I've recently seen dozens of pictures of FOC members. It is amazing to see how
things have stayed the same – the inside of the church building, the
full-coverage homemade formal dresses, the perfectly coiffed young ladies. I
saw some pictures of people I knew twenty years ago – hey, you have aged pretty
well (clean living)! It made me feel bad and sad. I’ve spent a lot of time
writing about this group of people who really just want to be left alone. I
should leave them alone, right?
I was thinking they
look happy – man, some of them look so much like their parents, aunts, uncles,
and cousins whom I grew up with! But, are you happy? It’s none of my business
if you’re fine with what you’re settling for.
But, you are settling.
You are settling for an unbiblical life. You are settling for legalism. And do
you know who the legalists of the Bible were? The Pharisees – those guys were
always trying to trap Jesus with their laws. And, Jesus didn’t like them.
I was told by my
parents and other adults in the group that we were the only people who followed
everything in the Bible. We did everything the New Testament said to do:
greeting with a holy kiss, laying on hands, praying for the sick, faith
healing, preachers who are called by God. But wait – hold the music. What
preachers? None.
What teaching? None.
You are paralyzed.
Do you know the great
commission? Go and spread the good news among the Earth! How can you do that
if you’ve already decided the entire world outside your closed off little sect
is damned? You can’t. It’s not right; it’s not a biblical life.
I don’t want to hurt
anyone or invade anyone’s privacy (I'm not mentioning any names or showing anyone's pictures or personal information). But, I do want to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with
you.
Please make a decision,
take action, before it’s too late.
AMEN. This is your blog, which reflects your personal views. In my opinion, it is a ministry. Yes, we are to teach and spread the word regardless of who accepts it. Be empowered by the Holy Spirit and be authentic with your readers. If they leave, they leave. Brush the dust off and keep plugging along~
ReplyDeleteBut, Suzi, you aren't writing about them. Your book is about you. So, I don't understand why anyone thinks it's about them? It's a memoir, of course you are going to talk about your experiences, but your book is not about the FOC, they just provide background. Maybe all of the people who want to hate you for writing about 'them' don't realize what kind of book you really wrote?
ReplyDeleteIt's the blog that causes outrage right now. We were ordered to never talk publicly about the group.
DeleteWe do not see things as they are, we see things as we are-- the Talmud
DeleteIf this is correct, you have a perfect right to condemn something you percieve as wrong and no one should chastise you for it.
who ordered you to never talk publicly about the group
ReplyDeleteI doubt anyone told her not to talk publicly except maybe her parents. Suzanne shared a tape recording made in the 1950s. The recording was a sermon that Walter preached. Walter told the man not to record him again and not to share it as he did not want it to come into the "wrong" hands. There is over a thousand people out there and with international news coverage there was not a single current member willing to speak. They cannot speak to the public because it will result in shunning. People that have something to hide and cults work best when what is happening can remain secret.
DeleteWe were told by Glenford Lee from the pulpit not to talk to the media or outsiders.
DeleteYou could be right but I do not remember that sermon as most sermons were about the fullness of the gentiles, the evils of Idaho because they have a little building with outside toilets, the sheeps and goats, how he would take GM kids from him, sermons about bad bad Tommy Nichols, or how you would become a resident of the mental hospital if you read the bible too much.
DeleteI remember the "talents sermon" the most. It always ended up being taught that the one with the most money had the evidence of god's favor.
DeleteWe are driven by faith. We understand things that should be different, we understand many of the things you point out in this blog. But we feel god, and trust god, and we feel if we stay faithful through this time of not unknowing, such utter emptyness, we will be saved. That does not indicate that we are the only ones to have gods hand. But we believe spiritually very deep within our spiritual depth, and just indure the utter things of each and everyday, and the ones that seem to be against what our faith stands for but exist in our church will be judged as we all will. Every soul on the earth should worship god as they feel in the depth of their spritual belief and self. No person catholic, muslim, christian baptist.... should be judged. God judges on faith and only god alone knows what our bickering souls do not.
