Tuesday, January 2, 2018

The Saddest Thing About Betrayal Is That It Never Comes From Your Enemies



A comment from the "Is it possible to have a true friendship with another in the Church of God?"

I was in LCG for years and had so many friends. I threw baby showers, bridal showers, cocktail parties, bbq's and endless dinner parties for my "friends". We traveled the world together, shared condos for the Feast of Tabernacles, went through pregnancies/births together and spent all of our social lives with one another (it is frowned upon in LCG to have friends that aren't in the church).

For me, it was all gone in a spit second. These people, who I thought genuinely loved and cared about me, turned their backs on me as soon as I was no longer in LCG. I was de-friended by people with reckless abandon (it sounds trite but it was hurtful). I would reach out to people and they would refuse to reply to my messages. I was shunned repeatedly when I'd run into long-time LCG friends in public. Suddenly, all these supposed "Christians" who were my "brothers and sisters" regarded me with more disgust than their superior asses view the "people in the world".

To this day, I can not conceive of how they twist things in their infantile minds to think that what they did to me was in any way "Christ-like". I mean seriously, can you imagine our Savior advocating such disgusting behavior? No way!

If you are reading this and you are in LCG you are no exception. If you leave you will lose all of your friends. You see, the relationships are CONDITIONAL. People in these churches appear to be incapable of grasping the concept of unconditional love (let alone mercy or forgiveness). If you are telling yourself, "nah, that would never happen to ME" you are so deceived. It would happen to you as it happened to me and many, many others.

My favorites were the "friends" that replied, "I want to be a pillar in the Kingdom so I love you, but..." or "you will always be my brother and I love you, but..."

Guess what LCGers, love is a VERB. It requires action not just words.

I have never met a more fake, self-righteous group of idiots in my life. I am desperately ashamed that I wasted over ten years of my life with those people.

I fear for them because they will reap what they have sown and more importantly because they do not know the love of Christ.

LCG is the antithesis of the COG.


50 comments:

AJ said...

Yes, this is exactly the truth for LCG, RCG, PCG, all of them and it was true in the WWCG originally as well.
It went on long ago and it goes on now.
Self righteous is the key.

Anonymous said...


“The Saddest Thing About Betrayal Is That It Never Comes From Your Enemies”


It comes from all your frenemies (those who pretend to be friends but are actually enemies) in the so-called COGs.

Anonymous said...

I know it is not the norm, but when I left LCG, there were no rejections by anyone, including elders and ministers. The continued friendship was widespread genuine, and still exists today.

Anonymous said...

When I left, I lost all the church friends I had at the time. But I was able to reconnect with others who had also left. And some of them are still my best friends.

As for those still in it, for the most part I don't take offense to the fact that they don't want anything to do with me. It's not that they don't care; they think they are just putting God first. I still consider them my friends.

Anonymous said...

I mean seriously, can you imagine our Savior advocating such disgusting behavior? No way!

You mean the guy who said leave the dead to bury the dead?

Byker Bob said...

When I left WCG in 1975, people broke the shun rules for me. I think the reason for that is that I was polite, wasn't hostile towards anyone, and didn't try to force a new agenda on them. My new "secular" boss figured I was his special liason to the College, his ticket to increased business, and deliberately dispatched me there any time people called. It was surprising that while I was doing the work for them, numerous people (some of them the least likely) would walk up to ask how I was doing. The only thing I ever said that might have been considered negative was that I felt like I had to start from scratch and search for new answers.

To me, the worst betrayals involved lying to us about the Germans instead of lying to us about Santa Clause, refusal to reconsider doctrines that were obviously ill-founded and wrong, conning us out of virtually all of our disposable income and then misspending it flagrantly, and the leaders' secret failure to live to the standards they imposed on members.

But, our fellow peon rats in the cage who lashed out and bit or scratched us weren't the problem. That blame falls upon the people who established the rat cage. You really just couldn't get close to anyone, and that was for your personal safety.

