Was Day Star poor judgment or fraud?

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by OBW

I cannot make a clear analysis of it all. I'm sure that there was some truth mixed in there, along with emotion. And those "we got the right stuff" teachings surely puffed-up our emotions. Surely a mixed bag.

I would suggest that the best that the LRC ever had to offer that provided any spiritual benefit was its members, not really its teachings. It was the infilling of the Spirit in a collection of what would otherwise have been the pillars in other churches.

I do not say that God was not among us. He is always among those who meet in his name. But not everything that we attribute to God was necessarily His doing.

For example, calling on the Lord is a good thing. Even sometimes in the way of the LRC teachings. But when it becomes a kind of formula for improving your feelings, what is that? And improving feelings is not the stated goal of calling on the Lord. It is, or should be, contacting God. It is not about feelings. They may or may not change. But God is contacted. Yet if the goal is the feelings, then you have to question whether you have actually contacted God or just used a mantra to alter your perception of an unchanged reality. We did not start out in that way, but it seems clear that such things as a directive to call on the Lord jointly, three times, from the toes does nothing but chase away the lingering doubts that things like a kangaroo court in Whistler is not a spiritual activity. Did they really contact God? They said the words. Their feelings surely improved. That has to be from God, right?

Great points ... yes, hard to make a clear analysis of it all ... yes, people were often far better than teachings ... yes, God was with us ... and yes, we did not start out this way.

My conclusion is that the more Witness Lee drew men to himself, speaking perverted things, drawing the disciples away, the worse things became. That's it in a nutshell. That's exactly what the Apostle warned us of with many tears. (Acts 20.30-31) The more Witness Lee was elevated in the Recovery, the quality of spiritual life steadily deteriorated.

You mentioned calling on the name of the Lord. Who would protest this as not being spiritual? Yet, didn't the Lord warn us about vain babbling and taking His name in vain? Consider that Whistler Kangaroo Court, when everyone stood up and "called on the Lord 5x," per Dan Towles instruction. Was that not hypocrisy and vain babbling? How about John Myer's account outside that Columbus courtroom where the saints are "calling on His name" while filing property lawsuits against their brothers and sisters? Was that not taking the Lord's name in vain?

Part of the deterioration over the years was due to the departure of spiritual men who were replaced with zealots and lackeys, whose sole devotion was the furtherance of all things Witness Lee. Part of the deterioration was due to a restructuring of the diet of the common man from the word of God to the words of Witness Lee. Part of the deterioration was the departure of the anointing Spirit of God since Witness Lee had risen to prominence ahead of the Firstborn Son.

Paul's warning (Acts 20.18-36) was to "take heed, watch, remember the pattern he gave us, and to be committed to God and the word of His grace."