I agree completely with what Cbarb has written above. Children can be educated and obtain sufficient reading material on a laptop, without the extravagant cost to the school of buying an iPad. The issue here is NOT about what is the best technology with which to read books or learn school-work. We know that technology is advancing at an amazing rate and that many children and some schools ar
Forum: Destructive Churches

The link for the article, referred to by Cbarb above, which was in The Herald newspaper recently, about Cedars School buying new iPads and the old ones being sent out to schools in Africa, is:-
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I read the article on "33 ways you know you were a Youth Group kid", Clive. While I do, like Covlass, see the funny side of the content, and some of it, of course does apply to Struthers Youth work, there is a lot more which is unhealthy and abnormal about the treatment of young people in SMC than is outlined in that article. Things which cause me far greater concern than the items in
Forum: Destructive Churches

Good online article here:- www.squidoo.com/characteristics-of-abusive-churches
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SMC have showed the older Transformation DVDs before, some years ago, so that is not a new thing for them. No, I don't think they are now part of any other movement or grouping. Personally, I like the Transformation DVDs and do not associate them with SMC at all. They used to show them and say that is what we pray will happen here - in SMC churches of course, and then throughout Scotland. T
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I think that, from what MagicCarrot has written, that he or she must have been a member of SMC. The insight and analysis using Scripture shows that he or she has experienced the strange and distorted teaching which is given out by the leaders of SMC. I still can hardly believe the ways in which they change the truth of what has happened in the lives of individuals. For instance, when a perso
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Hi Magiccarrot24. Welcome to the Forum. Now we have carrots as well as salmon (Cbarb!)! I totally agree with what you've written, magiccarrot24. SMC are indeed a bit delusional and think they are a specailly chosen and anointed group of believers who are superior and more spiritual and holy than any other christian believers. We know that this is a complete lie because there are many wo
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Thanks for all the posts. Regarding the idea that SMC should be supporting more worthy causes and helping the vulnerable and homeless etc, I don't think they ever will. I heard on more than one occasion at SMC, more than one SMC leader stand up and say that they as a church were not called to go out on the streets or work with the homeless or drug addicts, but that they as a church had a d
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I too, would like to wish everyone a happy new year filled with peace, joy and more freedom. People in SMC are in desperate need of all of these - peace, joy and freedom. Instead they experience much confusion, despair and low self-worth, very often, and eventually, even depression in many cases. They get a temporary boost at New Year from hearing the new year promise, which reassures them tha
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Clive I gave you clarification and offered a source of information some time ago about the Hugh Black financial shares crisis in the 80s. Others have written about it on here already aswell. Perhaps you should scroll back and read these posts. I don't know what further clarification you are still looking for. Your questions have been answered. I've tried to explain before, how thi
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Sorry about the duplication in the above messages. It was because my first post was disallowed for being duplicate of Chesterk55's, so I posted another one without the quoted part. Then it seems that my initial post was allowed.
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I would like to endorse Chesterk55's post of 10th December 2012, because I endorse what he/she has written and agree with what he/she says. I did not take kindly to the idea that I am one of a "pack of wolves" who sets upon someone who presents pro-Struthers views on this Forum. Every one of the replies to Kelvin has been expressed in as gentle a way as it possibly can be, when o
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QuoteChesterk55: ""I think you are making a mistake in your interpretation of what is happening at the moment on the forum. The moderator is capable of identifying and warning us about flaming and inappropriately personal attacks in posts. He seems to have taken the view that only Kelvin has been in breach of the rules. Likewise Kelvin has not complained about being "set upon by
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Clive I have already done that in a previous post - written my recollection of what Miss Mary Black said re the financial crisis at SMC being a test and that some people failed the test and left. I have the cassette tape with it on, if you want me to send it to you. Is it that you don't believe she said that? Well, she did, and I'm sure there are others on here who remember what s
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Cbarb, Thank you for posting your explanation re the truth about what happened to your parents whilst in SMC. I hope your explanation will dispel any views which say that you have a problem with only a few individuals in SMC. Your parents were two of the most godly and friendly people I have ever met and they were missed when they left SMC, as were your aunt and uncle. Of course, we in SMC we
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Clive I don't think you get it. It IS important to examine the accounts of an organisation especially a church, because its members are contributing their hard-earned cash to it with the belief that their money, once given, will be used wisely by the organisation's officials. Furthermore, if it's the financial affairs of a christian church, there are guidelines in the Bible abou
