[Cal]

Let me interject that some of the misunderstanding probably comes in from the manifestedly different way things were done in the GLA (where Toledo, Ohio and SC are from) and Texas (where Jane and I were from).

I've been really shocked at some of the things the GLA elders have admitted to doing. Toledo spoke of watching movies and playing chess with brothers, and removing LSM's Fermentation book from a meeting he was leading.

Texas elders would have never done anything like that, especially the removing the LSM books part. So it's really foreign to me and probably to Jane to think of an LC segment which actually practiced freedom in Christ (Texas never really did, we all knew exactly what was permitted and what wasn't) and autonomy.

Let me emphasize that most Texas elders would have eaten a box of broken glass before any of them would have taken any action suggesting a book put out by LSM was inappropriate. None of them played sports, watched movies, read fiction or took part in any kind of "worldly activity" except perhaps "on the sly" or when visiting family.

All the members of the Texas churches were expected to behave the same way. Although there was a little sports among young brothers in the early 70s, by the late 70s all that was erased. We were expected to go to meetings, read the ministry, pray and pray-read, preach the gospel, serve, work or go to school, eat and sleep. Period.

I recently asked a current Texas elder if he ever watched entertainment on the TV he admitted to owning. He said no, for fear of "replacing Christ." So you can see the strict mindset endures.

So when Jane says "all," she's operating from that prism of complete order and conformity we saw in Texas. Obviously things were quite a bit different in the GLA.

Both you guys and Jane need to keep this in mind when talking about "all the LCs." Obviously there are some significant differences from region to region.