Oh dear, Bingowings you are suitably hostile and showing your immersion in the insanity that is SMC.
I was brought up in the church - from the early sixties - and attended 6 days a week (three times on a Sunday) every day of my life until I was 18 and decided to leave. In that time ALL that I knew was SMC and the level of hypocrisy I found made me gag!! I should know - my Dad was once one of the SMC leaders himself but thankfully God took him out and put him a much more wholesome and active church - where he continues to serve God humbly and with love, grace and joy.
You should know that NONE of the leaders of this church are in any way anointed in fact quite the opposite. They are no closer to God than satan himself and this is provable:
1. They lie about people publically - this is ANTI-Biblical ("thou shalt NOT lie")
2. They use intimidating tactics to CONTROL the masses; such fear tactics as "Do you want me to reveal all your sins to the whole church?" - this is ANTI-Biblical
3. They twist scriptures to suit themselves - this is ANTI-Biblical (False prophets!)
4. They PERCEIVE sins in people where no such sins exist - This is just insane
5. They are less than honest about the churches accounts - This is ANTI-Biblical and Illegal
6. They are self-glorifying and constantly stand in the way of God doing his work in peoples' lives - Very ANTI-Biblical
7. They show nothing of the grace, joy and love of the Lord Jesus Christ - TOTALLY ANTI-Biblical and extremely damaging to the spiritual wellbeing of normal healthy Christians
8. They ostracise those who stand up for the truth of the Word of God if it is against what they themselves are teaching (quite wrongly)
9. They have NO formal theological qualifications or even social welfare qualifications and are therefore not in a position to be giving advice in spiritual or life matters
10. They are claiming the benefits of Charitable status but are completely UN-Charitable in their ways and dealings with normal folks.
11. They hide behind a veil of being unaccountable for anything they do or say - Read the Bible regarding the duties and accountabilities of a pastor to their flock and to God.
12. They have been making prophesies since the sixties - NONE of which have EVER come true - and then blame the congregation saying that their lack of faith stops the prophesies coming true. How convenient that the leaders themselves are not accountable for any of this!
13. They nepotistically hand out paid jobs to their own - this is quite Illegal especially so for a Charity
I could go on and on but I think I've made the most salient points although I'm sure others would add more to this.
Since we live in an age of freedom of speech - if you post a question to someone on this forum you are opening the floor to anyone who wishes to comment on the question including the intended questionee. If you wish to question someone privately then you should PM them.
As I stated in my post, the rules were never written but verbally handed down by Miss Taylor - one of the original founders of the church (who was still alive when I attended). The rules may have changed since I attended but I wrote what was in force between 1963 and 1981/1982.
Before you go trying to antagonise those of us who have been severely damaged by the teachings of SMC you should go and check your own facts. For every ONE of us there are at least 10 to 20 others who have been equally damaged but are too afraid to post here or are just trying to forget they ever had any dealings with the church.
The biggest testament to the truth of what we are saying here are the severely depleted numbers of members now in attendance in the church. Back in the days when I and my counterparts attended, the church had close to a THOUSAND members from all over the UK. How many are there now? About 300 or so - that says it ALL in my book.
I feel quite sorry for you that you have been so hoodwinked by this organisation and I'll pray for your release and that God will lift the blinkers from your eyes and let you see clearly that what you are being taught is not in the least bit Biblical. Just go and read your Bible for yourself and with an open heart and God will tell you the truth - He NEVER lies but some HUMAN leaders do. The leaders of SMC are no different from politicians, they say what they like, when they like and disregard anything which doesn't fit with their agenda - and that includes the parts in the Bible which don't suit them.
In particular, I would suggest you start by reading the verses 'Susie' posted some time ago:
Quote
No true prophecy will contradict the word of God. Isaiah 8:20
Deutronomy 18:21-22 A prophet is recognized as true when the word he has spoken comes to pass. If it doesn't it is not the word of the Lord.
The source of ministry cannot be determined merely by signs of the miraculous see- Deuteronomy 13:1-15 Satan can perform lying signs and wonders. Exodus 7:11
1 John 4:1 SAYS " Beloved do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone into the world." The way we test the spirits is by comparing everything with the word of God.
[unquote]
I couldn't have put it better myself.
Biiiiig love and huge hugggggs to you Bingowings, I hope you finally HEAR the truth of the Word of God.
God Bless you richly xxx