Thank you, Cloudwatcher.

Someone praises the leadership. You saw them treat someone cruel. Do you say, actually he doesn't practice what he preaches. No, that would get you excommunicated. You force a smile but it's a lie. You compromise integrity.

While in church X, wife of the assistant pastor criticized me to my face. She was 19. I responded defensively. The assistant pastor didn't come to me about it. He started a campaign to isolate. He was 20. Went to pastor. He laughed. I was a disappointment to God. Sometime later pastor had words with leadership and thrown out. His words, I was a disappointment to God, still sting.

The LW claims to be Christian. Thought about it a lot. The LW represents Christianity so poorly with their crazy ideas and revelations. They cannot be Christian.

Anyone watching the TV series The Path? Wow. Lots of familiar stuff. A story of a cult falling apart. I like it.

I'm watching the Path, puddington. They call themselves a movement. Not a cult. Like the LW. I like the Aaron Paul character (Breaking Bad). He's having doubts about the group and he's trying to hide it.

NickleandDimed Wrote:

> While in church X, wife of the assistant pastor
> criticized me to my face. She was 19. I responded
> defensively. The assistant pastor didn't come to
> me about it. He started a campaign to isolate. He
> was 20.

John used to make a big deal about defensiveness...and yet he wouldn't allow anyone (to my knowledge) question his actions/words. A double standard, to say the least. When you believe something to be wrong/inappropriate, it's important to speak out...whether it comes across with less than a "right spirit." Especially when dealing with people that assume authority of your lives.
Wow--a 19 and 20 yr. old with such hubris...

281,790 page views to date...
(Stats are not important to me)

changedagain Wrote:
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> > Heads up: Gary's in Brazil.
>
> It seems the Brazilians are much more responsive
> to his "ministry."


Yes. Brazilians accustomed to dictators. Political corruption. Gary's priest and Tony Soprano.

changedagain Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> > John used to make a big deal about
> defensiveness...and yet he wouldn't allow anyone
> (to my knowledge) question his actions/words. A
> double standard, to say the least. When you
> believe something to be wrong/inappropriate, it's
> important to speak out...whether it comes across
> with less than a "right spirit." Especially when
> dealing with people that assume authority of your
> lives.
> Wow--a 19 and 20 yr. old with such hubris...

Yes, speak up. Psychological bullying ended when a member, once on the fringe of the inner circle, was isolated. Member wrote a letter to leadership. Left the church. Attempts to bring member back didn't work. That said something to me. I would later follow.

CA and Nickle I am following the discussion. I'm lovin it. The imposing of isolation and the bullying (aka the dealings of the Lord) administered by certain leaders were from man, not God. Given all of the brainwashing and mind control, it's hard not to leave the oppression of that church and not think it was the dealings of the Lord. I struggled with that for a long time.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/26/2017 11:36AM by lily rose.

Thank you, lily. I'll finish the tale. 19 year old girl was an immature child. The 20 year assistant pastor--inexperienced but given authority. His father an alcoholic. Assistant pastor never drank. Hated drunks. Did he bully because of dad. Probably. Pastor socialized with a small clique of young people. The isolation administered to me--exclusion from the clique. No invitations to the drinking hole. The dealings of the Lord were harsher for the member who left. Move out of communal house. Pastor didn't know he was dealing with a brave whistle blower. Pastor was fired. Psychological bullying by assistant pastor and wife left scars on many young people.

It demonstrates the 'loyalty' of top leadership to the ministries under them. Aware of their short-comings, they only take action once the ministries' behavior reflects badly on them.
Good for the whistle blower, BTW. Society needs needs more of them.


ickleandDimed Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thank you, lily. I'll finish the tale. 19 year old
> girl was an immature child. The 20 year assistant
> pastor--inexperienced but given authority. His
> father an alcoholic. Assistant pastor never drank.
> Hated drunks. Did he bully because of dad.
> Probably. Pastor socialized with a small clique of
> young people. The isolation administered to
> me--exclusion from the clique. No invitations to
> the drinking hole. The dealings of the Lord were
> harsher for the member who left. Move out of
> communal house. Pastor didn't know he was dealing
> with a brave whistle blower. Pastor was fired.
> Psychological bullying by assistant pastor and
> wife left scars on many young people.