From the time I started meeting with the LC, and observed people leaving, I mentally asked the question "How can they leave? Why?" I was having a good time, isn't everyone having a good time? I was new, and I was naive, but at the time, I didn't see any problems. I didn't question anything. But I never stopped asking "How can people leave?" "Why?"
Then I began to see problems, especially when the lawsuits began. We were told not to read "Mindbenders", "God-Men", etc. Somehow I got a copy of Mindbenders and read it. Hummm. Many of the points made in this book were actually true. I was not particularly bothered, but the guy was largely correct. What I didn't understand was that DCP was denying his accusations. Still pretty naive, huh? At one point, we were given a copy of J. Gordon Melton's analysis, paid for by DCP. As I read that doc, the lights came on. Perhaps all those times asking "why people leave" was really a prayer...asking the Lord why people leave. My prayer was answered.
I remember the exact words that came to me with the lights coming on: "everything they said about us is true." That is the moment I left the Local Church. Something was terribly abnormal and wrong. I began to plan my exit strategy. I don't know if I left the Church or if the Church left me, but everywhere I looked, I saw things differently. I didn't go looking for the problems, the problems were just there and that's all I could see...I couldn't ignore it.
The LC had a certain path that was obvious to outsiders. Those who wrote books about what they saw were sued and driven into ruin. Yet LC/Lee denied they were doing anything wrong.
This is why people leave. They deny and punish those who see the wrongs and speak out. There is a policy: “If you see a problem, you ARE the problem.”
It was several months before I stopped going to meetings but this was the beginning.
There are many more reasons to leave than those that have been listed:
1. Many church kids felt isolated sheltered by their parents.
2. Endless conferences.
3. Narrow teachings by Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, i.e., OCOC.
4. Elitist attitude about the church.
5. "It's a cult" concern.
6. Jo Casteel's open letter.
I was attacked for my Facebook response, but I just shook it off.
What was your FB response? Can you please share it with us?
UtahGiant mentioned the RV footnotes which Lee claimed to author. You might find this
footnotes link interesting.
So, GoodLand, you have given us a list of why people leave, what do you think about these items? Are they legit?
Nell