27/07/2021
In this video Cal gives some history about the early days of the Lord's Recovery movement. It didn't start out as a cult. It was just a group of believers, meeting together to pursue God. However Witness Lee started to control the group more and more, until he proclaimed that members were to follow him exclusively. Anyone that opposed this was kicked out and demonized. This is when the church went from a group of believers, to a highly controlled, highly organized, hierarchal organization with one person in charge - Witness Lee - to make all the rules. Anyone who disagreed with "The Ministry" of Witness Lee was 'of satan' and 'spreading poison'. No one else was allowed to preach anymore. Witness was a prophet, who had recovered the 'lost truths' of the Bible. Only he could interpret the Bible, not members themselves. Many people who have been in since the very beginning do not realize that it is now a cult. Because it wasn't one when they first joined. But over time it became one. It's a case of boiling the frog in the pot. Put him straight into the pot of boiling water, and he will realize and jump out. But put him in warm water, and raise the temperature slowly and he won't realize what is actually happening. That is why new recruits into this cult are introduced to Witness Lee's doctrines very slowly - over several years even. This way, the new member is oblivious to the fact that they are actually in a cult. It is incredibly deceptive.
My experience of the early days of the LR and how and why it declined.
