kicked out!

[james73]

Originally Posted by OBW

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And having said all of that, please note that I do not defend the LRC, per se, but note that we may be fighting the wrong battle in this case. Surely they are one of the worst examples of any kind of righteousness when it comes to their stances and how that plays out with their members. Despite the generally poor advice to label them as a cult, there is a side in which the church community as a whole is treating the LRC according to Matthew 18. Unlike the LRC, much of the rest of Christianity operates with much more charity concerning the large variety of groups and differences of opinion on things. But they stop when it comes to "playing nice" with the ones who sue over characterizations of their doctrines (borderline heresy) and practices (actually quite cultic in many cases). The LRC does not respond to attempts at discussion. They simply shut of conversation and call their lawyers.

So they get excluded. Treated as pagans and tax collectors. (I kind of like the idea that labeling something as being like the IRS is a sort of curse.)

Yes, and I'm sorry if I got a little defensive. For British, being excluded from a group is the worst punishment... and without a fair hearing too, a chap gets agitated. I'm also hearing bad things on the grapevine, apparently I am emotionally unstable. This is an infuriating allegation to hear about oneself.

Igzy is right to bring up obligated association, this is probably the key to the upset for me. Despite being quite cynical and disbelieving of the LSM hype, I HAD fallen into the trap of believing, subconsciously, that it was the "only church". It's hard to shake that off. Surprising how deep that nonsense had gotten past my usually ferocious journalistic defenses... even while consciously rejecting it, part of me had accepted it.

Well it's time to take a break, it's emotionally draining. Hearing bad things about myself from mutual acquaintances has proved especially tough, especially where the mutual acquaintances hold absolute faith in the brother telling them the bad things. They are not asking "are you OK?" they are saying "Gosh I heard you had an emotional breakdown, you should seek professional help"... deep breaths... that's why they are mutual acquaintances, not mutual friends.

Maybe close this thread, it's probably too negative. We all have better things to do, right? But, as one at the church accused me of always needing to have the last word, let's keep it open in case anyone else wants to comment a little while longer...

Peace!