Daughter wants to leave for FTTA

[aron]

Originally Posted by Drake

Your daughter is a young adult and from your description she has had a deep and moving experience of the Lord so she wants to pursue Him more. No doubt that desire for the Lord would please any parent as I'm sure it does you. Correct?

If her daughter had contacted the Jehovahs Witnesses in University, and was now off to their main training compound, or if she was likewise off to serve the LDS for two years on a mission, or the Unification Church, would this statement of a "deep and moving experience of the Lord" be correct? Or no?

Drake you're making a subjective assessment, obviously biased, about someone else's subjective experience, that this was an "experience of the Lord"; if it was the Mormons or the Moonies you probably wouldn't, even if under simiolar circumstances. You're passing off your subjective assessment as if it were objective fact. "When we do it, it's 'of the Lord', when others, not so much."

Conversely, if her daughter had come home after University and announced that she was going off to seminary to study to become a Baptist minister, the mother might not object, or as strenuously. Why? Again, some subjective response (from the mother) is involved. The mother might be more comfortable, and familiar (but she might also have more objective, 'red flags' in her consideration). There's always bias and subjectivity involved, on all parties'. But the local church passes off their biased assessments as if they were objective truth, and dismisses others' as unfounded. I've never seen such weak, self-serving logic, as with this group.

[Drake]

Originally Posted by aron

If her daughter had contacted the Jehovahs Witnesses in University, and was now off to their main training compound, or if she was likewise off to serve the LDS for two years on a mission, or the Unification Church, would this statement of a "deep and moving experience of the Lord" be correct? Or no?

Drake you're making a subjective assessment, .....

aron,

I think everyone is making a subjective assessment... you... the parents.... me..... that is why I suggested the parents (as the daughter also encouraged them), to find out more. Investigate and see, go and talk, and remove as much uncertainty as possible.... it may or may not change their view... it may solidify their current view.... I don't know, you don't know, they don't know until they find out more.

Drake

[aron]

Originally Posted by Drake

I think everyone is making a subjective assessment... you... the parents.... me..... that is why I suggested the parents (as the daughter also encouraged them), to find out more.

Drake,

You said, "Your daughter is a young adult and from your description she has had a deep and moving experience of the Lord so she wants to pursue Him more." One could have as easily said, "Your daughter is a young adult and from your description she has come under the sway of a mind control cult, who are pulling her in deeper." The difference between the two statements is from the viewpoint of the speaker. Witness Lee in his career made many such assertions, statements supported only by his sentiments, and his desire that things be so.

"Test all things; prove what is good."

I've told my story here, that as a naive college student I thought that sitting in a chair and yelling Bible verses was to "experience Christ" and to "gain more God"; but in the FTTA they told us not to waste our time, quote-unnquote, on those who could not repay us in this age but to go after "good building material". These and a number of other experiences led me to believe it was a sham.

Later, Al Gore invented the internet and I read about Daystar and Timothy Lee, and about Philip Lee aka "The Office". I found out more, as you said. I read the testimonies of Jane Anderson and others. Steve Isitt had done an investigation, as you helpfully suggested, and by God's sovereignty Steve shared the results with the public.

It turns out that "the experience of Christ" sold in the local churches is more likely the experience of manipulation and deception.

[Drake]

Originally Posted by aron

"Test all things; prove what is good.".

Right Aron.

They should go straight to the source and see for themselves. Test it, prove it.

Drake

[awareness]

Originally Posted by Drake

Right Aron.

They should go straight to the source and see for themselves Test it, prove it.

Drake

Yes bro Drake. Good advice. I can't think of a better anti-mind control cult verse than I Thessalonians 5:21. Testing and proving requires independent thinking. A big no-no when I was in the LC.

So right on brother. Let's hope daughter takes it to heart.