Monthly Archives: August 2019

//August
30 August

The Labor Day Meeting is here with hours of talks in the pipeline

By |2019-09-09T06:24:55-06:00August 30th, 2019|Uncategorized|20 Comments

I don't have a clue about where the upcoming Labor Day Meetings will be this year, or who is on the roster for giving talks. I don't really think about or care about such things, although I'm always interested when people send me talks they find interesting. The hard part is listening to all the audio, which is usually light on Biblical content. However, if anyone sends me the audio, I will dutifully listen, so the rest of you don't have to. (OK, I'm just being sarcastic, I'll actually post the full audio for the world to listen to, whether I agree with it it or not.) It's not that I'm opposed to Stanton having a Labor Day Meeting, or Thanksgiving Meeting, or whatever they [...]

30 August

Anonymous Source: Church members refuse to help wife in sexually abusive relationship

By |2019-09-16T15:33:37-06:00August 30th, 2019|Uncategorized|15 Comments

First of all, let me say that no, this is not satire. Sadly, this is a true story. And it hits home hard for me. I have tried to make my family a safe place for kids in foster care, and young adults who need mentors. One of our former foster daughters is living with us right now to escape an abusive relationship. One of the highest callings we have as believers is to love unconditionally, and that means to help people in productive ways whenever we can. Obviously, we can't solve all the world's problems. But James taught us this: "So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." (James 4:17) I just received an [...]

22 August

Everything I know about bad relationships, I see in Stanton

By |2019-08-27T13:11:31-06:00August 22nd, 2019|Uncategorized|1 Comment

One day a few years ago, I got a call from the adult son of a Stanton member. I'll never forget how he described, point by point, his relationship with his mom. It was like he was describing my relationship with my mom. Personalities were very similar, after decades in the sect. Stories of dysfunction in family gatherings were eerily similar. And yet, I'd never met his mom (or if I did, I was a young child). This is not a random coincidence. It is because Stanton is a petri dish for bad relationships, spurred on by "counsel" from the ruling rabbis (teachers) instructing their students in how to live life. They have built a culture that destroys families even when the family is intact [...]

14 August

Leading our families out of the wilderness

By |2019-08-14T23:03:30-06:00August 14th, 2019|Uncategorized|12 Comments

The men in Stanton, or on the outskirts of Stanton due to family connections, have typically been cajoled and worn down into submission to the powers that be. I'm convinced Stanton top brass intentionally bleed the leadership qualities out of the men in the congregations because they feel threatened by leadership of any sort. This is why the "No Elders" Clock has been ticking for well over 50 years. Yet bold leadership is exactly what's called for when it comes time to start extracting your family from the grips of Stanton's control. Who will have the courage to lead their families out of the wilderness? The beating down of a man's leadership instincts can come in many forms. If it's not directly at the hands [...]

5 August

Spiritual Abuse: Are You a Victim?

By |2019-08-27T14:35:31-06:00August 5th, 2019|Uncategorized|26 Comments

By Martha Long A while back, someone commented on this blog with a video link on Spiritual Abuse. It was very interesting. Many of the signs covered were exactly what many of us have experienced in Stanton and spoken about here on the blog. While a few of the signs (such as sexual abuse by leaders) are not a typical part of Stanton's modus operandi, there were so many other signs that point to spiritual abuse in one form or another in Stanton that it's hard to deny that Spiritual Abuse is part of Stanton's culture. So, what is spiritual abuse? It can be defined as abuse in which leaders find ways to control your life for the purpose of accomplishing their goals. I think [...]