ReplyDeleteThat is quite an inclusive new theology. I guess you don't shun anyone since you're so open-minded and non-judgmental.
DeleteI don't understand what you mean by "this time of not unknowing, such utter emptyness, we will be saved" What are the tings your faith stands for? Do you have a statement of faith?
Deletethings your faith stands for?
Deletehow does a person delete something they themselves posted on here?
DeleteI think you'd have to do it as soon as you post the comment - there should be a "delete" option just below what you wrote.
DeleteI think Suzanne gives her self way too much credit. To say that this blog causes "outrage" is a HUGE stretch. I have only heard it spoke of a couple of times and when people do speek about it they keep it very short and usually are laughing about how stupid Suzanne has made her family look.
ReplyDeleteWow - huge stretch? Have you noticed the hit counter? Over 220K hits. Have you noticed all the hateful anonymous comments (including yours!)? The reason FOC don't talk about it is because they do not want to admit they read it (fear of their brethren).
Delete*herself* and *spoken* ... I think Suzanne is smarter than any of the illiterate haters who post here!
DeleteFOC do not respect professors or teachers. They are just a necessary evil. You cannot graduate from high school or complete your apprenticeship with out a teacher or professor. Walter, at one time, supposedly said teachers were sheepherders with their brains bashed out.
ReplyDeleteI have a question for Suzanne, or any other ex follower. I am curious how many people you know that left the foc because they didn't agree with the church or its teaching, and not because they strayed from morality or did something to get themselves treated different or withdrawn from and then left. I can think of 1 maybe 2. Please clarify
ReplyDeleteI can think of far too many to count. I am one of the people who did nothing immoral when I left. I wanted to leave, so I married an outsider. That was not a sin. I'm not going to list the others here because I'm not their spokesperson.
DeleteHow would you publish someone's real name if they don't tell you who they are? You have no way of knowing who is posting on here unless they say who they are.
ReplyDeleteThe IP address points the physical address.
DeleteYou are wrong again. You absolutely cannot find out who someone is with their iP address without a court order. You, however can try to get person information about them by hacking their computer with their IP. But when you do so they can easily find out exactly where you are. You csn find the city and the isp but that means nothing. BTW any type of tracking someone with their IP is totally illegal so good luck with that Suzi
ReplyDeletehttp://evertb.wordpress.com/2012/09/26/tracking-a-troll/
DeleteIt's about time you stood up to those cowardly bullies! Hey anons: don't want your identity known? then, wise up and don't post hateful comments!
ReplyDeleteRight on to both you, Suzanne and James.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to say I enjoyed this post, but I did. Hard because I too have been ostracized by family and friends because I seek to follow the Jesus Christ of the New Testament. I do not hate religion per se, because I feel we live our religion daily. I hate legalism and religiosity because it focuses on the sin nature of man instead of the grace redemption provided through the propitiation gift of Jesus' sacrifice or the glorious new life through faith in His resurrection.
And, you are right on about the Great Commission. Like some Amish and Calvinist friends, they isolate themselves and their children instead of insulating them from the world... believing that all outside of their circles are predestined for damnation.
God bless us every one... and, special blessings of grace upon you Suzanne. I came here through Twitter.
I just read this and this is the first time for posting on this post. i heard glenford lee say from the pulpit not to talk about the church to outsiders. more than once. this was something i remember hearing numerous times from the pulpit growing up.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what the FOC is, however, no offense, but they sound like Pharises to me too. I left the church (Episcopalian) a long time because I was tired of listening to double talk. We care. We love. We're superior. Ugh. Jesus must be wondering if and when everyone's going to WAKE THE HELL UP! Keep going, and keep praying that the haters see the real Light. Good to meet you on Twitter @Fey1IlseofSkye.
ReplyDelete