Replies to "anonymous" OALCer...

Hello everyone!
Here's part of the previous thread.
Let's see where the discussion takes us.

From an anonymous OALCer:
"Do the rules of the OALC, which are based on keeping the commandments, scare you? OALC is based on the King James Bible (yes, this is a translation of the original works by the disciples) and it is read every Sunday at the pulpit. If you want to read the Bible some more, then do so at your own freekin will! Nobody is stopping you. I've read many parts of the Bible and I don't see anything contradictory to what is taught at OALC, and I have more common sense than most. I don't like to fight, but sometimes a person has to bring out the old lead-pipe to straighten things! Oh yeah, I don't know if this post can be deleted by the manager of this blog but perhaps they may choose not to cuz this could prove to be interesting.
At 5:48 AM, Anonymous said...Oh yeah, some OALC members do judge according to appearance, which is wrong in most cases but NOT ALL. If you know the person personally then you have the right to judge and rebuke if, for example, you truly care about the sinful thoughts that may be kindled in another person's mind due to that person's attire. Common sense: If you act like a believer and you dress like a whore then there is something wrong... As for things like earrings and makeup (vanity), these things just make a person look "good" (or so says society). Everyone actually looks good (what is good?), but society says that some people are ugly. Therefore, people wear earrings to follow what society (which is, in effect, the "world") says looks good. We don't need this vanity.Some members of the OALC, just as in any other church, are just simple and don't understand very much so they make mistakes; hopefully these trespasses which have not come on their conscience will be forgiven them.
At 5:51 AM, Anonymous said...Knowing the Bible in and out will not save you. Understand that. "


Replies included:
"At 3:39 PM, exoalc said...
Also, I think you need to do a little research on the King James Version, as it was actually not a translation of the original manuscripts but rather the Latin Vulgate and, although it is a decent translation, is only that and nothing more. The King James version is not based on the earliest and best manuscript evidence available, and is not superior in translation or text.It is not the only "inspired" version. The original preface of the King James version stated that it was written in the contemporary language of the day, and the motivation for its existence was to make the Bible available to the modern people. If that was the intent of the original translators, why are we holding onto it so tightly, when nobody talks that way anymore. If you are worried about the original text being desecrated, either learn the original languages or get yourself an exhaustive concordance and start looking up words. It is a fascinating way to study the Bible, and you don't have to wonder about the accuracy of your translation.

At 5:35 PM, Anonymous said...
The King James version is not from the original words the disciples wrote down. Is the person above saying that the disciples wrote the OT down too? There were English translations starting as far back as 700 AD when only parts of the Bible were translated into old english. William Tyndale translated the NT into more modern english from greek in 1525. In 1535 the first completed English printed Bible by Coverdale was done. Then there was the Matthew's Bible in 1537, The Great Bible in 1539, The Geneva Bible in 1560, The Bishops Bible in 1568 and others until finally came the King James Version in 1611 that had a 33 page letter in the front written by the translators (I have a copy) that King James hired that said that there are mistakes in this version and it is up to the reader to access them. They point out some mistakes. They said that they did the best they could. The King James version is a revision of the Bishops Bible with the aid of Hebrew and Greek texts and the Tyndale Bible. If one believes in ONLY the King James Version then they ought to be reading the 1611 version because the one they are reading is an update of that one. In order to get the deeper meaning of God's Word with any Bible one HAS to have a concordance (as exoalc stated above)to see what the original hebrew (OT) and the greek (NT)words mean. Most Laestadians have not read the KJV no less any other version to even judge which Bible one should be reading. One can always pick out parts that agree with some of the things you are being taught, but you have to read the ENTIRE Bible (with prayer)to realize what God is saying to us. The above info is from the Companion Bible (KJV) by E.W. Bullinger and the Holman Book of Biblical Charts, Maps and Reconstructions. "

At 6:20 PM, Anonymous said...
To the anonymous poster @ 5:20 AM above...
..You say "Do the rules of the OALC, which are based on keeping the commandments, scare you?".
Following the commandments WON'T get you into Heaven. You will want to follow them as a result of your faith in Jesus. From Romans: "Not one person will be justified (saved) before God by doing what the Law says... A person is Justified (saved) by faith- apart from the works of the Law." And from Matthew: "That is why I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce fruit for it."

