Remnant Fellowship 19: Leaning on the Everlasting Gwen

[cookingbutterchicken]

1 hour ago, AmazonGrace said:

Evasion and deflection are always  preferable to answering questions I think. There is no way to spin the Smiths in a way that Gwen comes off smelling of roses  so if it comes up it's always better to talk about something that a Freejingerer got wrong several pages ago or about how lazy and useless we all must be to  have contributed to 19 threads on this anorexic cult leader and her minions. 

Oh we are lazy - some of us have family there that remnant has forced them to cut us off. Have an ex cramming remnant down my kids throat and so I am so lazy that I WANT to read all of this so I know exactly what happens there. Have others that know the pain that remnant has caused! You all are my people! We all understand and have not been brainwashed!  We grieve what Gwen stole from us together!

[apple1]

On 8/26/2021 at 11:00 AM, freefromthin said:

... I just wanted to add that I DID lose weight following her program, but that I was not at all healthy. I was lightheaded and dizzy a lot of the time, and I was also very cold. I ended up at the doctor's office getting numerous tests done because I couldn't figure out what was wrong with me at. Of course, I was in a "normal" weigh category after losing the weight, so no one batted an eye at my size and no real alarm bells were raised in that regard. I was very thin, too.,

This is probably off-topic (mostly) - but I just want to say it.

Maybe this belongs on a different section of FJ, but... Last year, my husband lost 55 pounds as a result of having spent almost 2 months in hospital fighting Covid. FTR, this was prior to vaccines and we masked, but our adult daughter who lived in our home also worked in a food manufacturing plant and had a coworker who knowingly came to work sick. Daughter had minor symptoms and her Covid test had turned back to negative by the time it was done. Covid was verified after the fact by an antibody test. Husband and were already exposed. I was quite sick but not hospitalized. Husband was near death. We had to work at returning him to relative health after he came home.

I said all that to say - weight loss, or being thin is not an indicator of health. Period. Bottom line.

[JermajestyDuggar]

14 minutes ago, apple1 said:

This is probably off-topic (mostly) - but I just want to say it.

Maybe this belongs on a different section of FJ, but... Last year, my husband lost 55 pounds as a result of having spent almost 2 months in hospital fighting Covid. FTR, this was prior to vaccines and we masked, but our adult daughter who lived in our home also worked in a food manufacturing plant and had a coworker who knowingly came to work sick. Daughter had minor symptoms and her Covid test had turned back to negative by the time it was done. Covid was verified after the fact by an antibody test. Husband and were already exposed. I was quite sick but not hospitalized. Husband was near death. We had to work at returning him to relative health after he came home.

I said all that to say - weight loss, or being thin is not an indicator of health. Period. Bottom line.

I 100% agree. Especially when you are older. My grandma was always thick. It was her shape for as long as I can remember. About a year before she died, she lost a bunch of weight. It alarmed everyone because it was so different from her usual body shape. It was an indication that her health was deteriorating. She didn’t even look like herself when she died. 

[MamaJunebug]

15 hours ago, Xan said:

You want a PR challenge, Bob?  We can do that.

Remnant believes that all other churches are counterfeit.  All.  Other.  Churches.  That's insane.

During my fascination with the LDS, I read a ton of commentary from former members. FWIW, this was in the early ‘80s.
 

One thing that really helped me reject my LDS friends’ evangelizing was reading an ex-member’s observations about Joseph Smith’s conversation with “the personage(s)” from whom he received his revelations. 
 

It was a time of noisy competition between churches, and Smith asked the personage which church was right. The answer: “They are all wrong. They all are an abomination to me.”

The ex-member commented that the only person to whom all churches would be “an abomination” would be … Satan.  
 

Made sense to me then & makes sense to me now: If Gwen declared hers the ONLY true church, then she would be an adversary (the meaning of “satan”) to wherever truth was found. Any group claiming that it, alone, has the truth is off my list. 

[SunnySide]

10 hours ago, Pecansforeveryone said:

When Dana and Christopher Reeves passed away, their son was raised by family friends, not extended family. I assume it was specified in the will.

My guess it would have been in a will, or in other legal documents. Because both parents had serious health issues in this case I wonder if they had time to think it over, talk to who they wanted to raise their child and make it legal before Dana passed? I don’t have children but I would imagine this would be a top priority for any parent in a similar situation: make things official and legal to avoid complications in the future?

[RFsurvivor]

2 hours ago, MamaJunebug said:

During my fascination with the LDS, I read a ton of commentary from former members. FWIW, this was in the early ‘80s.
 

One thing that really helped me reject my LDS friends’ evangelizing was reading an ex-member’s observations about Joseph Smith’s conversation with “the personage(s)” from whom he received his revelations. 
 

It was a time of noisy competition between churches, and Smith asked the personage which church was right. The answer: “They are all wrong. They all are an abomination to me.”

