Quote:
Originally Posted by Thankful Jane
I think a better way for me to say it would be to say that the leadership system is one which expects absolute submission. If the expected submission is not given at any point, the system will carry out discipline or punishment.
Isn't this what was present among us in the LCs?
Thankful Jane
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Not absolutely.
Not all localities expect absolute submission. A big difference is whether one writes against the leadership system.
If I may be so bold to say Jane, such as what you experienced in Houston is what I define as an obsession. The leadership system you were under expected absolute submssion to this obsession. As I read in an earlier post of yours:
"This is the problem we are talking about. We need to understand what happened there. I was loving Jesus, reading my Bible, reading other's Christian testimonies, loving the brothers and sisters and sharing what I was enjoying from times with the Lord in the Word. I was starting to find my freedom in Christ and realizing I did not have to submit to what men were telling me was God with regard to my practical life. I had not one thought against Witness Lee. I spoke not one word against Witness Lee. I was enjoying God and my Christian family. Then came the ax. It was wielded by the power invested in the hierarchy and I bowed to it and kept my face in that dirt until God mercifully lifted me up out of the pit I had been left in."
The leadership had a particular obsession which you were not promoting nor opposing. You were being built up in Christ through His Word. Since you didn't share what your local leadership were pushing, your indifference spawned the improper discipline wielded against you. Which in turn adversely affected fellowship with the saints in Houston and presumably in other localities. Had you been in a place like Atlanta, would the same type of obsession result in discipline? I think not.
Sister Jane, it's one thing to have improper conduct towards a brother or sister. There's time for repentance and reconciliation. When we turn our back when offenses are brought to our attention, it only exposes where the heart is. This isn't specifically directed towards you, but for any brother or sister that has been truly offended.
Terry