Hello all. I'm pasting several responses to an older posting topic. The first one is from quite a while ago by a guy that goes by "Me" and has a blog about being Catholic. The anonymous poster responded to it yesterday. I agree with the anonymous poster that "this could prove to be interesting", so I'm posting it at the front where you all can see it.


"At 8:31 AM, Me said...
WHOA! This is so weird. I can't believe I'm reading about the cult much of my family is ensnared in. I'm Catholic, as is my immeidate family, (Dad converted from OALC, if you can believe that), but this cult has hounded my mom, and to a lesser extent, me, for my entire life.I'm glad you escaped. Be strong. (Then be Catholic). ;-)
At 5:20 AM, Anonymous said...
Unbelievable! Calling the OALC a cult? Are you retarded?? It is a religion - plain and simple. I mean, I couldn't imagine believing in a cult as satanic as the Catholic faith. Duhhh! Do you read the Bible? Man, its people like you who provoke temptations on us to swear like madmen. Why do you people would even bother with these kinds of websites (do you have a problem with your conscience or what?). Do the rules of the OALC, which are based on keeping the commandments, scare you? OALC is based on the King James Bible (yes, this is a translation of the original works by the disciples) and it is read every Sunday at the pulpit. If you want to read the Bible some more, then do so at your own freekin will! Nobody is stopping you. I've read many parts of the Bible and I don't see anything contradictory to what is taught at OALC, and I have more common sense than most. I don't like to fight, but sometimes a person has to bring out the old lead-pipe to straighten things! Oh yeah, I don't know if this post can be deleted by the manager of this blog but perhaps they may choose not to cuz this could prove to be interesting.
At 5:48 AM, Anonymous said...
Oh yeah, some OALC members do judge according to appearance, which is wrong in most cases but NOT ALL. If you know the person personally then you have the right to judge and rebuke if, for example, you truly care about the sinful thoughts that may be kindled in another person's mind due to that person's attire. Common sense: If you act like a believer and you dress like a whore then there is something wrong... As for things like earrings and makeup (vanity), these things just make a person look "good" (or so says society). Everyone actually looks good (what is good?), but society says that some people are ugly. Therefore, people wear earrings to follow what society (which is, in effect, the "world") says looks good. We don't need this vanity.Some members of the OALC, just as in any other church, are just simple and don't understand very much so they make mistakes; hopefully these trespasses which have not come on their conscience will be forgiven them.
At 5:51 AM, Anonymous said...
Knowing the Bible in and out will not save you. Understand that. "



Comments, replies anyone?

A reply from a previous post

This was posted today under another topic here. I thought it was interesting, and wanted you all to see it, too.


"At 4:32 AM, Anonymous said...
I think the reason why the OALC teaches such strict rules is because there are many stupid people out there, and the preachers know that if one of those stupid people use, for example, the internet, that person will search for porno or something of the like which leads to sin. Another example is the TV. TV shows can lead to brain-washing people to follow the acts and beliefs of today's society, which are often full of sin. In addition, violence and sex are often portrayed, which can cause the viewer to desire to try these acts of sin. It is true that growing up with OALC seems bad for children because it seems like it can cause depression and rule-based brain-washing causing misunderstanding of the Law. Nevertheless, common sense must be taken into account and it must be realized that your thought or action is a sin only if it is detrimental to your Christianity or Christian faith (I heard this preached as well). I do believe that the OALC follows the Bible; perhaps others understand the Bible differently. God's Peace. "


I'm confused by "perhaps others understand the Bible differently". If you stop by again, I'd be interested to know what you meant.

In regards to following the Bible, I guess it depends on what you mean by "the OALC follows the Bible". They do indeed strive to follow the Law. But they seem to miss the whole point of the Gospel. No matter how hard I try to follow the Law, I CANNOT earn salvation for myself. No matter how fully I follow every one of their rules, I will daily deserve death for my sinfulness. Christ's sinless human life, death and resurrection have paid my ransom. I can do nothing to earn it myself. Instead of rejoicing for what He has done for us, and producing the fruit that a Christian should, they are consumed by their rules. Sorrow over our sinfulness is definitely warranted, but it should not rule our life or be the only goal of our Church services. Among other things, our fruit should show our Christian love to even those we do not worship with. We should give to those in need. There should be outreach to spread His Word. There should be in depth Bible study (not to be confused with Laestadius' Postilla study).

True faith will bear fruit.

What do you all think?

Positives and negatives...

From an anonymous post...

