[UntoHim]

Unregistered,
Thanks for having the guts to come here and share these very personal experiences with us. This is partly what this forum is about – for people like you to come and dialogue, and hopefully engage in some helpful fellowship. Please consider registering by sending your request (along with your desired User Name) to LocalChurchDiscussions@Gmail.Com. One of the benefits of registration is you will be able to send and receive “Private Messages” from any other registered members. I know from past experience that many people have received a lot of help from confidential communication with other forum members.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I have seen a very large window of hope for us in spite of the issues swirling around us. However, I feel as though we will only grow in our relationship as God intends for us if we settle the differences between the LRC and other churches.

“A very large window of hope in spite of the issues swirling around us” – Wow, what an insightful observation by such a young man! Good for you. Whatever you do, whatever happens, do not give up this positive outlook, for it will serve you well for the rest of your life. In the meantime, I know you are in a tight situation with not much experience to draw from. Whether you realize it or not, you’ve run into one of the largest collection of well-meaning geezers on the Internet – well most of us are geezers compared to you. Though most of us are “ex” Local Church members (some of us have been out for 10-20 years), many of us still have family and or friends in the movement and keep close tabs on what’s going on in “The Lord’s Recovery”, so much of the advise you get here may not be as stale as you might think.

Now for the bad news. However, I feel as though we will only grow in our relationship as God intends for us if we settle the differences between the LRC and other churches. I am going to tell you right here, right now, that if your relationship is going to be dependent on whether or not you can settle the differences between the Local Church and other churches, you are cruzin for a bruzin. The simple truth of the matter is that the Local Church exists for, and thrives upon, their differences with other Christians and other churches – if they compromise then they lose their very reason for existence. As you may know from looking around this forum, they even reject members and churches of their own movement who would make the smallest of compromises with “Christianity”. Now, as others here have mentioned, some of this depends upon what city or region the particular church or individual is in. Also, according to what I have seen, things are “loosing up” a bit in the movement, especially in America, so time may indeed be on your side after all.

I know that the old adage “love conquers all” is not exactly biblical, but I think it may be applicable to your situation. As you may have gathered, “Christ and the Church” is more than just religious dogma to Local Church members. Though they consider themselves Christians, anything and everything to do with Christ is inextricably linked to the Church – Their Church, The Local Church, The Local Churches associated with Witness Lee. This strong link carries over into even the most intimate of human relationships. I wish I could tell you that love can even hold a candle to, much less conquer this religious mindset, but I would probably be giving you false hope. So maybe love does not conquer all, all of the time, and it may be that your love for your girlfriend will eventually conquer the wedge that this religion drives between people. I will be praying for you and her and your situation.