Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Date: February 02, 2019 02:34PM
regarding the generational discussion, i wonder if it be more accurate to identify one's generational placement not by age but when initially became involved with lw/shiloh. e.g., if one was 50 yoa first becoming involved with the church in 1970,i would characterize as 2nd generation, not by virtue of their age but by virtue of initial involvement. regardless, all were lambs for the slaughter.
i have been pondering, since one of my more recent posts, the notion of freewill, victimization, one's own sense of accountability, etc. an incredibly fine line and, likely, different for many who post their thoughts, feelings and experiences on this very wonderful forum; and again, i applaud rick for his efforts, passion, energy and resolve to help all of those caught in the throes of involvement in cult experience. in a few days of contemplation and reflection i have come to an understanding, exceeding my previous understanding, that i was wrong, very wrong in my suggesting "get over it". for my experience with lw/shilioh, i was not traumatized but rather benefited. i became a student of biblical texts, as a young man found a safe harbor from the raging hormones that a young man experiences in that pivotal transitional time of life and discovered new friends of all ages, from the very young girls who wrote me letters asking if they could sit by me in the church service (after all, how could they resist given that i was prettyboy, and a p.s., along with family photos i include those sweet letters of so long ago in my family reserve), to an elder asking me what i thought about this or that, and of course, other elders wanting to reign me in for having an independent spirit (god forbid, one thinking independently of church orthodoxy, the HORROR!). so i am winding back, like a garrison keillor monologue, to what i purposed at the outset - "get over it" (my words) is vastly better stated as, "move on" as best one can. i apologize for my lack of empathy for those who have suffered travails that i did not. despite this apology, i do still struggle with the essence of one's own accountability in the involvement of lw/shiloh and if, be the case, that in that involvement at some point in time, you harmed someone, you spoke of them in disparaging terms because they failed to pony up to lw/shiloh orthodoxy, this i say - forgive yourself and, if possible, ask for their forgiveness. what i am suggesting is not a blame game; what i am suggesting is one of the most central tenets of the christian faith - "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." admittedly, a damn hard sell with hargrave, a very damn hard sell.
happy trails to the merry merries and my apologies for my sometimes lack of sensitivity