BB

nck said...

"I think the reason for that is that I was polite, wasn't hostile towards anyone, and didn't try to force a new agenda on them."

The "doctrinal interpretation of the "shun rule" as recently adopted name on this blog/ probably taken from the mennonites, was that no one should have had any trouble abiding by the "not sowing discord" rule which fits your description above.

The "pressure valve doctrinal safety net" included that "such person might not have been fully converted. And members should not impose anything on that person as to not hamper this persons 2nd chance later on.


It just dawned on me that perhaps if I had been the person counselling you psychologically during the carving of your own path I might just have suggested to get yourself a plane ticket and spend a couple of months in Germany drinking and enjoying the scenery on the Autobahn. (just an opinion I'm not trained to offer advice of this sorts)

At times I find closure by visiting actual sites of events. Although high school reunions should only be held every 25 years or so in my opinion.

nck


Anonymous said...

I understand your pain to a degree OP.. I was in LCG.. I've been out for a couple of years and I have friends I still hang out with occasionally or see at weddings, but it is different. You are treated a little differently. I have had mostly positive interactions though with the people I do run into. I'm sorry you've experienced that level of shunning.

At the end of the day it's just religion. Religion is essentially an individuals best guess or hypothesis on how they should live their lives, and what is truth. It's philosophy on steroids. Religion really shouldn't be that important to a friendship. I have friends who are Catholics, protestants, atheist, and LCG/UCG/COGWA.

I believe some people want to stay insulated in their small groups and look upon potential friends outside of their group as "of the world," but then all you may have in common with your "friends" is a common association.

I miss my friends that haven't reached out to me as well. I knew even while I was attending if I asked the hard questions or said something that went against the dogma, it would be looked upon badly. I hope you find true friends OP who'll love you for who you are, and that those who shunned in the past will change their outlook.

As a general question to all my fellow ex LCG-ers .. What were the reasons/circumstances of your departure?

Anonymous said...

When I was in WCG/GCI I never had any friends in the church. Most of the time you had to be in the "clique", in which case I was never apart of.

Anonymous said...

You write, "Relationships are CONDITIONAL". I guess we shouldn't be surprised. It's just like your salvation in the WCG, it is conditional, based upon your WORKS!

Anonymous said...

When I attended the WCG, I was slandered by the minister. What I discovered the hard way was that it gave many members the 'right' to rob me blind. They wore the lying mask of a friend while being at war with me.
Perhaps they justified this by reasoning that they were rightly punishing me for my 'crime.' But I find no such command in the bible, or no law of man allowing this.
What happened to my right to due process?

Anonymous said...

Anon January 2, 2018 at 9:54 PM said
I mean seriously, can you imagine our Savior advocating such disgusting behavior? No way!

You mean the guy who said leave the dead to bury the dead?


Are you implying that anyone NOT in LCG is "dead"???

Or are you telling OP to walk away and not look back at the brainwashed, cruel LCG members?

Please elaborate. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Anon 12am

I left LCG because I could no longer make excuses for the blatant corruption and nepotism at headquarters (I live in Charlotte). LCG HQs is a living example of the works of the flesh. It wore on me year after year. At first I was able to dismiss it by telling myself "don't let a couple of bad apples ruin the whole bushel". As I stayed and HQs grew I started to realize that there are more rotten than not.

Then they came out with the doctrinal "upgrades". At the same time they changed their statement of beliefs (they changed them back within 6 months because of outrage from members and ministers alike). I didn't really care about the "upgrades" because I didn't think they were issues of salvations (rather, just men trying to make themselves relevant with new information for the stale church). But then Doug Winnail had the gall to sit up there during the Passover service and say to us that if we didn't "understand and accept the new upgrades, perhaps [we] weren't truly converted". What?!

Then I watched HQs ministers backbite and jockey for position over and over again in the most carnal of ways. I noted that my "worldly" work environment was less toxic than church headquarters was. That definitely sent up another red flag.

