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.
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