Gwen Shamblin Lara 9: Perfecting Hypocrisy

[hollyfeller]

One of the daily, cyclic workings of our physical bodies does not equal God.  Same as peeing (filling and emptying of the bladder) does not equal God.

[SilverBeach]

1 hour ago, quiversR4hunting said:

What does a program like weight watchers do for people with eating disorders?

Weight Watchers has always been a balanced, nutitionally sound program since inception. It is very similar to a diabetic food exchange eating plan. However, WW wasn't designed to address the psycholgical component of compulsive overeating. Overeaters Anonymous does that (OA doesn't even recommend a specific "diet", as it is trying to get to the root cause of eating disorders).There were anorexics and bulimics in my OA group, with the commonality being food obsession. Not everyone was noticeably overweight.

Speaking from experience here as a person with a lifetime weight management struggle. I could write a book. 

Edited September 23, 2019 by SilverBeach

[quiversR4hunting]

thank you @SilverBeach  I can understand why OA doesn't endorse/recommend a specific diet. I can also understand that WW doesn't address the psychological components of an eating disorder. I also agree that the psychological component is needed to be fixed in order to have long term success. In your opinion, if a person with a disorder was not going to go get psychological help for their disorder, would WW (if they followed it) help them at least help them not over or under eat? 

What is the difference between overeaters anonymous and food addicts anonymous, my church hosts both these (along with alcoholics and gamblers) but I don't understand the difference between the 2 food anonymous groups. 

 

[SilverBeach]

20 minutes ago, quiversR4hunting said:

In your opinion, if a person with a disorder was not going to go get psychological help for their disorder, would WW (if they followed it) help them at least help them not over or under eat? 

For a time, all diets work in managing food intake. WW is better than most because you don't have to deprive yourself or go hungry. But there may still be unmet psychological needs and compulsions that cause relapses. Food addiction is a real addiction and is as difficult to control long-term as any other problem of this nature.

20 minutes ago, quiversR4hunting said:

What is the difference between overeaters anonymous and food addicts anonymous

I don't know anything about food addicts anonymous, never heard of it. OA is a twelve-step program, complete with sponsors.

Edited September 23, 2019 by SilverBeach

[quiversR4hunting]

35 minutes ago, SilverBeach said:

I don't know anything about food addicts anonymous, never heard of it. OA is a twelve-step program, complete with sponsors.

I finally found the website, it, also, is a 12- step program with sponsors. It looks like it primarily addresses addiction to uncontrollable cravings, specifically sugar, flour and wheat (high carb foods). What I read about OA, it addresses both under and over eating and obsession with food. 

website: http://www.foodaddictsanonymous.org/ 

Quote

FAA believes that food addiction is a biochemical disorder that cannot be controlled by willpower, but can be alleviated by avoiding foods that contain sugar, flour or wheat, and working the 12 Steps of the program. We call this "abstinence.

 

[ManyGoats]

5 hours ago, formergothardite said:

I really doubt Gwen would approve of any minions posting her after the disaster last time that happened. 

Would you mind elaborating for us newbies here on the forum? What was the disaster?

[Briefly]

18 minutes ago, ManyGoats said:

Would you mind elaborating for us newbies here on the forum? What was the disaster?

There was a poster who (if I remember correctly) started out with some questionable things. Phrases, I think maybe Pepe the Frog and similar stuff.  After being questioned about some of the objectionable things he/she said, FJr's were suspicious of this person's reasons for some of the things they posted.  At some point, it became a pretty frequent back & forth, questions & answers and they were very pro-Gwen.  Eventually. the poster admitted being several people who were actively WD/Brentwood/Gwen members and the admins on FJ banned them.  I know I am leaving out quite a bit of what was said, because it has been several months and I don't remember it all.  But they were true believers and they did not want to admit that their precious leader might just be what we say she is.

Anybody else who remembers or can find the thread, please feel free to correct me and to post the thread.

[RFSurvivor_2]

8 hours ago, mirabilis said:

I have been at participant of WD for many years. I’ve taken all of Ms. Gwen’s classes (some multiple times) and I own all her books. I would probably join RF if I were local and single.

I’ve had an eating disorder for a long time; I was raised in church (a Calvinist denomination, so much of RF’s earned salvation is kind of strange to me) and I love God very much. I knew even before finding WD that there was something deeply spiritually wrong with my obsession with food and my body. I was never overweight, but my mind and time was devoted to what I could and could not eat and it definitely felt like idolatry. 

I owe Ms. Gwen so much, like truly she changed my life and I love God now in a way that I was utterly incapable of when my heart was so devoted to dieting and my body size. I don’t think she is perfect, but I am not even bothered by hypocrisy in church leaders when the message they deliver is true nonetheless (Paul wasn’t bothered by preachers making money off the gospel as long as it was being preached, Jesus denounced the Pharisees but still said to “do as they say” because they hold Moses’ words).

