Local Church Discussions - View Single Post - The God-Men: An Inquiry into Witness Lee & the Local Church

NeitherFirstnorLast · 11-26-2012, 04:30 PM

Chapter 2 Cnt'd....

This next part is on the "recent" history of the LC, at the time of this books writing. This is the part that undoubtedly launched the lawsuit - as it does the most damage to the testimony of the LC. To the people in the Local Churches at this time, not immediately involved in these events, the allegations made here were undoubtedly shocking. To us, this is now history - and I have to ask us to treat it as such. What evidence could Duddy offer to the events he records here? We know he had the testimony of Max Rapoport, who was Lee's closest associate and right-hand man. Duddy also references a holding company I was not aware of - and a company name I hadn't heard of - perhaps some of you have? Of course, assuming most of us here already accept the testimony we are about to read as fact (because we've heard it elsewhere already from numerous credible souces), then we can imagine that subpoenas could have been issued and members of the LC who could corroborate the charges could be brought forth - but we cannot know what the outcome of this would be. Ultimately, we must remember that while Lee launched the lawsuit, it was also his legal team that continually "bought time" and dragged the process out for over four and half years until the other side bankrupted. If none of the allegations we are about to read are true, then dragging out such a lawsuit would not make sense. You would want to get to court as quickly as possible, and vindicate yourself.

That said, let's move forward. I will quote more fully here, as this is a part many would like to hear all about.

On Recent History

"Witness Lee's Anaheim headquarters house two separate branches of the organization, both legally incorporated. Lee is technically and legally not the head of the first branch, the Local Church, which he serves as a salaried, official consultant. The second legal structure, called the Living Stream Inc., is the ministry over which Witness Lee actually presides.

....Though Witness Lee is not legally at the helm of the Local Church organization, the presence and influence he wields there are equivalent to his presence and influence within the Stream ministry. Hence the two agencies are considered synonymous for the purposes of this book's theological and social commentary.

Besides the two agencies for the ministry, Witness Lee and other Local Church figures have also engaged in two business enterprises called Day Star and Fosforus. Lee has served as chairman of the board for both companies. His son, Timothy Lee, has served as president of Fosforus.

Day Star of California sold motor homes until the fall of 1975, when, having failed to maintain a subsistence level of sales, it registered as a suspended operation. Fosforus was a Taiwan-based factory that initially manufactured parts for the Day Star recreation vans. When the California enterprise folded, Fosforus began to make chairs which Local Church congregations and individual members were encouraged to purchase for meeting halls and homes. A sufficient market was not created, however, and Fosforus then embarked on the manufacture of tennis rackets... When that phase of operation also failed, Fosforus suspended operations but maintained its ninety-nine year lease on its property. An unregistered agency, Overseas Christian Steward, acts as the parent body for both non-functioning corporations.

In another financial operation, funds solicited from Local Church members for a meeting hall in Stuttgart, Germany, were diverted into American real estate. The $235,000 collected was withdrawn from German banks in the spring of 1978 because of their low 3% interest rate and invested in a six-apartment building located next to Witness Lee's home in Anaheim, California. Although that investment is appreciating, no apparent action has been taken to acquire the proposed Stuttgart meeting hall.

In the autumn of 1978 a significant split occured in LC headquarters: more than forty members of the Anaheim congregation withdrew, including two of Lee's top administrators. Around the nation, several hundred others have followed their example... LC elders, under Witness Lee's direction, have held special meetings for national and international leaders on how to deal with the defectors, particularly Max Rapoport, Lee's erstwhile heir apparent and former president of the Anaheim Local Church. From the "Max Conference" have stemmed rumors that Rapoport has been in league with the devil and is the betrayer Judas. In November 1978, however, Ron Kangas refused to acknowledge any attrition, describing the Anaheim dissidents as engaged in Local Church endeavors outside the Los Angeles vicinity. The Local Church has since responded to the defections by publishing a pamphlet entitled "The Belief and Practices of the Local Churches", hoping to dispel any derogatory publicity. According to former members, however, the pamphlet, which is couched in evangelical language, accurately represents neither the beliefs nor practices of the LC."**

**SPECIAL NOTE: Looking ahead into Chapter 3, there is reason given for Max's resignation/defection from the LC. We WILL get to it, but I'd rather not present it yet - to keep us on topic.

******************

I don't generally delve into the history of the LC as regards financial issues. To me, it is not the issue it is to others - I don't see it as a blot on an otherwise spotless record, but rather only a symptom of a systemic disease. For this reason, I can't say that I've ever heard of "Fosforus". Have any of you? Nor have I heard of "Overseas Christian Steward". What have any of you heard about these organizations?

