Hi Folks, you need to know the dangers in Christian Cults for Families and protecting Our Prayer-Life with Jesus. So I have decided to share a letter I sent to one of my Brothers in a Christian Cult referred to as The Message – they follow a False Prophet Branham who was a wilful heretic dividing the Body of Christ and they place equal value on his aberrant words to the Bible that has stood the Test of Time. He lured my Sister into that. My Aunty was a devout follower of Catholic religion who liked to pray to Mary and “The Saints” a lot. It was nothing but a hindrance to me when I tried it as a girl at School approaching my teens.
It really Put me right off of God!
So I think maybe this Article can help many. The letter I sent was a few years after a 10 day Stay I had with my Sister Interstate who was a Carer for our Elderly Mother. It starts concerning a Mealtime we had on the first day. I said to Jesus, as that happened, it didn’t play out fair because after all the years of Keeping the Peace and practicing diplomacy it ended up making me look like one who was causing tension and taking the blame.
THE LETTER
And that simply wasn’t true. Because you and Anne – instead of showing Grace and allowing me a mention of something and leaving it there, you preceded to Correct me and in a sense lecture me in what was supposed to be a Pleasant Visit for Mum after years of being interstate. Her happiness should have come first, not conflicting Jargon of any kind. Even when I felt the necessity to mention your monologues after that, which I’ve had so many times and practiced patience, you quickly came back at me accusing me of the same, and honestly, how can that get to be when you take most the rope every time?
That demonstrates that while you were so keen on giving correction concerning something you disagreed on, you actually failed to recognise signs of Stress that I wasn’t up to that after a plane trip I wasn’t accustomed to and just wishing to
Enjoy my dear Mum’s company after so long.
The following day, Anne also snapped at me for innocently sharing a few things
(not religious) said I was talking too long which was just a few minutes.
She obviously wasn’t well and not her usual self.
The combination of those two incidents put me on edge pretty much for my Visit there – I was in alert mode and emotionally exhausted and we were keeping a little distant during my time there.
She did however enjoy a two-hour outing and came back with joy. And we had a nice pleasant outing together. Then on the last day, she rushed me out of the room when I was having a – what could possibly be a last look at Mum when she was sleeping.
There was plenty enough time for that glance if not interrupted – that was spent on nothing much afterwards. There were a few moments she was grateful for my help with Mum that spared her some energy but basically the trip was
one of disaster.
I was looking forward to bringing Mum and Anne much needed
Comfort and some happiness.
So disappointing, I came home pretty drained, to keep fighting off the flashes
of Horrific News Lines I had seen that were harassing me proceeding my time over there.
It could have been a mutually Comforting time for both us girls –
we were somehow denied that.
Once I was home, of necessity I considered having total separation from relatives when Mum leaves us. Mum assured me on two occasions years ago that Anne loved me. We were pretty distant really because Mum brought us up separately (in one house, they spent a lot of time together) I’ve felt in recent years she was Mum’s Security Blanket when Dad left her.
She brought it up and apologised for that later in life saying
she should have let me be a Big Sister to her.
There was always a tangible distance between Anne and myself since her involvement with that religion over there. The distance between us was worse.
She was so much closer to you and those people, I did not feel she would miss me because apart from a few holidays she had over here when Steve was present, that religion has always been a wedge between us like a brick wall through the years – even though we had no intentions of changing each-other. Right up to the day of her death, those people crowded us out of her life.
Steve as well and they were close.
That was Totally unfair. We were Her Family – Steve loved and missed her immensely – and they pretty much hijacked her from us, days and weeks.
In fact, months before her death.
You even honoured their wishes over ours when it came to having our Rightful share of her Photos we enjoyed so much. A real “No No” for any Family and we were All Christians.
Mark was right about one thing, they hardly gave us many days for missing her immensely after her death and they could not wait to go to her house and divide her possessions among themselves.
Apart from a Set of 6 dessert dishes Mum had for Family occasions and a small Lamp Mum gave her for her 18th with her College Friends, I requested only the Greeting Cards we sent Mum and Anne that meant a lot to me. I even stressed that.
We received none, not one. According to Lori, they rescued all theirs.
The rest were carelessly thrown out.
They even made Felicity unwelcome, when she travelled long distance by Car to stay for one or two weeks with her. She felt a lot of pressure to leave. That was Unspeakably Rude of them.
Reminds me of the Plymouth Brethren and Agape Cults where Family Members are Not Acknowledged as such anymore. That's literally I know but your Branham people Ignored Us when it came to So Many Phone Calls that could have been made AND all Our Greeting Cards we sent to Mum and Anne.
We Didn’t Matter!
We would have even missed our last words with her in that Coma had you not taken the Care to Urge us to phone that morning – we would have even
missed out on that.