Then I saw what they did to people accused of "private Bible studies" or reading the Book of Enoch (which I believe Rod McNair had on an LU reading list) and I became further disgusted. I was nauseated by what they did to the Scarboroughs and so many others. It's important to note that the Scarboroughs get a lot of mention but they are not special. LCG has done the same thing to MANY others who just didn't have the wherewithal to stand up for themselves. Then came John Robinson and on and on.

Basically, I just couldn't make excuses for LCG any more. Its more bad than it is good.

Leaving was painful, I won't lie. I lost 99% of my friends (were they really even friends?). But now that I'm through the tunnel, life is so much better. It was worth it in the end. LCG is toxic and staying there was killing me a little more each week.

Anonymous said...

I left LCG because of Rod McNair.

Anonymous said...

I proved that Rod McNair was an unrepentant liar. Then Rod Meredith commanded me to obey Rod McNair. To stay in LCG I would have had to break the Ten Commandments. I left.

Anonymous said...

Anon 5:34, you are right. The Book of Enoch was on a Living University reading list. LCG suggested that brethren read it, then threw people out for reading it.

Anon 5:34, you left out the part where a minister's wife was involved in exactly the same activities that got Elizabeth Scarborough kicked out of LCG., but was never held accountable because Rod Meredith feared that the husband might "start his own church." Rod Meredith was a frightened old man who projected onto others his own fears and desires. Earlier, he feared that Davy Crockett would "start his own church" and so dealt with the man. Rod Meredith, who started his own church, spent his GCG/LCG years living in fear that the people around him would leave and start their own churches.

Anonymous said...

Why was John Robinson (former LCG Managing Editor, now LCG Art Editor) defrocked and sent to Texas, but kept on the LCG payroll?

if he did something so awful as to be removed from the ministry and sent away, why would LCG continue to employ him?

If he didn't do something awful, why was he defrocked and sent to Texas?

Something is very fishy about all of this.

Anonymous said...

Relax, you uptight LCG members. Take a cue from Rod Meredith's son David, who likes to relax from time to time with a good cigar . The secret of success in LCG is compartmentalizing your life, keeping your "Church face" separate from your "family face" and your "work face." Don't expect LCG's ministers to be role models, and you'll go far. Just flatter their big egos in the way you would flatter any corporate executive or politician, and you'll get ahead as they did.

Unknown said...

I bet that if I left BANNED and didn't post here anymore, that none of you would be "internet friends" with me anymore!

Anonymous said...

All:

And its not ex-LCG's that are dumped on either. Just watch how most LCG members treat any of us NON-LCG COG people, be it UCG, COGwa, PCG, any of them that never joined LCG. We go back decades in WWCG with some of them, and we remain dirt in their eyes to this day. We can't even meet with some of the for lunch...It's either you come to our church or you're garbage..or worse...

You LCG Leaders or Members, ever Read Ezekiel 34 ? ? ?

You in LCG, you think you won't answer to God the Father and Christ for how you treat any of us not in Y O U R group??

You in LCG, you so sure YOU'RE converted?

Anonymous said...

I know there are instances of "shunning" and I participated in it somewhat in the 70's. But by in large the contact any of us had with others was through the church organization and functions. Spread far and wide for the most part, members of any group mostly only see others once a week anyway, although today there is the availability of social media which provides more avenues for contact and relationships. So it is only natural that when one separates from a group, the interaction ceases to a large degree even if not actively or intentionally "shunning"that person. "Spiritual life" is mostly centered around the org one associates with, and because of distances that separate those even in that org, most contact is only centered around that particular church's activities. (Now it seems that the hierarchies DO want to sever ties with anyone who is not a declared part of their org).

Dennis said...

Those "upgrades of truth" can be hard on groups who must all speak the same thing so there be no divisions among them. Even Paul called his truth "present truth" and not "plain". Others said his version of present truth was "hard to understand. You can't win

Ekklesia said...

