In Reply to: Thanks, Byron! posted by Thinker on January 20, 2003 at 08:58:37:
Hi Thinker, I admit your perception of the situation is pretty much right on the button. It seems that while it was a hard thing removing ourselves from the COG physically, it can be much harder getting the COG mentality out of our thinking. With all our minds and emotions thoroughly blended into that badly distorted and false antinomian form of Christianity, we are perhaps not of ourselves, alone, able to know if we are totally free of it. I still find that I agree with some of the earlier COG attitudes toward the world and in particular the level of commitment found in there. I continue to wrestle, to separate between what was simply a misdirected youthful rebellion and pride, and the ways of the apostles recorded in the Bible. Sometimes I think back and see the COG (early 1st generation esp.)as green recruits who simply charged into the battle with a wacky generlissiMo in charge and got shot all to pieces. But then again, perhaps that noble word picture is just a remnant of my own self denial. It is really hard to totally condemn something God used to pull us out of certain distruction. It still hurts to see what has become of the COG/Family.
About a month ago, while I was away, a stranger stopped by the office looking for directions and dropped off a poster and half a dozen fundamentalist bible tracts (The tracts contained a clear Gospel message.) The poster was covered on the back with scripture references (In French) and on the front was a depiction of Jesus holding a toddler with two young girls standing close by Him; it had a manger scene at the top left corner; a Calvary scene with hearts descending down the page, top center; and Jesus returning, top right corner. At the back on the bottom of the poster was, a Quebec address, and www.thefamily.orgfamily; a Zurich address'; along with the artist's name -Al Eastman and the text editor's names -David Fountaine and John Weaver. Their material is just as slick as ever.
I still have trouble trying to write it all off as the work of the Devil, because he can't be so stupid as to inspire people to hand out real bible tracts. Maybe God is trying to tell us something, IE. He is still in charge regardless of how messed up people get. I wonder sometimes if it is even humanly possible to have anything resembling a 20/20 view of things as they really are, today in the world. Anyway, it is about time I took a break, just relax and listen to a CD.(I have listened to the entire book of Revelations each day for a number of days now, and plan on continuing to do so.)(That is a really heavy stuff!) Anyway it's really good to see that you have come back to join the rest of us, 'patients' here in the ex-COG ward. Hope you have a good day. The Lord bless you, Thinker.