At first I thought it was great just to have a place where others understood the soul-violence of having the "Brotherhood" slowly squeeze the life out of you with its white velvet gloves. Softly, gently until one day, blue-face and bug-eyed you begin to resist.
I sent a DA letter and started learning to breath on my own.That's when I found this discussion board.
The people on this board did something amazing:As soon as I regained any strength, they can tell. It turns out that one sign of recovery is that you begin to voice--not just an opinion--you voice your opinion.
That is precisely what was choked out of you--your own voice generated by your own thoughts and experience..
They give you a trouncing if they disagree with you. But it's usually fair play. And, if it's not, you or someone else will call them on it. No one has to change their mind and conform to anyone else's point of view. But facts are valued her, they are given the reverence due them. Everything is debated.
The FDS took this from us.
Over time the scripture "always learning but never able to come to an accurate knowledge of truth", the dread that drove some of us to search in the first place was used against us. Now all we did was learn. But the FDS made it clear: you will neve understand until we tell you you do. We never got to search and question any more. And what small satisfaction we had in being attached to the only true channel to "accurate knowledge" was destroyed at erratic intervals. Because what we thought they/we understood could be taken from us at a moment's notice at the next publication or next convention.
A better translation of that verse at 2 Tim. 3:7 is "ever learning but never understanding or recognizing the truth". The FDS had the self-delusion that they could have accurate knowledge. How would they know? They are not God.They have persistently had and diseminated inaccurate knowledge. And beaten their fellow slaves every time they have been wrong.
The best any of us can do is make a good faith effort to recognize that we are on the right track and humbly and honestly do self-correcting as we will. As we try to do God's will.
If there is a true God, he'll help us.This board has helped me do that.
Is this board an agent of the true God?
Now there's a post that would get some lively action.
Maeve