Quote:
Originally Posted by GraceAlone
Over the years, many different experiences and observations began contributing to a cognitive dissonance that eventually grew almost unbearable for me.
I'd also like to express my appreciation to the people on this forum who have been able to articulate observations and concerns as I was never fully able.
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To your first point, this cognitive dissonance is destructive to our faith. Paul exhorted Timothy to "hold faith and a good conscience which is how we war the good warfare." (I Tm 1.18-19). In the LC we were forced to accept unexplained conflicts. Our faith and our conscience would protest, yet we were forced to silence these inner concerns in order to "keep the oneness, be one with the brothers, etc." In doing so, we damaged ourselves, pleasing man rather than God. Carefully consider this.
Secondly, we received much leaven, many "extras," from LSM. Jesus told His disciples to "beware of the leaven of the Pharisees." It is your obligation now to "test all things, hold on to the good" as Paul told the Thessalonians. (5.21). Many who have left the LC did not do this and threw out the "good" with the bad. From your examples here, you have already made great progress differentiating leaven from truth. Your visit to that congregation was a testing, and you have begun to remove that old leaven that "there's nothing else out there."