After a very busy week this week emotionally and physically reliving things . And some things what I have heard the pass 72hrs think it's time I now bow out from things here for a wee while and concentrate on things I'm working on in background get solved one way or other.
Please all keep talking and helping each other .
And As pretior thoughts said in his last post weigh up things you read and get told.
I'm no fool. But it is hurtful some of the lies what have been said about myself this past week . Please get your facts why I was somewhere last week before you spread another story. As the truth is even more interesting.

FALKIRK BAIRN

Part of the problem with the pseudonyms is just this.
Someone else here, a month or so back, saw herself being spoken about and probably decided to use her own name before someone wrote something incorrect or a bit ‘off’ about her.
I followed that example for clarity’s sake.
We’ve all changed following our experiences in SMC. I hope this forum continues to be supportive in all postings.

To whom it may concern,

This message board is certainly a safe place and has been so for decades.

But people do come here in an effort to subvert this forum in the hope of silencing criticism about a group or leader.

The rules are the rules. And when they are broken people get banned.

Let's stay within the rules and refrain from personal attacks.

Yes, methinks the recent "shenanigans" were indeed subversive attempts by a disgruntled faction. This forums primary purpose is to provide a safe place for EVERYONE to vent their hurts and frustrations suffered through SMC systemic abuse. Since leaders are executors and representatives of such a system, they should be named, in my opinion.

Thank you moderator - this is indeed a safe space.

Not sure the problem is general anonymity of posters.

The problem seems to be when any poster identifies people (however obliquely) and they feel misrepresented. Fair enough. And you are free to share your side.

However I would just point out this.

If you have spent the last decade defending and funding the work of Struthers and nodding like a donkey when they condemned this forum - claiming all its hundreds of pages of testimony as lies - then you maybe have to accept you have some responsibility for some of the harm that has been done.

If something appears on one page upsetting you maybe that is the price you pay for being supportive for so long of an abusive and utterly vile church built on arrogance and lies.

That is not this forum being "un safe". It is the necessary pain of coming to terms with the fact you were deceived in the past and your actions have consequences. We all had to go through that.

If you found the last few years hard as Struthers multiple follies imploded all around you then rather than bad mouthing this forum maybe you should have read it more carefully and listened to those on here talking about decades of pain and hurt. It might be the decent thing to do to acknowledge who was telling you the truth. Was it those on here or the self serving geniuses on the Struthers platforms.


Esme has a right to post but as we can all see they do so in a very scattergun way - both in posts and content. It is interesting that people have been immediately trying to help and tidy that up. If a similar problem occurred in Struthers that would result in the leaders spending the next 35 years denying any problem exists.


To quote Mulbery:

Some very strange goings-on in this forum...rumours of people pretending to be other people, false accusations, lies. Not a happy or safe place to be right now.

It strikes me that if that was not already an accurate description of Struthers Memorial Church this forum would not need to exist

Yes. This has been an active and useful thread viewed by many people.

Let's keep it that way.

The Greek! I do wish there was a "like" or "thumbs up" icon i could click on in response to your post. Well said, Sir...or Madame. Isn't anonymity wonderful?

You raised a point over which I have pondered many times:
"If you have spent the last decade defending and funding the work of Struthers and nodding like a donkey when they condemned this forum - claiming all its hundreds of pages of testimony as lies - then you maybe have to accept you have some responsibility for some of the harm that has been done.

If something appears on one page upsetting you maybe that is the price you pay for being supportive for so long of an abusive and utterly vile church built on arrogance and lies."

I have come to the conclusion that if a person is a SMC pew-dweller , or indeed, a "nodding donkey", then that person is somehow complicit in the anathema that is Struthers. Remember, they describe themselves as a "movement" which is synonymous with a multitude of like-minded people, working towards a common outcome/goal. It is therefore my opinion that both leader and compliant pew-dwellers are equally guilty of perpetuating a rotten system and are therefore fair-game to be named and shamed. If they suddenly "see the light" like so many recently appear to have done, then sure, feel free to come on here and share your story. It IS a safe place. But please leave superior attitudes, false accusations and finger-pointing at the door. Afterall, we are ALL here to share and heal.

Don’t worry, folks I was not saying everyone should declare themselves.

I’ve said in a previous post I understand why most don’t. However it does seem to have tied a few folks in knots just this particular week.

Being anonymous is not an issue here.

But harrassing anonymous people on this board for being anonymous is an issue and can lead to someone being banned.

This post is an immature but innocent diversion from the emotional stress and heat of the forum of recent days. That is not to downgrade importance of what may have been attempted to be communicated, nor to take away from the personal pain and anxiety caused to some, but are simply silly memories that have come to my mind.

I was part of a discussion recently as to whether folk preferred the stories of the Old Testament or the New Testament. One person said the Old Testament, and named The Burning Bush and the Golden Calf as examples of why they did.

That immediately launched me into song ....

"Set me on fire, Lord, like the burning bush
Set me on fire, I pray,
Set me on fire, Lord, like the burning bush
And I will ???? praise you ??? (memory fail) all the time

Burning all the time, burning all the time
???? with your love and glory all divine??? (another memory fail)
Burning all the time, burning all the time
Burnnnnnn ---- iiii ---- nnnnnggggg all the time"


Anyone else remember such a delightful song?
What on earth were kids meant to make of that?
Presume it must have been an oldie pentecostal number inherited from Elim or Church or God.
Anyway, great gusto and enthusiasm all round. :)


And another immature rebellious act from childhood when in kids meetings:

"It's amazing what raisins can do, Hallelujah, Hallelujah
It's amazing what raisins can do, Hallelujah, Hallelujah
I don't worry when things go wrong
Cos I know all things work together for the good that's why I sing this song
It's amazing what you know what can do"

And lastly
we were told some parts of the UK pronounce the letter "H" as "Aitch" or really "Itch"
Therefore, vital to sing

"I'm Itchy P P Y
I'm Itchy P P Y
I know I am, I'm sure I am
I'm Itchy P P Y"