The Two Most Damaging Doctrines of the LHMM

There are two damaging doctrines of the LHMM that have had the worst effect on its believers. These are the doctrines of:

(1) Pastor Russell being "that servant" mentioned in Matt. 24:46 and chosen as the Parousia Messenger.

(2) Paul S. L. Johnson being God's chosen "Epiphany Messenger"

These doctrines cause the following issues:

* Final authority on Biblical interpretation comes from what these men (Russell and Johnson) said or wrote...and not a plain reading of the text or even a "we don't know" response. This stops thinking and attempts to read or understand the Bible via reading of the text and studying on your own.

* It sets the stage for spiritual abuse.   With this added "authority" of being God's special messenger, anyone who disagrees can be labeled a sifter and excommunicated or whatever. It provides undue spiritual power to the leader in question. There are many examples of this abuse taking place right in Johnson's own writings. It continues today with the present leader. There is nothing new under the sun. It would, however, be good to recognize this as a pattern that is destructive to people.

Johnson died in 1950.  So where are the subsequent messengers? How do you know who to follow? Who are his rightful successors? Is God dealing with the LHMM anymore? It's become quite difficult to pull out scriptures that show authority at this time. The forces people to make their own decisions. Some choose "the channel" of the LHMM and other have not. It's just a more difficult question for them to answer at this time.

If the pastor of my church said that it was "his way or the highway" because his interpretation of Scripture was the only correct one on every minor detail then I would find another church. No church is perfect...but doctrines are not that simple. You need to be willing to discuss and defend certain doctrines...not die for every one.

Blinders and Truth

If you're presently associated with the LHMM, will you read this blog and answer the questions raised here for yourself? Hopefully, so...but more than often I will guess...not. If you do, you are unusual for the group.

Blinders are used on a horse to limit the vision of the animal so they stay on track and don't see what is behind or along side of them. It reduces fear in the animal. Blinders have good effects in getting a horse to do work.

Most people within the LHMM live with the mindset of blinders. They have a limited vision and experience that they will allow into their life. The attitude I've experienced often is "My mind is made up so please don't confuse me with the facts." There is a great fear of outside literature. Blinders are enforced through phrases and thoughts that are engrained in them by the organization and those in it.

Some examples:
"Did you know ____ is a sifter? They've lost their standing before the Lord."
Labeling a person as a sifter is arbitrary and usually based on the fact that the person wrote a letter or addressed the brethren in the group in an "unauthorized" fashion. At that time they are shunned, put out, or essentially ex-communicated. All "truth" needs to be OK'd from headquarters. This prevents people from thinking on their own.

"There could be error in that book."
Actually, there are verified errors in the "truth" books...though they get overlooked. The worldview of the LHMM allows for this by admitting that the authors were not perfect. Unfortunately, they could not possibly correct the errors of publish a list of them. They have no perceived authority to do that.

"That's a tainted translation of the Bible."
No translation of the Bible is perfect. Modern translations are much more accurate than those in the past. There is nothing sacred about the King James Version.

"___ isn't in the truth."
I actually had someone introduce a friend to me in this manner: "This is Mary. She's not in the truth." What? I'm sure that made her feel good that she must be "in the error". Inclusion in the group is very important in the LHMM. The thing that separates you is a profession of belief in the writings of Russell and Johnson.

These blinders were created by statements that Russell and Johnson made that close off the possibility of outside information being truthful or reliable. For example, "You cannot understand the Bible without the help of the Studies in the Scriptures. Without the aid of the studies books you will go into spiritual darkness within a few months."

One difference between a horse and blinders and the average LHMM follower is that a horse is driven by a trustworthy driver. The LHMM is not. Actually, those in the LHMM are driven primarily by two people: Charles T Russell and Paul S.L. Johnson who have been dead for many years. Their writings are the test of authority.

Bible interpretation by the LHMM might begin by reading the scripture. It is not followed by thought, contemplation, and prayer. The next step is to find out what Russell and Johnson had to say about the verse in question.

It is a completely circular argument that goes something like this: How do we know this is the correct interpretation? Russell and Johnson said so. How do we know we can trust Russell or Johnson? They were God's servants to dispense the truth. "Look at what they wrote." They will say "It's obvious." Not so much.

Their worldview is based on circular logic and the assumed authority of Russell and Johnson. Here's an specific example of the logic and a possible conversation:
Has Christ returned? Yes. He returned invisibly in 1874.
How do you know? Various scriptures and the signs of the times indicates that he has. (If they are well studied they might point to a verse.)
Why do you believe that the interpretation of that verse would lead you to the conclusion that Christ has returned invisibly? Pastor Russell and Johnson wrote about it.
Why do you trust Russell? He was "That Servant".
Why do you trust Johnson? He was "the Epiphany Messenger".
Why? Because they wrote about it being true.

The question "Why?" is very important in getting at the REAL reasons for belief.