Quote:
Originally Posted by Freedom
In the LC, verses like Matt 7:5 are often misapplied and used as a means to obstruct people from standing up for themselves or speaking out. Instead they want to keep people running around in circles wondering whether they are right with the Lord or not.
So many of the issues present in the LC and similar groups are related to things like deception, covering up, lying, etc. All of these types of problems are addressed not by remaining silent, but by speaking up. Remaining silent is what enables the abuse to keep happening, or for more people to become victimized by it.
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Right, Matthew 7 is not commanding us NOT to judge, but HOW to judge. Judge, but not hypocritically. Don't judge others for the very things you do yourself. 7:5 TELLS us to take the speck out of our brothers eye! That's judging. We just can't judge someone for their anger issues while hiding the holes on our walls from the objects we threw at it in anger ourselves.
Absolutely more need to speak up. The problem with speaking up is they have tactics for that too.
If you are in the church and speak up, you are shunned, labeled, ostracized, ignored, shamed, told "you need to take life" and all the other controlling phrases.
And also you risk losing relationships with family members over your speaking up or even risk those family members enduring mistreatment themselves on your behalf even though they may not agree with you!
If you are out of the church and speak up, they announce you publicly and castigate you from their safe zone behind the microphone, call you evil and an opposer, and thus anyone left in the church who still speaks to you will then turn their backs on you out of fear.
The control is epically strong in that place.