PCG's Facebook Sermon

Some PCG sermons have been released. You can listen to them here. I encourage everyone to download them all before PCG tries to gets them suppressed again.

One sermon that has gained a lot of attention is the sermon given by Andrew Lochner condemning social networking sites like Facebook. His picture may be seen here, top row. Exit and Support Network has released an excellent critique of this sermon.

I listened to it myself. I must say it was quite hard for me to listen to this. He shouts a lot in this sermon.

He throws up all sorts of horror stories of social networking sites. While these horror stories do exist, to restrict PCG members access to social network sites for these reasons make as much sense as saying you should not get in a car because you might get into a car crash. These stories are used to frighten people.

My heart just aches at the thought of some parent, who does not understand how social networking sites works, taking all these horror stories in and thinks that they are just evil, foul and disgusting. He will make his children cut themselves off from their beloved friends.

He thinks he is doing the right thing, protecting his children from "Satan's World". He does not understand that he heard only horror stories. These things are comparatively rare. He does not understand that he is being used by those above him to insure that his children are under PCG's information control.

What really horrified me was that the complaints of PCG members keeping in touch with those who left, or at least keeping them as Facebook friends. This is an encouraging sign that some are not willing to just mindlessly follow what they are told. This shows that they really have a true unconditional friendship that truly means something to them.

And PCG just wants to kill it off.

How shameful.

Andrew Locher, vilifies those who are trying to keep in contact with suspended/disfellowshipped friends.

"They [the disfellowshipped ones on Facebook] might write good poems; they might put up good pictures, or friendly music, or come across in a very sweet way, where 'I just want to still talk to you; I still need to have some connection back to God's church; my parents won't talk to me; I can't go to services'..." [Quote from ESN ends. Does Locher have any compassion for this person who has just lost his parents? He continues with these words:] Whatever they use it deceives the simple! It gets you to question if that person was treated right. It gives Satan that little foothold he needs later...they can cause you to start to doubt."

Now we see the real reason for these draconian laws, paranoia that members may gain knowledge that PCG disapproves of. And yet knowledge can never harm the truth. If their truth is so full proof why do they need to restrict information in this manner? If there have been errors within the conduct of the ministry it should be confronted honestly. It should not be hidden away to fester unseen. "A fool despiseth his father's instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent. (Proverbs 15:5)". Why is PCG unwilling to listen to correction as Locher indicates with such words?

This example Locher uses haunts me. Here's this poor soul, his (or her) parents suddenly ripped away from his life, and this minister expresses absolutely no compassion to him here. Instead he demonizes him. This is done to strengthen the barriers they have made.

Obviously these youths are not too open about the friendships with those out of PCG, and yet the ministry still hunts them out, once again striving to extinguish any genuine love and friendship that these friends have. And still this so-called ministry still are not satisfied.

Oh I know the excuses he and those who follow these draconian rules have up their sleeves, "by disfollowshpping this person we are trying to convince him to repent and come back. This shows that we love him."

Nonsense!

This "love" is not love.

This is wrong and totally inexcusable.

This is not a sermon, it is just an authoritarian diatribe.

Let me express my thanks to whoever is responsible for this leak. Thank you for show us the true face of PCG which yearns to shatter any genuine friendships that dares to go against their cruel laws and create loveless slaves, willing to jump through whatever hoops the ministry wishes to have.

(Update: According to a letter dated May 22 someone has discovered that Andrew Locher seems to have a profile on Linked In. I have seen it for myself. Just search for Andrew Locher and you will see the profile in question. This profile also recommends Peter Fraser. There is one Peter Fraser who is a minister for PCG and his picture may be seen here, bottom right.)