Byker, I suspect that Pasadena had more people who had seen a lot of the hypocrisy and understood very clearly how someone such as yourself might view the WCG differently than that image created for those away from Pasadena. A terrible minister in Alabama might just be viewed as an anomaly. Also, due to the large number of people in Pasadena you had probably already self-selected who you were spending time with before leaving and many of them probably had similar thoughts to one degree or another. In more remote areas, this was far less likely. So, when one left in such places, they were more easily demonized. It is all a sad affair. Even during my AC time, I continually told friends that low expectations of individuals in the hierarchy was the way to go in order to keep it from greatly damaging your spiritual life. That might have been good advice for a short time, but eventually that is not enough.

Anonymous said...

I left LCG soon after Bob League told me, "It's not enough that you do what I tell you to do. You need to believe that I am right and you are wrong."

God expects true Christians to use the Holy Spirit to discern truth from error. An LCG member, instead, is told to quench the Holy Spirit and automatically obey the ministry. Talking to my friends, I discovered that this was the "party line" among the LCG leadership, and not just Bob League. The top LCG ministers disagree among themselves, but expect lowly members not just to obey them, but to agree with them. Me or my friends saw this attitude not just in Rod Meredith and Bob League, but in Jim Meredith and Rod McNair and Wyatt Cecielka. Even little Mike DeSimone was starting to act this way before I left.

Any "church" that teaches you to ignore the Holy Spirit is a cult and a fraud. What is the point of having the Holy Spirit if you are supposed to ignore it and instead look to the minister as the source of all truth?

Anonymous said...

This is throughout all the groups, LCG is no exception.
Frienimies, people who befriend others with evil motives for personal gain. Befriend, spy, report up the chain of command. They offer up fake friendship for their own purpose. If you have a gut feeling a person isn't genuine it usually is true. Complete Fakeness counterfeit people abound throughout all COG groups.

Anonymous said...

I agree with ANON 12:50 - if you're not in a clique then you don't matter. I attended a COG for almost 5 years. After I left, didn't receive a single call, email or anything.

Anonymous said...

I experienced all of these....WHILE i was still in the church.

Whenever I got sick, with a particularly nasty virus that put me in the hospital causing me to miss services for several weeks, no one called or checked on me. I suffered alone.

Whenever I was in a car wreck, the local minister (Jim Franks) was told about it but never once called. I suffered alone.

Whenever I missed the Feast one year because I couldn't afford to go, no one called.

Whenever I fell ill after traveling internationally for a church project, no one called.

Whenever I did not attend camp one year, after having done it the previous five years, no one called.

Whenever I stopped attending, no one called or emailed or reached out. Not even a single one of my so-called "friends". Not even my best friend. I didn't quit attending with any kind of drama. I didn't go out with a bang. I just kind of faded away. No one cared.

I wish I had not waited so long to leave. But when the COG is all you've ever experienced, how can you possible know what it's like outside?

Anonymous said...

I read all the comments so far, and truth is in them. I have been praying for God to lead me to His full truth and where I need to be in the church. And, I do agree with the posts that most?? of your friends in the church are conditional relating to your own actions. I pray for the Scarboroughs because I believe they were very brave and I hope they are doing okay. I have never met them, but I wish I had. I do have one friend that I feel would stick by me. And, I am so sorry for the pain that has been caused to all my friends here. Especially, Anon 9:25, I sure would have hoped I would have given you a call. I hope our spiritual journey gets a little easier. I am still in LCG but my eyes are being opened. Consider this post a "cyber hug" and to say I do appreciate you for who you are. And, Connie, I would notice and I appreciate you: :-) Have a wonderful 2018.

True Bread said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...


Some of the cruellest betrayals came from the false prophets (like GRF and DCP) that Satan set up to rule over his imposter cults (like PCG and RCG).

Anonymous said...

