Observations

Hi all,

I've just been considering my experience with those group and some of the stuff they mention about the Bible & the Christian life are great but I couldn't help feeling there's an oddness amongst many LCers. From their behaviours, way of speaking and clothing (there's more but those are the more obvious ones for me). Also like people said, I definitely noticed the Stepford wives look where their faces seem washed out and lifeless.

Like what do these people actually do in their day to day lives? It just seems to be a lot of "shepherding" and when they do all gather it seems kind of tense, like I never really know what the agenda is. I feel like a lot of them don't really talk normally and brush off a lot of personal questions but they always seem to try and get to know you in an uncomfortable way. I remember one time I brought a KJV bible and one person was staring uncomfortably at me reading from it and when I asked why they were looking at me like that they basically said "Oh, I just wanted to see what version of your Bible is like". Another time, we were asked to pray in groups and all of them would look at me intently at how I prayed. The conversations seem to not get anywhere, it's always stuff like "Are you a student? What college are you from? How were you gained? Did you join our bible study? etc.."like they don't really have anything else to say and when I ask stuff about them they just brush it off and give some very shallow answer.

I'm getting really unsettled in group but their also so nice. Does anyone else have a similar experience?

[countmeworthy]

I was in the LC during the 70s. We used the KJV and the NASB. I learned to “pray read” from the KJ. We memorized many psalms from the KJ since we sang dozens of psalms in our meetings. In late 1976, we started focusing on our dress code inadvertently. We became copy cats and parrots. The Holy Spirit “left the building” right about that time.

It turned from Christ and the church to Lee and the church. At one time in the “locality” I was in, we had very enjoyable fellowship. But most of us didn’t have a knowledge of the Bible. Unless we personally derived spiritual discernment from the Holy Spirit Himself, we believed everything Lee said. That’s not to say all of Lee’s teachings were wrong. Nee and Lee did teach on some deep subject matters.

One of my favorite scriptures: From the NASB Philippians 3:13
“Brothers and sisters, I do not regard myself as having taken hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,”
Same verse From the KJV Philippians 3:13
"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,"

Keep running the race everyone! We are almost at the finish line! Don’t get discouraged!!
Peace of Christ!
Carol

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hi all, I've just been considering my experience with those group and some of the stuff they mention about the Bible & the Christian life are great but I couldn't help feeling there's an oddness amongst many LCers....

You’re starting to notice the subtle cult conformity aspects. These range and vary due to locality and leadership, but in general the local churches are a social cult as well as a heretical cult. You’re talking about the social cult aspects. How they dress and behave amongst each other is part of their social cult aspect. This varies, but in general they will try to be homogenous in how they talk, think, dress, and act. They call this “oneness” but really it’s just cult conformity behavior. And yes it’s weird, and yes they act weird because they are weird. Cults are weird and they ultimately want you to conform to their mold, even though they’ll likely say the opposite. They’ll claim their “oneness” is only in the spirit, but in reality they all dress and act similar and have subtle doctrines to do so. The subtle and subconscious pressure is there. They will treat you different depending on how “consecrated” they deem you to be, which ultimately is how outwardly conformed you are to their mold and what they consider to be a “spiritual” person, or an “overcomer”

It’s 2025 and they’ve learned to be a lot more easy going and subtle, it used to be way way worse. There was some localities were they might kick you out of a meeting or confront you if you wore blue jeans instead of slacks. My older brother got kicked out of a meeting for wearing an earring. It used to be a lot worse until they got smart and started to act subtle so they could attract more people. They would repudiate anything “worldly” such as movies, comic books, television, etc. And they’ve have public burnings we’re the would get together and throw all their “worldly” possessions in a pile and light it on fire. Many people threw away precious things like old family pictures etc. It used to be way worse than what you’re noticing. But yeah, it’s a cult, hence why you’re noticing the cult environment. They are cult members and they like it like that. They like to be cult members, they like being homogeneous, they feel safe or something like that. And yeah they act nice to keep you around, they love-bomb you if you’re new, but they don’t like outsiders. That niceness is a facade, it goes away quickly if you stop meeting with them

They are peculiar people and they consider this a good thing. They are not normal. They don’t think normally because they’re brainwashed with Nee and Lee ministry constantly. They are taught not to get too personal with anyone. So you have this weird phony behavior because they believe caring too much about each other is “natural” therefore fleshly. Just one of Nee and Lee’s many damaging doctrines. It’s an oppressive cult environment that causes mental illness. Many of their members are mentally ill because of these messed up doctrines. They are brainwashed by Nee and Lee doctrines and are taught to read their ministry more than anything else they do every day. They want you reading Nee and Lee ministry morning, noon, and night so you can be “constituted” with it. Many giant red flags and you’re starting to notice some of them

[Nell]

Unregistered—-
To continue this conversation, please register for membership!

