Comment by an exLCG member:
Bob League and Rod McNair "cast me to Satan" in 2014. They asked me to headquarters, sat me down in League's office and told me that it was their "duty as God's true ministers to cast me to Satan".
To this day, they have never given me any explanation or reason for why they did what they did. I have racked my mind searching for a reason that would justify their actions, but have found none.
I begged, cried, pleaded, prayed, wrote letter after letter beseeching them just to talk. They ignored it all and never saw me again after that fateful night. I was dead to them which wasn't such a stretch because in my heart I felt dead myself. That was the point after all. They wanted me to die and a huge part of me did die as a result of what they did to me.
In one fail swoop they took from me nearly every single person that I loved. Nearly every single friend that I had ever had in my adult life.
To put salt in the wound, they spread lies about me to tarnish my name and to ensure that they kept LCG members away from me.
I cried every day. Didn't want to even get out of bed. The profound sadness and despair that occurs when you lose everyone you loved without a single goodbye is literally the worse thing I have ever battled in my life. It feels like everything has been taken away from you and you've been left out in the cold to die a slow, painful death completely alone. Isolated, tarnished and alone.
Never knowing why made it even worse.
I still think about it every day. I ask God "why me"? I always tried to be a good Christian. How could God allow me to be falsely accused and 'cast to Satan'? How could God allow me to hurt so badly for no obvious reason?
After over a year of prayer, begging God for understanding, I have finally come to a place where I can see that none of those people every really loved me in the first place. None of them were ever really my friends at all. How can you just cut someone that you have spent countless hours with over the years out of your life without even speaking to them on the word of your minister? What kind of a person does that?
It has been a hard, slow road but I get a little more numb with each passing day. I pray for the day that LCG no longer occupies space in my head but at least the acute, daily sobbing phase of this loss seems to have passed.
It's so easy for people to say, "be glad you are out of that toxic environment, count it as a blessing" but I am flesh and blood. I really loved those people and thought we would love each other for the rest of my life. I never thought our relationships were disposable. It's a hard reality with which to come to grips.
I feel I will never be able to trust any group of people ever again, never give my heart over fully ever again. I don't think I would survive this kind of loss a second time. To avoid it, I have learned that I shouldn't give more than I can afford to lose.
If you are in LCG and reading this now, you are not immune. You may think you are safe, that your friends are real. But they aren't. If Meredith ordered them to shun you, they would.
The whole thing is fake. Real men of God would never do such a thing. Christ would never do such a thing. Shepherds keep the flock safe. I wasn't safe and neither are you.
I don't believe that you have no clue why, but your story sounds very dramatic. You were in a cult. Your inability to think for yourself lands you there. It was good when you were one of the elite, the chosen, the called out. If you really want to make amends for participating in such a horrible group, write more here and elsewhere so that those who are still causing harm to families might see what goes on there. Don't make this a one time pity party for you, HELP!
ReplyDeleteIt is so sad what they do to members, and what so call friends do to each other. Going to church was like walking through a minefield. You had the spies and elders, watching your words and actions. Really who needs that, my one true friend in that church died so I left.
ReplyDeleteFrom my experienced, there is love in lcg. The church government is from the top down. IF Rod the leader doesn't love the brethren, why should the rest of the church love each other. He is leading by example and his ministers follow.
We must forgive Rod, he must've been absent when hwa gave that course.
You are free, enjoy your freedom, don't go back into slavery!
As emotionally difficult as it must be and have been for you my friend, they did you a huge favor. You get your just fine individualism back. You get your freedom from group think back. You get your critical thinking back. You get your own time now to do what YOU really want to do. You can choose your friends without looking over your shoulder. All this an more PLUS you save at least 20%...
ReplyDeleteAnd not to worry, no Satan is waiting for you with open arms. You're genuinely free and unshackled. (Email me if you wish...we'll chat DennisCDiehl@aol.com
"The whole thing is fake. Real men of God would never do such a thing. Christ would never do such a thing. Shepherds keep the flock safe. I wasn't safe and neither are you."