"Leave the dead to bury the dead"

As the COG sees it, when you leave the church you are cut off from God and on the road to spiritual death.

Another scripture on this topic is Rom 16:17

"I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them."

So the person who leave is put in that category. But, often, it's the ministers who are actually causing the division. Like having hundreds of superfluous splinter groups.

Anonymous said...

"After I left, didn't receive a single call, email or anything. "

Did you call them?

Gordon Feil said...

It's a strange thing: I was for many years in one church area and I saw the level of concern go up and down like a whore's pants. At times, there were more people sincerely seeking to help than there was need. At those times it was a church of bearing each other's burdens without complaint. But at other times, if I had gone up in flames, nobody would have even pissed on me to put out the fire.

Byker Bob said...

Did anyone ever really feel approval from the ministry and/or the brethren? How about unconditional love? I would submit for discussion that since the entire system was based on unachievable legalism, a factor which automatically causes individuals to look down upon one another, it created an environment in which a state of approval was simply not possible. Hence, whenever anyone was suddenly declared to be no longer a part of the group, there was no empathy or sympathy, only knowing looks indicating acceptance of the inevitable. How could it have been otherwise?

When I was a teenager, a gentleman who had been very active in our local congregation, an exemplary and enthusiastic individual whom everybody liked, was put out of the church, and worse, was said to actually be demon-possessed. I remember being horrified and distraught on his behalf, "knowing" that he had pretty much had it, and would be in the Lake of Fire. I remember going through my Sunday chores the following day, thinking "Poor Mr. ..........."

Later, as the stories started flowing back, although I didn't know what this was until later learning about it through a Jimi Hendrix song, it became obvious that the man was a manic-depressive, bi-polar. Apparently, some of the things he did while on the low portion of his cycle caused concern. He was also unable to be responsive to ministerial counsel.

Most people believe that others perceive their surroundings similarly to themselves. There are all manner of mental states, filters to the mind and senses, and in some cases, heightened senses or awarenesses. The people who are affected by these phenomena often mask or hide them for as long as it is possible, so that others will accept them as normal. When you have an environment such as an ACOG, where everyone is attempting to be a yellow pencil in order to "qualify" for something or other, anyone who is different will eventually be excluded from the system. I'm not defending 100% of that differentness, merely making an observation. Because, let's face it. In some cases, some of these different people can be mentally unstable, bizarre, disruptive, or offensive. That's especially bad in a church that does not believe in counselling from professionally trained people who are not members of the group.

Whether or not any of us were shunned, we all have something in common, if we left or were put out. We became unapproved. Not just passively, or imaginarily disapproved, but hugely disapproved of by an entire organization. That feeling alone is very uncomfortable, and once experienced, humans often will crave approval in all aspects of their lives, as they were subjugated and forced to operate in the mode of a child. Once you've been disfellowshipped and return, there will always be a grey cloud surrounding you, known to the other brethren, and certainly known by you. You'll never recapture even the same level of approval you had had prior to leaving. In that respect, the best course of action is to understand that friendships within legalistic sytems will always be conditional, and artificial. They are based on convenience during the timespan of your membership. It is yet another thing you are not told as you enter. You find it out same as we all did, on your way out the door.

BB

Gordon Feil said...

I actually did have a wcg pastor that understood the nature of unconditional love and preached it. He also lived it. Further, he understood that people are not their actions and vice versa, and used to teach us that we would shed our problems in the resurrection when our natures would be different. He continually tried to delineate psychological problems from spiritual ones. And you know what? It was a happy and productively healthy church that he pastored.

Anonymous said...

@ Anon 5:40
As the COG sees it, when you leave the church you are cut off from God and on the road to spiritual death."

What about that part when God says to leave the 99 to go after the 1???

This harsh, unloving ability to turn your collective backs on someone who could potentially be rescued with a little love and encouragement is not of God but of the devil.

Typical Armstrongism.

Anonymous said...

