[Cal]

One of the keys to freedom from the LR is to realize that nobody in the movement has any real authority over you.

Yes, if you are in their meeting halls or trainings you need to submit to their rules. That's just common sense. But outside of that, in your personal human or spiritual life, they have no authority. The movement has no authority.

This is true of any spiritual leaders.

This is probably the freedom moment that Joanna experienced, when it suddenly dawned on her that God alone is her Master and he has no deputies.

The LR is all bluster. People are held there by fear. Every one of them is. If anyone tells you they would never leave the LR but they are not held there by fear, you are talking to a liar.

I read something recently that jumped out at me. It said:

FEAR IS A PRAYER TO THE DEVIL

That's pretty shocking. But I believe it is true. To live in fear is to sell your soul to the devil. Don't misunderstand me. Healthy fear and respect for God is scriptural. But fear of a religious system and its advocates is completely bogus. Fear of facing judgement and outer darkness because you deviated from "the ministry" is straight from the pit.

I can prove it. In order to respond to the claims of anyone who says they have the truth, a person by definition must engage his conscience and inner being. This implies that the conscience and inner being are the final arbitrators of everything.

For someone to tell you "believe me and ignore your conscience" is absurd because they are appealing to your conscience to do so. So the conscience must be respected. The only thing that remains then is reasoned, fair discussion. If you believe you have the truth, then make the reasoned case in the arena of public ideas. Don't hide behind walls and threaten your followers and throw bombs over the wall and refuse to address public questions about how you do things. In short, don't deal in fear. Any group that does that, and the LR is one of them, is by definition a cult.

I saw a documentary on Scientology. It is one of the worst cults in the world. But one of the requirements of the group is that members always be "positive" about it. Ex-members recall grinning ear-to-ear and talking about how great things were when they were dying inside and felt like their heads would split open. (When you feel unsettled by the poster boy for Scientology, Tom Cruise, wearing his somewhat maniacal grin, that's what you are seeing.)

But the fact is the LR has many parallels to Scientology and other such groups, because they are all based on the same lie--that some leader is smarter than you and has been put in authority over you and you need to devote your life to obeying him. Whether it's David Miscavige or Witness Lee or Titus Chu or whomever, it's all the same lie. Yes, on the one hand they want you to be "happy," because it's good for business. But they have no problem settling for fear.

God alone is our Master. We respect those he has raised up in the arena in which he has given them authority, which ends at the doorway of the organization they lead, which you can freely leave if your conscience dictates. If they have a problem with that then you know you were dealing with a spiritual abuser and that you made the right decision.

Get that straight and no one can ever control you.