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wired4Jesus
iamworried. What you described is not a cult, but it could be a destructive church. There are many churches that are basically okay, but they have overbearing leadership. There is a difference.

Someone please tell me where I actually used the word "cult" in my post that started this thread because I certainly can't seem to locate it. This is the Destructive Church forum, is it not?

Wow.......what a frenzy I have caused. Just because I asked for some information to find out which church my relatives belong to. Yes, I am concerned for my relatives, but just because they're not "cult-ish" enough for your standards, you tell me to grow up and get a grip? What the hell? I didn't realize I had to be full-blown cult in order to post a request here. I must have missed that memo.

Why must you work so hard to defend your choice of religion? I find something very wrong with that. And how much does your "church" pay disciples like you to scour the internet to argue your side? You're like the Energizer Bunny on Red Bull--you just keep going and going and going. I wish I had your obviously ample amount of free time. I'm eagerly awaiting your 42 uninterrupted replies to this post. I'm gonna to pop a bag of popcorn, grab and soda and sit back and enjoy the show. You make me laugh and everyone needs a good laugh now and then.

BTW, definition of attack: to set upon with physical or verbal force: to assail.

Please stop talking like the middle-schoolers I taught back in the early '90s. It's not becoming of you. It just digs your hole deeper.

You know, you do have it far worse than me. I'll give you that. If I was your brother, I'd ask for the aliens to come ASAP to get me away from you.

This one you're just gonna love! Have a field day with it at my expense! Luke 6:43-45 A healthy tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a poor tree bear good fruit. Every tree is known by the fruit it bears; you do not pick figs from thorn bushes or gather grapes from bramble bushes. A good person brings good out of the treasure of good things in his heart; a bad person brings bad out of his treasure of bad things. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

Now, put that in your pipe and smoke it.

PS anxiously awaiting your 43rd reply stating that I'm accusing you of being a drug user...LOL

Take a deep breath. Or prozak(however spelled)..can you give me the proper spelling? I always like to defer to the wisdom of those who teach our youth.
So what do you teach the youth? Let me guess...Bible readers are stupid? Those who defer to your wisdom are good/smart....
Listen...ever hear of a narcissist? That is someone who can not bear to have any of their thoughts or ideas or...you know...anything about them...criticized.
I think you're pulling everyone's leg. I don't believe you are truly worried about any family members. I think you got tweeked at a relative because of ... who knows...and went after their church.
If I'm wrong then...um...who cares?
You are using the Bible to say I speak evil? So anyone who doesn't believe you is speaking evil?
OK .... um... great.
Next time the doc hand you your prozak prescription ask him about narcissism...
Just so you can have a few more giggles to go with that popcorn...
Oh and...you're tweeked because I can punch out a quick response........?
For goodness sakes grow up.

Sorry to take so long with post number two. Did the popcorn get cold? Guess it depends on what brand you use ..anyway..
So now I'm thinking...
Didn't your original post include a complanint about the fact that these relatives of yours quote the Bible? So I'm just curious as to why they can't but ...as per your last post...you can; and do. What's remarkable is that you seem have permission to use the Bible and, you use it in order to call those who dispute you...evil! I look forward to your response.
Perhaps you can correct my grammar, and spelling and syntax...
Do you do that for those youth you teach? It's a great way to make yourself appear perfect while others appear flawed....I'm just saying.
Please try to respond before I punch out my third post...enjoy the popcorn...
You're right. This is fun.

OK I've really got nothing left to say but I don't want to dissappoint you. I'm trying to live up to my three-post, energizer bunny label. That was really sweet. Thanks.
So I thought I would repay the kindness by giving you some hints. When you give your next reply try to do more than just go after semantics and mis-spelled words. My posts are loaded..and I mean loaded with improper punctuations. I never could punctuate. My over-use of the pregnant pause is just silly.
Other than that...I've nothing left to say.
Take care....

I never said I was against the bible or reading it. What I said, if I recall correctly, is that my relatives quoted directly from the bible during our heated arguements. Didn't you mention that some cults don't even use the bible because their members are too weak to understand it? I was stating a fact so that anyone who read my post would know that the bible and literal interpretation are important parts of their religion.

I never said you spelled anything wrong. My comment about middle schoolers and how you talk was in reference to your sarcasm, attitude and the ability to make harsh judgement about someone you've never even met and read maybe a couple hundred words about. It had nothing to do with your punctuation.

As for my definition of the word "attack," you questioned my use of the word. I was just providing the definition to clear things up.

All I wanted, originally, was a simple answer to my question--Do these "things" sound like it might be ICOC? That's all I asked. I did not come here to be called names, berated, or made to feel like I've done something wrong. If posters here think I'm an imposter, that's their right. Only the people on this earth that actually know me know the truth and I just have to stop letting complete strangers get my undies in a bundle. It's not worth it and I have more important things to do than to camp out at a message board.

