We all must concern ourselves toward those who can be helped. It has been spiritual warfare. As in all war, not all the injured can be saved despite the best efforts of the field medics and then the doctors. Sometimes we come across those who could or would not allow us to aid them. I know I have. We grieve these spiritual casualties and move on to those who can and will allow aid.
It is my opinion that ESN is involved in a most important ministry for the emotionally and spiritually mistreated former members of WCG. But we cannot help all of them. For reasons we don’t understand many simply will not allow aid. Some want to feed off bitterness that has built up over many years. Some simply decided there is no God, or they question whether He exists. They feed off that. Many have accepted grace more as a license to live in sin; it is a way to avoid Christian responsibilities. I’ve had plenty of contact with this last kind of attitude, although they don’t quite express it in this way.
Once, I personally communicated with an acquaintance from a nearby WCG congregation who went through Ambassador College and is now an atheist. I was curious if bitter experience within WCG led to such a change in his life. He denies WCG had anything to do with it. He thinks it is a conclusion he would have eventually come to on his own, regardless of all else.
I also communicated with an ex-pastor with WCG who is now agnostic or atheistic. I asked him how he could come from where he was as a minister to his current status. I concluded he was completely unable to give me any solid reasoning about that.
Such things cause me serious doubt as to where they really were during their years inside WCG. What was their real faith in God at that time? We cannot look into their minds and tell. I am convinced, though, they were never the men of God they claimed at the time to be.1 While God will call into account all those who helped turn others away from Him, He also seems to hold the individual responsible for belief in Him.
Many former members of WCG were so traumatized with the way things were handled, including all the gross mistreatment and the extremely poor handling of the doctrinal changes, including blaming us for believing the way we did that some things way outside of religion seem more enticing to them. They began feeding on spiritual garbage (agnostic books, etc.) and this must have seemed the easy way out. Garbage tastes good to scavengers and one can become one if he/she so allows. Sometimes we experience having someone wanting to smear the garbage he was consuming onto us and we have to break away. Often there is no other choice. A shark pulls its victim under and drowns it as it is being broken up. I don’t like to swim with predators.
By Will
Related letters and articles:
It Was Tempting to Discard God and Turn to Atheism (letter)
Why Do So Many Exiters Turn to Atheism?
Why Did God Allow Me to Go In an Abusive Group?
Confession and Freedom From Specific Cult/Occult Strongholds
Footnote by ESN:
1 In retrospect it appears there were few in WCG who were true Christians; most were merely religious. Some had trusted in Christ as their Savior before joining (in spite of WCG saying they “could not have been converted”). God says He will never forsake His own. J. Vernon McGee once said: “If you belong to Him my friend, He has already prayed for you that your faith fail not. …” (Thru the Bible With J. Vernon McGee, Vol. 4, p. 346, Luke 22:31-32)