I won’t go into any of my experiences with RF members for their privacy, but they have always been positive and kind to me.

I realize there is some danger in falling into legalism or even false guilt in practicing WD, which is why I never recommend it to new Christians. I do feel that it takes some spiritual discernment. I have been a Christian for a long time and I genuinely want to love God with all my heart. 

Most WD followers are people who need to lose weight for health and discover a closer relationship with God through it. But there exist a small number of people like me, who have a deep, hellish struggle with food and thinness. Hunger and emptiness has always felt spiritual to me, and it wasn’t until WD that I understood why and how I could give it up for something much better. 

I don’t think WD is for everyone, but I can honestly say that it’s one of those things you can’t “un-see” once you been in it long enough.

Aw shit, here we go again.

*Grabs Popcorn*

[RFsurvivor]

1 hour ago, Briefly said:

There was a poster who (if I remember correctly) started out with some questionable things. Phrases, I think maybe Pepe the Frog and similar stuff.  After being questioned about some of the objectionable things he/she said, FJr's were suspicious of this person's reasons for some of the things they posted.  At some point, it became a pretty frequent back & forth, questions & answers and they were very pro-Gwen.  Eventually. the poster admitted being several people who were actively WD/Brentwood/Gwen members and the admins on FJ banned them.  I know I am leaving out quite a bit of what was said, because it has been several months and I don't remember it all.  But they were true believers and they did not want to admit that their precious leader might just be what we say she is.

Anybody else who remembers or can find the thread, please feel free to correct me and to post the thread.

There were two accounts. One which later admitted they were a group of people replying and would not answer anything directly. The second of which was likely a leader from Remnant who also did not answer questions directly or at all really. Both accounts only accomplished making remnant seem more cult like by proving many points from former members. You can see the craziness back in earlier threads...I want to say 3 or 4?

[CTRLZero]

7 hours ago, SilverBeach said:

I can see a Gwen devotee being told to come here and try again at making a pro-RF post.

Yes, I suspect this is the case.  I wonder if the "look at my acquisitions" video made some people touchy, so Gwod ordered someone to leave a flattering post about WD.  If not, I wonder how the poster's search ended up at FJ. 

[freefromthin]

I was a lurker at that time, but I seem to remember that someone (or some people) tried to defend the timeline of her divorce and remarriage. Most people who have followed this group for any length of time are aware that Gwen took a pretty hard stance on divorce. I had actually read the original page (which has since changed) so I knew that things were different than what they are now. The divorce documents were posted to the internet and showed that Gwen initiated the divorce. The documents also contained a list of real estate assets and detailed the payments that she was expected to make to her ex annually for the next three years. The "defender" was saying something to the effect of the marriage having been over prior to the divorce being filed. 

[ManyGoats]

4 minutes ago, freefromthin said:

Most people who have followed this group for any length of time are aware that Gwen took a pretty hard stance on divorce. 

That's true. I tried to read through the page that was added on the RF website explaining when divorce was allowed (or warranted or whatever). It is so L-O-O-O-O-N-G and convoluted, I couldn't read more than a few paragraphs. Has anyone else read it and could summarize it for us? 

[freefromthin]

2 minutes ago, ManyGoats said:

That's true. I tried to read through the page that was added on the RF website explaining when divorce was allowed (or warranted or whatever). It is so L-O-O-O-O-N-G and convoluted, I couldn't read more than a few paragraphs. Has anyone else read it and could summarize it for us? 

I will say this...one thing that I took from it was the idea that there was a difference between an "unbeliever" and a "mocking unbeliever". This is in reference to the stance taken in 1 Corinthians 7:13 "If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him." A caveat HAD to be added by Gwen in order to support what SHE did, especially since her husband (who would have been seen as an unbeliever per RF standards) DID NOT initiate the divorce. So the "out" in her case (according to her revised interpretation) is that her husband "mocked" RF, as he was NOT a member and did not seem to support their beliefs. That's the MAIN THING that I took from all of that gobbledygook. I also think that's why some marriages break up when one of the partners decides to leave RF. Just my two cents...

[ManyGoats]

17 minutes ago, freefromthin said:

 Just my two cents...

Your two cents are appreciated!!

