The Unfolding War Against Spiritual Abuse

[TLFisher]

Originally Posted by Terry

To use Numbers 23:21 (“He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, Nor has He seen wickedness in Israel. The Lord his God is with him, And the shout of a King is among them.) as an excuse to not confront unrighteousness is a copout.

A contradicting word to any brother quoting Numbers 23:21 is Ephesians 5:11

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by Terry

A contradicting word to any brother quoting Numbers 23:21 is Ephesians 5:11

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

The difference here is that the first is corporate and the latter is individual. Balak paid Balaam to curse Israel, which was obviously special to God's heart. So God said He saw no iniquity in Israel. This has nothing to do with exposing the deeds of darkness even of individuals within the church.

Ironically what Lee did repeatedly to categorically condemn all of Christianity was very similar to what Balaam was paid to do. Lee condemned the body of Christ as a whole, outside of his little movement, as pitiful, hopeless and helpless. This is altogether different from exposing specific deeds of darkness, which is what John Ingalls et. al. did to expose the corruption at the offices of LSM.

[TLFisher]

Originally Posted by Ohio

The difference here is that the first is corporate and the latter is individual. Balak paid Balaam to curse Israel, which was obviously special to God's heart. So God said He saw no iniquity in Israel. This has nothing to do with exposing the deeds of darkness even of individuals within the church.

Ironically what Lee did repeatedly to categorically condemn all of Christianity was very similar to what Balaam was paid to do. Lee condemned the body of Christ as a whole, outside of his little movement, as pitiful, hopeless and helpless. This is altogether different from exposing specific deeds of darkness, which is what John Ingalls et. al. did to expose the corruption at the offices of LSM.

I see what you're saying Ohio, but some in the local churches use Numbers 23:21as a principal towards individuals or a group of individuals.

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by Terry

I see what you're saying Ohio, but some in the local churches use Numbers 23:21as a principal towards individuals or a group of individuals.

That's the problem. We allowed Lee and Co. to interpret the Bible for us without any checks and balances. Lee basically enjoyed what the popes had for centuries -- so-called "infallibility" related to doctrine. In other words, if Lee was God's sole oracle on earth today, how could he possibly be wrong?

The Bible has no such authorizations in the New Testament. The "first pope" Peter of the Catholics was rebuked by Apostle Paul so they had to make him their first MOTA instead, but neither Peter nor Paul received such legitimacy from the scriptures.

Only Jesus, the Son of God, today's Moses, who built God's house, is the infallible One of the age. He needs no vicar, no holy see, no acting god, no mota, no unique oracle, etc. to take His place on earth. What He has given us, since He ascended into heaven, is His Spirit. The church has never been instructed to follow a singular man, regardless of who he is, rather we are instructed to walk by the Spirit, and follow men who are genuine examples of the faith.

[Freedom]

When it comes down to how average LC members are affected by spiritual abuse, I think that it is mainly an issue of the disconnect between how the LC is presented and what it really is. What I mean is when LC members get offended, are wronged, or are in abusive situations, none of this is ever discussed or addressed. It's bad enough that these things happen in the first place, but the fact that there is a complete denial of these things, all the while leaders are continuously promoting a "pristine" image of the LC, it makes the suffering so much worse.

Something which I was considering is how CRI called the LC "An exemplary group of Christians". Obviously, many of those in the LC were happy to hear themselves labeled in such a manner. What about those who have been hurt by the LC? I think that kind of label is utterly insulting to those who have been hurt, and it even marginalizes their sufferings. For those who have been spiritually abused in the LC, there is nothing worse than to have an outside entity come and say that the LC is something commendable. What this means for those who have suffered, is that they are made to look like their experiences are all imagined. There might be the notion that they couldn't possibly have been treated that way among the "exemplary Christians" they were involved with. Am I making sense? It is this disconnect that I think can be so harmful. Not only are the experiences of some members treated as nothing, but can be made to look like liars if they try to address those experiences.