ReplyDeleteLCG is fake. God is unconditional, all encompassing love. Real shepherds help, not hurt.
LCG loves nothing but money, power and their false feelings of superiority.
What kind of "man of God" would cast his member to Satan??? This is unbelievable!
ReplyDeleteIn true LCG form, they completely missed the entire point of that scripture. I implore all of you to review it.
More evidence that LCG is a bunch of Pharisees!
Christ said, "let he who is without sin cast the first stone". McNair, League and Meredith cast stones with reckless abandon.
I truly fear for their eternal salvations.
I think I know who wrote this even though it says anon.
ReplyDeleteIf it is who I think it is, they were never engaged in or accused of adultery (least of all incest which is what I think that 'cast to Satan' scripture is actually about). As gossipy as church is, if adultery were even a suspicion we would have heard it rumored by now and we haven't.
Funny enough, the actual adulterers still work at LCG headquarters. They were protected instead of being cast to Satan.
If one could add up all the pain and suffering ACOG's have caused over the decades it would paint an ugly picture.
ReplyDeleteI once left church for a few months and not one person called me, wrote me or checked to see where I was or if anything was wrong.
ReplyDeleteIf you are there, you are in the club. Once you are gone, you are forgotten.
I feel sorry for anyone who thinks ACOG friends are true friends because they aren't. They are the fakest group of people I have ever encountered.
Friendship is solely conditional of membership in the group.
Leave the group, lose your friends.
The church of God exactly fits the condemnation of the ministry in Ezekiel 34:
ReplyDeleteOh shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, iyou slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, hthe injured you have not bound up, hthe strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and lharshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, owith none to search or seek for them.
All of this they are doing but deny it is about them.
Yes, let them repent and turn from their idols of power and money and jobs and chief seats in the synagogues and turn to God. What a great day that would be!
Don't they realize the brethren would love and respect them all the more for moral courage and conviction?
In the general balance of everything, anything that gets you out if it all is a good thing. Just keep seeking the higher things. Ally yourself with loyal people of good character and good morals, the people who are part of the solution.
ReplyDeleteBB
I had the exact same thing that 7:05AM said happen to me. I did not make my departure known ahead of time to anyone. The week prior, multiple people told me how wonderful of a person I am. Even one saying that I'm such a good friend. Not a peep out of ANY of them for months. One unanswered voicemail from my minister asking to speak to me probably two or three months after I stopped coming. I am friends with a lot of them still on Facebook, and nothing. I only keep them on as friends out of curiosity to see if anyone will say anything. So far absolutely nothing. I have never really posted personal stuff of Facebook because its simply just not my thing so I don't feel as though I'm allowing any "spying" or anything like that. Do they ever stop to think that maybe, just maybe, their behavior is a part of the reason why I have never come back? Nope. Because LCG doesn't do anything wrong right? I'm the one that's "living in sin" right? Not really. I still keep the Commandments and try to move forward in my relationship with God, which is more than most members can say. Would any of them know that? No. I'm sure in the months and months since my departure there's been theories as to why I just stopped coming. Maybe even mentions in sermons, wouldn't put it past them. None of them would be true. I just had enough of LCG and its pharisee-like ways.
ReplyDeleteWhat Anon 7:05 AM and Anon 11:30 AM don't seem to realize is that "friendship" is the main reason most people stay in LCG. Everyone knows their doctrines are messed up because of the vanity of Meredith, Ames, Winnail, Hernandez and others who want to "upgrade" what HWA gave, even though those upgrades contradict each other and also HWA. Also, everyone knows that it's not just their doctrines that are messed up, it's their Christian conduct, which is more like Satan's conduct.
ReplyDeleteIf you care about doctrines that make sense, you won't be in LCG. If you care about Christian conduct from the ministry, you won't be in LCG.
