[Ohio]

Originally Posted by Igzy

It's one thing to respect authority in one's church or flock. It's another to take that so far as to not even be able to learn from the mistakes of those who have gone before.

The LSM/LC mindset is wrong because it resists the correction of God and locks in error. Canfield cannot learn from the mistakes of Witness Lee because he will not allow himself to acknowledge them. Thus those he ministers to will be led astray.

This is the fruit of extreme teaching of authority, submission and unity. Like all doctrines of demons it takes something good and perverts it by going to an extreme.

If forgoing marriage for the gospel is good, then forbidding to marry must be better! If respecting and listening to leaders is good, then treating them as if they are practically flawless must be better!

No, it isn't. Just check the fruit.

All are great points, Igzy.

Imagine my shock as a new believer happening upon these verses in Paul's first letter to Timothy ...

But the Spirit saith expressly, that in later times some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons, through the hypocrisy of men that speak lies, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by them that believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it be received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified through the word of God and prayer.

Having grown up in the Catholic Church, with my namesake a Catholic Franciscan priest OFM, I just could not believe that the Bible so specifically stated that to forbid marriage was a doctrine of demons from a seducing spirit through the hypocrisy of men branded in their conscience! There it is in black and white folks! Not only that, it was spoken by the great Apostle Paul, who supposedly established celibacy for the servants of God. And I have not started to talk about the custom of not eating meat on Friday which is a mortal sin ...

The parallels between the Roman Catholics, the exclusive brethren, and the Recovery LC's become all too obvious once an individual steps away and examines these programs in the light of scripture. In each of these systems, errors worsened over time because of the excessive authority granted to their leaders. At first these deviations are merely nuances over interpretations of scripture, and eventually they grow to become blatant violations of the clear commands of scripture. Those within these systems, however, just can't see this because their teachings, in the guise of "proper interpretation" are designed to conceal from them the actual word of God.