19 Year Old Beaten To Death For Wanting To Leave Church.
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The fatal beating of Lucas Leonard in the sanctuary of Word of Life Christian Church came after the teenager had "expressed a desire to leave" the secretive upstate New York church, New Hartford Police Chief Michael Inserra said Friday.
Not that you need coaching on this, but as a reminder to others who see this,
Political, economic, philosophical, etc. beliefs can also function as a quasi-religion as well - even non-totalitarian systems.
Yeah, that's largely why I find any form of "joiner" mentality to be disturbing. Even being on a softball team was too much for me. My creative writing group/book club is about as "group" as I get. I can't even bring myself join the Democratic Party, even if I vote along those lines almost exclusively and passionately believe in most of the issues supported by the party.
Now, all of that that doesn't mean I don't have a ton of friends, but each one of those relationships was cultivated individually. As such, they are a pretty diverse group in terms of background and beliefs.
I have some very strongly held beliefs, but they are all MY beliefs that were developed in response to my evaluation of empirical evidence and my personal experiences.
But I just can't grasp how parents would get so caught up in group dynamics that they'd basically kill or injure their own children due to their own belief system. I mean, I kind of get the concept of domestic violence - it's about insecure or controlling individuals and their victims, who are often in a very vulnerable position due to age or being physically weaker. I think it's depraved, but I understand why it happens. This is SIMILAR to domestic violence, but there's a groupthink mentality that is driving it, and that is somehow more horrifying in a way.
I really can't get those boys (because at 19, the elder one was still just a boy, in my mind) out of my head. I just read a snippet of a witness's account who saw the first few minutes of the "counseling session" and he said when the abuse started they just winced and didn't fight back. They didn't know they were in real danger, I guess, or how bad it would get. And then one was violently tortured to death and they almost did the same with the younger one too.
I get outraged about abuse of power of any kind, but I guess because I was always a "different" thinker and rejected so much of my parents' value system (with only mild disappointment from them), this incident is hitting me hard. I would probably have found a lot in common with those kids when I was their age, even if my parents weren't in a cult.
(Just when you thought that Mankind could not slip any lower).
What did you say ? ? ?
"Over time, there was friction between the church and a neighboring community," she said. "We put up the hedges," she said. "Then the neighbors got angry because they couldn't see what's going on anymore."
*But the ex-member denied reports the church is a cult.
"I realize this situation makes it look like this," she said, "but if you listen to the teachings, they are accurate to the Bible."
I wonder if they will quote verses from the Bible when they testify in their defense?
("The Bible" is the book of Law for these "Nathan the Prophet" Nut Jobs).
The state of New York has got to do better than Manslaughter----Religious Cult operating and imprisoning young people?
----Brainwashing them !
----in New York?
----Wat U say?
And all you can come up with is Manslaughter ?
How bout
-Criminal Hazing?
-Organized Crime Murder?
-2nd degree Murder?
-Multiple charges against all of them for Manslaughter?
-Kidnapping?
-False Imprisonment?
-Throw the Book at them!
State of NEW YORK----you better do better than that!
(what a disgrace)
They were not a part of "organized religion" they were making it up as they went a long.......they don't know God or what He says about sin........because death is not His answer.
These small, culty churches need to be destroyed. We give too much power to groups who hide behind "religious freedom".
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