I think my friend is in a cult called local church/lord's re

[SpeakNow]

I went to the wedding of a dear Friend of mine from college yesterday. I knew that in college she always went to a home church on Sunday. She wasn't fundie by any means (wore regular clothes, believed in evolution, got her college degree in management etc.), but religion was important to her. She never proselytized, and we had lots of great conversations about religion in general (I'm a liberal Jew). Although since graduating college (5 years ago) we only see each other a few times a year, nothing seems to have changed. She doesn't seem fundie, has a high powered corporate job, and doesn't constantly talk religion.

 

Anyway, at her wedding yesterday, the ceremony was EXTREMELY fundie-esque. Jesus was thanked multiple times for bringing the couple together, several people gave testimonies, there was a 30 min portion called "sharing of the word" that had a super fundie vibe. The kept mentioning the importance of marrying within the church and keeping Christ in the center of the marriage. They also referred to other members of the church as saints (I'd only heard of that among LDS folks before). Finally, during the vows, she agreed to take her husband as her head. It felt very fundie.

 

After college she went to a one year religious studies program. I didn't think much of it, but after the wedding, I looked at the program in more detail. It's a fundie paradise-non-denominational and claims to train folks for service to the lord- the website is ftta.org. That research led me down the rabbit hole to discover that she is part of a movement called Local Church or Lord's Recovery that follows Watchman Nee and Witness Lee's teachings. They have a large ministry called Living Stream (lsm.org) and use their own translation of the bible called the recovery bible-recoveryversion.org/?__utma=1.17018449.1434332536.1434332536.1434332536.1&__utmb=1.2.10.1434332536&__utmc=1&__utmx=-&__utmz=1.1434332536.1.1.utmcsr=google|utmccn=(organic)|utmcmd=organic|utmctr=(not%20provided)&__utmv=-&__utmk=19084728

 

Sorry for the insanely long explanation, but the whole thing seems scarily reminiscent of Gothard. Does anyone know anything about Living Stream, Local Churches, Lord's Recovery, Witness Lee and/or Watchman Nee? Should I be concerned about this brand of Christianity?

 

Thanks!

[Howl]

have no direct knowledge, but this looks like an interesting source

gotquestions.org/Witness-Lee-local-church.html

However, it sounds like the whole thing is raising red flags. Sending hope that your friend is not slip sliding away into fundie-dom.

[Jana814]

This raises red flags to me also.

[PennySycamore]

The Watchman Nee/Witness Lee stuff is definitely a cult. I recall in the early 80s that a friend of my husband's was involved with it. It originated in China. The teachings of the church seem a little off the beam of orthodox Christianity.

[Cleopatra7]

From what I've been able to gather, Watchman Nee/Witness Lee/Living Streams seems to be a Chinese version of the IFB. When I read that Watchman Nee was heavily influenced by the Plymouth Brethren, I was like :? :shock: The Local Church movement is big in China, although it's mostly underground. I didn't know that they had a presence in the US or among non-Chinese. I don't know if LSM is a cult per se, but it is definitely fundie and definitely a "high demand" religious group.

[doggie]

the worst part is there is nothing you can do but watch. anything you try to help always backfires.

[Clutched Pearls]

I was involved with this group briefly when I was in college. While I was involved, I thought they were just super judgemental fundie lites. But as I've grown up, I realize now that it probably was a cult.

I wish the best for your friend, and I hope she doesn't get in too deep.

[Jana814]

the worst part is there is nothing you can do but watch. anything you try to help always backfires.

Agree!

[Palimpsest]

I've had Living Stream/Local Church on my personal list of cults since the late '70s. A friend got involved with them. Very bad news, IMO. I'm not sure I'd call them IFB in beliefs (doctrinal differences) but certainly cult-like practices.

It seems they have convinced some people that they are not a cult. Sort of like Scientology being a legitimate church.

I think the Christian Research Institute (CRI) took them off their active cult list a few years ago. You might want to research there and on cult watch sites. I'll take a look too.

And yes, be careful how you handle this. Your best bet is to watch and wait and be there to offer a helping hand if your friend tries to leave. Arguing and reasoning with people in cults almost always backfires.

[Clutched Pearls]

Just a little story for what its worth:

If i recall correctly, there was a guy named Jim Moran, that purchased thelocalchurches.Com & thelocalchurches.org. The websites were extremely critical of the local churches/living stream ministry and likened the organization to a cult. When I was involved in the group, members of the local church that attended mentioned that they were considered suing Mr. Moran over the site's contents.

Fast forward a few years, Mr. Moran dies and LSM & the local churches gained control of the websites. So long story short, they have done a really good job of managing their appearance on the web. I came across this group through their arm that recruits college students -Christians on Campus. I did a quick Google search, and CoC looks like a pretty benign group of Christian kids doing fun Christian things.

I'd also like to mention this, I think the level of cultiness varies by locale. For example, the members of the church I went to were of the fundie lite/huge mental as hell conservative Christian type. It wasn't until I went to a retreat that I realized that the group was something that I didn't want to be a part of.

[Elegant Mess]

The Cult Education Institute (nee Rick Ross Institute) has an entry on the Local Church for those who are interested.

culteducation.com/group/1030-the-local-church.html

[Coldwinterskies]

Anyone who has a loved one in one of these destructive cult-y religions should read cult expert Steven Hassan's book "Combating Cult Mind Control" :

http://www.amazon.com/Combating-Cult-Mi ... 00V9DU340/

(I do not make any money off that link for the record - I'm just recommending the book because it one of the few resources out there that deals with this topic in a practical, helpful way IMO)

The book gives a lot of advice on how cults operate and how to approach someone who is indoctrinated in ways that don't reinforce the mind control.

Usually, directly confronting someone and telling them "you're in a cult" is exactly the wrong thing to do. The cult leaders program their followers to expect resistance from their loved ones and so when you do try to put up a fight, you play right into what the cult wants. The cult leaders have programmed the follower to see any criticism of the group as proof that the outside world is a hostile place, so the follower digs in their heels.

Usually, it is better to take the approach of ASKING QUESTIONS in a gentle way that comes across as curiosity rather than an attack. For example, ask the person to help you understand a certain belief that makes no sense and see if you can gently guide the person to realize on their own that the explanations they've been given make no sense.

[Palimpsest]

^^^^^^^^

I also highly recommend Steve Hassan's book.

[SoybeanQueen]

How sad for your friend. I'm putting the Hassan book on my Amazon list. Sounds like it could come in handy one day.