Quote:
Originally Posted by JD620
But what really kills me (and I'll never understand why I didn't leave sooner) is how women are/were treated. I don't know why I wasn't bothered before, but the way gender roles are assigned; how sisters are addressed; messages on sisters being more susceptible to gossip, manipulation, lies, emotions; and sitting in the second row.....there's sooo much. SERIOUSLY. How is the sexism so tangible and obvious, yet we never ever talk about it as a church?
Still, the sexism is such a huge problem. I'm horrified that I didn't notice it sooner. I'm frightened about the people who may have been abused, assaulted, harmed, and subsequently ignored because of the practice of "covering the brothers."
We really need to talk about that.
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Yeah, I started noticing several years ago that they "start 'em young", that's for sure. In some localities the truth schools/SSOT's even have the young people brothers sitting in the front row, as if teenage boys have a higher place in God's house than teenage girls. I don't know that all localities do that, some may split them down the middle so boys can sit up from on one side and girls can sit up from on another side, but when you have the chairs in a square, it's the young boys who sit in the front row.
And the ultimate irony is that when the speaking brothers stand on the stage and paint the sisters as gossipers, manipulators, liars, driven by emotions, as well as susceptible to gossip, manipulation, lies, and emotions.......IT'S THE BROTHERS ON STAGE who are manipulating, lying, and being driven by their emotions (fear of losing control)! What a clown show!
The very concept that there are such tangible things in the church that are never talked about and never allowed to be talked about -- that's a red flag of an abusive church. You can't talk about the weirdness or the problems or the horrible treatment of a group of people, and if you do, then YOU are the problem, rather than the problem being the problem.
I think the local church is probably seething inside with people who have been abused, harmed, and ignored or even blamed because of the covering doctrine. That doctrine, by the way, is another known red flag of an abusive group.
Thankfully, we know God hates this. He is not for the covering doctrine for one second. He will right the wrongs that are not righted in this life.
They (the red flags) are everywhere. That's why the co-workers threaten "death" over the saints if they try to go off and read information from non-LSM sources. Because the eyes of their heart will be enlightened very quickly. But the ministry has set up such a fear-based system that it's almost impossible to even get any given member to agree to give contrary information the time of day. It's a gut-wrencher.