PBS report on Jim Jones / People's Temple

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[DesiringTruth]

To add to the discussion of black involvement with GC, an early leader in the movement who was black is Danny Beatty. He is no longer part of GC.  And I believe he had attempted to start an all-black campus GC org at Howard University in the DC area back in the mid '80s. He had a vision within GC to spearhead a significant advancement of GC within the black student population. Since he left, I have not heard of another black leader on a national level within GC. When I was in GC during that time period, we had Invasion '85 meetings that actually took place at Howard University, a university that is predominantly black in population.  I was one of the deacons sent out to a city during Invasion '85.

[G_Prince]

The post got buried in other posts until late August when someone from ECC found it and asked the ECC pastors about it. At that point, a sermon was preached against my husband's blog post (we know that because an hour after the sermon was preached, my husband received a letter from the pastor asking him to take down his post with negative info about GCM and ECC).

MamaD,

I've always wondered just what the heck GC was doing scrolling through the last year of your husband's blog posts after you were no longer members. Scary! It seems like they had some vendetta against you and were looking for any possible form of payback. Ugghh! :evil:

[steelgirl]

[
The portion which showed actual footage of his "preaching" in the temple made me sick to my stomach as it closely reflected the totalitarian preachings of the nut jobs in charge of GC* (...of course, the People's Temple had blacks in attendance, and we all know that is NOT tollerated in GC*....)


When were you in GCM.  There were a few African Americans in the GCM church where I attended.

[theresearchpersona]

By the way, in regards to race:

I never so much saw issues with race, so much, or even with people from other countries etc.; actually I more often saw a general discomfort and maybe fear of inability to approach those different groups. Not to be rude, but very often the "black community" these days does bring upon members of its race a cultural aura that scares people away (Hip-Hop hedonism...I mean culture {not}), NAACP, BET, and the famous ones talking about "my people"; that's why I like guys like Bill Cosby and Chris Rock being open about that kind of thing...and saying "what are you doing!!!" Neither are against "being black", so to speak: but are against the racism.

I particularly liked this one black gal in a class who was up-front (because of the treatment of women) who said "I hate hip hop". : )  You see..."hip hop" is more than music...and it's also culturally dominant among the black demographic right now.

What people don't get, though, is you don't need cultural insight into 2Pac and Puff to reach-out: you need law and gospel, and be willing to face the possible offense it'll cause...or even harm it will bring you (and this goes among any group).

So I hope there wasn't a bunch of race-issues...but I am glad I didn't see too many: just timidness here and there. It's also not surprising, though, when much of the population is monocolored, and from what I've seen many GCers would be very willing to approach and reach-out to those of other races, nations, etc..

: )

[AgathaL'Orange]

I remember one woman in GC and I were having a conversation about how I thought it would be really great if there were no divisions whatsoever in the body of Christ.  I was saying how it seems like God intended for us all to worship together.

She said that she felt that it was great for blacks, hispanics, and caucasians to worship separately because culturally we are so different and it was better to just let everyone be themselves and be separate.

I agree that this is totally acceptable.  But the way she was saying it was that we would never be able to understand other cultures in a way that we could come to an agreement to worship together.  A few years later, we attended an African American Baptist church and we were so welcomed and it was so wonderful... and I thought, Now what's so different about this?  People are people and I DO think it would be great if we all worshipped together more.

I think that's what scared me with the Jim Jones thing.  Cause I sort of "go t it."  I understood that idealistic desire to have everyone worship together as one and to live an idealistic life.

When I watched that special... the People's Temple drew me in... even though I KNEW what was going to happen!

So does that mean I am extremely susceptible to idealistic cults???  

I was thinking, "Yeah... that's cool to just worship together.  That's awesome to care about social justice.  That great to raise your own healthy vegetables in a tropical paradise.  That would be wonderful to leave your job and move away escape the mundane life we often live."

But then it occurred to me.

Idealism is too easily co-opted by crafty, manipulative people.  Some people are so gifted at reading people that they can scan each person as they meet them and instantly change what they say and how they say it so the other person will accept what they are saying.  I have to admit, this is a gift of mine (it's not perfect, but it works often without my even meaning to use it!), and when someone uses this gift for evil... the results are ASTOUNDING.

So how do we protect ourselves from this?

I was sucked into a harmful group for 8 years of my life.  My husband and I just sat up last night talking about how we were finally seeing the loss that those 8 years brought.  

How in the world do we keep this from happening again?  

My husband said, "Trust no one."


I'd like to change that a bit to, "Trust no one to make your decisions for you.  Trust no one who says it 'just right.'  Trust no one who wishes to insert themselves into your marriage, your parenting, or your relationship with your parents.  Trust no one who asks for more money (and I mean no one-- if someone that I support asks for more money, I reconsider supporting them based on my GC experiences).  Trust no one who tells you where you should live."

So there's my Sunday morning sermon.  A little pessimistic, but I mean well!

Is it too culty to say that I truly do love you all on here?  It makes me smile to think of you all around the country feeling the freedom of being out of GC again.  Doesn't that sun seem a little brighter and the breeze seem a bit breezier?

[lone gone]

Our idealism ill prepares us for the real world which intrudes itself into our lives. We think we have no problems inside ourselves, that all the problems are outside ourselves, our families, our churches.

In reality, the problems are in us, and will be with us until we die and are separated from the flesh.

Sadly we make life-altering decisions with only the most basic information that ultimately winds up showing us how foolish we are. Life is long and sometimes very early on we set ourselves up with only the sketchiest of input.

God has made us to learn from our mistakes. We wander through life from one crazy situation to another, blowing it and learning and trying again.

My private heartfelt prayer to God, even when I was in the Ames Church,
has  been  " God, Keep me for yourself, no matter what the cost to me"

I have been utterly amazed at what the costs have turned out to be for me, but God has answered my prayer and I am still His.

[steelgirl]

I remember one woman in GC and I were having a conversation about how I thought it would be really great if there were no divisions whatsoever in the body of Christ.  I was saying how it seems like God intended for us all to worship together.

She said that she felt that it was great for blacks, hispanics, and caucasians to worship separately because culturally we are so different and it was better to just let everyone be themselves and be separate.

I agree that this is totally acceptable.  But the way she was saying it was that we would never be able to understand other cultures in a way that we could come to an agreement to worship together.  A few years later, we attended an African American Baptist church and we were so welcomed and it was so wonderful... and I thought, Now what's so different about this?  People are people and I DO think it would be great if we all worshipped together more.

I go to a big church.  Perhaps the biggest in my area.  It has become more and racially diverse.  You could see it in the childrens ministry.  The new worship pastor is African American.

[AgathaL'Orange]

Cool, steelgirl!  That makes me happy.