The only reason to stay in LCG is your friends. Since the moment you leave LCG you will lose those friends, people stay even though they know Meredith and his minions are liars whose doctrines are crazy. But what kind of people stay in an abusive organization with crazy doctrines, where adulterers are kept on the payroll because they are "needed" and there is always money for the Meredith kids, but where a member who believes closer to HWA than Winnail or Ames or Meredith will be put out for having a few new ideas? You want to be a part of that? Fine. Just don't pretend you're being a Christian by doing so.
So which Meredith son is on the Council? Jimmy?
ReplyDeleteWhat a horrifying story. That is just terrible. What shocking behavior.
ReplyDeleteMeredith and Rod McNair have cast themselves to Satan by their actions.
ReplyDeleteGlenn - RCM hasn't put Jimmy on the council YET but his son-in-law, Rick Stafford was recently added.
ReplyDeleteAnon 8:11 AM- You are correct. Stafford is just as much a Pharisee and narcissistic as the rest of the LCG clergy, or more.
DeleteYou mean that one of RCM's wives was Rick Stafford's mom? It's cray how incestuous Armstrongism is. I guess it only makes sense though, considering the founder...
ReplyDelete**Son-in-law** (not step son, sparky). Stafford married one of Meredith's daughters.
DeleteThe thing that boggles me about LCG is the underlying gestapo-like mentality of all of it's members (coming from a former member). They claim they are a family (literally I don't know how many times I heard this in LCG). And then turn around and stab each other in the backs at every chance they get. They cut each other down so often they don't even realize they're doing it anymore. The church permits no one to be a sinner. So in turn they all must act like they are not and in by doing so are denying reality. That to me is what 7:05 and 11:30 are talking about. The self-righteous, hypocritical attitude that all of its members get. And I do mean ALL. You can say that Meredith is crooked all you want but the members are just as bad. And if they don't fall into that category, then they don't fit in which promotes further persecution on individuals. I was one of those individuals. No matter what I did, I felt horrible. I was never good enough for LCG. I never could quite understand what the determining factor was in new members, on who was treated like trash and who got put on a pedestal by the congregations. Maybe it was all like a sociopath, knocking the ones that actually think critically down so that there was more control. I guess looking back now, I'm thankful that I never fit in because I never stooped down to their level and got out. Just wish I would've figured it out sooner.
ReplyDeleteWhere are you now? I hear what you are saying I have seen it some what myself, but does that mean you should'nt be there? And they should?
Delete1:56 here. Here's the thing 2:03. If it makes YOU feel better being there, by all means be there. I however don't. I have enough self respect to know when things are or are not healthy for me. LCG is toxic in my opinion. Its like an overgrown sociopath that gets its jollies off at pointing fingers and maintaining control. And I do not buy into the idea that my salvation is based upon my organizational loyalty so I don't really see the point of playing the caring for my salvation card. Maybe one day you'll connect the dots.
DeleteInteresting you should mention that, 1:56! That same sort of situation in old school WCG is what killed the whole concept of relationship for me, and I suspect for many others as well. Detactment disorder is actually an Axis II personality disorder in DSM IV, and I've had a WCG-induced case of it for decades. I am simply incapable of anything other than superficial, very limited relationships. The minute I think anyone is trying to get close to me, defense mechanisms somewhere deep within me create some distance. What really scares me about this is that the Kingdom is supposed to be all about relationships, and our prayer life is our relationship with God. Also, when we pray for others, it should be motivated by our deep caring about the outcome of our prayers, and we should be willing to be selfless enough to do some of the things for the people we pray for that we are asking God to do. This is yet another example of how Armstrongism kills you spiritually, as opposed to mentoring and fostering spiritual growth. They just never learned from Jesus' critique of the Pharasissies, who were totally legalistic, but inhumane to fellow man, and spiritually dead. Healing from Armstrongism can only come from transformation by Father God, Himself and Jesus Christ. You've brought up a red hot topic that should concern all of us profoundly.
ReplyDeleteBB
Totally agree with BB and 1:56.
ReplyDeleteWhat is wrong with a person who is able to be best friends with someone and then never speak to them again (not even to say goodbye) just because Rod Meredith tells them to?
How many times have LCG trolls been on this site proclaiming that they "don't follow a man"?
