[ZNPaaneah]

Originally Posted by Trapped

Hi ZNP, I've spent some time reading through a lot of posts on this forum and have noticed you sometimes respond similarly ("who cares") in other threads.

I have posted 6,000 times. I would be surprised if there are 6 posts of mine with this expression.

Originally Posted by Trapped

I'll start by saying that I don't really disagree with you. I think in most cases, no the LC does not control what books most saints purchase or read, although I have heard cases of what could arguably be labelled the opposite.

Yes, I am one such case. I was pressured to buy a WL book rather than a WN book, and refused to do so. In reflecting on my own testimony I have come to believe this was one of the "strikes" against me that the elders referred to when they dragged me into the elder's room. However, no one was willing to say this clearly.

Originally Posted by Trapped

On the other hand, there are indisputable cases of saints having their own books or personal blogs or anything that might be labelled "publication" in ANY way shut down by "brothers-in-power that be". This happens. It is a fact. It is wrong.

Again, I have many experiences of this. While in Houston I saw Ray Graver research and write his book about pray reading the word. He would come to the library at Rice University and I would see him there. He would also share some of his finds during meetings. It was a wonderful confirmation that "pray reading" has been with the church for thousands of years and that all of the most respected spiritual brothers had this practice. LSM did not publish the book. He wrote this when it would have been very valuable to disprove the attacks in the law court concerning God Men and Mind Benders. Why wouldn't LSM publish? I think it reveals a lot. So what, he published with another publisher, I have the book, and I enjoyed the entire process. At this time I was also sharing a lot about the precious stones. This was passed up the chain to WL and he asked for me to write something. I sent him 20 pages and he concluded that "it wasn't ready". Many saints were upset, not me. First, I addressed his pet doctrine that Jasper was green. I could have not said anything. Instead I chose to be diplomatic, but accurate and honest. I am glad that I did. A year later LSM was printing the "rainbow booklets" they wanted them to be the colors of the precious stones, they asked Kerry Robicheaux to get them the colors but the brother in charge of printing didn't like the colors because "they were ugly and they had black in them". So they asked me, I spent a day, came back with the colors, they loved them, and those were the colors they used for the "rainbow booklets". Again, very revealing. Just like the song said "all he could do the foe, was just release the flow". Again, that song was written by a brother in Houston. Why were these songs not made part of our official hymnal? There was a time when lots of saints were writing songs, we were encouraged to do this after the Ephesians training. But LSM didn't publish, why? Again, to my impression very revealing. While in Taipei in the Full time training I wrote and published a book "Glory to the Coming King" again not with LSM though I would have.

Originally Posted by Trapped

The Lord will adjust them, either now or at the end, but it doesn't also mean that we agree with or let slide things that are wrong in this age. Although there is a wide spectrum of oppression, LSM definitely dabbles in it, and the Lord was all about freeing those oppressed.

I disagree. We are responsible to say something, but once we do we are free to move on. I love chrysolite, chalcedony and sardonyx most of all. Few saints know anything about these stones. They have helped me in my spiritual walk. I love RG's book on pray reading, that also has helped me tremendously, again a hidden gem that few saints know anything about. I loved the songs that we wrote much more than the ones WL did. I loved writing the book. After the first draft I realized I had quoted almost every book in the Bible, so I did an index, found the books that were not quoted and that helped me round out my book. The outline of the book is Wesley's hymn "Hark the Herald Angels sing". It was a great experience, LSM not publishing did not in the slightest damage that. The Lord says that you will know a tree by its fruit, I feel that the fruit of LSM reveals the tree that it is. That revelation is a blessing. If you feel it is a corrupt tree then simply steer clear of it.

Originally Posted by Trapped

Are you a church kid (either born one or come into the LCs at a young age)? Or did your time there occur as an adult? I believe this makes a difference.

I reshared my experience, UntoHim moved it to my blog, and there I deleted it because I didn't want it there.

Originally Posted by Trapped

I know someone who touched the church as an adult, went to some meetings and listened to some training messages, and said "I don't agree with enough things they say, goodbye", and left. He came in as an adult, as a young person he was allowed to think critically and make decisions based on what he clearly saw, and knew from life experience that this WASN'T "the center of God's move on the earth" and he was therefore free to leave. So he did. A blip in his life..

Not my experience. I was in the LC for 20 years, served in Irving for 18 months building the hall, served in FTTT for 8 years. Church in Houston and Church in NYC.

Originally Posted by Trapped

This seemingly normal freedom of thought is a foreign thing for me and the type of normal psychological life that I was cheated of, envy very much, and am working hard to attain even as I have very few models around me to pattern after.

Not my experience. I never gave up my freedom of thought and the persecution was probably due to that but no one would speak openly.

Originally Posted by Trapped

If you have the oracle of God, the one man releasing God's up-to-date speaking on the earth, this gem of a difficult to understand old wise Chinese man that for some reason only our little group sees as the minister of the age and the rest of the millions of Christians don't which must mean we are special and chosen and really in the center of the great wheel while everyone else in dark Christianity is flying off the spokes as we crush them.......telling you "truthfully that there is no light in other books", and you are a young impressionable kid who has grown up being conditioned in every way that you must believe the indisputable truth that is being spoken to you from God's lips through a Chinese accent to your ears......there is a problem. And it's a problem that requires that some people speak up.

Again, not my experience. From the time I was 12 I wanted to know what the Bible said and felt the book was locked up and secret. I didn't care about "WL being the oracle" or "the prophet". All I wanted was to be able to open the Bible to any page and read it.

If you have been wronged you have to deal with it, but dealing with it includes saying "all things work together for good to those that love God and are called according to purpose". I have fulfilled my responsibility to point out your sins and am now moving on with my life in the full assurance that Jesus is Lord.