Well, tomorrow is Mother's Day. In the Living Word churches, this is the day that some of the worst sheep-beaters get honored.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I’ve been wondering if anyone else has experienced this. Having been in the LW organization for a while and being in there during my formative years, I’ve noticed some things that I learned that maybe need to be unlearned. In particular, “speaking up”. We were taught for so long to not criticize anything (the sin of witchcraft, right?). We were taught to not react to situations where normal p
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Happy Easter everyone. I fondly recall John leading us in a joyful version of "Up From The Grave He Arose" every Easter Sunday morning. He always loved to lead that song. A fun memory.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Spot on, Corboy! Your observations align with my experience 100%. It is my opinion that the master of this trick is Marilyn. She will tell you some secret thing like "you are the best..." to make you feel very special and favored by her.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Or... You never bring friends to church with you because you are embarressed by how weird the church is.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

You would find the book "Twisted Scriptures" interesting.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

larry bobo Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > jhorning - > You can read his version of the story in "The > Three Battlegrounds" by Francis Frangipane in the > chapter dealing with his first encouter with > Jezebel. It's a popular book in Charismatic > cirlces and available at most Christian bookstores > or on Amazon.com.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Ever read this?
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Note: It's still going on today. Nothing has changed.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

There are many examples. We could name names, but it's too hurtful and we should respect their privacy. But there have been damaged relationship between husbands and wives. And damaged relationships between parents and children. These are core family relationships. Both of these areas have been touched (and contine to be touched) in a harmful way. Most of those that have been hurt by th
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

John S. (the former Palmer Lake pastor) tells kids at the Shiloh summer camp “let me be a REAL father to you, since your blood father isn’t able to be that for you.” Some kids bite at this bait and it is very destructive to their families. Eventually, most kids get wise to this when the time comes where they are in need of a father and John S is nowhere to be found. The Living Word leaders
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I would like to point out that nothing has changed really. Just recently, a young woman graduated from college. Because her parents had left the church and were labeled as evil, the parents were excluded from the graduation ceremony. This is a family that was once very close, but have been spilt up by the local LW pastors. What kind of people do this to families?
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

So let me get this right. Your spouse was given a "word" to divorce you? That's a lose-lose situation. If you follow the word, it leads to sin and personal torment and heartbreak. If you rebel against the word, you risk being shunned and isolated from your other family members. What kind of people would do this to a couple?
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Yikes, I forgot about the 3G intervention meetings. Nasty! Kids who knew nothing about true shepherding. Happy days for sure.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

What happen at Impact? Bob started that company, but at some point, Gary took it over. Was that a hostile takeover? Was Bob forced to hand it over to prove his submission?
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

The depression and stress from that accusation probably helped shorten Bob's life. Bob loved JRS more than most. But I guess Gary needed Bob gone. He knew too much.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I don't know of anyone that is hating/cursing Marilyn or praying for her to be ill. Everyone I know is sad that she is ill and we wish for her healing. Cancer is the enemy here, not human beings. It is absurd to think that people could cause someone to become sick with psychic thoughts or prayers. I just don't believe in all that vodoo crap. But in a culture of "blame-placing&q
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I was thinking about all the odd things that the congregations of the Living Word churches went thru over the years. Some of the “fads” were just things that a lot of that generation was experiencing in America, but then there were others that we unique to the culture of the LW. Here’s my attempt to list them, in no particular order. Some of them are sad, some of them are weird, and most of th
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I’ve had recent conversations with people still inside the Living Word Fellowship and it strikes me just how much they are under a “spell”. A spell that seems to cause them to turn off their internal voice of reason. Their internal voice of conscience and to some degree, their sense of ethics. What “holy spirit” are they listening to anyway? And they just don’t see it. It is like a blindness
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

No, they only teach courses like these: Employing the theory of the “Unequal Yoke” to gain a new wife How to sing a song 50 times in a service without boring the congregation How to close down a church and divert assets to your own corporation How to keep congregations busy so they won’t question anything. Inter-marrying within the church while maintaining a robust gene pool
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I've been hearing a number of accounts of people who had successful businesses who were badgered into converting these businesses into "kingdom businesses". Apparently this involved turning the oversight of the business over to Gary Hargrave. In most cases, the profits were diverted to APCO support and the business was mismanaged. The original owner is pushed out and the operat
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I agree. Now is not the time to be cursing anyone, or finding delight in anyone’s plight. Cancer is the real enemy here. Not Marilyn. With my faith, I place her in the arms of God and ask for a healing.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I recently learned just how total and evil the things that Gary did to Bob were. It was shocking. Gary basically robbed Bob. Then he turns around and speaks ill of him after he died. What kind of a person does this kind of stuff? And no one was more given than Bob. He gave his entire life to the Living Word. And they took full advantage of that openess. Reminds me of what recently happene
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

This might be a bit taboo, but I recall certain married women being encouraged to get abortions so they could be free to serve the "apostles" without the distraction of caring for a baby. Anybody recall this? It's probably not done so much now, due to dwindling membership. They need all the people they can get now. But 20 or 30 years ago, it was happening. And what a sacrifice
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Larry, is this the TV show you were talking about?
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

By the way, the condition of an "unequal yoke" as defined in the Living Word, is when one spouse is more loyal to Marilyn than the other. It's nothing else.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

There are so many LW spouses that live in a fear of being split up from their partners by Marilyn, in the name of the "unequal yoke". This is the insecurity that drives much of the submission to G&M. And we are told "insecurity is the satan of the kingdom". Seems like it is the "glue of the kingdom". G&M's kingdom, that is.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Just like N. Korea
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

The 90/10 rules is this: local shepherds are to only spend 10% of their energy on the sheep, and spend 90% of their energy ministering to the "upward flow", i.e. Marilyn. This also is reflected in how the finances flow out of the local church. But it was more like 80/20. Most local churches send 80% of their tithes to LA.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I'm sorry. My last post might have been a bit offensive to some. Let me re-phrase it. Ask yourself this: " do any of the people in leadership at the LW seem a bit power-hungry?" Do you recall Jesus ever teaching about the "upward flow principle" or the "90/10 rule" that Gary and Marilyn Hargrave teach?
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families