SouthGate Wrote:

> The more I think about it, you had to have been
> there when I came back. Before I left again. LOL!
> I remember Dan when he was 1st put over SG, and he
> had people singing "Everybody loves Gary and
> Marilyn". Probably wasn't much longer after that,
> that I left for a while.

I'm pretty sure I never led a worship service where I had people sing to Gary and Marilyn, or any other human being. I also never referred to Marilyn at shepherd conferences as the Lamp of Israel. I think if I had done so it may have made things a bit easier with my overseers...but I just couldn't do it.
Note: I was going to finish the comment by saying that I am now worshiping Marilyn in the privacy of my home, where I am not under compulsion... but it would be taken seriously...and I really don't want people in this forum referring to me as an old lamp worshiper. That would be a bummer.

changedagain Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> SouthGate Wrote:
>
> > The more I think about it, you had to have been
> > there when I came back. Before I left again.
> LOL!
> > I remember Dan when he was 1st put over SG, and
> he
> > had people singing "Everybody loves Gary and
> > Marilyn". Probably wasn't much longer after
> that,
> > that I left for a while.
>
> I'm pretty sure I never led a worship service
> where I had people sing to Gary and Marilyn, or
> any other human being. I also never referred to
> Marilyn at shepherd conferences as the Lamp of
> Israel. I think if I had done so it may have made
> things a bit easier with my overseers...but I just
> couldn't do it.
> Note: I was going to finish the comment by
> saying that I am now worshiping Marilyn in
> the privacy of my home, where I am not under
> compulsion... but it would be taken
> seriously...and I really don't want people in this
> forum referring to me as an old lamp worshiper.
> That would be a bummer.

I think that was before your time in SG, maybe 1985 when Dan did it, but he was the one leading the song at the time.

So much crap happened in the past, but I still can't hate them. I feel bad for the people that did get hurt, but I judged people wrongly, to myself of course, that didn't tow the company line at times. Then I didn't comply with some things also. Hypocrite comes to mind.

Time over the years, and staying away has helped. I still pray for everyone in and out.

SouthGate:
"I think that was before your time in SG, maybe 1985 when Dan did it, but he was the one leading the song at the time."

I was close to Dan--we liked each other. I understood his zeal, at times misguided, but didn't fault him for it, since I was aware of the pressure on him to please those over him. I know he meant well--in spite of his ego. I was very saddened by the cruel treatment he experienced in his last days by those who claim to be Christ in the earth. Totally unacceptable...and, in retrospect, I should have left the fellowship then in protest.

SouthGate wrote in part: “Time over the years, and staying away has helped. I still pray for everyone in and out.”

------------------

There’s something about 'time and staying away' that helps people separate out their own spirituality independent from organized religion/church/human interference.

SouthGate Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>>
> There is no true separation of church and state as
> long as people get to write off their donations to
> the church. I wonder if donations would go down if
> people couldn't write them off? My guess would be
> yes.


Probably so.

Do you know anything about what happened to Larry Cotton after he left? I read on factnet that he tried to get someone who had been amputated from TLWF buried at Shiloh but M wouldn't have it. Oh and thank you for praying for all us malcontents.

SouthGate and changed spoke of Dan Statton. Last year I recall having a conversation with Apostle Dog about Dan and later someone sent me the following: Dan died in early May 2004 at the age of 79. He was buried at Shiloh.

lily rose Wrote:

> SouthGate and changed spoke of Dan Statton. Last
> year I recall having a conversation with Apostle
> Dog about Dan and later someone sent me the
> following: Dan died in early May 2004 at the age
> of 79. He was buried at Shiloh.

Well, that was nice that he was allowed to be buried there.
Thanks for sharing.

p.s. no idea about Larry C.

If one were to go to Steven Cotton's Facebook page, there is a sweet photo of Larry and his kids which is fairly recent. It does not appear that Larry has a page of his own.

The A&E channel is running an interesting series titled: "Leah Remini, Scientology and the Aftermath". I highly recommend this show. While the LW and Scientology are very different cults. The methods used to control their members having striking similarities. We could learn a lot from this TV program.

Also I compare the leadership in this way:

L Ron Hubbard = JRS

David Miscavige = Gary & Marilyn

The A & E series on Scientology is excellent. Of course Scientology does not rely upon the bible or quote the bible, but some of the basic manipulation is the same.

See [cultsinsideout.com]

The book "Cuts Inside Out" covers Scientology, cult brainwashing, defining a destructive cult and includes supposed bible based cults and how they work.

I also wanted encourage others to see the A & E series on Scientology as well as put in a plug for “Cults Inside Out”. There are control techniques that those who have spent time in TLWF will recognize. They actually have nothing to do with God, and are used in religion, politics, and business. You literally end up being brainwashed so you are unable to see these techniques being used on you within your own group – it’s much easier to see it happening to others in another group.

If David Koresh was still leading his group from the cloud of witnesses, you’d think they were nuts. Marilyn supposedly does it, and nobody within the group even bats an eye – just as they are programmed to respond. This new level of leadership is not exactly a marketing point that will end up on TLWF website, because people with a little common sense about the scriptures would run. I remember my parents sending me “God Makers 1 & 2” about the Mormon Church, hoping I would connect the dots. It didn’t work at the time, but it did get me thinking. Once the spell is broken, you are shocked at what you once believed and how your life was used to further a leader’s personal agenda that in the end had nothing at all to do with God.