Even so was the seriousness and the description of how they were possessive of her time and literally Crowded Us out of it – Every day and evening.
This damaged us both the week of my Birthday – Steve especially was deeply hurt and mystified. Her Friend had not even Cared to let us Know of the change in her condition which is something Every Carer should do with Family Members.
After barely 2-3 minutes of me having my last words with Anne, she even attempted to Rush me off the Phone from her when I said Steve was coming to it – shocking, insensitive, terrible imagine?
I had to literally urge her “wait, wait, don’t go!” I had said he is just a few feet from the car. That would have been tragic, so absolutely devastating for him to even miss out on his last words. And after being in suspense and mystified through our holiday time (didn’t Anne like his flowers? Was she upset by them?) They did not even have the courtesy to assist her to thank him for them or Let him Know
how she liked them.
We always enjoyed our holidays and felt close to Anne each day of them after a few we went on with her however that one would have been better spent home. Needless to say we did not go to that Park again. Not a good memory.
And mind you, it was not only the week of her passing
they kept us from her. That was for weeks and months.
Criminal, that was absolutely Careless and Thoughtless the way they Selfishly did that. They acted as if they owned her and we had no place in her heart and life. Whoever heard of such a thing?
Yet that was the reality of it all. Had they not done that with Family Members, I don’t think Mark would have been so badly damaged – misinterpreting her intentions in her Will. He would have known better – he would have had that assurance.
The Plymouth Brethren people and various Cults treat people’s Families like that, keeping them separate. I’ve known 3 Christian Families who have been affected by them, in no small way.
Whatever you like to call it, that wasn’t Christian. Definitely not Biblical either.
In fact, it describes what Paul in the Bible described as “Party Spirit” yet they could do no wrong to your way of thinking.
Maybe you should pray for the ability to look from the outside in if you can’t see that. You should never defend people who are in the wrong, which you have before concerning that.
It’s too late for me to Rescue Mark. He mentioned to me “He Loved her dearly”......Notice that’s past Tense? (he can't anymore) It’s so sad, it’s actually tragic because Anne shared with me once how he referred to himself as a “Family Prodigal” he felt so Loved by her. And they got along very well together because Anne was very adaptable and they communicated very well.
Can you see how Wicked and Wretched Religious Cults are?
They always divide Family Members.
And You have been involved in One. That wasn’t enough, you got our Baby Sister involved in that. Unbelievable, she was always too smart for that kind of thing and Open to People. At-least she kept her Wonderful Interest in them. That you did not take from her. No No!
NO movement or people should have owned her – they acted like it, I don’t care what you say. Anne was a Free Agent “not a respecter of persons” preferring one over another. Mum asked me to Intervene when Anne first got involved in that and I didn’t like to come between brother and sister. I definitely knew it was not for me.
Not a Religion or Christian Cult of any kind has managed to sway my judgement since I encountered Jesus at the age of 20 after I was detoured into one at an early age by Aunty Valerie a week after I first encountered Jesus and was spontaneously Born Again and prayed spontaneously in several different languages with
NO religious or Biblical background whatever.
In fact, just after I found Jesus again, Aunty Valerie promptly made a rare visit.
She stormed in and said “What’s this I hear, you have become a Christian? You’re a Catholic, and will be till the day you die. Don’t let me hear anything more about that!” (She was a Catechism Teacher and a Charity Worker) Just because I had spent 2 Yrs in a Catholic School which was her idea and Mum didn’t mind. But apparently Mum was sharing with her that I was very Happy with Jesus. I was experiencing Love and Joy and Peace. She was apparently disturbed by that when I had spent years not wanting anything to do with God. Imagine?
However later in life, Aunty Valerie said she wished she had a prayer-life like I had because I was sharing some Nice Testimonies with her and I assured her that she too, could find that experience. She softened when she was elderly and became more gracious.
Mum told me when I grew up that Dad said to her she could send the boys to Sunday School if she liked but he wouldn’t let her send me. That wasn’t permitted, thanks to a JW parent. Apparently, he used to lecture a lot and talk religious Mania to people.
To be honest, apart from 4 or 5 occasions, I have no memory of you and Mark at the Meal Table even – you were ALWAYS off somewhere else – we didn’t spend any time together.
Mum had the house to run each day and helping Dad with the business. Then she would wind down watching TV in the evenings. But there were a few times she made up a story at night and then she prayed a short prayer and said goodnight.
She addressed Him as God.
One day she let a lady from the Church of England sneak me away to a Sunday School just the once. She took me back home and didn’t come again. I didn’t understand anything or remember much. I was about 7 or 8 at that time.
Well at the age of 12 when I had the New Birth experience, the Spirit of God revealed to me on waking the following day that Jesus is God. And when Aunty Valerie came to visit, that circumvented everything. Wrecked. All the religious Jargon they taught blocked out everything – His Presence, and the memory of how I found Him. Dad left us and I was very disillusioned as you could imagine.
