Hi MagicCarrot.

Out of interest, are you an ex-member of SMC, or do you have relatives, friends etc who attend/once attended SMC ?.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/29/2013 11:56PM by Clive.

I think that, from what MagicCarrot has written, that he or she must have been a member of SMC. The insight and analysis using Scripture shows that he or she has experienced the strange and distorted teaching which is given out by the leaders of SMC.

I still can hardly believe the ways in which they change the truth of what has happened in the lives of individuals. For instance, when a person has a serious disagreement with a leader and leaves SMC, but a few years later returns to SMC after going through a repentance in the presence of the leader or leaders, the story given publicly to the congregation is that the person left SMC to take the light and the Holy Spirit's power to another church and then when that time was over, the person came back to SMC which of course is described as their spiritual home. The truth of what really happened is never told. This is deceitful and is done to make SMC look good, especially to new people and those who don't know.

Similarly, when a couple are having problems in their marriage, which has happened to couples in SMC just the same as it happens elsewhere, instead of helping the couple to reconcile and work through the issues, the view in SMC is that one of the pair is backsliding and not as committed to SMC as the other one, and that this is the reason for their marital difficulties. The result of that viewpoint is that the marriage relationship is further threatened because the Church is coming between their partnership and the more committed one puts even more of their energies into the Church and less into their marriage with, in some cases, disastrous consequences. The partner who is said to be less committed or backsliding has even less chance of trying to maintain a good marriage and suffers rejection on both accounts. It would be better to provide good marriage counselling or refer the couple elsewhere but, of course, that is not done in SMC.

On checking out the Struthers website, and while looking at the blog noticed that SMC are now happy to show DVDs by a person named  George Otis, called Transformations II in their youth meetings. This man seems to be part of a movement in the US called Dominionism.

Are Struthers, Diana Rutherford and other SMC leader now part of this movement ?

Given the recent reports that influence from US evangelicals has led to the Ugandan government making homosexuality a crime, punishable by death, shouldn't people be concerned that SMC leaders appear to be eagerly promoting these
DVDs ?

Revival is one thing, but if - whatever this alleged "revival" is leads to opression and fear, how can this be of God ?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/04/2013 11:23PM by seekingsusan.

SMC have showed the older Transformation DVDs before, some years ago, so that is not a new thing for them. No, I don't think they are now part of any other movement or grouping. Personally, I like the Transformation DVDs and do not associate them with SMC at all. They used to show them and say that is what we pray will happen here - in SMC churches of course, and then throughout Scotland. They merely used the DVDs as a tool to show what a community revival could be like. But they forget that in many of these overseas communities depicted in the DVDs, the churches all worked together and prayed together and loved one another. This IS starting to happen in Scotland now, but SMC don't want to work with other churches.

Many churches are praying for revival and that's OK. Many Christians have views on homosexuality and its practice and that's OK too. But I think that focussing on these issues can draw us away from the real problems and damage caused to well-meaning Christians and zealous young people by the leaders and, consequently, the teachings of SMC. Reading the posts on here will inform people of what has been and is still happening in SMC.

Hi folks

I'm reminded of how easily we are blinded by religion. Sometimes, it seems, people who profess to be Christians are the first to cast stones at those who don't follow their particular brand of Christianity and this keeps people apart instead of bringing them together.

I think it is great that churches are beginning to get together and share their ideas and experiences; it is way too easy to become blinkered when you are indoctrinated with the same elitist rubbish day after day, week after week, year after year.

It also makes it more difficult for the more zealous and mis-guided groups to keep their eagle-talon grip on young, pliable minds and allows young people to grow in God and expand their knowledge of Him.

Religious biggotry is learned in the same way racism and gang mentality is learned. It is instilled at an early age and very often the young people can't even tell you why they hold such biggoted views - only that this is how they have been brought up.

SMC create their own brand of religious biggotry and, instead of nurturing their young people, they are mis-shaping and mis-guiding them into fanatics who are unable to speak their own minds or even tell you a solid reason for the beliefs they hold.

Why can't they tell you why they believe what they do? Because they have never been given the answer to that question from the people who teach them. How can you answer that question in a sensible manner if you are being told to believe just because you are TOLD to believe?

Now, just about every young child believes in Santa (I still do :-)) but they get to a certain age when they either are told, or begin to realise for themselves, that Santa doesn't exist in quite the way they believed as a young child. A similar fate befalls the Tooth Fairy eventually (shame, though... I kinda liked her!)

The point is that when we are old enough to ask the questions, the answers should enlighten us, enhance our knowledge and expand our intelligence.

Where is the enlightenment, enhancement and expanding of intelligence when you are told NOT to ask the questions in the first place?
Or, if you do get to ask the questions you are told to believe because it is sinful not to believe what your leaders and spiritual teachers are telling you.

