An Outsider's Story

[ToGodAlone]

Originally Posted by Ohio

Depends on what part of the GLA you are in.

Before the actual quarantine of TC in Oct. 2006, LSM leaders effectively wooed the Chicago leader Bill Barker into their camp. He had been bitterly scolded by TC in a workers' gathering, and was still smarting from that offense. His flip-flop in allegiance was pivotal, and allowed LSM to proceed with their "purging" without major losses.

In the Chicago area, only a few places like Naperville are still supportive of TC. Close to a dozen full-time workers and their families left the Chicago area for TC controlled areas closer to Cleveland. This resulted in a huge "brain-drain" for Chicago, but helped them much financially, since they just completed a major, and very costly expansion to their property.

In "greater Ohio," several nasty splits occurred. LSM controlled minorities were able to out-maneuver the TC sided majorities in Mansfield and Columbus with the help of LSM's legal team. The huge church in Toronto barely escaped LSM's clutches.

Not to overly complicate things, but there are also greater Ohio churches which have distanced themselves from both Anaheim and Cleveland, which is what I predicted all along. TC has long proposed the paradigm of "WL good, Blendeds bad" to all his supporters, and most have bought into that. It's an easy and convenient sell, but it does not match the facts. Once we begin to examine the many faults of the Blendeds, it is just a few baby steps further to realize that WL, TC, and the Blendeds are all pretty much the same.

So this is the current state of the LRC is it? Chicago area is still pretty much under LSM "control" then? It's a darn shame. They say they fight for the Lord's Recovery, but they're no better than that which they separated from, and in a lot of cases are probably worse.

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by ToGodAlone

So this is the current state of the LRC is it? Chicago area is still pretty much under LSM "control" then? It's a darn shame. They say they fight for the Lord's Recovery, but they're no better than that which they separated from, and in a lot of cases are probably worse.

Here's one of life's great ironies. LSM leveraged the quarantine of TC using the policy of having only one publication in the Recovery. James Reetske Sr, another of Chicago's original leaders, and himself an author, said repeatedly in the leaders' meetings, that he was against the mandate for one publication, saying to the extent "Many Christians have died for the right to publish their books."

Yet, when push came to shove, ole JRsr forgot about the past martyrs, and his Christian liberties, and saluted the new bosses in Anaheim. He had no choice but to follow the lead of his more powerful, but less spiritual, co-elder Bill Barker. TC at the time tried his best to spin the Chicago flip-flop as strictly a "business decision," due to their enormous mortgage, close to $2M. Rumor has it that LSM helped them with their financial "burden" in exchange for their complicity in the purge of TC.

[ToGodAlone]

Originally Posted by Ohio

Here's one of life's great ironies. LSM leveraged the quarantine of TC using the policy of having only one publication in the Recovery. James Reetske Sr, another of Chicago's original leaders, and himself an author, said repeatedly in the leaders' meetings, that he was against the mandate for one publication, saying to the extent "Many Christians have died for the right to publish their books."

Yet, when push came to shove, ole JRsr forgot about the past martyrs, and his Christian liberties, and saluted the new bosses in Anaheim. He had no choice but to follow the lead of his more powerful, but less spiritual, co-elder Bill Barker. TC at the time tried his best to spin the Chicago flip-flop as strictly a "business decision," due to their enormous mortgage, close to $2M. Rumor has it that LSM helped them with their financial "burden" in exchange for their complicity in the purge of TC.

So is Chicago pro LSM still?

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by ToGodAlone

So is Chicago pro LSM still?

Last I heard.

[ToGodAlone]

Originally Posted by Ohio

Last I heard.

Well that's most unfortunate...

Originally Posted by Ohio

TC at the time tried his best to spin the Chicago flip-flop as strictly a "business decision," due to their enormous mortgage, close to $2M. Rumor has it that LSM helped them with their financial "burden" in exchange for their complicity in the purge of TC.