To provide a concrete example of what I'm trying to say, I will use the ground of locality. Many LC members may notice that the LC is sectarian or divisive, as opposed to the image of "oneness" that is constantly promoted. If anyone in the LC were to point out the sectarianism or division, it would be vehemently denied by LC leadership, probably labeled as "utterly false". Furthermore, they could pull out something Lee said, such as the following:

I regret to say that some of the saints who have read our publications concerning the ground of locality have used them to cause division. Some have said that they are taking the ground of locality in a certain city and that they do not want to have fellowship with others. This is a true division. The ground of locality is for oneness, not for division. If we take the ground of locality as a standing to be independent from other believers, we are divisive.

Enjoying the Riches of Christ for the Building Up of the Church as the Body of Christ, Witness Lee
http://www.ministrysamples.org/excer...-DIVISION.HTML

Notice how in this excerpt Lee distinctly speaks against the ground of locality being something of division. So seemingly Lee spoke against division, but some LC members notice division. How is discrepancy reconciled? The elephant in the room is that Lee's teachings were in fact divisive, however, leaders can pull out quotes like this one to silence anyone saying that Lee taught anything the least bit divisive. They can show that Lee supposedly taught the opposite of division. This is very manipulative, and it leaves those with concerns with no way to address anything. This is the kind of spiritual abuse I'm taking about. Members are instilled with a distorted reality, and it is hard to refute that false reality, even when there are numerous red flags.

When I look back at my path of becoming "concerned", I realize that all I had to go off of was my own intuition. Members are so caught up in their false reality, that if I were to point out even the slightest of things that concerned me, it would be met with harsh denial. In other words, if I was even the least bit unsure of my position, I might start thinking that I was crazy after awhile. I think this is a trap many fall into. They start thinking to themselves "I'm the only one who appears concerned, therefore the problem must be me." Thankfully, many have come forward with their experiences so that LC members can realize they are not alone in their suffering.

[TLFisher]

Originally Posted by Freedom

When it comes down to how average LC members are affected by spiritual abuse, I think that it is mainly an issue of the disconnect between how the LC is presented and what it really is. What I mean is when LC members get offended, are wronged, or are in abusive situations, none of this is ever discussed or addressed. It's bad enough that these things happen in the first place, but the fact that there is a complete denial of these things, all the while leaders are continuously promoting a "pristine" image of the LC, it makes the suffering so much worse.

Those in the local churches affected by spiritual abuse, there are perhaps several outcomes to be considered if not more;
1. Expectation to take the cross.
2. If one did not keep it "in house" and spoke outside the protective confines of LSM fellowship, he or she would be portrayed as a disillusioned member.
3. Reaction from the leadership perspective is likely to project "false accusations" or "imagined wrongdoings". All the while as Freedom indicated, "promoting a pristine image of the LC".

[TLFisher]

Originally Posted by Ohio

That's the problem. We allowed Lee and Co. to interpret the Bible for us without any checks and balances. Lee basically enjoyed what the popes had for centuries -- so-called "infallibility" related to doctrine. In other words, if Lee was God's sole oracle on earth today, how could he possibly be wrong?

I'm sure some might say it's outright arrogance to read the Bible only and at the exclusion of a LSM publication.

[TLFisher]

Originally Posted by Ohio

The difference here is that the first is corporate and the latter is individual. Balak paid Balaam to curse Israel, which was obviously special to God's heart. So God said He saw no iniquity in Israel. This has nothing to do with exposing the deeds of darkness even of individuals within the church.

He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, Nor has He seen wickedness in Israel. The Lord his God is with him, And the shout of a King is among them Numbers 23:21

To rephrase what Ohio is saying here, the LC perspective is taking Numbers 23:21 OUT OF CONTEXT.
Instead the LC/LSM application of Numbers 23:21 is not corporate, but individual. Following is a result of LC application of Numbers 23:21

1. 1 Timothy 5:20...rendered obsolete
2. Matthew 18....it's negated
3. No accountability
4. Elders and coworkers get a free pass.
5. Partiality towards the elders and coworkers is promoted
6. This becomes the pattern:
So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Matthew 23:28

Very simply stay positive and just look the other way.