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Jack Oskar Larm
Sorry to sound like the Devil's advocate, but I don't consider a belief in Christian doctrine that different from Landmark's.
You should never apologize for what you believe. I will presume we have differing thoughts on what Christian doctrine is. I'll just state mine: Christian doctrine is first a faith in a God you don't see in the carnal sense, its a faith in a being that created all we do see in existence. It is a faith that operates in the spirit not in the body as we know it. Basically, Christian doctrine is the articulated Will and Presence of a God that you either believe exists or you don't, obviously I do. From that standpoint I can see every difference between Landmark's doctrines and those that are biblical.
Landmark is based on the selfish misguided notions of a very greedy unempathic human being. Christian doctrines are based on God's will and are intended to serve as not just guidelines for living in the here and now but into an eternity which you either believe in or you don't. Landmark's doctrines say 'get as many people as you can into the Landmark fold and make sure you work them over in such a way as to entrap them spiritually, psychologically, and materially until such time as they run out of money and friends to recruit. Christian doctrines say go out and preach the gospel to all the world that all may be saved, set free, and have eternal life (this is not the exact wording, just the meaning). The intent in this instruction is for people to be set free from what is so binding and enslaving in our human nature, to be set free from the many forms and structures we erect in our minds, perhaps a good word of these structures are 'paradigms'. Essentially, Christain doctrine is all about freedom in spirit, mind, and body. Landmark doctrines say 'lie to people, get them to a forum by hook or by crook and don't ever allow anyone to sabotage this process.' Christain doctrines say tell the truth, love your neighbor, forgive one another, and to give freely of what was given to us freely. Landmark's doctrines are designed to 'mimic' all that we know is good and desire in our hearts and our lives, but are void of the power to produce the qualities it mimics. Christian doctrines do have the power to produce the joy and the fulfillment of our hearts because they are rooted in God, unlike those rooted in werner erhard's dreamings.
If all of Landmark's doctrines were listed from A-Z, I am confident I could find a biblical doctrine that is quite the opposite in nature, intention, and result.
The Christian Truth and lekkie truth are opposite in nature, one comes from light and the other comes from darkness, if you don't believe in either concept then think of one as being water and the other as being oil. They are two totally different substances and can never be made to intertwine in some way as to produce similar results, in anything. Keep in mind, one set of doctrines serve the human spirit while the other serves erhard's bank account and self aggrandized image. While humanity is made in the image of God, Landmark is made in the image of werner.
Many, many churches and Christian organizations in the world do indeed set out to make money off its following. Some do so with the intent of using money to increase faith in God. Money is used in a practical sense and nothing more, the workers have to be paid. All the while too many others do it with the intent of getting rich, and distort true Christian doctrines in the process. I believe that the power one is given to do good works is also able to corrupt those who possess it. It is those who have been corrupted or who have chosen to use their power in destructive and selfish ways that create so much misery and misconception about God and His Word.
Landmark definately fits the role of 'just getting rich' and it does so by following the example of the many corrupt churches and the leaders of those churches. Landmark doesn't want to be known as a religion because too many people shy away from the notion of religion but it certainly forges a following from similar tenets that these churches grow on. If not for the template provided by some churches in the world, I doubt if werner would have ever been able to begin his own congregation. If you watch and listen to Landmark's tactics, they lack originality. They haven't shown any innovation in their mission of creating followers, its all copycat, mix n match strategies and some reckless philosophies that produce a similar result that churches do.
Landmark's god is a rich and attention needy man aging comfortably somewhere off the shores of his home country, and Christianity's God is still the Great I AM with the same doctrines and same desire to set people free from the bondages we create for ourselves, or has been created by others for us, and He at least promises an eternity of Glory after this life. Landmark doesn't promise anything but what a few lines of coke might offer and its idea of eternity is the time it takes to the next fully attended forum.
There is just no comparison or similarity between Christian doctrine as it is truly intended, and Landmark doctrines. Landmark chokes the life out of a soul, Christ brings it back to life again.
I believe in eternity and I believe that God is Love. I believe that Landmark has a sad ending and has learned nothing about Love for the human race. I don't know what your beliefs are Jack I'm only stating mine. For what its worth, I know for a fact that there is a life after this one because I came really close to going there once. Its real and its forever, its something Landmark can never ever duplicate.