At School, I did not have any friends at all. So many times, I would go into the church building on my own and Search for God. I would practice a Catholic ritual (they teach you) and sure as one thing, It actually Blocked Off the Presence of God – every time! The Heavens were like brass. And eventually, with the emptiness and frustration of that, I found myself calling out loud “God can’t I find you? God can’t I find you!?” I had absolutely no recall of my experience at the age of 12 after all the Jargon they had taught me. And I left it all – and never prayed again for my entire teen years until I once again Encountered Jesus at the age of 20.
Never to be cheated again.
* * * * * *
I remembered the first experience (age of 12) at the age of 30.
Jesus reminded me one day when I was praying. I remembered everything very clearly. And I said "Oh, that's right. So I have actually found You twice!"
FINAL WORDS
It’s really a Big Ask when people (Anyone) asks you to Ditch your beliefs and Adopt theirs and that is very offensive. I personally don’t do that with people in respect to their wishes. I flatly refuse to take that path, knowing full well the Spirit of God is Capable of revealing whatever He wishes to them without me upsetting their sense of relationship with God. And I feel that He is Interested to Reveal Jesus to a lot more people like He did with me.
But I will sensitively share things with someone when He leads me to do so.
I’d rather gently water someone’s garden than rashly attempt to rid it from weeds (Allegory)
That may be a bit drastic for them – most times I like to handle with Care. People so often have said they appreciate the way I shared Jesus with them and sometimes say I said just the right words to them. Even some things in particular I’ve said to some Christians they have just asked Jesus.
FOR YOUR INTEREST
Personally for me, I believe in JESUS (No Extras) no religious hang-ups.
I love His Words when they’re Not Misconstrued or used to Form Religions or used for Religious Arguments. That should never be! I’ve had some remarkable experiences when He has spoken to me through different Verses from the Bible referred to as Scriptures. ©
One time my life was Saved 40 Minutes from death. I could say more.
A Lot of People are not happy until they bend others to Their Way and this is very true with Religious People as we all know. Paul in the Bible CAUTIONS us there is such a thing as “Doctrines of Men and Doctrines of Demons”……..this is why many people refer to Religion as “The most Evil Force on this Earth” and that’s absolutely Right – when they come from Demons. That also accounts for why some religious people are Very Devout and others are Very Destructive. The Bible also speaks about Lifeless Religion, an “Empty form of Religion that Denies the Power of God” (lifeless and devoid of it) We also read Jesus’ Words concerning
“Religious Hypocrites” that most of us deplore. ©
In fact, they were always found Opposing Him whereas other people could not take enough of His Words and made exclamations like “No-One ever spoke to us like He does” and they sought for Him everywhere He went. I hope this sorts out a lot of things for some of you. That they will make sense and fit into place because RELIGIONS are One Big Discrepancy OR an Unsolved Enigma to SO MANY
of us. The Enemy of God and Man (the Devil for real, not a Comic Character) intended to make things that way “to Put most of us Off of God” like the Atheistic Agenda in our School System does in Western Countries. Can you see this? He uses Both Tactics, so a Lot of people get Cheated like I did. But I’m cheated No More, and don’t you be either Friends. ©
I understand many of your sentiments, as you will know by this Article.
Happy to Help.
Many Christians have a Wonderful Prayer-Life with Jesus without other languages.
PS: Please be very Cautious of Pentecostal Churches because so many are Very Unstable. Also Revivalist Centres who believe you have to pray in other languages to be Saved - that is absolutely not true. I've had to literally "Dash Away" from two people in that Movement on two occasions last year. I've found through the years those people show No Self-Control. I honestly think it's a different kind of spirit they pray in. I knew one of those people years ago who denied her own Daughter Salvation because "She did not qualify" according to them.
What dangerous fanatics.
That's not Jesus Believing, that's Counterfeit. Remember not to be Cheated.
PPS You may like to click on a category I added about a year ago.
There was a Christian Article I wrote on this Website a few years ago to help people and I had deleted it because some of my Visitors could mistake my intentions. Then one day when I was going through the Site Activity Reports, I discovered there were 40+, 60+, 80+ and 130 people trying to access it each month from a Link on Google, so I thought I should do this:
Insights On Christianity
Back by demand. Things are going so strange in the world, many people are looking to their Creator or Christianity for answers; ways to Cope etc. Some people who have had not good experiences in life are looking for better; and decent living people are looking for better standards they can identify with. This category also explains a difference between Christianity and Churchianity and why both exist. Religious Impositions and Why? There are also Articles that have Christian Principles in nature; very helpful and practical in keeping with Christian Ethics I have included in this Category. ENJOY!