[Sonic the Whoredgehog]

4 hours ago, Briefly said:

There was a poster who (if I remember correctly) started out with some questionable things. Phrases, I think maybe Pepe the Frog and similar stuff.  After being questioned about some of the objectionable things he/she said, FJr's were suspicious of this person's reasons for some of the things they posted.  At some point, it became a pretty frequent back & forth, questions & answers and they were very pro-Gwen.  Eventually. the poster admitted being several people who were actively WD/Brentwood/Gwen members and the admins on FJ banned them.  I know I am leaving out quite a bit of what was said, because it has been several months and I don't remember it all.  But they were true believers and they did not want to admit that their precious leader might just be what we say she is.

I just read this thread recently. It begins in thread 3, I believe. 

Those were two different accounts--IIRC, the first, who started off with the pepe, claimed to have a friend who was involved with RF and wanted to learn more and perhaps help them escape. I know a lot of people were suspicious of some of that person's speech, but from what I could tell it was pretty basic 4chan memespeak. I certainly can't speak to that person's motivations but it honestly seemed like the poster was just a bit socially inept and thought using memes common to one Internet board would help them integrate into another. 4chan is kind of a shit hole and I don't participate personally, but I've certainly seen the memes used by that poster used in completely innocent ways. I need to go back and double check, but while this person very well may have been a troll, I don't believe they ever defended RF. 

(edit: yup, this was @MiddleTNAnon and while they certainly stirred things up, they weren't there to defend RF. Also, I don't want to seem as if I'm excusing their behavior if the "memes" were meant as hate speech, I just don't think that's necessarily the case.) 

Several survivors of RF came on and shared their stories. The thread attracted the attention of RFs "truth rises to the top" team and I believe two accounts were created: @RFhmmmand @InAllFairness. It seems only the latter was obviously being used by multiple people, as "we" was used quite frequently towards the end. I couldn't tell if it was the "royal we", "we" as in RF, or "we" as in a bunch of people clustered around a computer typing. It was honestly one of the weirdest and most dramatic threads I've ever read here. 

Edited September 24, 2019 by Sonic the Whoredgehog
A word

[Destiny]

4 minutes ago, Sonic the Whoredgehog said:

It was honestly one of the weirdest and most dramatic threads I've ever read here. 

I wish. That was barely memorable drama by FJ standards. It has been So. Much. Worse. in the past. 

[Sonic the Whoredgehog]

2 minutes ago, Destiny said:

I wish. That was barely memorable drama by FJ standards. It has been So. Much. Worse. in the past. 

I have much to learn, it seems ?. I was just struck by the level of involvement from both sides and the sheer weirdness of what the RF people said. Off I go to sniff out more old drama... 

[Destiny]

5 minutes ago, Sonic the Whoredgehog said:

I have much to learn, it seems ?. I was just struck by the level of involvement from both sides and the sheer weirdness of what the RF people said. Off I go to sniff out more old drama... 

Oh youngling you have much to learn.  Start with the poopistan teens. For a while, that one section took the entire mod team's day. There was near daily drama. 

[SilverBeach]

7 hours ago, quiversR4hunting said:

I finally found the website, it, also, is a 12- step program with sponsors. It looks like it primarily addresses addiction to uncontrollable cravings, specifically sugar, flour and wheat (high carb foods). What I read about OA, it addresses both under and over eating and obsession with food. 

website: http://www.foodaddictsanonymous.org/ 

 

This FAA group is a distinction without a difference as compared to OA. OA also has the goal of abstinence (consecutve abstinent days are counted just like alcoholics count their sober days ), and also stresses avoidance of sugar and flour to prevent binges. Sponsors in OA help to not relapse when cravings hit hard. OA does not speifically address over or under eating, just lack of control in this area, however manifested. Addiction to uncontrollable cravings is food obsession. Not sure why this FAA group was created, maybe they didn't like the way OA was run. Seems duplicative to me.

[quiversR4hunting]

5 hours ago, Destiny said:

Oh youngling you have much to learn.  Start with the poopistan teens. For a while, that one section took the entire mod team's day. There was near daily drama. 

And that @Sonic the Whoredgehog is why the poop was locked up.

[NarcissismKills]

9 hours ago, freefromthin said:

I will say this...one thing that I took from it was the idea that there was a difference between an "unbeliever" and a "mocking unbeliever". This is in reference to the stance taken in 1 Corinthians 7:13 "If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him." A caveat HAD to be added by Gwen in order to support what SHE did, especially since her husband (who would have been seen as an unbeliever per RF standards) DID NOT initiate the divorce. So the "out" in her case (according to her revised interpretation) is that her husband "mocked" RF, as he was NOT a member and did not seem to support their beliefs. That's the MAIN THING that I took from all of that gobbledygook. I also think that's why some marriages break up when one of the partners decides to leave RF. Just my two cents...