"For me, growing up in this environment has many positives such as my work ethic and not needing a lot of material things to be happy. There are negatives as well but I just try to dwell on the positives since those benfit us the most."
"I would be interested in hearing what you all think are positives and negatives you carry into adulthood after growing up as Laestadians".

I don't think that dwelling on the negatives will help us heal, but getting them out in the open has helped me a lot. The discussions with all of you have been excellent therapy for me.
Thank you!


On the positive side, being in the OALC gave me the ability to feel sorrow for my sins. I don't know if I'd have that same ability to really examine my conscience without my experience in the OALC. The hardest part about leaving for me was (and continues to be) the void I feel when it comes to "forgiveness". Intellectually, I understand and believe that I can pray to God directly for forgiveness when I sin and He hears and forgives. I believe Jesus paid the full price on the cross for me. But part of me still longs for the opportunity each week to go to my loved ones and "ask forgiveness". I'm perfectly aware that I can still do that, and should, if my conscience is troubling me. But having that time set aside each week where I could regularly go to my family and admit my faults/sins was humbling and helpful. On the up side, instead of saving up the list in my head of what I've done wrong until Sunday, I am more apt to pray to God right away when I'm aware of my sin and say I'm sorry to someone if I treated them badly or was a bad example. I do believe my conscience is much quicker to respond since I left the OALC, so hopefully I'm a little less likely to be a "repeat offender" on some things.

I don't believe I've lost the "forgiveness of sins" since leaving, as those in the OALC would say. Losing the "forgiveness of sins" is why people stay even though they're pretty sure there's a lot about the church that just isn't right. But I have lost that time each week where I was kind of forced to examine my conscience and go to my family to admit and "unload". We have a prayer during the service at my current church, admitting our sinfulness (both sins we are aware of and those we aren't), and the pastor forgives our sins in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I think I might feel the weight of my sinfulness a little differently than most of those at the service because of my OALC time. But part of me might always kind of miss that part of the OALC. Will that make me return? NO. There's just too much that's not right to go back for the one part that was good. I believe it is good to have the time set aside to examine the conscience, feel sorrow for the sinfulness, and hear the assurance of His forgiveness. But the bulk of the service should be worshipping Him and hearing and learning His Word (not to be confused with Laestadius' words).

OK, so I'm not sure if that one was positive or negative. Guess it was both.

Positive:
Though I no longer say "thanks to God" instead of "you're welcome", I feel it. I know that all I have is thanks to Him, and I should be glad to help others when I can.

I'd have to agree with the other posters that my work ethic is probably the better thanks to my OALC experience.

Negative:
Guilt over the pain other family members that are still in the OALC feel since our departure.

Happy New Year!!!

Hello to everyone!
I read this interesting post on extoots.blogspot.com.
Wondering if it will generate some discussion here...

"mmmmmmmmm said...
I am not sure where to post by also raised in the oalc church from the east. I have read most of these posts and agree with most of what is said. They believe that looks come first before anything else, by this they say that his or her christianity is strong? They do not read from anywhere in the bible. Most of the same places are taken from the bible. They are many things they cover up like when a set of preachers ran around on each others wife's, divorced, then remarried. They now come to church but not preach. The wedding band thing for a man. There is no place in the bible and once when we had meetings here question was asked. The missionary could not give good answer. The church group does nothing for charity nor nothing was said after 9/11. Instead of preaching about the birth of christ on christmas eve sermon, they preach about staying close to your first born christians. During confirmation we were not allowed to ask hard questions from the bible. They are always putting down the worldlies and dead faith churches in their sermons. Every congregation around america has different beliefs. You must go to all special meetings or you are looked down upon. You need to live in the same area as most of the christians, only associate with each other. You are not allowed to play sports but play ice hockey every saturday night. The people in the congregation who kiss up to preachers become song leaders and read the postilla's. They also are racists people; I have heard own preacher's telling racial jokes. They now have done away with baby showers stating this is like the world. This kind of contradicts doctrine as they believe all should have big familes. Shouldn't they celebrate this? The telephone used to be a sin because of gossipping. Drinking and TV are harped on but many other things not like adultary. There are fathers who go to jail on Saturday but sit in the front row on Sunday, and nothing is said about it. Even if raised in the church many christians will walk by and not even greet you."

I've experienced most of these firsthand, too. I hadn't heard of the jail or ice hockey before, though. Anyone else?