meeting you are required to attend in which you are not allowed to speak or even ask them to slow down eliminates the contemplation of what is being said. I don't know Jane that well. But even the most quick-to-respond person might be taken off their game by such an event. Given warning, I might be ready to at least take notes. But without it, all bets are off.
But back to your thoughts. Since there is easily evidence that something about it is underhanded (even if they think they are righteously doing "God's work") I suspect that the very taking of notes or anything that could be presumed to suggest that you are not simply going to roll over would change their approach. They might then quickly take it a step further and give you the boot, followed by a quick warning to all the local members to not even talk to "this poisonous one who was trying to bring down Lee's ministry." They essentially did it to Ingalls. Why should anyone think that a little brother like you or me would be any different. And it wouldn't even require the writing of a book of lies since it could be confined to Houston (or Dallas, in my case).
Eli gets to protect his sons and Samuel is chased out of the country. That is what happened to Ingalls. There is no better example in scripture. If this were the "true church," Eli (Lee) would fall over in his chair and die because he didn't deal with his sons, and Ingalls would have risen to the top of the totem pole. And I'm sure he didn't even want it.