It would be good for SMC if they intermingled with other churches again, like we used to when I was young. In fact I think it is esential to help avoid the elitism and cultish behaviour of groups who, like SMC, believe they are the only ones with a true connection to God. Islamic fundamentalists believe the same thing as does every other elitist or cultish group in the world; so SMC are not unique in this kind of 'over-the-top' teaching.

It does strike me as strange that they are promoting the Transformation DVD's though. When I was young anything that came from America was to be avoided at all costs, as being too worldly to be Godly.

Another thing that strikes me as a complete change of heart in SMC is that, back in the day when (we all ate Hovis), the idea of having commercial activities tied to the church was to be abhorred. Mr. Black was always fond of the story about Jesus casting out the market-sellers from the entrance to the church and raging at them for defiling God's dwelling place with commercialism. So how do SMC reconcile that to the Bookshops, Coffee shops and a Fee-paying school?

Does this mean that they think because they are selling christian literature and, I presume, christian cups of coffee and tea (perhaps with hot-Cross christian buns!) that this does not count as perfoming commercial functions in the church? I don't remember reading that Jesus said that it would be OK for the Sellers to sell christian literature and beverages instead of jewellry, meats and vegetables etc. Didn't he throw out ALL the sellers? Or is that just my imagination?

Ah, the double-standards of the 'holy and annointed'!!

As always,
Biiiiiig love and huge hugggggggs to all.
God bless xxxx

Good online article here:-
www.squidoo.com/characteristics-of-abusive-churches

Given all the mentions of youth groups, schools and the like in SMC heres something to lighten weekend.

How many of the following "33-ways-you-know-you-were-a-youth-group-kid" resonate with any of posters here that were youths in SMC ?

The list is american, but I know for a fact that at least one ( Nr 14 ) applies over here. :)

[www.buzzfeed.com]

Lol Clive

A real 'blast from the past' there. I was not at Struthers in my youth (but still went to a very legalistic church and I can identify with numbers 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14 and nubers 21 through to 30 with the excption of number 27 (number 24 was McDonalds, if that counts)

I particularly remember number 9 "You burned all of your secular CDs at a church bonfire but then "backslid" and bought new copies everything." Except in my day it was tapes and records and I simply re recorde stuff off the radio. I wonder if that was something that was done at Struthers for those of you that weret there in your youth? I remember at the time thinking it was a bit daft, especially as I heard the youth leader telling our Pastor that he'd brough a copy of Richard Claydermans Piano Hits (I know) but that he had taped it before he had brought it to be burned because he didn't think Richards music was evil.

I guess Struthers isn't the only church which operates under the "do as I say and not as I do" principle of leadership.

I can thoroughly endorse the burning of any record or CD of Richard Claydermans music. Same goes for Kenny G for that matter !

Such music truly IS an abomination. But not in the eyes of god, but n the eyes of anyone who loves art, creativity, originality, music with a heart instead of banal, mediocre, populist. middle of the road, "accessible", "easy listening" pre-digested baby food.



Edited 8 time(s). Last edit at 02/20/2013 08:53PM by Clive.

I read the article on "33 ways you know you were a Youth Group kid", Clive. While I do, like Covlass, see the funny side of the content, and some of it, of course does apply to Struthers Youth work, there is a lot more which is unhealthy and abnormal about the treatment of young people in SMC than is outlined in that article. Things which cause me far greater concern than the items in the article.

For instance, a young person in SMC may expect to experience the following:-

*Having a boy/girl relationship split up permanently because the leaders don't deem it to be "right"and "of God"; this caused much heartache in several cases I know about.
*Having to obey rules about clothing. It's not as bad as in days gone by when even trousers, let alone jeans, for girls were forbidden. But young folk can still be told off about their clothing being "too worldly", whatever that is supposed to mean. Make-up is not allowed and hair-dyeing is frowned upon.
*Young folk told not to mix with the opposite sex, by which is meant not even social friendships in many cases; this is not healthy and is unrealistic and too restrictive for teenagers.
*Even saying you have thoughts or feelings for someone of the opposite sex is likely to lead to a rebuke and maybe even to prayer for deliverance.
*Again, it's a bit slacker nowadays, because they can watch on the computer ( or ipad!), but watching television was forbidden or going to the cinema, or even watching a video or DVD. I heard and witnessed young folk being told off, both publicly and in private, for watching.
*Control over who a young person's friends are and who they hang about with. If the leaders say to keep away from someone, the young person will keep away or drop the friendship, causing much hurt as a result.
*young people have been told to keep away from their families or to spend the minimum time with them if family members are not Christians or are opposed to SMC. The church is put first before family.
*Young folk have very little opportunity or freedom to develop creatively or use their gifts and talents; only a chosen few get picked. This causes low self-esteem in many of them.

I could go on. But what I'm trying to say is that, the way SMC handles its young people is a cause for concern and is not the norm where church youth-groups are considered. It is far far worse and far more harmful than anything outlined in that article, both for children brought up in SMC and for those who join up as teenagers or young adults. I would advise any parent to take their children out and find another church before any damage is done in their lives.