[TLFisher]

"John So first became critical during his visit to Taipei in October 1986, only one and a half months after the start of the first term of the full-time training. In that visit John stayed in Taipei for ten days. During his stay he said that what the training did in the way of baptizing people could be done in Taipei, but that I such a thing were done in Germany, the people there would baptize them instead. He also said that what Brother Lee was doing in the training in Taipei was just for Taipei, but that he, John, had to consider the situation on the whole world. He went on to criticize those taking the lead in the training, blaming them for stirring people up, and saying that their reporting to Brother Lee was deliberately misleading, that the true situation was being kept from Brother Lee, and that there were problems with the new way but that this was kept from Brother Lee. The night before he left Taipei, he spoke to a leading elder and a co-worker during dinner and criticized the training again."

The Fermentation of the Present Rebellion pages 40-41

Following is John So's account of the same events.

"Brother Lee was talking about the fermenting, you know, I’m beginning to criticize. I’m beginning to oppose the training, etc. Let me read to you [from Fermentation]. “In that visit, John stayed in Taipei for ten days. During his stay, he said what the training did in the way of baptizing people could be done in Taipei, but if such a thing were done in Germany, the people there would baptize them instead. “I did say that believe it or not. I did say that. But I’m saying it out of my own experience in Germany.

When we went door knocking and tried to baptize people in the bathtub, my goodness, two days later a newspaper came out warning everybody that a group of people are going about door knocking and are going to put you in the bathtub in Eve’s costume. Eve’s costume—that means with nothing on. And warning the public to be careful about those people who are going about and going to dump you with no clothes on in the bathtub. I’m glad they couldn’t identify us. My goodness, if they could identify us, that’s their baptizing us, and this says they’re baptizing us. I explain to the brothers and sisters, I said, “How many times do you take a bath with clothes on? Take a shower with clothes on?” Of course, do you expect this unbeliever—you talk about—“Oh, I’m going to baptize you in the bathtub.”—do you expect them to think right away they’re going in there with their clothes on.? Immediately, they say, “What are you going to do with me there?” Okay.

The Lord knows, I’m not criticizing. We already had baptized people in the bathtub 20 years ago when we were in Germany. When I went to Germany we had no place to baptize people—the best place is to baptize them in the bathtub. I went to East Germany and that was before the new way came, we baptized five people in the bathtub. East Germany. I am not against baptizing people in the bathtub. Don’t think I am. Okay. Then here is the point. He also says, “John So also said that what brother Lee was doing in the training in Taipei was just for Taipei, but that he (John So) had to consider the situation on the whole world.” My goodness. You think I am stupid to say that. If you get into the context what I’m trying to tell our dear brother, young brother Jim Batten, is that this may work in Taipei, but we have to consider the situation of each part of the earth, of the world, may not be the same. Suppose you go to a Moslem country, Saudi Arabia, you go door knocking, you might lose your head! That’s what I mean. But you see, if you manipulate just one word, my goodness, you will think, “My, John So thought Witness Lee is just caring for that little Taipei, but John So cares for the whole world.”

And that is printed here. Yeah, it is fermenting you see. Fermenting John So is opposing the training. I’m sorry, brother, but if this is a testimony against me, I think they will have to deal with it before the Lord. It’s printed, sent to the whole world, Okay. It is sent to the whole world."

John So's Testimony March 1990- Pages 6-7