RE: Open Letter - Dear Saints in the Lord's Recovery - Joann Casteel

[UntoHim]

Please post any responses to this Open Letter here on this thread.
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[byHismercy]

Someone was wondering the when the letter was written....she referenced her child born in 2018, so it is fairly recent, I think

[least]

Thank you byHismercy.

[Ohio]

Reading thru this family's story, I continually oscillated between sad and mad. I was active in the Ohio area LC's from mid-70's to the mid-00's, and what I read in their account was for the most part different than anything I had ever seen.

[aron]

Originally Posted by Ohio

Reading thru this family's story, I continually oscillated between sad and mad. I was active in the Ohio area LC's from mid-70's to the mid-00's, and what I read in their account was for the most part different than anything I had ever seen.

It resonated strongly with me. Especially the part about identifying fear as the controlling force. The LC leadership uses intimidation. They have the freedom to speak horrible things from the podium and nobody can say a word. Because the audience is scared to call it out, they are paralyzed with fear.

I told the story where a Blended was giving a conference and looked down from the podium and started querying a 'local church brother' about his relations with his wife. Unbeknownst to the Blended, the brother's wife had left him. The brother sat there red-faced, while the Blended went on. Nobody in the meeting said anything. (several hundred were present) But if you say anything to the Blendeds about their family life? Forget it! No chance.

What rules is fear. They say there's no hierarchy but some get to 'call out' others without reciprocity. And everyone knows it.

[aron]

The other thing I liked about the post was that I've long felt that more females should speak up about the legacy of abuse. Here's what I wrote 6 months ago:

Originally Posted by aron

What were the charges against those in the so-called Sisters' Rebellion, and how were their 'sins' different from the actions of those lauded as the historical torchbearers of "the Lord's recovery"? What's different, other than earlier ones being conveniently dead and therefore useful to a power play, whilst some, being very much alive, were perceived as rivals and threats? Okay, I get that. Anything else, here? Any fundamental differences, or merely the issue of convenience?

And how could we all sit there while RK publicly derided "spiritual sisters" as being "worse than rebellious brothers", and not notice the glaring disconnect between this and his lionized "early pillars"? How did otherwise intelligent and functional people get so mesmerised by the WL mind control programme? Amazing to consider in retrospect.

Convenience creates contrivance - there's your "present recovered truth". And we all sat there: stupefied, stunned and senseless.

The reason females have been pushed down in the LC is simple: it automatically eliminates 50% of the potential threats. Just get them to agree that being female obviates them from rational thought and it is so much easier to reprogram and control them So to see a female saying, "Hey, this doesn't make sense was encouraging.

That and the person writing from the PRC were the best things I've seen all year. It just takes one courageous person to speak up. One little 'Toto' to pull back the wizard's curtain.

Originally Posted by aron

I'd like to focus on one particular "rebellion" as an example of what is at play here. The so-called "Sister's Rebellion". What was their crime? Drawing others unto themselves? Being "spiritual sisters" (RK's derogatory term)? Okay, then why base your movement prominently on the thoughts and activities of Jessie Penn-Lewis, Madame Guyon, Miss Margaret Barber, Miss Elisabeth Fischbacher, Mary McDonough, Ruth Lee et al.... ?

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by aron

What rules is fear. They say there's no hierarchy but some get to 'call out' others without reciprocity. And everyone knows it.

Here it is abundantly clear that the LC management style is not lifted from scripture but from the military and Chinese culture. There is a clearly defined "pecking order" which delineates the hierarchy. The higher-ups alone have the prerogative to "call out" or "dress down" those beneath them.

It wasn't just with LSM, the elders, or the brothers that this "pecking order" was apparent. About the time my wife and I were leaving the "program," another deacon and his wife suddenly visited us. They were both on the verge of tears, almost in a state of shock. They both had been selflessly serving our young people for years. They had just left a time of "fellowship" with an elder and his wife. The elder's wife had tirelessly castigated this deaconess in front of their husbands over basically nothing. It was not about anything she had done, but "it's all about who you are!" All we could do is comfort them and explain that it's just the way things are.

[RambleOn]

Originally Posted by byHismercy

Someone was wondering the when the letter was written....she referenced her child born in 2018, so it is fairly recent, I think

This letter was posted on 6/9/2019, so yes, very recent.

I was born and raised in the LC, so very much of this letter resonated with me. It is difficult to put into words how frightening and isolating it can be to question this system when you've been born into it, and the authors of the letter did a good job of encapsulating that feeling.

[awareness]

It's very hard to leave a cult that you've grown up in.

So kudos to Greg and Joanna for having the courage to walk out. And I hope their testimony encourages others to do so.

"Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our minds ..."
- Bob Marley - Redemption Song

[NewManLiving]

The replies to the letter posted on Facebook are quite interesting

[Raptor]

Hi, ...I just recently began to learn about all the hidden history of the LR. To you all that have been aware of this for a while, how do you evaluate the impact of this letter from the Casteel´s and all the Facebook responses so far? I know there are many other documents from others and letters, etc., but how do I put this letter and responses into perspective?

In other words, does this open FB post with so many saints supporting and confirming with their own experiences seem like something really big is happening and gaining momentum, like the cat is really out of the bag now, or maybe just not yet?

Thanks!
(me? just a brother in the church for years and years looking to the Lord to understand.....)

Originally Posted by awareness

It's very hard to leave a cult that you've grown up in.

So kudos to Greg and Joanna for having the courage to walk out. And I hope their testimony encourages others to do so.

"Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our minds ..."
- Bob Marley - Redemption Song

Yeah. Maybe I can have courage to walk out too. I'm still in the LC as a teen but I'm thinking about leaving it entirely