Well wake up folks! If you are shunning someone that you liked for years for reasons you haven't verified personally, you ARE following a man. Do you think Jesus Christ would blindly follow what Rod Meredith says to do or weigh the evidence for Himself and then make a determination?
And even if a determination of guilt was assessed once all the evidence was placed before Him, do you think He would cut people off of show love and grace through forgiveness?
As it's been mentioned before, LCGers are experts of the law (just like the Pharisees) but are completely clueless when it comes to the weightier issues.
When reading (Mt 18:21-22) I think it's quite clear that we are all far from perfect. If that were not the case we certainly wouldn't need to learn to exercise the patience and mercy that this scripture commands..1:56 it is far from easy I know all too well but I also know that if I don't have to ever deal with the things you mentioned then I will never learn what it is to truly forgive or to show the kind of mercy understanding and compassion that Stephen had towards those that were killing him.
ReplyDeleteThat's the exact same thing that an abuser would say. I do actually know what forgiveness, mercy, understanding and compassion are. Fortunately I wasn't raised in a crazy Armstrong-following home so I was indeed taught those things well from a young age. I also was taught self respect and that you do not have to put up with abuse in order to have those traits.
DeleteWhile at AC (72-74) I sat through RCM's "First Year Bible". Here is a man who taught the Gospels for years. Reading and re-reading the life, deeds and words of Jesus, yet seemed so immune from any of its influence on his life and heart.
ReplyDeleteThe new people don't realise, what is happening. They're to busy following a man.
ReplyDeleteThey are so committed that they are blinded to the truth. They have to learn that hard way.
The only thing going for them is they are not been judged by what the Loveless church of god (lcg) does.
The main reason to be a member is to pay, then pray and keep quiet.
They do not tolerate correction.
Well said 5:44. I'll go one step further. Organizational loyalty, especially in the case of LCG, will likely put you salvation AT RISK. When people think they're safe because they're in LCG (like Gerald Weston preached in Charlotte just 2 Sabbaths ago), they gain s false sense of security. Salvation requires personal Bible study and growth. It involves doing what's right even if it's not what's popular and regardless of if it gets you in trouble with oppressive ministers. It means making the conscience decision to explify the fruits of the Spirit I'm your daily life.
ReplyDeleteChrist is our intercessor. Not a single minister in LCG can do for you what needs to be done to be counted worthy. We all myst work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.
"Salvation requires personal Bible study and growth. It involves doing what's right even if it's not what's popular and regardless of if it gets you in trouble with oppressive ministers. It means making the conscience decision to explify the fruits of the Spirit I'm your daily life."
ReplyDeleteI've gone through 2 church splits, and what I witnessed during those times has a lot to do with why I see Armstrongism as a fraudulent enterprise. As a laymember, during the "good" times, you can make excuses, that the abuses from the "ministry" are just due non-systematic, personal failings. But during splits, when the ministers are openly fighting with each other, instead of just with the laymembers, it becomes very obvious that the abuses are *absolutely* systematic, on which side of the bread different people's butter is, and how vacuous the biblical teachings that come out of minister's mouths during sermons are in their personal lives. Fruits of the spirit? Don't make me laugh!
Always during a split, the ministers on top *openly* tell the ministers who are underneath to stop thinking, to stop asking questions, to abandon any issues of conscience or morality, and that it is as simple as might makes right. The ministers on top have the might, therefore, they are right? That because they wound up on top, this is the sign that god has favored them? Ridiculous.
Not to say that ministers don't fight and treat each other horribly all the time. They do. It's just that usually all that stuff is kept secret from the laymembers. During a split, however, all that stuff comes out into the open. That's when laymembers get to see behind the scenes, and witness how the ministry treat each other all the time, but is usually kept hidden from you. During a split is when you can measure what a minister is made of, whether he is a decent human being or a shameless and despicable monster. During a split is when you can observe what the system you follow is actually like all the time.
If people knew how despicable their church "ministerial" system was, there would be a lot fewer Armstrongites. Ministers hide their true selves from the laymembers for obvious reasons.