I just think that hearing that Christianity is the only thing is the same as hearing The Walk is the only thing. Forgiveness is personal--not public like in the walk where it is used to excuse abuses and illegal actions of the powers that be. Some of us haven't had years and years to get over it--and don't have all that many more. So live and let live. I believe that the more stories people hear the better. Taking any action possible is absolutely okay and there is strong reason for those people to answer for the abuse of power.

I am happy for those who can walk back into a church and believe without the horrible flashbacks. But that's not me.

Somehow we have been trained in the walk to be careful and watch what you say fearing ramifications. This in and of itself has silenced many. It was grilled in and just recovering from it is all that some can do --but I applaud any attempt to uncover the truth as well as seeing justice in the lives where the law may be able to remedy situations--- and bring that sense of "that was really wrong and someone gives a shit enough to want to rectify it". Some may not be able to but if someone is willing to take action that can be taken---Godspeed.

Let's support it. Its legal--it is how justice prevails. In fact, did not the law come from the bible anyway? Speak up if you can, if you have a story or situation where abuse occurred even long ago. Because it's true. But only if that is what you feel strongly to do--don't do it if you can't--and some just can't and that is okay. And maybe soon we can all use our real names--but right now--obviously people like Reepicheep will be harassed because they know who she is. Just sayin'



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/2018 01:34PM by Cloudwatcher.

This is my first time posting. I have felt lately that I am on my own road to Damascus. The light of truth is so plainly obvious that I feel gut punched. How could I and so many others have bought all the lies and abuse whether of power, shaming, emotional or sexual. Where is the accountability? Lots of questions, but one thing I know I can not live in fear of them any more.

Road to Damascus Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This is my first time posting. I have felt lately
> that I am on my own road to Damascus. The light of
> truth is so plainly obvious that I feel gut
> punched. How could I and so many others have
> bought all the lies and abuse whether of power,
> shaming, emotional or sexual. Where is the
> accountability? Lots of questions, but one thing I
> know I can not live in fear of them any more.


Welcome to the light my friend.

Jesus said:

"Let him who seeks continue seeking until he finds. When he finds, he will become troubled. When he becomes troubled, he will be astonished, and he will rule over the All."

The LW is NOT the "All" and your seeking has just begun. Dont stop seeking until you find.
Best to you and dont let them suck you back in.

I think leaving TLWF, with its parental-like control, is very similar to leaving home as a young adult. Many young people who have grown up in the church go through a period of deeper soul searching – especially those who are bombarded with atheism in college. Their spiritual life has to become personal, and not just something second-hand from their parents or church. Some come to the same conclusion as most of their professors that they have no spirit. Others concede they have a spirit, but all religions are basically the same. Some like the doctrines of Christianity, and a few actually reach out to Jesus himself. Every individual is different, and all have freedom of choice. However, there are consequences for our choices.

After making a sincere attempt at some form of spirituality and finding ourselves in a mess he says,” 28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matt. 11:28-30 MSG) Unfortunately, that’s not the God of TLWF. Most have never even experienced this kind of a God.

Especially if you have suffered deeply, one little personal touch can make giant inroads into healing years of abuse. It seems too good to be true, but it is. It actually is a good thing to honestly discover that humans are fallible – then you can eliminate false roads and start searching in the place where there are real answers. A big plus for ex-pats is that they will never let another human take the place of God again. Just don’t be afraid of letting the real God take the place of a human God – then you can get the fruit you were looking for in the beginning.

Welcome dirtybrushes and Road to Damascus! I think we all realize by looking at the number of views that many others are following this site privately. Each additional voice strengthens everyone. I'm so pleased you've decided to jump in and share!

dirtybrushes - Thanks for the kind words! I also had roots in Christianity prior to TLWF and it has proved to be helpful in the long run. I really do understand the aversion to Christianity after leaving TLWF. I went through my time of wanting nothing to do with God. Even though I believed He existed, I thought He was messed up. I'm so pleased you've found your way back to Him - so few do and yet it's the real answer.

I think it’s important to remember that although we all have a shared experience, we all process it differently. We are all in varying stages of healing, too, so we must respect each other’s process. For some, talking about God, Jesus, Christianity or religion in general is very triggering, and for others it is their life raft. There isn’t just one answer, there are many. I think we have to try as best we can to be sensitive to each other in this. It’s also important to remember that the purpose of this site isn’t to have theological battles, but to talk about our experiences in TLWF and validate for one another that, though varied in nature, our experience was abusive and totally misrepresentative of God.

Therapy may not help some, but it helps others (myself included) very much, so for someone like me that is a huge part of my healing. I’m not ready to find another church, some are. It is all okay. It’s also okay to be angry. It’s a legitimate stage in the process of healing from trauma, and as I said before we are all in different stages of healing. In some cases, criminal acts have been perpetrated against us by members of TLWF leadership, and so it is feasible that there will be more action that we want/need to take in order to ensure that no one else will be violated in that same way. That is also a part of our healing. To turn a blind eye is to condone what is continuing to happen in that organization. Forgiveness should be a part of the process of course, but it’s not enough for some of us. We all want to move on with our lives, but knowing what some of us know, we can’t sit back and let these people continue hurting others. It’s not right.

As I've indicated, I'm one who escaped with my faith intact, and in fact, strengthened, in that I don't have this layer of falseness and BS between myself and my Lord. I won't belabor this for those for whom it pushes buttons.

Suffice it to say that toward the end of Sunday's service at the church we've been checking out, my brain flinched at the number of upcoming events and opportunities for involvement were listed in the bulletin. I immediately relaxed, however, when an almost-audible voice came and said, "Easy. You don't have to go to bed on the first date! Do what you want and leave the rest." Never heard that from Living Word.

Larry, interestingly, brought up the topic of parental-like control. I saw my therapist today, who is babysitting me through all this. When we were out of time, she said, "Next time, I'd like to explore the notion that you were looking for parenting and family when you first came into the fellowship. (I was 21). Why do you think that was?" Good question. JRS talked about the search for a father. I think that most people who came into this thing willingly were, at the root, looking for a parental voice. Why is that? I'm exploring.

To those of you who were born into it, I repent to you for your parents, and perhaps your grandparents. This is something that should never have tainted your childhood and limited your geographic possibilities and your educations. It should never have narrowed your mate selection process. It should never have been left, like the proverbial turd in the punchbowl, at the bottom of your family memories. If I could erase them, I would. If I could paint something beautiful over them, I most certainly would.

But as it is, we have to be with it. If we hadn't been in the cult, other shitty things would have happened to us, and we would have to be with them.

We have today, and we have each other. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the diverse "body" of people who have elected to leave this cult could accept and love one another in a way that the diverse members of the cult never could?

Food for thought. All of you, thanks for being here.

There is no doubt we believed in the product being sold . . .



K I N G


There are those
in our world

who aspire to be

the king
of the con

In other words . . .


D U P E D


Once we see
the LIGHT
of TRUTH

we will
no longer be
duped by ideologies

Seeking first a relationship with TRUTH, we were diverted from the WAY . . .


H I E R A R C H Y


RELATIONSHIP
is not a

hierarchy

but an
exchange of LIFE