The following was on Exit and Support Network from a former LCG young adult. I could go on and on about similar issues in various COG groups, including the old Worldwide Church of God and the complete lack of empathy that they all exhibit/ed. The blog has had endless posts about the disrespect that the COG's have towards their followers going on 15 years and they STILL cannot do what is right.
I was a third generation Christian. My grandparents (on both sides) started attending WCG when my parents were children. My parents met as students at Ambassador College. They started attending United (UCG) shortly after Armstrong passed and the whole Grace Communion International controversy started. As a child, I attended multiple WCG splinter groups. When I was in middle school we started attending Living (LCG). I was disfellowshipped during high school. I have family members who still attend. I am in my twenties now and incredibly happy with my life.
I endured physical, emotional, and sexual abuse from my family and the cult members. After I stopped attending, I was stalked by “church” [cult] members on social media and in person. I wish I had someone like me to confide in when I was young.
I was very aware of the hypocrisy and hateful gossip spread amongst WCG members from a young age. For a while, i thought it was just my family. One instance of this that really set my views in stone was when there was a skiing accident at one of the youth camps. A young woman passed away in said accident. Due to the well known negativity surrounding her family, there were adults and teens saying they were glad she had died and hoped her family would learn from her death. I had never witnessed such a lack of empathy and remorse from a group of people calling themselves godly.
I started internally questioning why men in leadership roles were also supporting this negativity. Well respected parents with ordained titles who have children the young woman’s age saying her parents DESERVED to experience this loss. And then those same people would turn around and speak about “loving thy neighbor.”
This same instance with different topics happened time and time again. I got sick of it quite quickly when I recognized the pattern. After speaking up about this amongst peers and eventually adults, I was disfellowshipped for spreading “bad gossip” and dishonoring the ordained. I was told to stop, apologize, and repent, but I said no.
Yep, and I know where this comes from, too! You can't teach members to think of and treat people in the church with love, but to treat non members with indifference allegedly because they are not having their "chance" right now.
ReplyDeleteYou either have empathy, or you don't. If you kill it for one group of people, it's not going to be there for any people. Of course it can be faked, but then it's not a real fruit of the spirit! Those who have it open to everyone would tend to attract people to their church.
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When I stopped attending the WWCG in the 1980s, the holy spirit informed me that I had joined a gang. There's no genuine love in such groups, with the higher ups in the social order pecking on those beneath them. Rights don't exist in these groups, or more accurately, the higher ups have grabbed all the rights, leaving non for those beneath them. Their endless selective bible quoting blinds the victims of what would otherwise be self evident. It's only when members leave, and the brain washing has faded, that they perceive the truth about their group.
ReplyDeleteI have to wonder whether this poster is talking about the young woman whose father's silence was secured through his ordination and increased responsibilities in his region. What happened to the young girl was sad and tragic, but it's even more horrible to see how her father was "paid off" to look the other way. Simon Magus wanted to purchase the Holy Spirit, but this girl's father purchased power and position in the church upon the negligent death of his daughter.
ReplyDeleteIt is very obvious that you know nothing about the family in question. It is sad the terrible things that are said about things like this. This family went through so much, and there was so much outpouring love and support for them. The father was so loving and so forgiving. If anything bad was said about the family, it is on those people. I never heard one negative thing said, only support. I am not a LCG fan, but shame on the lot of you all for creating hate and making up lies. We all know who you all worship.
DeleteWhy empathy and not sympathy?
ReplyDeleteCult leaders who are narcissists, have no sympathy because they have no empathy.
DeleteSympathy infers that you feel badly for someone because of what they are currently going through. An empath can vicariouly feel or mentally approximate the pain of others. Empathy is the more intense experience, and has the added benefit of motivating you to avoid inflicting things that you realize would be painful to yourself upon others. The empath has "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" written on his heart. A sociopath is void of either sympathy or empathy.
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For those who have gone through the WCG experience and then moved on to one of the “follow” splinters have never looked in the mirror and asked the question- what did WCG do wrong? You shall know them by their fruits!!
ReplyDeleteYea, they are clueless as to what went wrong. And this happen in their lifetime!!! They love to quote, "Satan has deceived the whole world", yea but..... how have they been deceived, because they have been deceived in those groups.You bring up their issues to them, and they shove it off and say "someone is looking for loose bricks."
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