Sometime during the last couple of months in a Thursday Facebook live "show", I heard Gwen Shamblin Lara refer to divorce being acceptable if there's abuse, and the context/implication could have been that she was asserting that she had been abused. I guess David Shamblin's failure to join Remnant Fellowship was abusive to her.

[AmazonGrace]

You will learn to be less obsessed with food by constantly thinking whether God wants you to eat yet. 

Spoiler

 

How Does it Look to Follow God’s Lead with Food?

September 24, 2019

by Gwen Shamblin Lara

0 Comment

Every day, you get up and focus on God with prayer and praise and listening inside—when the stomach is growling, you approach the food with prayer and thankfulness. You become satisfied and do not think about food until you feel empty again. No more bypassing hunger—let go of control, and you will be rewarded with energy. You will not be lethargically sitting there just waiting all morning until that lunch hour or for 3 o’clock in the afternoon when you start eating what you have chosen, and then you eat thru the evening. Controlling God and His will brings curses—you are tired and exhausted. Acknowledge that it is not your body. You are renting this body out, and you should take care of it because it houses the Holy Spirit of God.

Breakfast, lunch or dinner does not have to be a five-course meal…just a little bit will do and then if you get hungry again later, a little bit for the next meal. For years you have grown in love with food by skipping growls and lusting and hiding chocolates or other favorite foods. Bottom line, God offers you a whole new life that is based on getting the maximum energy out of the day thru obedience and a Connection with Him. The results are phenomenal! When you are full for the day, shut the kitchen down in your mind.

 

 

[Alisamer]

1 hour ago, AmazonGrace said:

You will learn to be less obsessed with food by constantly thinking whether God wants you to eat yet. 

  Hide contents

 

How Does it Look to Follow God’s Lead with Food?

September 24, 2019

by Gwen Shamblin Lara

0 Comment

Every day, you get up and focus on God with prayer and praise and listening inside—when the stomach is growling, you approach the food with prayer and thankfulness. You become satisfied and do not think about food until you feel empty again. No more bypassing hunger—let go of control, and you will be rewarded with energy. You will not be lethargically sitting there just waiting all morning until that lunch hour or for 3 o’clock in the afternoon when you start eating what you have chosen, and then you eat thru the evening. Controlling God and His will brings curses—you are tired and exhausted. Acknowledge that it is not your body. You are renting this body out, and you should take care of it because it houses the Holy Spirit of God.

Breakfast, lunch or dinner does not have to be a five-course meal…just a little bit will do and then if you get hungry again later, a little bit for the next meal. For years you have grown in love with food by skipping growls and lusting and hiding chocolates or other favorite foods. Bottom line, God offers you a whole new life that is based on getting the maximum energy out of the day thru obedience and a Connection with Him. The results are phenomenal! When you are full for the day, shut the kitchen down in your mind.

 

 

I read an article in the last day or so that basically said that if you spend much more than a minimal time each day thinking about food, you might have an eating disorder - that while most people when asked would say they spend only a little time each day thinking of food, those with an eating disorder say they spend as much as 90% of their day thinking about it. (I assume they're leaving out chefs and the like, who think about food for other people as it's their job.)

Gwen has an eating disorder. She just does. She's justified it by twisting the scriptures to try and make it religious, but it's most definitely an eating disorder. She is so obsessed with food that she has convinced herself (and her followers) that God is also obsessed with food!

She says:

Quote

Every day, you get up and focus on God with prayer and praise and listening inside—when the stomach is growling, you approach the food with prayer and thankfulness. You become satisfied and do not think about food until you feel empty again.

Which is the opposite of what Gwen actually does. How can she "not think about food" when she's writing daily devotionals about food, preaching about food, creating classes and workshops about food, searching out scriptures she can twist into being about food, constantly focusing on whether she "feels the growl" yet, and basically all her money and her church are based entirely on when and how much food to eat?

Also it seems this devotional may be a veiled reference to intermittent fasting, with all the references to waiting and scheduling. Gwen wants you to fast intermittently, just you have to do it the way SHE does. Wait until your stomach is making growly noises, then drink a diet coke, lick a potato chip, and eat two (Biblical!) Fritos and an M&M. Then wait for the next "growl". 

[AmazonGrace]

Another thing that seems eating-disorder-ish are her assumptions about what people would eat if they were not on WeighDown.

Quote

Breakfast, lunch or dinner does not have to be a five-course meal…

I mean, I don't disagree... but how many people eat five course meals for breakfast as a rule?

She thinks everyone is a binge eater and left to their own devices would eat all the food they can catch.

[thoughtful]

47 minutes ago, AmazonGrace said:

She thinks everyone is a binge eater and left to their own devices would eat all the food they can catch.

It's the food-related version of people who assume that anyone who doesn't believe as they do would run around robbing, raping and murdering.