Some interesting thought cbarb. Thanks for sharing. Has everyone read the latest article on Latigo? As usual, very well constructed.
Forum: Destructive Churches

Clive makes a very good point. Let's not speculate about whether something is a punishment from God or not. There's simply no way of knowing either way.And in fact, this is to fall foul of the same folly that the SMC leaders are so guilty of, ie, to claim to have some kind of divine insight. The reasons Black made the gambling mistake are: 1) He was lured in by the opportunity to
Forum: Destructive Churches

Here's a fact. The leader of SMC are not annointed. They don't have any insight and they're not chosen by God. They're jumped up delusional power hungry control freaks who, outwith of SMC, would be absolute nobodys. Taylor was a perfect example of this. The only reason the leaders have the level of power and control that they do is because the ordinary members give it to them.
Forum: Destructive Churches

Some really interesting points. Cbarb, your epilepsy story is just ghastly. It's like something out of the dark ages. But thanks for sharing. As I mentioned in my previous post, the couple who I had some contact with opted not to sent their child to Cedars. Perhaps not everyone would take their view but I think the more people know, the better. They can then make a more informed decision.
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Squareone, I think you're absolutely right in saying that parents would notice if there was anything odd at the school. My point is that most of the parents are probably unaware of the SMC backstory which if they knew, might give them food for thought.
Forum: Destructive Churches

Chesterk55, your last post is so informative, thanks for sharing. I don't know how I missed the whole Ipad revival debacle but that genuinely made me snigger out loud. But there's a sad side to that as well and it's this: To think that people will deliberately say whatever it takes to get whatever they want is disgusting. Furthermore, it puts genuine believers in a quandary - "
Forum: Destructive Churches

Clive *wow* you absolutely nailed it with that last post. You too cbarb, well said. Thanks covlass for your comments. Here's something that might cheer you up. I had a phonecall tonight from someone i know in another church. A group of christians from that church had a prayer meeting specifically to pray about the SMC situation. As far as i know, it wasnt announced publicly but there was
Forum: Destructive Churches

Hi everyone. Thanks for the comments. There's no question or doubt, I will be leaving Struthers. I'm not struggling to leave or wondering whether I should or not, i'm going. I'm not having second thoughts or thinking about how I tear myself away or pondering how I will survive without them, i'm well down that road. I'm not allowing myself to be influenced by th
Forum: Destructive Churches

So many posts and not enough time to respond to everything! I'm afraid I don't share the optimism that either big changes are going to happen or that the whole thing is going to crumble. Apart from perhaps toning things down slightly from the platform, it's business as usual at SMC. Any other church would have been upset at the posts on here and also the information on Latigo and
Forum: Destructive Churches

Squareone, I see where you're coming from and bless you for wanting to protect those that you love. I have to say though that ThePetitor makes some excellent points and overall, I agree. When I began looking at all of this a number of months ago, I was genuinely suprised at the depth of feeling and how many people had been affected. Now, I find it astonishing that despite the outcry, SMC
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Petitor, thanks for your thoughts. I certainly don't have long-term plans to stay but I would like to rescue a few people before I go. I'm really saddened that there are so many people that have been badly damaged or deeply hurt in some way at the hands of SMC down through the years. (Is the figure in the hundreds?) In my area, I can think of no other church that has a similar shamef
Forum: Destructive Churches

Clive and squareone, thanks for your comments on the gluttony / obesity question. Clive, you're right in what you say but the difference between the doctor, the murderer and the preacher is the nature of preaching. Whilst the doctor and the murderer maybe stating plain simple facts, the platform is place of power and influence and it's also one-way traffic. The preacher doesnt get
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squareone, glad you enjoyed the sermon. There is so much rich teaching on there, i'm sure you'll be really blessed by it. Rensil, just wanted to pick up on a few points. To be clear (sorry if I've been a bit vague) it's taken me about 18 months to get the point I'm at now. I no longer regard the leaders as anything other than deluded. The irony about their approach to
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Let me ask this - Is it morally acceptable for a preacher with an obvious obesity / gluttony problem to be preaching to others as to how they should live their lives?
Forum: Destructive Churches

Hi everyone. Squareone: checkout there is just some amazing stuff on there. As I said previously, the standard of the teaching compared to the rambling we often get at SMC is night and day. Have a listen when you get a chance! Clive, about the recordings, I'm hoping they'll get passed over to Latigo as well but that's out of my hands. I am however looking at how I can discreetly
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Hi everyone. Really - thank you for the comments. I feel like I'm in a good place mentally and spiritually right now - it's what i would describe as an 'awakening'. I'm in no rush to leave as I'm considering the idea that perhaps God can use me where I am, who knows. I've found a couple of really fantastic sources online for listening to great teaching and
Forum: Destructive Churches

Fairly recently, I had the great privilege of sitting under the ministry of a pastor who had been properly trained in biblical scholarship. His exposition of the word was a real eye-opener to me. Why? Because it was totally different from the sort of 'teaching' we get at struthers. This was a structured, methodical, intelligent and faithful interpretation of the passage. I can honestly
Forum: Destructive Churches