In Reply to: Let the dead bury the dead & Berg's forsake all doctrine posted by MG on October 23, 2003 at 15:22:24:
I would never claim I am a Bible expert though as an excog I can speak bible-ese like the best but I think the issue of forsaking all is central to many important religious concepts, even beyond Christianity. For example, Berg stress on putting The Family first, or even others, is a form of "forsaking all" also found in many other groups. Good people forsook all but also did bad people. Remember how Berg said of his first disciples as hippies who had already forsaken all so that to them it was easy to join TF?
Moreover, many people left TF as an act of will. That was also a form of "forsaking all". In fact the argument could be made of people who stay in TF as not wanting to "forsake all" anymore.
I may be wrong but the idea of the spiritual dead burying the dead had to do more with the specific situation with the specific person at the time. One of the most perverse items in Berg's conception was his ability to generalize for others what he would not apply for himself. We must be reminded constantly that he disfigured God's image and Jesus' intentions to capitalize in favor of his own perverted desires. Some things can be generalized but others cannot and must be interpreted as specific. The parables, for example, can be generalized but remarks to specific situations and people should not. When we received that type of destructive advise, they added to the indictments that awaits them.
Berg took advantage of our innocence and lack of Bible knowledge to lead us into temptation. If we can see anything at all it is NOT thanks to him but actually in spite of him.