Let me begin with words from Witness Lee:
Many married sisters pretend and even declare that they love the Lord. Eventually it becomes manifest that what they really love is their children. They do not even love their husbands so much as their children. Such a sister who declares that she loves the Lord yet who really loves her children more is not a full-timer. If a sister is really a full-timer, whether her children live or are taken away by the Lord, it is the same. (Lee, Elders’ Training Book 8, 112–113)
Hmmm...I wonder what kind of an influence that kind of message would have on the hearers? A few have stated that it wasn’t that way in “their” church. Well, maybe “your” church didn’t have the problems to the same degree as the ones that I’ve seen; or, maybe you just didn’t see the problems.
One former LC elder has stated that we shouldn’t use a broad brush to condemn but just move on. Thankful Jane has countered that idea, and I agree with the counter. People should speak up. It helps them to get well, and it helps others.
I do have to ask myself though, “Why do some want to stop folks from writing about what they know? What are they trying to hide?” After my first post, I got a private message basically telling me not to expose people, which I hadn’t done. What are we afraid of? It seems to me like the Living Stream Ministry is like a vipers’ den. To think that you and “your” church somehow avoided the venom is not wise. Besides, hiding information is what the Local Church System is all about.
“My children were fine. I did things with my kids.” This is definitely a good thing and is better than what many experienced. I am thankful to know that a number of children were spared by their parents from the excesses of Lee. Anyway, it's been intimated that The Church in Dallas was somehow without problems in this area, and Matt came out to refute that notion. Please consider another thread with reference to The Church in Dallas,
The Thread of Gold:
When Sally Martin (the sister whose arranged marriage I described previously) was in high school, she was reported to the elders for being seen kissing a young brother in a car after school. Subsequently, during a conference at the Church in Dallas, she was summoned to a private meeting. When she arrived, she found that her parents had also been summoned. According to her, neither she nor her parents knew what the meeting was about prior to being asked to attend. Sally was seated at the head of a long table. Her parents were included at the table with approximately sixteen Local Church elders from Texas and other states. They proceeded to talk to her about her inappropriate behavior while her parents said nothing.
She told me that the whole time became a big blur to her because she was in so much pain from the embarrassment and humiliation of such a confrontation. She lived with the pain of that memory and suffered under the sanctions they placed on her. She also suffered having to face those elders at other Local Church meetings and conferences. (363–364)
Jane goes on to state that this was a matter that should have been broached with her parents for her parents to handle. To subject a young girl to a council of 16 elders from two states sounds like a horrific injustice to me.
Another red herring that has been thrown out to put us off the scent is this: The problems with the children couldn’t have been with the Local Church or the parents because the children of the same parents in the same Local Church turned out differently—one a saint, the other a drug addict. This is “fishy” because every child is unique, formed so by God. It’s up to the parents to find out how to nurture and admonish each one. You can almost be guaranteed that what works for one will not work for the other. It is love that goes the extra mile to find out how to handle each child.
So, please, take care of your children, and the Lord will take care of the church.
Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, "Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." After laying His hands on them, He departed from there. (NASV, Matt 19:13–15)