As messed up as the IBLP system is, and as messed up as Bill Gothard is, there is a part of me that says there is truth in what he teaches. One must not read that, however, as "what he teaches is THE TRUTH", but rather that there are truths in the principles.
I believe that at the core, the Institute teaches a version of the law of attraction, however it is being taught as a form of illusory freedom. Principles are much like scientific theory, in that they are guideposts to expectation. Principles are like footlamps, they give you enough information to take the next step. A footlamp does not tell you where to step, it simply shines light on the places that can be stepped on and illuminates the nature of the ground around you. Their purpose is simply to give you enough information to make a rational decision.
I would like to look at the principles with both a critical eye and an open heart, to find the needles in the haystacks.
I have a feeling, deep in my gut, that this exercise may be painful. There has been so much pain for me through this system, and I am sure that a deep investigation will be more intense than the cursory glances that I have afforded myself to date. The reality, however, is that these wounds will not heal until they are reopened, debrided, cleaned and properly dressed...and the anger, frustration and pain have been inflamed and infected for far too long.
The world of IBLP is strikingly similar on many levels to that of Tolkien's Middle Earth. Segregation, fear, blame and distrust have been bred from decades of higher standards and a "calling" to "give the world a new approach to life". Few are those who have passed through those hallowed halls unscathed. Marriages have failed, lives lost, families destroyed through fanatical misapplication of truths. Judgments have been made and those most damaged are hard pressed to find any redeeming value in the message.
I have come to a place in my life that I must address these issues. Not the pain itself, but I must look at my experience with this organization and find the redeeming factors not only for my own sanity but as my part in helping others who have been damaged by being "Institutionalized".
So back to Middle Earth and Mordor.....
In the wake of the free love movement and that new thing called Rock-n-Roll, Seven principles were forged, imbued with the power to give the world a new approach to life. In secret however, one principle was singled out and infused with the power to rule them all...
Like the rings of the fellowship, no one realized that the other principles were inextricably tied to the one, and in the beginning no one knew the chaos that would ensue.
I must be honest here, although I will try, I cannot write this objectively... I am not an outsider looking in... My own journey has been fraught with anger, weariness and bitter tears. I have been unable to live up to the expectations of the organization and had my hopes of making a difference as a part of this ministry dashed to a thousand pieces time and again. I write this out of a profound need to find some positive in what I feel has been a wasted lifetime. I write in part to recreate my story, that I might be freed from the tyranny of principle and no longer be a victim of my past. I write in part that others may not see those years as wasted in their own lives, and I write to reconcile the truths of my heart with the experience of my life.
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