Look how fast the BGBC elves went to work. It was brought to my attention that a new review up at the DexKnows review site, but it was shoved down so far that you have to click on "See All Reviews" in order to see it. They appear to be intentionally revising their glowing positive review in order to move theirs up and shove down the negative ones. They must have a phone chain or something to work that fast.
Doesn't this really show that their primary focus is their image? If they had nothing to hide, they would leave the reviews stand as is. Manipulation, much?
Here is the real "new" review:
Child of God 05/01/2012
My family attended this church for several years. Newly walking in the faith when I first came to this church made me very susceptible to the legalistic views presented by pastor chuck o'neal as the very words of God. We were discouraged from having friends who were not attendees, questioned if we missed any sunday services at all, ordered to quit counseling we were attending (with a Biblical counselor!) and yet we were not offered any alternative counseling, and told that any problems (financial, etc) we were experiencing were a direct fallout of not attending every wednesday and additional sermons on sunday (after the church services, from 1-3pm). At the time we had small children and this was not always an option. When we choose to leave, we also were shunned, other congregants were told we were in unrepentant sin, and close friends were forbidden to talk to us or would face church discipline. Very sad. Fortunately, our story isn't as tragic as some others because this did not lead us to question God, only Chuck.
Another example of manipulation and control, not godly nor christian. And yet he contends that women and children have cost him and his church monetary damage. God open the eyes of those he is using to do his dirty work. I remember being there and the 'talks' were always about waging the good fight~ when members break the rules of google to add positive reviews to hide the truth of others experiences, again manipulation and hiding the truth....doesn't surprise me at all. These people are being manipulated by a very dangerous man. God help them.
ReplyDeleteThe commenters on Dex remind me of the 'stepford wives'. Remember them: fawning, submissive, zombie-like, once independent-minded but now mindless docile robots.
ReplyDelete2 Timothy 3:6-7 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Wow - and now reading your post I'm reminded of the FLDS cult - the ladies who all dress alike, look alike, have similar responses, so blinded.
DeleteNo time to get sermons posted to the church website since 9-11-11 but plenty of time to get Dex reviews as soon as a negative review is posted. Good to know where their priorities lie.
ReplyDeleteThanks for contributing to the next blog post :) Great insight.
DeleteA "new" reviewer states "We love those who have left us...We would welcome them with open arms." I highly doubt this. The wrath and malice that has been hurled at those who dare to leave combined with the refusal to reconcile with a third party present demonstrate that this is improbable. Why would any one want to leave the light of Christian freedom to return to a man made pit any way? I am so sorry for those still trapped.
ReplyDelete"Our imaginations were fashioned like wicks to be ignited by the fire of fresh revelation, dripping with wax that God can imprint with His endless signatures. In the light of God's face shining upon us, we also glimpse reflections of our true selves. We were meant to see ourselves as part of something vital, something incredibly thrilling. But the eyes of some of us have adjusted to the darkness of the the pit surrounding us. The resulting dim vision ages us rapidly, and we lose the child-likeness that once made us feel like real princes and princesses in a kingdom. We can be young and feel old. Heavy laden. Burdened. In a pit where vision is lost and dreams are foolishness."
-Beth Moore in Looking Up
"I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope He has given to those He called, what a rich and glorious inheritance He has given to His holy people."
Eph 1:18 NLT
I have a feeling it would be more like an abusive husband-wife relationship - where if the victim ever goes back she (and sometimes he) is beaten, punished and manipulated into deeper fear and intimidation than before, thus showing how "right" the abuser was in the sense that it would have been better if the victim had never left. It is a sad situation. I pray for all left behind, especially the children - being used and abused and trained up in a way they will have difficulty departing from. :(
DeleteYou are so right. Just as there are very clear patterns that can help identify abusers, victims of abuse also show patterns of behavior. Sometimes knowing this information can be helpful so that we do not get caught in the same cycle of abuse again and again.
DeleteI hope that my readers avail themselves to the informative links on this site so they can become knowledgeable about spiritual abuse and heal.
My heart aches for the children, too :(
And yet again... I wonder how LN can call the years sweet when she has apparently been learning and worshiping along side so many "goats". If all those who left are so wrong, what does that say about the church that fails to turn people from their sin or attracts so many stiff necked people in the first place?
ReplyDelete