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Originally Posted by aron
Actually, when Lee heard this kind of speaking was going around he vehemently put a stop to it (from what I heard). So no, the LSM literature will never make such claims for Lee.
But he consistently and deliberately built a climate which fostered such statements. He built a system in which the route to the top was through loudly and repeatedly making outrageously positive statements about the person and work of Witness Lee. That was one's ticket to the top. Promote Lee and you got promoted. That's how the network got built.
So the idea of "taking the last seat at the banquet feast" was ignored. It wasn't consistent with Chinese cultural practice, and therefore it wasn't helpful to the cause, the network-building process.
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You made a good point. W. Lee didn't necessarily need to promote himself, because he had others to do it for him. If people complained enough (such as with what Paul Hon said), then Lee could give someone a slap on the wrist. It was convenient for Lee, because he could claim that he hadn't promoted himself and he could point a finger at others if LCers felt he was being uplifted.
Lee build a system that reward loyalty to him and his ministry. Those who are leaders today knew how to use that to their own advantage. They can claim that they are simply following the ministry, but the fact is, they like being leaders. Don Rutledge said the following about Benson: "
Benson shared with me that when he was in high school he had received a special call from the Lord. One evening he went out to a golf course and lay on a green as he prayed. The Lord showed him that he would head a world-wide religious organization." I guess that worked out well for Benson. It is apparently what he wanted from the start. Loyalty to Lee and his ministry was the key.