Quote:
Originally Posted by Terry
How is it there is such strong feelings towards ones who leave the local churches? My conclusion is an absence of grace.
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My two cents are that it's fear again. But not fear put on the members by the co-workers, it's fear on the co-workers' part that:
1. their sin might be uncovered
2. their abusive teachings might be revealed for what they are
3. they have given the entirety of their lives to a lie
4. they have harmed many people and are accountable to God for it
5. they are wrong
I mean, think about it. Those five things would drown anyone in shame and be too much for anyone to handle without God stepping in.
When people react as irrationally and as strongly as the LC leadership does (and the lay-members react the same because they have been taught to), it says much more about what's going on inside the co-workers' hearts than has anything to do with anyone who leaves. The lay-members may react due to points 3-5 above, and they really know the truth in their heart, but have to swim around in the pool of cognitive dissonance and just close up their ears to cope with it. The strength of the feelings against ones who leave points to the sheer volume of anxiety trapped within the person who has those strong feelings. Based on his vituperative rhetoric, it seems Ron Kangas is actually the one walking around with the most anxiety within him, regardless of his "no fear, no worry" attitude on stage. I mean, seriously. People only react the way Ron does when they can't cope with what a given member's leaving the LC means for HIM.