Quote:
Originally Posted by aron
...the young ones I observed leaving the family umbrella do not go to christianity. They see the hypocrisy in the "program", as Ohio put it, but have imbibed on a steady diet of invective against what is termed "fallen christianity", and so when they depart the compulsive religious environment in the parent's house they simply drift (or run) into the world. They are raised in the "LC or nothing" mindset, and when they reject the controlling environment of the LC system, they have no spiritual path readily available. When pressed into a corner they will acknowledge Christ, as they genuinely received Him as Lord, but today they have no way to go on. Spiritually they are shipwrecked. I have seen this happen so often that I would make this generalization.
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This not only happens to church kids, but others who also leave the LC. It happened to me. Thanks God he gently drew me back to himself, but it took years, more than I like to think about. Shipwrecked was exactly what I was.
Remaining LCers I'm sure take this condition in former members as evidence of God's displeasure with them, that they are indeed rebelling. But the fact is their consciences have been falsely educated by a systems of lies and half-truths that put the sufferer in an almost unresolvable spiritual dilemma.
Whatever devil is assigned to those former members has a cushy job. He just sits back and keeps pushing the "you-rebel-you-left-the-local-church" button, which is like money in the bank for him. It truly takes the power of the Holy Spirit to break that cycle. Psychology won't do it. Doctrine won't do it. God has to show you that the values of the local church (so-called "oneness," hierarchical authority, ministers of the ages, flows, "submission," mindlessness, etc) are not his values. He has to show you his true heart.
To tie this into the theme of this thread,
yes, the LCS absolutely does lead to this condition of shipwreck.