The ex-member commented that the only person to whom all churches would be “an abomination” would be … Satan.  
 

Made sense to me then & makes sense to me now: If Gwen declared hers the ONLY true church, then she would be an adversary (the meaning of “satan”) to wherever truth was found. Any group claiming that it, alone, has the truth is off my list. 

I remember Gwen basically saying Remnant was the only church but not with caveats. She would say Remnant has the Truth and she had never seen another church with it. But if someone else found another church who had the Truth, she would be happy for them and for God because they also have the Truth!

[Blue]

9 minutes ago, RFsurvivor said:

I remember Gwen basically saying Remnant was the only church but not with caveats. She would say Remnant has the Truth and she had never seen another church with it. But if someone else found another church who had the Truth, she would be happy for them and for God because they also have the Truth!

I will never forget relatives calling us after a church service at RF... One of our biggest beefs had been with her saying RF was the ONLY true church, and at that service she had said something to the effect of "Well other churches COULD be true churches if they're teaching 'truth.'" Our family was excited because they thought that would change our minds about RF because she changed her claim. Obviously they were wrong.

[WeirdHarold]

58 minutes ago, RFsurvivor said:

I remember Gwen basically saying Remnant was the only church but not with caveats. She would say Remnant has the Truth and she had never seen another church with it. But if someone else found another church who had the Truth, she would be happy for them and for God because they also have the Truth!

My family member in RF used to say that a lot.  It seemed to be based on RF not putting up with disobedience (sin).  They felt other groups would accept anyone as a member, but RF was seen as having higher standards of behavior.  This also was when divorce was anathema at RF.

[AmazonGrace]

Well sheesh, if no other churches teach that only skinny people get to Heaven, obviously they can't be the truth. 

[Blue]

1 hour ago, WeirdHarold said:

My family member in RF used to say that a lot.  It seemed to be based on RF not putting up with disobedience (sin).  They felt other groups would accept anyone as a member, but RF was seen as having higher standards of behavior.  This also was when divorce was anathema at RF.

Yes, exactly. We don't allow people to stay in their sin...

No... You just convince people that it's better to hide and pretend than to be authentic about struggles 🤷‍♀️

[RFSurvivor_2]

2 hours ago, RFsurvivor said:

But if someone else found another church who had the Truth, she would be happy for them and for God because they also have the Truth!

I recall Gwen saying this a LOT in the late 2000’s early 2010’s. I also recall how often she would switch her “tune” while she was with “saints” in a private setting. Mixed messages, much? I’d say so. It was strange to say the least. 

TBH: I highly doubt her arrogance and pride could’ve stomached the thought, let alone reality of members from her church flocking to another “RF”. 

 

 

Edited August 28, 2021 by RFSurvivor_2

[freefromthin]

9 hours ago, apple1 said:

This is probably off-topic (mostly) - but I just want to say it.

Maybe this belongs on a different section of FJ, but... Last year, my husband lost 55 pounds as a result of having spent almost 2 months in hospital fighting Covid. FTR, this was prior to vaccines and we masked, but our adult daughter who lived in our home also worked in a food manufacturing plant and had a coworker who knowingly came to work sick. Daughter had minor symptoms and her Covid test had turned back to negative by the time it was done. Covid was verified after the fact by an antibody test. Husband and were already exposed. I was quite sick but not hospitalized. Husband was near death. We had to work at returning him to relative health after he came home.

I said all that to say - weight loss, or being thin is not an indicator of health. Period. Bottom line.

I am very sorry that your family went through that and I wish all the best for you and yours.

I agree with this. I would also like to clarify (in case it was miscommunicated) that I do not equate health with thinness...Gwen did. She would often say that being overweight was the number one cause of early death AND that if people lost weight with her program, multiple chronic conditions would be alleviated. 

[AmazonGrace]

I love it how she knew what everyone in her cult thinks.  We all love the Holy Spirit! we're all so unified! we're all searching our hearts and getting better at this saint business!

If I wake up in the middle of the night it's usually because I need to go to the bathroom but some people wake up because the Holy Spirit is making them more perfect.  

20 hours ago, RFsurvivor said:

I remember Gwen basically saying Remnant was the only church but not with caveats. She would say Remnant has the Truth and she had never seen another church with it. But if someone else found another church who had the Truth, she would be happy for them and for God because they also have the Truth!

This just seems so wasteful of God. So many billions of people and why does God give the Truth only to this one small church? 

[freefromthin]

Can't remember if this has been stated...

At yesterday's service, Durville (yes Durville) was on the stage behind Elizabeth and it seemed like he was trying to be a hype man or something. She actually had to turn around and say something to him because people were cheering so loudly that she couldn't even begin to speak. She jokingly said, , "Durville and I are giving you two different directions, but what do you do with authority when there's TWO?" Prior to her speech, Elizabeth asked Michael if he had anything so say and he asked for prayers for all of the testing that they have been going through. Once again, Elizabeth offered reassurance that the church would continue and also encouraged everyone to "keep looking inward". She also said that they need to "be patient" because they will go from "one party to another" and then they will all "be together again".