Anon 5:42 - "Did you call them?"

No.. I was going through a personal crisis at the time. However, members and ministers of a church I attended years before I had affiliated with a COG (in other words, "the world's churches," "Christians, so-called," and "deceived Christians") heard of my plight and called, visited, checked-up on me and offered help right away. The members and ministers of the COG knew of my plight and never checked up on me. Says a lot in my book.

Anonymous said...

I was in a small splinter COG for a number of years, and after leaving, experienced everything talked about in this post. After realizing for all those years spent there, I knew very little of what my Bible had to offer. For all that time, I had just been told what to read, and given warped answers out of context on how to deal with issues. I am out of that box now, but kept what I could prove and was biblically sound. It is this same box that those who called themselves friends, are still stuck in. Their way of handling or dealing with someone leaving, is based on the warped approach to it given to them by those who call themselves ministers. Once I realized this, I could no longer hold animosity towards them. When their tree gets shook, they too will start opening the box.

Anonymous said...

"What about that part when God says to leave the 99 to go after the 1???"

Hard to argue with that one. But the members think they have to leave that to the ministers, and the ministers won't do it.

Ekklesia said...

Look, the ministry believes that the Holy Spirit can only lead to Truth. Deviance from acknowledgement of that truth (all the doctrines they believe- large and small) shows you do not have the Holy Spirit. If you leave because you disagree with something, that is proof to them that the Holy Spirit is not working with you, so, what's the use in giving more than a single call or inquiry? Obviously you have moved from the truth and the holy spirit. Not much help for that, they believe. Besides, it makes their life easier to just dismiss such things even if it isn't always doctrinal. There is probably some part of them that also believes pain with damaged faith and confidence shows you were never one with the holy Spirit. Again, what can be done? It is not your time and the second resurrection (hopefully) awaits.

Maybe a bit too harsh in this assessment, but by in large that is the mindset. Maybe a few more hand-waving calls will be given or someone drop by to see you, but I have seldom seen this as effective in bringing someone back to the COGs (count your blessings). The ministry and others know this and since attending with the "true church" is more important than comfort, again what should one expect??

nck said...

In the latest Star Wars more about "the Force" is revealed. It seems one can tap into this impersonal field.

The Force however seems to hearken to the Eastern philosophy of balance, therefore requiring the increase of it in one deemed "good" as "bad" rises somewhere else.

The Satan construct does not seem to match God as a balancing power. But thinking of it I suddenly get a grasp of the Kathar way of viewing things.


Nck

Anonymous said...

Good points, Ekklesia. That fits with how I interpreted their behavior as well.

Byker Bob said...

Was that a Katharsis for you, nck???

LOL
BB

nck said...

lol

the kathars seemed to have a rather "black and white" view. Only chosen ones among them could "make it" and they led an ascetic life. (easy to accomplish in medieval mountains) Satan and Jesus mix up as created beings all very interesting if you have the time and not spend it at movie theaters.

nck

Anonymous said...

Although I did not depart from LCG, I would like to respond to the question. My circumstance involved another fractured group off of WWCG exactly the same as LCG. To make it as short as I can, a particular minister and myself went down a path concerning a "ruling" he made. Because I disagreed with him based on evidence that did not support his ruling, he deemed me and my family as heretics and then proceeded to turn everyone who had known us for 40 years, against us. Sermon after sermon, backroom whispering, etc...found me friendless in the church. I chose only to speak to 2 close people about it in the church, which at the time I was accused of sowing discord by talking to everyone. Once I asked for proof of this so called sowing of discord I was doing, none could be produced. Isn't it funny how if you have the pulpit, you have power to control the puppets? It has been several years now, and a handful have left over similar problems. I have been able to keep in touch with them thankfully. I rest easy knowing that ultimately, these hirelings will answer for scattering the flock and destroying long time friendships.

Anonymous said...

