Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohio
That's actually destructive to their faith. I've seen it before.
Back in '87 we sent two young sisters to LSM's special summer training in Taipei and Irving. Supposedly life changing and age-turning for the gospel. In Irving their trainers stirred them up to confront all the elders to be re-baptized with them. How does that help them to respect authority? When they returned, they were filled with crazy concepts that they would multiply ten-fold, hundred-fold, thousand-fold with new ones. Unbelievable.
It was the Enemy's oldest trick in the book -- puff you up with elitest pride and then let you crash on the first day of class. Nearly all the young people were lost. LSM refused to even release statistics on how many were ruined by their nonsense. Our sisters basically vanished. LSM can only hype people up in public, yet have not a clue what long term damage it does to their young faith. Yet I'm sure exciting video was watched by W. Lee from the meetings.
Pitch the shirt and find some healthy, fruitful youth ministry for your daughter.
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Thanks! Yeah, I realized I sounded really cynical last night and I apologize bc my issues are 100% with the blended brothers, LSM, and the system. I truly believe the people in the local church are being exploited and manipulated. I have zero issues with them because I know that in most cases, spiritual abuse is just in a culture. But cultures are created.
I've read some things in the ministry today that have really bothered me. I don't have time to post now but might list later. I've listened and read too much material on what are healthy and unhealthy practices, what healthy boundaries are, what mind control tactics exist to EVER be able to think that the culture of the local church is a healthy environment for a Christian.
I'll try to come back tonight and post again....
I keep thinking that I'm out of the shock phase but then I read something from WL that's so unbelievably extreme and offensive and I'm back there.
I really think, at this point....if I asked half of more of the people in my locality whether or not they believed some of this- that they would say they don't.
I feel like I have a pretty good gauge on this too. The local church has changed a lot and what I'm seeing now is a HUGE gap in what's in the ministry and how some saints live. It's much more "normal" now, but they still are in an environment that is suppressive to individuality and critical thinking. There are still a TON of unhealthy behaviors and mindsets.....but I do think they aren't as EXTREME as WL had intended them to be!
At what point are they going to have to stop selling some of WL's books and just sell the ones from the blended brothers?
Bc, I can tell you that just bc a local church has the numbers, does not mean they believe all of it.
The sad thing is, they could never ever oppose it. So they just ignore it as an old book.
Interesting situation.
I know for a fact that a LOT of the people in my old locality wouldn't agree to some of what I read today. And if they said they did then they'd be a hypocrite bc I know them and how they live/decisions they've made. I'm not saying they're bad decisions/mindsets at all- they're not! But according to WL, they would not be "giving Christ pre-immenense." I thought it was interesting with some of the examples he used. He can't really say that any of these examples are sins, because they are obviously not. But he has a very tricky way of encouraging people to be alienated from anything that's even just a normal way of life and labeling it as "worldly" and evil. He can't call it sin though so his examples would personally make me a crazy person if I took his advice! Everything from looking at a newspaper and combing my hair- I need to say yes to God and no to the devil. I shouldn't buy that thing on sale in the newspaper or go to the department stores, I need to say no to the devil telling me to do that.
I seriously wish I was kidding. The examples he used were so insane- I don't even remember reading things like this growing up. Maybe I just accepted it then or maybe this was an extreme case but I was just floored.
I also read his advice on taking abuse from an elder no matter what and never questioning. That makes you a martyr of course.
I'm sorry, from someone who HAS been in an abusive situation in life. I can NOT IMAGINE TELLING SOMEONE WHO IS BEING ABUSED TO STAY and that they'll be rewarded for it someday. Oh wait just a second (sarcasm), this is super convenient for you to say WL, bc people are saying how abusive the culture was and WL/Philip Lee's behavior was so it's all coming together now. It's all very convenient. He can't just come out and say "Don't question my abuse and controlling culture I'm creating." I'm going to make you blindly follow me by creating a culture of guilt and shame with expectations that you'll never be able to live up to and making you question every minute detail of your life until you blindly take everything I say as the undeniable truth..
He really was a genius.
The thing is, we know too much about psychology now to fall for it. My dad might not have and I don't blame him for it but I won't continue the cycle. Among many things, you should NEVER tell someone who is being abused emotionally or spiritually to suffer in silence. If they choose to, then that's their choice but it is just that- YOUR CHOICE AND YOUR CHOICE ONLY.
That really got me. Being abused has SERIOUS emotional and psychological damages. If our body is temple, how is that ok to let it be abused?
I'm waiting for the day when things stop shocking me.
Does that happen?