I was reading Hebrews 12:18-24 in The New American Standard Bible. The caption between verse 17 and 18 reads, “Contrast of Sinai and Zion.”

TLWF is as scary and menacing as Sinai; fire, darkness, gloom, whirlwind and instant rejection/death for the slightest infraction. I’m of the persuasion they’re more Old Covenant than New, especially regarding hierarchy.

Yes, you are right. After Glen and Holly moved to canada, David Cokas took over at the valley church. (I saw David at a beach party a few weeks ago), it was great to see people from almost 35 years. There were several other pastors there as well. It was great.
After Glen and Holly moved to Canada, I wanted to leave the walk, and JRS, sent me to Canada to live with them for awhile, so I did and loved the Oswalds, but when I came back I never went back to the walk, except once to try to get my sister out, and 3 men took me into the office and locked me in, and made me listen to some confidentiality tape, and sign a form that I would not talk about what happens in the service. (This was after Stevens had died, and they were trying to reserect him.)
Sadly, Glen passed away about 3 years ago, and David told me he did the funeral service for Glen.
The walk was crazy, but the people were great

palmermarilyn Wrote:

>The walk was crazy, but the people were great.

ha--what a summation!

palmermarilyn Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> > and 3 men took me into the office and locked me
> in, and made me listen to some confidentiality
> tape, and sign a form that I would not talk about
> what happens in the service.
--------------------------------------------

I heard of congregants being locked up during pastoral counseling until they acknowleged that they hated themselves, but I don't recall they had to sign a form.

Be interesting to run this -- all of this -- past an attorney.

Stuff like this is often rehearsed.

* Trusted members have to be selected -- people willing to do this to
another member of the fellowship. Not all people have what it takes
to act as enforcers toward a member of thier own fellowship. Was it always
those same three men who did the escort walk into the office?

* Setting: a time and place where potentially sympathetic witnesses will not
be around.

* Get the office keys

?? Ensure that after the targeted person leaves, he or she will not be encountered by anyone who is potentially sympathetic.

If a non disclosure form is shoved at you, who composed that document?

And did anyone sign it as witnesses?

I don't know if the 3 men did this to other people as I was just revisiting trying to get my sister out of the walk. So I guess, they knew I wasn't a regular anymore.
I don't believe anyone signed it as a witness, but that was along time ago, so Im not sure.
I remember afterwards they said they wanted to bless me and, and pray for me, (I did not want them to touch me), but they put there hands on my head and prayed, and I just prayed Lord what ever they are doing, take it away.
The really scary part for me was after the service ended, and I was still in the room with the 3 men, my Canadian friends were outside the door, banging on it, and they wouldn't let me out. It wasn't till after everyone had left the building that they finally let me go. My Canadian friends were terrified as well.

I wish I had asked for a copy of that document I signed. I was scared and didn't think. Darn

I recall that during the time of John’s divorce there were strange legal ideas going around. In backroom meetings, it was discussed that the leaders wanted to have all the LW congregants sign a form that relinquished their basic constitutional rights. So that as members, they couldn’t sue the corporation if their rights were violated. The idea was that if a sheep was truly submissive, they would even submit to this type of surrender. I remember thinking it was really nuts and thankfully, I don’t think they ever really did it. I’ve often wondered why they even wanted to do that. I suspect there were some lawsuits going down against the LW corporation. Palmermarilyn, by being locked in a room and detained like that, you were basically being kidnapped. You could have sued the LW church for doing that. They did (and continue to do) such stupid things. If their insurance company knew what they do, they would drop them as clients.

I was in a church where the pastor asked each person to write down the most embarrassing thing they have ever done, sign it, and turn it in. Reflecting years later, I realized it was an effective means of keeping people quiet, should they be tempted to reveal to the outside world what was going on.
BTW, if I was asked today to perform this assignment, my answer would be obvious ('I joined a religious cult and wasted 21 years of my life in it.')

Paleface, and changedagain,
thanks for that information. I was so young and stupid back then, but now I really wish I could have sued them. But we all know how they brain wash, and scare you to death even tho at that time I had been out for a few years. It really does help to talk about it though, so thank you all very much.
Blessings, Marilyn