To Register For Forum Membership Please Send Email To: Reg4LCD@Gmail.Com
Be Sure To Include Your Desired Username!

Thanks,
Moderator/Admin

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hi all, I've just been considering my experience with those group and some of the stuff they mention about the Bible & the Christian life are great but I couldn't help feeling there's an oddness amongst many LCers....

I just want to point out a couple things you noticed and explain them:

1. "The feeling there's an oddness": This is your natural gut feeling that everyone has that tells them something is deeply wrong but cannot explain it. This is normal, natural, and necessarily put in you by God to keep you from danger. Please don't ignore it. If it quacks like a duck, its a duck.

2. " I definitely noticed the Stepford wives look where their faces seem washed out and lifeless": This is an unfortunate but accurate observation. This could be to multiple reasons. One could be that the woman was abused in the relationship and was covered up because Nee and Lee are very hard on rebelling against or even keeping authority accountable, even if the authority is wrong. A second could be that they made bad decisions in the past that caused them to sever a relationship in their family due to their involvement in the group, even though their conscience told them it wasn't right. Now they carry the regrets of having done horrible things for the group's benefit without being rewarded for it, socially nor spiritually.

3. "I never really know what the agenda is": Let me tell you the agenda, to propagate their method of Christian practice by utilizing methods that are commonly used by other cults. Please read Crucial Words of Leading in the Lords Recovery, where you will find multiple references to other cult groups and how Witness Lee praises them for their "increase". The reason you feel like you don't know is because they would rather keep you chasing the next Lord's Day's prophesying meeting by keeping you blue pilled with the daily Holy Word for Morning Revival. Then after they have you "enjoying the Lord" they will use your innocent positive experiences of the Lord, to nudge you into a direction that will cause you to practice unethical methodologies. All-in-all, give you a happy pill, cause you to recognize that they were the source of the happy pill, then they will tell you that your next fix is dependent upon your conformity with the group's practice of the group's interpretation of the Holy Scripture. If not, you are in death, you are rebellious, you are expressing Satan, typical fear mongering control tactics.

Thank you for posting here, I appreciate your willingness to listen to people who have already been severely damaged by this group and want others to find a better Christian path when confronted with the decision to join this group or not.

[Trusting]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

...I've just been considering my experience with those group and some of the stuff they mention about the Bible & the Christian life are great but I couldn't help feeling there's an oddness amongst many LCers. From their behaviours, way of speaking and clothing (there's more but those are the more obvious ones for me). Also like people said, I definitely noticed the Stepford wives look where their faces seem washed out and lifeless. I'm getting really unsettled in group but their also so nice. Does anyone else have a similar experience?

Hey there! I'm not here to tell you whether or not to continue fellowshipping with them, but in my opinion, there are far healthier church groups out there than being with the Local Church. This is very typical behavior of the LC group. They will use the guise of loving and caring for your needs and being kind and wanting to know you, because they have an ulterior motive get you into their group. They are deceptive, because they are hide who they are affiliated with until they believe the person is open.

Then if you stay with them long enough, there will be an indirect pressure to conform and be like them, otherwise they will look at you in judgement, even if you want to use your KJV bible or read material outside their ministry, or you want to do something you like. They are people who study and work and have families, but a lot of their life revolves around constantly going to meetings throughout the week, getting into Living Stream Ministry materials and attending several conferences and trainings throughout the year. It's a rabbit hole that can be hard to get out if you you go too deep.

You mentioned that you feel unsettled. That is a warning sign to you, because there is indeed something off with them. And they have very strange practices when you get to know them more. And please don't feel guilty about declining meeting with them. You have no obligation to meet with them, just because of what they do for you or because they are kind.