I find it interesting (and more than a bit strange) that a church with such strong, "unified" leadership needs to constantly reassure its members that it will go on. I mean, why not just go on? Why keep belaboring that point?

 

 

 

[Blue]

1 hour ago, freefromthin said:

Can't remember if this has been stated...

At yesterday's service, Durville (yes Durville) was on the stage behind Elizabeth and it seemed like he was trying to be a hype man or something. She actually had to turn around and say something to him because people were cheering so loudly that she couldn't even begin to speak. She jokingly said, , "Durville and I are giving you two different directions, but what do you do with authority when there's TWO?" Prior to her speech, Elizabeth asked Michael if he had anything so say and he asked for prayers for all of the testing that they have been going through. Once again, Elizabeth offered reassurance that the church would continue and also encouraged everyone to "keep looking inward". She also said that they need to "be patient" because they will go from "one party to another" and then they will all "be together again".

I find it interesting (and more than a bit strange) that a church with such strong, "unified" leadership needs to constantly reassure its members that it will go on. I mean, why not just go on? Why keep belaboring that point?

Oh man this just keeps making me cringe over and over. Maybe it's my arrogant pride, but I take issue when an adult treats other adults like children. I don't mean a leader addressing those below him on the totem pole... I mean treating them like immature children. This is the kind of thing I would say if I was reminding my child they have to listen to their teacher and not the kid sitting next to them 🙄

[freefromthin]

3 minutes ago, Blue said:

Oh man this just keeps making me cringe over and over. Maybe it's my arrogant pride, but I take issue when an adult treats other adults like children. I don't mean a leader addressing those below him on the totem pole... I mean treating them like immature children. This is the kind of thing I would say if I was reminding my child they have to listen to their teacher and not the kid sitting next to them 🙄

Well, the whole thing was cringy. Durville was behind her flapping his arms and trying to get people to give her MORE adulation, meanwhile, then she turns to Michael and kind of semi bows to him, and then she motions with her arms to try and get the audience to calm DOWN. It was all just kind of...odd.

[SayonaraLara]

3 hours ago, freefromthin said:

Once again, Elizabeth offered reassurance that the church would continue and also encouraged everyone to "keep looking inward".

  Because if they’re looking inward, they’re not looking outward ... at those pants.

Edited August 29, 2021 by SayonaraLara

[Xan]

13 minutes ago, SayonaraLara said:

  Because if they’re looking inward, they’re not looking outward ... at those pants.

It looks to me as if she's hiding how thin she is.  One of my daughters went through a period of anorexia and she wore long sleeves and baggy pants.

I do like that Elizabeth seems to have lost the nearly-white make-up and that she's comfortable enough to wear casual clothes.   Gwen would have hated that.  

[RFsurvivor]

40 minutes ago, Xan said:

It looks to me as if she's hiding how thin she is.  One of my daughters went through a period of anorexia and she wore long sleeves and baggy pants.

I do like that Elizabeth seems to have lost the nearly-white make-up and that she's comfortable enough to wear casual clothes.   Gwen would have hated that.  

This was from a Sabbath Service? That’s extremely casual for them

[formergothardite]

That is a very, very casual outfit. Especially compared to what she typically wore when Gwen was alive. I’m glad she has dropped the ghost white makeup and her hair pulled intonation severe bun. 

[freefromthin]

21 minutes ago, RFsurvivor said:

This was from a Sabbath Service? That’s extremely casual for them

It was a Music Festival that took the place of a Sabbath service. I guess that's why it was more casual. 

[SayonaraLara]

20 minutes ago, RFsurvivor said:

This was from a Sabbath Service? That’s extremely casual for them

 

Last night’s assembly was a concert: Mom Jeans  Music Night for God.

[JermajestyDuggar]

Those pants are beyond ugly. They are so big they remind me of hammer pants. I guess Elizabeth is too legit to quit. 

[rabbitholejulie]

1 hour ago, RFsurvivor said:

This was from a Sabbath Service? That’s extremely casual for them

It would have been nice to see a little lift to her hair. 

[TDHuggies]

I do have to say I like her new makeup and I also wonder if her straight plain hair is some sort of subconscious rejection of her mother’s lofty “do”.

Poor Elizabeth… how difficult it has to be. Trying to grieve but feeling guilty when she or the kids feel too sad. I notice when she is speaking she is ping-pinging back and forth. “When we are sad we…but we aren’t sad! because we know we will be with them soon…etc etc” not those words exactly but you get the gist. I just wonder if she’s going to be able to keep it up?