afazio - Spiritual Authority

[Drake]

Originally Posted by Trapped

Wrong. This forum has helped me navigate out of an experience......more than anyone else has.


Can you count the number who have been helped? If not, then, by the very nature of a public internet forum where any and many can read, it is "countless".

Well, Trapped. You aren't "out" either and if those whom you rely on helping you navigate out aren't out themselves then I think its premature to say you are out. Time will tell, of course and I wish you the best in whatever path your journey takes you.

As to "countless"... that is an argument from silence. A logical fallacy argument.

Originally Posted by Trapped

There is light outside the local churches and this light is being systematically demonized and kept away from many who are trapped in the LC system but fear for their literal life or safety if they leave ("Did you hear? So-and-so person who left the church a couple years ago died from a head on collision last week" [knowing look and head shake that indicates both parties agree that if that person hadn't left the church to meet with another Christian church then they would still be alive)

I hear that in this forum from time to time... yet, I don't doubt some people have that thought... it's human. I heard similar reasonings in the holiness denomination "brother so-n-so got drunk, crashed his car and died, and in his drunken state went straight hell. He was our best song director to date and we'll miss him. So, don't drink or you might end up in hell". Stuff like that. Yet, your allegation is that the fear of getting whacked by God is systematized to keep people away from "the light outside the local churches". That is a ridiculous notion. Nothing has been systematized to keep people in fear from reading anything their lil ol heart desires. If you heard someone say it then I'll accept your testimony but that is an isolated incident. Just anecdotal not systematized.

Originally Posted by Trapped

Drake, what do you think about the quotes I posted from One Pub and afaithfulword.org?

Thanks,
Trapped

I read your response and did not feel a compelled from the Lord to convince you or correct those erroneous conclusions. But since you asked and upon reconsideration before Him I'll take that opening as from the Lord.

Straight talk. You concluded "a1. Read and speak only Lee..."

Had you said "publish only Lee" you would have been closer but still not 100% accurate. The One Publication makes it perfectly clear what Living Stream Ministry PUBLISHERS will PUBLISH. So you used material to shore up your concept by selectively picking statements to make your case. Yet, if you had fairly quoted other parts of the document you could not make the rational conclusion that you did above. In just a short time in this forum you have developed accusations based on selective reading. That takes us back to the very first point in this post. That is a pit, a quagmire that you should avoid... especially as a christian.

Here are the facts. Living Stream Ministry publishes the ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee and other writers selectively. It is not their mission to publish everyone who wants to publish something. It's not their obligation to publish anyone's writings even if that person claims to be in fellowship with the ministry. Others may publish and have but in so doing they may not claim themselves representatives of Witness Lee. Neither do they need to apologize for defining that mission or tenaciously sticking to it.

I have hundreds of authors in my library and I read from them almost every week. It's not about control, deprivation, fear mongering, and other colorful schemes you and others attribute to the local churches and to the ministry that builds them. The One Publication is not about what you can read but about what they will publish. If you don't want to read Watchman Nee or Witness Lee writings don't. Read something else. Frankly, it's between you and the Lord......as is their right to publish whomever they prefer. If you want to publish something go to any number of christian publishers and maybe they will or maybe they will "get back to you". If you prefer to read books published by other publishers then go do that too.... you can have a book by almost any christian author you like, including Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, with just a few clicks on Amazon. No one will hunt you down so there is no need to feel trapped... go before the Lord and do what the Master tells you to do.

Hope that helps.
Drake