So from what you're saying it seems like TC was already causing problems in Chicago and the money thing happened to be what pushed them over the edge into the LSM camp.

What is it like in Ohio now? Do the majority still follow TC or has that dwindled down?

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

So from what you're saying it seems like TC was already causing problems in Chicago and the money thing happened to be what pushed them over the edge into the LSM camp.

What is it like in Ohio now? Do the majority still follow TC or has that dwindled down?

Did you read what I posted?

[ToGodAlone]

In the interest of getting this a bit back on topic, does anyone else have some insight as to what I could do?

[awareness]

Originally Posted by ToGodAlone

In the interest of getting this a bit back on topic, does anyone else have some insight as to what I could do?

Run away as fast as you can. Get out, get away, and begin to flush the local church out of your system. Get out of the LC and then work for a few years to get the LC out of your head.

And leave that sister behind ... she's nothing but a future heartache. Better to have that heart break now then after you are much more invested.

And don't make any life long lasting decisions until you get your head clear of all the LC nonsense.

[zeek]

Originally Posted by ToGodAlone

In the interest of getting this a bit back on topic, does anyone else have some insight as to what I could do?

I hesitate to give advice, but in my experience, the local church was not really supportive of marriage. The leadership wanted you to spend all your time in meetings digesting Witness Lee's ministry. Couples could sit in meetings and jump up and down and shout together. But it was more of a parallel kind of activity than an interactive one.

Actually, my ex-wife and I got married in a joint meeting with another couple. All that happened was the elder of the church signed the marriage license and then we had a meeting where people jumped up and testified and shouted pretty much like every other meeting. Not exactly a propitious start. It was an interesting experience, but I wouldn't want to do it again.

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by zeek

I hesitate to give advice, but in my experience, the local church was not really supportive of marriage. The leadership wanted you to spend all your time in meetings digesting Witness Lee's ministry. Couples could sit in meetings and jump up and down and shout together. But it was more of a parallel kind of activity than an interactive one.

Actually, my ex-wife and I got married in a joint meeting with another couple. All that happened was the elder of the church signed the marriage license and then we had a meeting where people jumped up and testified and shouted pretty much like every other meeting. Not exactly a propitious start. It was an interesting experience, but I wouldn't want to do it again.

What a sad testimony. It's no wonder there were so many broken homes in the LC's. They encouraged marriages with little or no preparation. My own testimony is equally sad, so I am not speaking as a casual observer here. I was surrounded by marriages that were promoted by leaders, thinking naively that marriage was some magical "cure-all" for all of life's problems. LC Chinese leaders somehow believed that ancient customs from a rigid society would work in "liberated" America. I have to believe that many marriages failed simply because the parties finally "grew up," and then realized how very different they were.

What a tragedy that the many movements in the LC's also included marriage. Often it was just "the thing to do" for young people, like dumb sheep being led to slaughter, since all their friends were "doing it." I remember Cleveland in '77. TC had a "talk" with a bunch of singles, and shortly after we started to hear about wedding plans. It was somewhat like an hour-long TV show, except for the "happily ever after" part. None of these LC leaders ever took responsibility for their failed "match-making." The "Fiddler on the Roof" kept fiddling away. It took numerous LC divorces before most leaders decided to stop "playing God" and taking marriage more seriously.

I never did hear LC leaders speaking of "love" in the context of marriage. Instead it was that morbid, "she can't live with me without Christ, and I can't live with her without Christ. She is my cross, and I am her cross. Because of her I gain more Christ, and because of me she gains more Christ." Sound more like a "cage" than a cross. Was that supposed to be "good news." Some leaders even gave those "spiritual" messages during wedding meetings. Imagine what the families thought. Old fashioned traditional marriages from "poor, poor Christianity" held more hope than that!

[HERn]

Originally Posted by ToGodAlone

In the interest of getting this a bit back on topic, does anyone else have some insight as to what I could do?

Just wondering if ToGodAlone is still reading and how things ended up for him?