Witness Lee Training Centers

[awareness]

Originally Posted by recoveringCK

Other posts suggest the 10 day twice a year trainings were formed to raise money to pay for debts WL incurred with the Daystar venture.

The full time training began in 1977. One of the first training centers was on the east coast Boston area.

Currently, the postgraduate FTT is strongly emphasized in the LC “recovery.” Trainees are treated as celebrities. Much energy is directed toward funneling young people into the training. Young people are told the most important point is to marry someone in the church. Prospective couples are encouraged to emphasize their commitment to the church prior to marriage.

At the same time, young people are taught it is bad to relate to members of the opposite sex before marriage. Conversation is not encouraged. If accepted, this could lead to inability to relate to the opposite sex. It may contribute to other social dysfunction. There are reports of people being “ruined for the church” as if that were a good thing. Others on this discussion board have mentioned social dysfunction out of the church.

Trainees who marry other trainees are more likely to remain in the church as a couple and insist their children do the same than a non-FTT graduate. Elders or BBs sometimes act as matchmakers. When these marriages go well, the couple will likely be strongly devoted to the church leadership. If the marriages do not go well, they go away and do not cause much trouble. Before LCD, there was not a way for ex-members to communicate what was happening.

What they are building is not the church as the bride of Christ but a cadre of devotees. Is teaching people to not relate to the opposite sex is a part of funneling young people into the FTT?

Error correction, comments and additional information is invited

I never paid for the training's. They were called conferences, of 2 meetings a day for a month. Lived with saints, that paid our support. Everybody was totally given to "Christ and the Church" back then.

I remember being told that they were charging $50 to attend. I was taken aback. I said to myself, I won't be paying. I paid 10% every week. That was enough, plus other needs, like a meeting hall (that sold at a profit, but my money had become God's money). Haha

That happened around 77 or 78. When I was in the middle of a turmoil over the MOTA ... that eventually got me excommunicated.

Jesus never charged. And look what he was delivering.