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This post is an offshoot of the “Christian Fellowship and Research” thread. First of all I want to say due respect to everyone who contributed to the previous thread. I wanted to post this separately as it relates to more than just that particular thread. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We should definitely want to vet ANY organisation or individual before we get involved with them on a fellowship level. When Paul says “forgetting those things which are behind”, the word translated “forgetting” in the English comes from a word in the Aramaic which infers “forsaking” rather than forgetting. It could be understood in this case to infer “casting off”, as in casting off a mental burden. Paul had previously persecuted the church: this was well known to just about everyone. He freely recounted what he HAD done previously as an example to others of how God had freed him from all that stuff. However, it should be patently obvious that he could still remember and recount the events to others, only the events were no longer a “mental burden” to him. He hadn't literally forgotten them at all! To use the verse as an excuse for hiding men’s continued wrong doings would be obviously wrong. Now there ARE some things that you would keep to yourself, but that would be a matter of personal discretion, not because someone is threatening you or bullying you into covering up for their continued abuse. Furthermore, the church has every right to know that any serving person meets certain criteria for service. Paul did not keep on persecuting people after he began to serve God. He changed. Likewise, if someone has made a mistake in the past, they have a right for forgiveness and to move on, but ask yourself the question, are they moving on if they continue to propagate the error? So if errors have been made in the past, we have every right to check that the errors are no longer being practiced, before we associate with that individual or group. We also have a right to warn others if we know that they are contemplating joining themselves to a group or an offshoot that systematically practices error or abuse. So I would say to anyone, feel free to ask questions and expect answers. And be extremely wary if you don’t get a straight answer to your questions.

Pete.....thanks for starting this thought-provoking thread. When it comes to "vetting" an individual or organization, the scriptures are laced with plenty of pearls of wisdom. Obviously, there are those [especially, youth] who are swayed by emotion, charisma, appearances, glitter, slick presentations and advertising, peer pressure idolizing, etc.........and thus, the scriptures unequivocally point out the camouflaged and hidden aspects of DECEPTION, MANIPULATION, EXPLOITATION, etc. that are designed to "fool the very elect." 1) Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and [the leaven] of Herod. 2) Wolves in sheeps' clothing 3) You shall know them by their fruits 4) Tares and wheat....will be known at harvest 5) Those who suppress by winks and hods 6) Not with excellency of speech, BUT DEMONSTRATION OF POWER 7) Etc. Etc. The manipulation that THE WAY INTERNATIONAL employed was multi-leveled......but one of their sinister ploys was that once a person took the class and "got involved" was to stay the course. What? Excuse me......but when one recognizes evil deceiving, then he has EVERY RIGHT TO STOP ALL INVOLVEMENT AND LEAVE. Why did Jesus expose the Pharisee hypocrisy over and over? Because the people were ensnared in this system of evil and could not see it! Systems, structures and organizations layered in bureacracy often hide the simplicity of the truth. And, when one peels back all the obfuscation of these systems, truth emerges.