Local Church Discussions - View Single Post - “Local Church ‘Cult’ Label has stuck”—says LSM Star turned Academic

Freedom · 07-17-2015, 10:09 AM

Nigel brings out some excellent points, especially regarding the "cult" label of the LC. I would agree with him that: 1)The "cult" label is partly self-induced, 2)It's not going away, 3) The inability of the LC to fit the American culture, makes it unappealing and even suspicious to Americans.

I grew up in the LC, and over time I became aware of the "cult" label. It never concerned me too much, because before a certain point in time, I had felt that my experiences were mostly positive. I was thus able to buy into the narrative that problem was simply "opposers" who were out to slander the LC.

As I began to question things in the LC more, I came to the realization that there were lots of practices that were unnecessary and even a bit bizarre. For example, I could never figure out why anyone would want to pray-read outlines. I finally had to admit to myself that the LC wasn't for everyone. Over time, as I was subjected to various practices and situations that were borderline abusive, I realize that it's no wonder there are some people who think the LC is a cult. Not only that, but I realized that if the LC really didn't want such a label, the first thing they could do would be to try to be a bit more "normal" in many respects.

As much as the LC has tried to get rid of the cult label, it has stuck. This is despite lawsuits and CRI's endorsement of W. Lee and the LC. Back when the CRI "We Were Wrong" journal came out, there was a "new one" in the LC I'm from who the brothers had been trying to take care of. He had read some things about the LC, and started having some questions about what he was really involved with. The brothers gave him the CRI journal to read in an attempt to salvage the situation. It had no effect and he eventually left.

The situation made me realize that people's perception of the LC wasn't really so much related to what is said about the LC, rather it comes out of their interactions with the LC. The CRI can go on all day long about how "orthodox" the LC is, but at the end of the day, if they've even managed to convince anyone, it doesn't mean anyone new is going to join or think it's a relevant group to be involved with.

07-17-2015, 10:09 AM	#2
Freedom Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Posts: 1,636	Re: “Local Church ‘Cult’ Label has stuck”—says LSM Star turned Academic Nigel brings out some excellent points, especially regarding the "cult" label of the LC. I would agree with him that: 1)The "cult" label is partly self-induced, 2)It's not going away, 3) The inability of the LC to fit the American culture, makes it unappealing and even suspicious to Americans. I grew up in the LC, and over time I became aware of the "cult" label. It never concerned me too much, because before a certain point in time, I had felt that my experiences were mostly positive. I was thus able to buy into the narrative that problem was simply "opposers" who were out to slander the LC. As I began to question things in the LC more, I came to the realization that there were lots of practices that were unnecessary and even a bit bizarre. For example, I could never figure out why anyone would want to pray-read outlines. I finally had to admit to myself that the LC wasn't for everyone. Over time, as I was subjected to various practices and situations that were borderline abusive, I realize that it's no wonder there are some people who think the LC is a cult. Not only that, but I realized that if the LC really didn't want such a label, the first thing they could do would be to try to be a bit more "normal" in many respects. As much as the LC has tried to get rid of the cult label, it has stuck. This is despite lawsuits and CRI's endorsement of W. Lee and the LC. Back when the CRI "We Were Wrong" journal came out, there was a "new one" in the LC I'm from who the brothers had been trying to take care of. He had read some things about the LC, and started having some questions about what he was really involved with. The brothers gave him the CRI journal to read in an attempt to salvage the situation. It had no effect and he eventually left. The situation made me realize that people's perception of the LC wasn't really so much related to what is said about the LC, rather it comes out of their interactions with the LC. The CRI can go on all day long about how "orthodox" the LC is, but at the end of the day, if they've even managed to convince anyone, it doesn't mean anyone new is going to join or think it's a relevant group to be involved with.