You do not get due process. That is exactly what happened to my family. Imagine friends You've known for 40 years. You've had over for dinners, movies, events, etc...almost immediately act as if they never knew you. It was a crazy feeling, but if one could ever see Satan visibly working, I saw it.

Ekklesia said...

Anon 11:18 I can see it happening in my life now. We get sermons on discernment and sowing discord and yet the dividers and discord sowers always are the ministry. They are very adept at this. From the pulpit and elsewhere, the ministry basically treat heresy as the same things as sowing discord (for the brethren), so, instead of defending their doctrine and proving "heresy" the ministry go the easy route of calling it the sowing of discord. Slam dunk! The ministry lies (or deceive themselves) and wins again in their little fiefdom. Meanwhile I suspect it is now about 95% of those that have actually come to know Armstrongism who now no longer want anything to do with Armstrongism. And yet it is the disparaging of people that honestly disagree in order to marginalize them that is the definition of sowing discord and dividing the brethren.
As a side not, anyone in the splinter COGs that now state that WCG and the ministry were wrong back in the day will be told that it was some flaw in the "laymember" that caused the trouble even while the splinter COG minister is currently in great disagreement with those past ministers of the WCG that are not now in their current splinter group. They are a tight group, these ministers, they circle the wagons when a complaint occurs regarding a minister in their group. But, as we saw with the COGWA/UCG split, that loyalty quickly dissipates; you see, those ministers in the alternate group are now suspect. Why can't people see the illogic/hypocrisy of this????
The Shepherd and the Lord of the Harvest are where our faith and trust must lie. Though my posts are critical of the COGs, I sometimes feel that I must say something, though maybe not worth the time. Nevertheless, there is thankfulness and joy in my life and heart that the Lord saves and lives in those who seek or have found Him.

Escapee said...

I struggled for years trying to shed the callous, cynical attitudes that are widespread in the Living Church of God. Of course, there were always the little old ladies and gentle grandfathers in the church whom I tried to emulate, but failed. I admired those kind people because they seemed to be above all the politics and arrogance. The problem was that the leadership is poisoned and that affects the whole, despite the isolated good examples.

I could only escape by changing how I thought about people. It doesn't work to try to behave better, to try to be nicer, to try to make people like you more - those are all facades if you maintain a world view that all is vanity and can only be fixed in the Millennium - a world view that sees people as either 1st resurrectionees or 2nd resurrectionees.

I adopted the viewpoint of the man in the below videos. When you watch and listen to him, don't ask how you can treat people as he did, but ask how you can think about people as he did. For certain, his world view is contrary to that of the Living Church of God.

When I feel my mind drifting back toward the heartless apathy which I was saturated in during my decades in that church, I have to remind myself to adjust my thinking, and remember the following things, which you will find expressed in the video links.

1) Start liking people.
2) Be interested in people for who they really are.
2) Be convinced that every person is unique and matters.
3) It’s the one-on-one time with a person, in the moment, in brief, everyday encounters, out of the spotlight that is important.
4) Be concerned with people’s well-being now.
5) The prominent things are seldom what are most important, but the story behind the person’s face that is.
6) Learn the things that children have to teach you.

I left the Living Church of God years ago when I saw how they had a system of lording over their membership and protecting the leadership first. But it wasn’t until I adopted the attitudes in the above list that my world changed. Treating people right just happened organically after I started thinking about them differently. I don’t have to try to be kind, it just happens now that I like people. It’s amazing how people somehow sense your attitude toward them - when I adopted this world view people suddenly started responding to me differently, as if they were no longer apprehensive - I was dumbfounded because I didn't even say all that much to them. Maybe it's a different expression or body language. I hope to eventually make the better view of people truly part of me and not have to struggle with the LCG worldview anymore.

Liking a person.
Interview
Speech.
Hall of Fame.

Escapee said...

...on the "Liking a person" video the relavent segment is 17:45-25:31.

Ekklesia said...

Escapee-- helpful excellent post!