Reepicheep Wrote:
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> “Christians want to believe that everything the
> church does for them is for their safety and
> salvation,” he said. “That simply isn’t true, not
> right now.”
>
> [
www.nytimes.com]
>
> Apparently, clergy abuse is alive and well
> everywhere. It's a wonder people go to church at
> all anymore. However, as bad as this story is, and
> as much as it reminds me of crimes reported within
> TLWF, it still doesn't sink to the level of
> organized gaslighting and systemic spiritual abuse
> that was experienced in "our group."
>
> Consider for a moment the years of sermons and
> teaching on submission, obedience, authority of
> “Christ in the flesh" and the resultant servitude
> we all endured. We doggedly listened to and
> absorbed teaching on the “work of the cross" as
> administered by narcissists who believed that the
> rest of us were placed on this earth to serve and
> please them in whatever fashion they deemed
> appropriate.
>
> The trend seems to be toward churches that are
> “safe" because of services they purchase. The one
> mentioned in this article, MinistrySafe, although
> supposedly in existence to protect children and
> families, seems to be more oriented toward
> protecting churches and ministers from lawsuits.
>
> I believe that there is an inordinate level of
> trust placed in clergy of all denominations and
> religions. For God's sake, if an attorney is paid
> by a church, that is who they work for. Don't
> believe for a moment that they have you or your
> child's best interest at heart. If something
> happens to you or your child at The Living Word
> Fellowship, don't talk to their pet attorney. Go
> straight to the police and hire your own lawyer.
>
> TLWF will spare no expense and will waste no time
> repenting for taking you down and discrediting
> you. They will leave no stone unturned in finding
> ways to destroy you and your family if they feel
> threatened. TLWF is a family business, and it
> always has been. Not your family, not God's
> family, but the Stevens, Holbrook and Hargrave
> families. It's time for you to take care of
> yourself and your loved ones because,
> unfortunately, no church will do that for you.
Excellent statement Reep. thanks
Along time ago I heard it said, "God has no grandsons".
I believe that individuals must seek God- a high-power - on their own rather than depending on another man to do it for them. We have gotten "lazy" in exercising our "faith" in a spiritual force that we don't understand that some call "god". - we have put our faith in a leader than than that still small voice deep in inside that God gave us.
We must stop trusting another man; we must stop paying an organization to do our the spiritual truth seeking in our lives and families lives.