Quote:
Originally Posted by byHismercy
Beside this point, and to try and return to the opening post.....regarding speaking to the members openly and honestly, that kind of honest discourse was completely shut down on the LC side for me. They stopped speaking to me in person, by text, phone, and email. Full stop. So there is kind of no way to go on, no way to look at any particular subject with them, in my experience.
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Each one of us had an exit strategy, not always consciously planned. Mine, I was completely oblivious to what was going on, relentlessly positive, 'all is for the best', not realising that the discussions were amounting to exit interviews. Once I was in a small group, a kind of "open fellowship time" and telling them of seeing Christ in the text, and a frozen silence came over them. The group leader stared straight ahead, at nothing, silent and still. The rest noticed and followed suit. My sin? Witness Lee had panned that section. They couldn't see Christ but also couldn't deny my vision. So a lively discussion group suddenly ground to a halt.
Weird. I went home puzzled and bothered. Eventually I realised that they're heavily programmed and can't deviate from the script, a kind of 'Stepford Wives' phenomenon. But I can use that today. Simply point out the disconnect, and let them deal with it. Example: why insist that women aren't qualified to teach and then sell books of women doing just that (e.g., Mary McDonough's 'God's Plan of Redemption') on your web site?
There are 30 or 50 places like this, where one can simply point out the two-facedness, the obvious disconnect. They do have brains, after all, though currently dormant. Ask them to activate, to wake up. If they can't respond, it's on them, not you. And if they do respond, maybe you can learn something!