Quote:
Originally Posted by Acolyte4236
My point was that knowledge helps to weed out all kinds of mistakes, not that it weeds out every kind of mistake. This is why your example doesn't touch my point, which was if people would put more stock in things that could be demonstrated rather than subjective claims of the Spirit doing this or that, we would not have the LC and other sects.
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I was immersed in the LC for years, and under the thrall of their thinking. But I had several conversations on the way out (not realising they were 'exit interviews' at the time) which illuminated what I was dealing with.
You see, I'd recently begun "enjoying God" outside of the LSM literature. I'd actually been in experientially immersed scripture apart from what they called the "interpreted word" of Witness Lee's commentaries. I'd sensed Jesus' Holy Spirit there, and was now sharing this new enjoyment in a meeting. ("He's new and fresh, available and near" went the LC song) As I shared, the group leader's face became grim, and he silently looked ahead. The other ones froze, paralyzed. I didn't realise at the time but I'd strayed off ministry ground.
I thought the whole affair odd at the time, even strikingly so, but it wasn't until years later that I began to appreciate to what extent that scripture in the LC was merely used to support ministry doctrines. There were a number of 'special verses' in the LC, of which most readers here will be familiar. These "prove" the LC themes. Then the mass of scripture is covered, in order to be lined up. And whatever scripture couldn't be lined up got dismissed as "fallen" and so forth. (Which portion of scripture was a lot larger than most appreciated)
And underneath the doctrine were a few immutable themes:
1. Don't ask questions
2. Do what you are told
3. Even when leadership is wrong, they are right.
4. Etc
Scripture in this case was merely a prop. Waved when useful, ignored or even rejected when not. So, for example, "oneness" in LC parlance actually meant, Obey leadership. Being "in spirit" meant repetitively shouting verses, footnotes, song stanzas, outline bullet points. And so forth. This forum exists because the "real LC" needed to be teased out of its entanglement with scripture.
Back to
Acolyte4236 point above. Knowledge of scripture in and of itself doesn't guarantee success in the Christian journey. But it affords a kind of protection, or defense, against shysters like Lee and Hanegraaf, who'd drag us off. And that's a good thing. The journey continues.