11-26-2012, 04:30 PM	#105
NeitherFirstnorLast Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 348	Our Reading Continues... Chapter 2 Cnt'd.... This next part is on the "recent" history of the LC, at the time of this books writing. This is the part that undoubtedly launched the lawsuit - as it does the most damage to the testimony of the LC. To the people in the Local Churches at this time, not immediately involved in these events, the allegations made here were undoubtedly shocking. To us, this is now history - and I have to ask us to treat it as such. What evidence could Duddy offer to the events he records here? We know he had the testimony of Max Rapoport, who was Lee's closest associate and right-hand man. Duddy also references a holding company I was not aware of - and a company name I hadn't heard of - perhaps some of you have? Of course, assuming most of us here already accept the testimony we are about to read as fact (because we've heard it elsewhere already from numerous credible souces), then we can imagine that subpoenas could have been issued and members of the LC who could corroborate the charges could be brought forth - but we cannot know what the outcome of this would be. Ultimately, we must remember that while Lee launched the lawsuit, it was also his legal team that continually "bought time" and dragged the process out for over four and half years until the other side bankrupted. If none of the allegations we are about to read are true, then dragging out such a lawsuit would not make sense. You would want to get to court as quickly as possible, and vindicate yourself. That said, let's move forward. I will quote more fully here, as this is a part many would like to hear all about. On Recent History "Witness Lee's Anaheim headquarters house two separate branches of the organization, both legally incorporated. Lee is technically and legally not the head of the first branch, the Local Church, which he serves as a salaried, official consultant. The second legal structure, called the Living Stream Inc., is the ministry over which Witness Lee actually presides. ....Though Witness Lee is not legally at the helm of the Local Church organization, the presence and influence he wields there are equivalent to his presence and influence within the Stream ministry. Hence the two agencies are considered synonymous for the purposes of this book's theological and social commentary. Besides the two agencies for the ministry, Witness Lee and other Local Church figures have also engaged in two business enterprises called Day Star and Fosforus. Lee has served as chairman of the board for both companies. His son, Timothy Lee, has served as president of Fosforus. Day Star of California sold motor homes until the fall of 1975, when, having failed to maintain a subsistence level of sales, it registered as a suspended operation. Fosforus was a Taiwan-based factory that initially manufactured parts for the Day Star recreation vans. When the California enterprise folded, Fosforus began to make chairs which Local Church congregations and individual members were encouraged to purchase for meeting halls and homes. A sufficient market was not created, however, and Fosforus then embarked on the manufacture of tennis rackets... When that phase of operation also failed, Fosforus suspended operations but maintained its ninety-nine year lease on its property. An unregistered agency, Overseas Christian Steward, acts as the parent body for both non-functioning corporations. In another financial operation, funds solicited from Local Church members for a meeting hall in Stuttgart, Germany, were diverted into American real estate. The $235,000 collected was withdrawn from German banks in the spring of 1978 because of their low 3% interest rate and invested in a six-apartment building located next to Witness Lee's home in Anaheim, California. Although that investment is appreciating, no apparent action has been taken to acquire the proposed Stuttgart meeting hall. In the autumn of 1978 a significant split occured in LC headquarters: more than forty members of the Anaheim congregation withdrew, including two of Lee's top administrators. Around the nation, several hundred others have followed their example... LC elders, under Witness Lee's direction, have held special meetings for national and international leaders on how to deal with the defectors, particularly Max Rapoport, Lee's erstwhile heir apparent and former president of the Anaheim Local Church. From the "Max Conference" have stemmed rumors that Rapoport has been in league with the devil and is the betrayer Judas. In November 1978, however, Ron Kangas refused to acknowledge any attrition, describing the Anaheim dissidents as engaged in Local Church endeavors outside the Los Angeles vicinity. The Local Church has since responded to the defections by publishing a pamphlet entitled "The Belief and Practices of the Local Churches", hoping to dispel any derogatory publicity. According to former members, however, the pamphlet, which is couched in evangelical language, accurately represents neither the beliefs nor practices of the LC." SPECIAL NOTE: Looking ahead into Chapter 3, there is reason given for Max's resignation/defection from the LC. We WILL get to it, but I'd rather not present it yet - to keep us on topic. ****************** I don't generally delve into the history of the LC as regards financial issues. To me, it is not the issue it is to others - I don't see it as a blot on an otherwise spotless record, but rather only a symptom of a systemic disease. For this reason, I can't say that I've ever heard of "Fosforus". Have any of you? Nor have I heard of "Overseas Christian Steward". What have any of you heard about these organizations?