Quote:
Originally Posted by aron
Now, the "New Apostle" (NA) comes along, thinking that they're the apostolic channel of God's will on earth, and convinces others to subsume their will to theirs.
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This is the core of the error, the presumption of authority and acquiescence to it. The false leader presumes authority, and the misled submit to it. Why? Because they are afraid not to. Why? Because they have been warned something bad will happen to them if they don't. Plus, hasn't the leader "helped" them? Isn't he "great?" This is a subtle, deceiving and powerful psychological trap. And it has been used again and again in history to control people, by both religious and political leaders.
And others. I've said that I watched the documentary "Leaving Neverland," which is about singer Michael Jackson's pedophilia, and even used the theme in one of the MOTA comics. Jackson told his young victims they shared a "unique" love, and that they had something that no one else would understand and would try to attack, and that they must never betray that love or discuss what they did in private or they would "go to jail." Does that sound eerily familiar?
This psychological trap was so strong that even in adulthood the victims felt they should protect Jackson and felt guilty about exposing him. Such is the power of this selfish, abusive control exploiting misplaced loyalty and fear.
As I watched the film, I slowly realized that I had been subjected to the same kind of abuse. Not sexual, but spiritual. My spiritual being was violated and abused for selfish purposes by people who cared more about their "vision" than they did about me or anyone else. Like those victims of Jackson, it took me years to face what had happened to me. Like them, I felt guilty about "betraying" Witness Lee. Hadn't he done so much for me? Hadn't he given me so much? Michael Jackson gave those boys a lot, too. He showered them with gifts and attention and let them do anything on his fantastic theme park estate in California. He "loved" them, as he "loved" all children.
But no sane person would say that excused what he did to them. And no sane person would say what Witness Lee did, and what his successors are now doing, is excusable either.