I'll go elsewhere for information or "I'm leaving because I'm full of bologna and was just trying to yank your chains." You decide which to believe.

as you were

iamworried:

Please stay on topic.

The topic of this thread is the International Church of Christ.

Going back and forth arguing is not productive.

And a public message board is not really the best place to seek help regarding your family.

I was a member of the Detroit ICOC for 6 months in 2001. I am still recovering.

I don't think that it is necessary to equate one cult as more or less cultish than another. Simply because one cult believes in alien spaceship theology and another doesn't doesn't make it any safer than the other.

I was invited to a bible study on a college campus. I was always a Christian and was excited to see young people my age devoting their lives to God and excited about their faith. So, I went. I went through the studies. I had to write down every sin that I could remember committing and hand it over to a group of five women who I thought were loving and seeking my best interests.

I invited my bff since the second grade to start studying, too, and she, who had never set foot in a church, did, too.

I was told that there was one church, and I believed that, meaning one faith, not that the ICOC was it, but later I was informed that Mother Teresa was not saved and that we were the Kingdom of God. Cultish? Hmm, yes. There's so much more I could say, but it would take too long and too much space.

I was put into a "discipling' relationship with a group of women who dictated my every action. Although, I had cleaned up the majority of the sin in my life and had begun to read the bible everyday and pray constantly, I was never good enough while in ICOC. I was labelled as prideful because I had valid questions that needed to be answered. I was "encouraged" to break off frequent contact with my family and former friends and when I did not, I was told that I was prideful and needed to humble myself. All of my actions had to be run by my discipler who would give me "advice" that I would be admonished/punished for if I chose not to follow. This advice went from the clothes that I wore, the number of classes I enrolled in at school down to who I dated.

We were not allowed to date outside of ICOC, and furthermore, it was almost an arranged dating situation because if you liked a guy, you had to get approval from your discipler prior to being allowed to date him or her and every action that you made as a couple was heavily scrutinised and monitored for approval.

The members who invited the most guests and brought in the most disciples were considered to be spirtual and those who did not were somehow "in sin".

The reason why I left was because I was praying and seeking God for answers and following what I believed to be the Holy Spirit in my daily decision-making process and then I would be admonished for not talking to my discipler first and getting her approval. It occured to me after lying in bed and thinking for hours that the Holy Spirt was being stifled in my life and that my discipler had essentially become the entity that I sought spiritual direction from. Which was not the direction that I intended to go in.

I stayed for awhile longer, and eventually left after I was told that I could not go home for an extended holiday weekend. Instead, I was expected to remain on the deserted college campus and that weekend I was firmly encouraged to move in with a group of five sisters who shared a three bedroom apartment off campus.

I decided to leave. I just stopped going and stopped accepting their calls.

I happened upon them in the student center a week or so later and I was cornered by ten people who I had considered to be very close friends, practically family for the last six months (I had been contemplating moving in with five of them!) and I was told that I was sinful, divisive and prideful and that I needed to repent.

On the contrary, I had done no wrong! I was being 'better' than I had ever been in my life and I looked at them with the clarity that comes from distance. I told them I loved them, but ICOC just wasn't for me. I was shunned and haven't spoken to five of them since. The other five have left over the following years and contacted me to talk about the damage this cult has done to them.

Some have lost husbands, family members, their homes, their jobs, their faith because of this organization.

When I left ICOC, I left my best friend behind. She refused to have anything to do with me. I have not talked to her since. I pray that one day, I will again.

The reason why I left was because I was praying and seeking God for answers and following what I believed to be the Holy Spirit in my daily decision-making process and then I would be admonished for not talking to my discipler first and getting her approval. It occured to me after lying in bed and thinking for hours that the Holy Spirt was being stifled in my life and that my discipler had essentially become the entity that I sought spiritual direction from. Which was not the direction that I intended to go in.

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The Bible actually says in one of John's epistles...''beloved you have an unction from the Holy Spirit and need not that any man should teach you''....I'm paraphrasing a bit. You are right, you have and need the Holy Spirit and you don't need a ''mediator''....''there is ONE mediator...Christ''. Anyway, what you describe certainly does not sound like main stream Christianity. There is supposed to be no ''respector of persons''...sounds as if the church is doing that. Also self-righteous as opposed to following God's righteousness. Remember how Jesus said to the pharisees that they ''nullified the word of God for the sake of their traditions''...
Sounds like this group was also making up their own rules and traditions and judging people accordingly. I'm sorry about the friends you lost. I know how you feel. I lost everyone. My family. All of them. Old friends. Many years ago. The world is filled with wonderful people and you will always find more friends...in abundance but still...losing loved ones does hurt.