Terry, OBW, & all ...
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Originally Posted by Terry
Generally, I believe those that stay in that environment are those who believe the falsehoods and those that see no viable alternatives to meet.
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Have you ruled out psychological, emotional, and/or social reasons for staying in the local church? or no reason at all?
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Originally Posted by OBW
Every time we soften up on the system because the underlying basics are clearly orthodox, we justify the system that traps people in serious error and even psychological danger and damage.
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I really can't speak to why people stay in the local church. There's probably more reasons than we can list. However, looking back, on my departure, I'd have to say some kind of blindness is at hand. In that, as I remember it, the incongruities between the preaching and practices was pretty obvious, to anyone that could see well enough to read, or drive.
But I can speak to two brothers I know that have remained, or gone back, into the local church.
One, that I've known for decades, actually both, pretty much admits he stays in for social reasons. He says he goes to conferences and elders meetings to meet brothers and sisters he hasn't seen in awhile. When asked what was spoken about at a recent elders meeting he attended he said, "I don't know. I don't listen." When asked directly why he stays in he said, with a laugh, "For the food." LoL
The other brother doesn't want to talk about anything concerning Lee or local church history. He's staying in for what I'd call psychological/dependency concerns. He went back into the local church. And then got so many DUI's he was on house arrest. The brothers told him they couldn't help him with his alcoholism. That he needed to go to AA or some other treatment program. Why is he staying in? Obviously, for emotional psychological issues.
He probably needs a shrink ... prolly both of them could use one.
And sometimes, with some, they themselves don't know why they stay in. It's become a habit ... like an opiate
of the masses.