Although not unique to the Message, Fundamentalism & Restorationism are part of the fabric of being a believer in William Branham’s message. The affect these have on your thinking, and your ability to leave the message, is significant. Let’s take a look why.
The Message is Branham’s Ark. He’s provided the way of escape by all his claims and promises. And this is the quandary for someone who is concerned about the message, and yet looks outside at the world. Do you get out of Branham’s Ark? It’s a terrifying and paralyzing thought, and the people IN the ark with you have a LOT of fear leverage to you against you.
Early in my post-message life, I would have other former members approach me suggesting their experience was significantly different than what I experienced. Likewise, there were times when I would read someone else’s testimony and be horrified or amazing at how differently their message life was. I also received messages from current believers who tried to convince me that the problem was the church I attended; it was clear to them that the church I attended was not a “true” message church.
Who Shunned Who?
Honestly. This is a question I’ve had to really reflect on.
In the immediate aftermath, it could be well documented in my writing on this website how the message folk effectively ‘shunned’ people who left. I felt very strongly that this did happen, and I felt this was an evidence of how the Message was a “cult”.
But I’ve had to really think about this as the years have passed. And I think I have a little more developed opinion on it now.
The following article is part of my “Barriers of Exit” series. These barriers are cognitive hurdles that make it extremely hard to question or leave the Message. For a questioning individual, they may have...
I’ve spent a long time on Morning Mercy through the years. It’s hard to explain how much was invested in this online space. Most the effort will never be visible on the pages or...
Since leaving the message, one thing I have occasionally done is to listen to archived sermons from various churches and ministries. I don’t do it to load up on criticism or document my greivances....
It’s a simple and beautiful formula. It’s the thing that I want to talk about most when I am now reflecting on my time in the message. It’s been nearly 7 years – and...
(this is a continuation of Part 2: When Religion Hinders Help) A message church that follows the message of William Branham is a challenging environment to introduce anything using material outside of itself. For...
(this is a continuation of Part 1: An Introduction to Caring for the Heart) Getting Help: Not an Easy Subject I realize the headline of this article may cause some unease for readers who...
In the year prior to leaving the message, I had become very acquainted with a method of counselling called “Caring for the Heart“ (Developed by John Regier). I appreciated my pastor who would often go outside...
In my journey through the Message, one thing I was continually bothered by was the swift leap to labels. It’s not that this problem doesn’t exist elsewhere; let’s be honest, it’s a widespread part...
Fire is amazing. It’s beautiful, it’s illuminating, it’s intense. At it’s best, it’s exciting and useful. At it’s worst, it’s destructive and dangerous. Think of how it starts – a fire in an unwanted...
Despite the fact that I disagree with William Branham’s message, I respect the freedoms for their churches to practice their faith. But challenging information needs to be public.
