Quote:
Originally Posted by rayliotta
OK, but (weren't you hoping for at least an hour before the "but's" started  ) -- you yourself have posted that serious changes were already underway at least a few years before '78, no? |
As I tried to communicate, the booklet was the "public face" on the movement, which had already begun to deteriorate from the inside out, that is starting at Anaheim and then infecting member churches. Whatever "fresh start" the ministry of WL had in America, the changes he initiated in Jan 1974 slowly ate away at all the good things of the Lord that existed in the LC's.
As I shared, many "old-timers" were attracted by the early ideals which were presented to the saints, most of which came from the ministry of WN, a well-respected minister, who was imprisoned and martyred for his faith. As the conditions at LSM and many LC's worsened over time, many stuck it out for numerous reasons, such as:
- The hope that things would return to some "former glory," matching the ideals and joys of the early days, and reinforced by false promises from the leaders
- Connections with friends and family within the Recovery, because people tend to stay far longer than they should when surrounded by familiar faces
- Leaving encountered a whole host of fears, some of which are ministry falsehoods, and some of which are the inevitable resistance to change