Life after the LC

[aron]

Originally Posted by Freedom

My observation was that church kids almost always struggled in the LC, and had a lot of inner-turmoil in regards to whether or not they should remain in the LC. For those who did somehow manage to stay in the LC, the decision to attend the FTTA was usually for the purpose of 'proving' themselves to their parents or peers. There wasn't really any real desire to go otherwise.

The whole system is designed to take away choice. First they're told, at about 8 or 10, that to avoid perdition they must believe into and receive Jesus Christ. "You don't want to burn in hell for eternity, do you?"

Then, they're told that only the overcomers will get millenial bliss. "You don't want a thousand years of outer darkness, do you?"

Then, they're told that if they're not "building the Body" then all the sentiments of love and fealty to the Lord are vain. Suddenly it's no longer about faith but rather about works.

And then they're told that any work outside the ministry of Witness Lee and Watchman Nee is vain at best, and divisive and rebellious at worst.

And at every turn, critical and independent thought are discouraged and repressed. In my 'locality' we were told that thinking only produced confusion. "Get out of your mind" was the mantra.

This is the pipeline Gene Gruhler told us about 25 years ago. All designed to push them into the service of an all-too-human publishing house in Ansheim California.

When faced with such a gauntlet, and lacking problem-solving skills to navigate it, some go to meetings once or twice a week, sing a song, share a few sentences on what they enjoyed of Witness Lee's writings, and hope for the best. But a lot of them bail, and abandon the faith entirely. This church, for its size, may produce more determined atheists than any in human history.