Quote:
Originally Posted by aron
A couple of comments on the disconnect which follows placing the basis of the existence of your Christian fellowship upon a nebulous 'ground' that risks being continually redefined by leadership.
First is that the condition, so-called, of the non LC churches is incessantly harped upon. I left the LC, went back to Christianity, and couldn't stop the constant critical thoughts in my head: every Christian meeting, I found the doctrine deficient (no God's economy?@!), or the singing horrible, or the preacher ignorant, or the congregation lethargic, or whatever. I couldn't get past the condition, so-called, to see that God loves these people. It took me years to humble myself and realize that my doctrines didn't make me, or anyone, more special in God's eyes. Can you get through 3 LC meetings without someone bringing up the poor condition of fallen Christianity? I doubt it.
Yet when considering the deficiencies of the LC, suddenly we're told that God sees no wrong. Hypocrisy.
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On the subject of condition, there is a great amount of irony with the view that WL pushed. There was no end to his criticism of the 'fallen' condition of all Christians outside the LC. In other parts of his ministry, he made statements characterizing condition as being unimportant. If he truly believed the latter, then there would have been no reason for him to criticize the perceived condition of other churches.
I would say that the real issue at hand has always the condition of the LC. No doubt, the LCM is promoted as having a pristine condition, being a 'recovery' of sorts. The reality, however, is that condition has really declined, with there being large discrepancies between the reality of the situation and the official view that is promoted.
When members become disillusioned, they might start looking elsewhere. What if they noticed other churches outside the LC that are thriving, or that they all have various ministries for all needs/age-groups. What if they noticed all the churches that have a sizable increase or that have devout and enthusiastic members. That all would puts a cloud of suspicion on the LC, because how could something that claims to be a recovery maintain such a poor condition? It is inevitable that members will notice the condition of other Christians from time to time. Lest they begin to consider the shortcomings of the LC, WL quietly instilled the notion that their "standing on the ground" was more important than anything else.