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In Reply to: Are F. members victims? posted by Acheick on August 19, 2002 at 08:16:28:
I am at this moment entertaining current Family members, leaders in North America. These people are long time friends of mine. My hope for them is that they will come to see a better way to live out their Christian faith, other than the Family. I pray that they will come to see the error of the doctrines in the Family.
There is the chance that this will never happen, but I will continue to be their friend regardless. I will continue to show them true Christian charity. I talk about my service through my church. I tell them about the many of you that I have come to know and how you live your lives post-Family. I tell them about how we are all part of the body of Christ, 1Corinthians12, no one part is better than the other in Jesus' eyes. He loves us all the same.
I know they don't believe this because of Family teachings, but I say it just the same. It's from the Bible. I know it to be the truth.
I won't blast my friends away, but will continue to speak the truth as I know it, in a loving, caring, friendly way. They have children and I have befriended their children. Their children play with my children and watch my children go off to school. They watch them have fun camp-outs at the church with other kids. They see Christians living Christian lives, including the witnessing, the charitable acts, the lifting up of each other in the tough times and the happiness of the good times.
For me this is a good thing. Don't think for one minute that I am fooled by the Family. I am not. But neither have I forgotten the people who were kind to me while I was in the Family. They were guidance to me when I was lost and deluded. They were windows to the outside world. I want to be that for my friends. I don't want them to ever feel that they don't have any way out. If they want out, I will be there. If they stay in, I will still be their friend.
I know many exmembers don't feel this way. That's okay. We have all had different experiences, some of them way worse than others. We all have to cope the best that we can. God help us to help each other.
