The LCS Factor

[Peter Debelak]

Originally Posted by Matt

Peter,

I do understand your comments and I may seem a bit worked up.

Can you think of any examples of kids who grew up in the LC that haven't had to overcome significant personal & family obstacles in establishing a healthy walk with the Lord? I'm not asking for names. Just curious if you can think of any of them. I think there are a few, but just a few.

The only ones I know of are:
1. Those who have had to pass through some amount of personal hell first.
2. Ones that still claim membership and whose eyes are still glossed over.

This is open to response from others too.

Matt

Matt:

First, if you will allow me, I would like to re-word your categories - please tell me if you think my re-wording has changed your meaning too substantially:

1)Those who have had to pass through some amount of personal hell first.
2) Those who still claim membership but do so out of a habituation of being raised in that culture, not necessarily due to a calling from the Lord.

Whether in response to your categories or to mine, I'm not sure I can think of any who haven't fit in some way into one of these broad categories.

Here's the thing though: I think this is the character of being second generation in any group, particularly a Christian one. When you are raised in a strong belief system which has its way of operating and ways of practicing and thinking (which is every single group that I can think of), you come to your belief system- at the outset - without the dynamic salvation of the first generation. As such, from my personal experience, a seeking second-generation-individual will by nature be full of doubt about their beliefs. Always questioning - "do I really believe this is truth or just because this is all I've ever known?"

My personal belief: you will either end up “glossed over” (and a good little church member) by supressing that doubt without addressing it or you will go through a “personal hell” of some kind in order to seize a faith that is yours and not your parent’s or your culture’s. I am not saying everyone will have to go through craziness, but where there's a genuine wrestling, there's going to be bruised legs...

What do you think?

Peter

P.S. This is not meant to dismiss the valid inquiry into how and in what ways the LC system affected the second generation. But I want to have the broad parameters set before getting into that.