"laestadian, apostolic, gay, lgbtq, ex-oalc, ex-llc, llc, oalc, bunner" LEARNING TO LIVE FREE: Mental Havoc

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Mental Havoc

Below I've pasted a recent post under an old topic. (Dear reader, I'm so sorry about your wife. It is my hope that this blog will help others who are experiencing that mental havoc. "The hospitality of God in Jesus is still far too radical for most of us, and we will do all we can to evade it.")

As a former 1AP and after a review of the L history,the hair-splitting,dissension,and down-right nonsense over the years over doctrine would be laughable if it were not so destructive to peoples lives.

Do these preachers,elders,etc.have any idea of the mental havoc of depression,nervous breakdowns feelings of worthlessness,by thier continued negative preaching?My wife (deceased)was a victum.Also setting rules of conduct for fellow adults has to be the ultimate in arrogance.

The final nail in my coffin of 1AP belief was when the preacher would say if anyone had doubts about what he(preacher)`believes that SIN is forgiven.Another example of arrogance!In other words you have the mind of a child in comparison to him and you can't depend on it.

Keep up the good work!Rationsl people seem to be in short supply.

19 comments:

  1. I have heard it preached in the OALC that even if what is preached goes against EVERYTHING you have learned (in the past by them) you are to believe it. In other words the preachers can change what they have been teaching for years at any given time and we are not to question it. God's Word says to compare what is being taught with His Word. That is certainly not done.

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  2. This whole thing about "don't question" reminds me that I saw the movie "The village" the other day and it had so many similarities to the OALC in regards to using fear to keep people in line to your way of thinking. Check out the movie (even if you are an OALCer so you can see in a different way what those of us on the outside are seeing).

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  3. Thanks for the movie recommendation. There's an online review at: http://www.dailyinfo.co.uk/reviews/film/village.htm

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  4. Yes. I urge all of you to watch the movie The Village. There are so many similarities between the utopia given in the movie and the structure of Laestadian congregations. The entire time I was watching it, I was thinking to myself that I live in the exact same society that was portrayed in the movie. I will try to recall some of the similarities off the top of my head.

    The main idea is to set up a utopia and control it by using fear and keeping the people ignorant.

    All the decisions are made by an inner circle called “elders”. Everybody follows the elders’ decisions without question.

    The people know very little of the outside world, except for rumors, and they have nothing to do with it.

    The elders prevent the people from leaving by teaching them that this is the one and only safe place. If the people leave, they will surly die.

    Rules are followed very strictly. Traditions are always upheld. There is no room for change.

    People are encouraged to marry when they are young, then create very big families. There is no new bloodlines, so the marriages are incestuous.

    The lifestyle is almost Amish…and they wear funny clothes….…please add to my list.

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  5. Sorry! My post above was to go to the other discussion. Please delete it! FinnJemmy

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  6. I just made a bid on a "The Village" dvd on an online auction. It will close in about an hour. I hope I'll win, it really sounds like an interesting movie.

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  7. Thanks, Theo. I just outbid you (just kidding).

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  8. I just put in a request for this film --I'm 98 out of 98 people, so I'll be seeing it sometime this year, I hope. :)

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  9. Hey Tomte, I tried that too . . . I am 310 out of 310 at our library. Guess I'll have to rent a copy . . .

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  10. I won! It will cost me about 10 euro (13 USD). Not that bad but it probably would have been cheaper to rent it, if any movie rentals have it here, don't know about that.

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  11. I'd be curious of everyone's thoughts after they've seen the movie. Caution: it could be a little scary/ spooky to some.

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  12. In adult education class last Sunday at my non-Laestadian parish, the presenter asked us, "In your faith life, do you 'lead' with your head or your heart?"

    Thinking about Laestadianism as I experienced it growing up, and as it is discussed on this site I can't help but wonder, "Is Laestadianism a head trip or a heart trip?" Both? Neither? Did it start out one way and end up another?

    Maybe a power trip?

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  13. Since most of the discussion is about OALC, I am certain it is not a power trip (see your question). Remember, the preachers did not ask to begin speaking, and I have not seen in any of them what I would call power grabbing.

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  14. Ok, I watched "The Village." It was my first movie by this director and one that I would never have chosen myself -- based on its marketing as a horror film, which it isn't. It's more of a psychological drama. I dont' do horror movies of any kind as my first movie EVER was Alien, and that was one too many for my skittish sensibilities. Anyway, since this was a DVD, I turned off the volume for the creepy parts and got by just fine. I found the story clever if implausible, the cinematography gorgeous and the acting great, except for William Hurt, who is merely irritating. This might have been a better movie if the Elders had fallen under their own spell, and actually believed what they were saying. Also, why couldnt' the evil in their midst arise in a normal person. not a retarded boy? But this was worth watching . . .

    I identified with Ivy when she met her first "worldly" and said "I hear kindness in your voice. I didn't expect that."

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  15. I can appreciate what you are saying about the movie. I agree... to have the elders believe what they are saying as opposed to making it up with deliberate intention to fool the villagers. Why use a retarded boy... was that deliberate with a hidden meaning? And why have a blind girl be the one who... (don't want to give the movie away). I'm trying to understand if there was a reason to make it a blind person who... (again). Does it have to do with her other senses being in a heightened state? Or she has no fear due to no sight? Or she is guided by something other than sight... what do you think? I also appreciate your personal input and how it related to you regarding your last two lines about "seeing kindness in a worldly...". I hope others share their views too.

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  16. So I finally watched The Village. Thanks for the recommendation, because I wouldn't have watched it. My husband already saw it and found it rather uninspiring. Through the eye of comparing it to the OALC, this was what I saw:

    Even though the intentions seemed noble (a desire to escape evil from the outside), the result became external conformance and internal dissonance. Examples: Lucius Hunt, "Everyone has secrets in the village" and the fact that evil came from within the inside despite the voracious attempts at protection. (Sound familiar???)

    The elders looked for an opportunity to use tales to perpetuate their farce. "Your son has made our stories real." So they were supposed to believe their son's death was for a noble cause??? To protect their lies?

    The motivating force was a paralyzing, debilitating fear. In order to perpetuate the fear, the myths had to intensify and their had to be new fears, otherwise the people could not be controlled. I love that line, "Why haven't we heard of these magic rocks before?" The answer is because they were just created. Kind of reminds me of the "sin of the month".

    There is a vow of secrecy. Those of us who have stood up to the OALC have spoken out against that vow. "You are to tell no one in the towns where we are." Those of us who have broken that have carried the same motivation as Ivy: love. No one can fathom that. As her father said, "She is led by love. The world moves for love. It kneels before it in awe."

    Love is bold and courageous. And when love moves forward, the world is awed by it. And those who are driven by Christ's love soon are led to a fresh realization, best illustrated by another movie comparison: The Wizard of Oz. That which seemed to be so strong, so powerful, and so fear-inducing, actually was not a wizard at all.

    It was smoke and mirrors and special effects, but actually holds no power.

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  17. Wow, quite an analysis by exoalc above! I know how to analyze stock companies, but they forgot to teach me how to analyze movies... ;) I watched the movie last week and was able to see some parallels to the Laestadian communities, but I don't have much to add to what has been said by others.

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  18. Re;The Village

    Thats Fiction

    Check out reality on disastrous
    effects of a closed community
    on the gene pool!

    "Genetic Disorders Hit Amish Hard
    CBS 60 Minutes Wednesday
    June 8,2005

    Check it out on the Web

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