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Cbarb I think you mean the Cumbernauld Church not the Glasgow one. D. Rutherford is pastor of Cumbernauld. I also heard this - that some SMC folks are now visiting and attending other churches. I was very surprised about this aswell, because, as you say, this would never have been allowed in past years, not only disallowed by Miss Taylor but by Mary Black as well. If someone visited another
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As I posted before, if you're not a Christian believer, you would be open to psychological and sociological explanations of religious phenomena and behaviours. If you are a christian believer, you exercise faith in God and in His Son, Jesus Christ and you follow the teachings of the Bible. You may at times be moved upon by the Spirit and exercise gifts of the Spirit outwardly. You may enj
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Clive, you've said before that you're not a christian believer, whereas most of us on here, who have been members of SMC, are christians. I believe that we can genuinely feel the presence of God and that it can't be explained away simply by psychological techniques or the power of suggestion. The presence of God can be felt anywhere. I can feel it in the church I now go to. So we c
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Cbarb, You said in a recent post that you felt Miss Taylor didn't like men and that she'd maybe never been in love herself. Well, I remember her telling us, in more than one sermon, that she'd had an admirer in her young years who wanted to marry her and who kept persisting. She told us that because God had told her that she wasn't to marry, then she could not accept the g
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Cbarb, yes Miss Taylor did say that about not focussing on the dark things and not dwelling on demonic stuff. I heard her say that in preaching and it is still said, as far as I know. I have heard Mr Black say this and also D Rutherford in preaching. She of course says she has Miss Taylor's mantle. So there is no mistake, Cbarb, either in the quote in Mr Black's book or what was and is
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I tend to agree more with Chesterk55's explanation regarding a leader suggesting to a person that they should go for counselling, rather than that it being a sign that things are changing in SMC and there is more openess to outside counselling provision. Again and again, I have heard Grace Gault say in preaching that a lot of psychological help and so-called counselling is ineffective where
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Appreciate your postings, Cbarb. The 10 cities referred to 10 towns in North Lanarkshire. That's a good point, cbarb, that Diana is known, but not for love and goodwill to people. She is known indeed in her area and church pastors have expressed their concerns. And also known by some further afield. Yes, bad aswell as good opinions of people get known
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Lintar123, I remember the guy you write about who was in psychiatric care. I remember talking to him when he still came to SMC. He was mentally ill and suffered from severe depression. I remember that he just did not believe that God could ever love him and he could not believe that other people loved him either. I know that is one of the symptoms of depression, that the person has terribly l
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Cbarb, I really liked your comparison story re the Queen of Sheba visiting Solomon and that he answered ALL her questions. And, yes, the Bible says she asked "hard questions". Solomon was known for his great wisdom and he was wise at answering all her questions. What I mean is, if someone in leadership doesn't or doesn't want to answer the genuine seeking questions of a bel
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Cbarb, I looked up and read these verses in Jeremiah. Wow! Yes, so very apt and a very real warning to Shepherds of the flock. One of the things SMC leaders used to repeat over and over again was that God is real and people don't like that about God, that He is real and to be obeyed and feared. Perhaps they need to take that on board for their own lives and for the way they've treate
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Squareone, No, as Cbarb also says, please don't go quiet and stop posting. That's the kind of reaction which SMC leaders aim to produce - that if someone asks questions or is told something, they go quiet and stop speaking out. I saw this happen to intelligent people who have done well in their jobs and had rich things to contribute, but early on, were subtley told by SMC leaders in
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Quotesquareone l guess for the love to flow, the members maybe have to take the initiative and go be salt and light wherever they live and work. I think some do already Squareone, I can assure you that members have done this kind of thing many times over the years and got no support or encouragement for doing so. Leaders were often not even willing to pray for such exploits at the prayer-meeti
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It wasn't/isn't only the unclean and those out in the world, who we were told not to associate with or let into our home. I was told on two occasions that I remember (there may have been more) not to have certain persons who were members (not new to the church, I add) of the church i.e. SMC, come to my house. I queried this because I found it hard to understand, as we like to welcome
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Yes, you did well, Petitor, in your prophecies. From what I hear, the sermons are just the same as they always have been, with the same teaching on how to aim for the highest heights (or deepest depths!) of holiness and never admitting that the leaders may have got things wrong. Yes, they still believe they are right and that they are superior to other Christians and churches. Why else would
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