Quote:
Originally Posted by Terry
Many like us who were raised in the local churches, don't know any differently. Meeting with other assemblies, I am quite fine with local churches being somewhat unorthodox. Unique? Not really. Speak with someone from the Exclusive Brethren and you'll realize the local churches are not so unique. Sure they might try to use high sounding words to appear unique, but not really.
Real issues for a former LC attendee such as myself are the practices (orthopraxy) that are sectarian and only produce division.
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When I was in Detroit I had two small children and I was watching what was going on..."oh Lord Jesus" repeatedly, the shouting in meetings, the constant pray-reading and that was the beginning of the end for me but not the deciding issue. I was concerned about raising my children in that environment. There were other issues and I was fully aware of the issues surrounding the Plymouth Brethren since we were similar.
The bottom line for me was when Ron K. and the other two elders in an open meeting berated another brother, Don O. and I for "not following brothers". Don and I had been involved in bringing in the young people and I had been working the University. We were doing some crazy stuff after going to Berkeley and seeing what they were doing. We were concerned that the elders were not willing to follow some things but we were certainly flexible. Rather than pull us aside and talk to us about it they decide to deride us openly in a meeting. We were just in our 20's and we were doing the best we could full tilt. Don O cried and I was just stunned. Using a basic right in our country there was no due process or fairness. In the end what they did was blow up the efforts of Don O and I and the pursuit of bringing in young people of which I had brought some into the LC from the University.
As we know, these were not unique responses from LC leaders because these are the practices of the LCs over the years!