The Shepherd's Chapel and Dr. Arnold Murray

----- Original Message -----

From: Name and Address Withheld

To: reborn@oraclesofgod.org (Paul Stringini)

Sent: Friday, May 23, 2008 2:43 AM

Subject: sheperd's chapel

Hello*
My name is XXXXX. Although I am not completely proficient on the teachings of Arnold Murray, I have been doing my research. I appreciate you taking the time to write up such an informative site! Thanks!

I have been married to my husband for a little over one year. His mother, he says, has been getting progressively worse (he calls her sick) within the last five years.

She is in avid believer/ worshiper of Arnold Murray's teaching.

I began to wonder if her newfound behavior and the teachings she was listening to were interrelated?

She sends us lots of mail (hate-mail) we call it. She speaks a lot of herself as being the "elect", and that she is a messenger of God. That God has told her if my husband does not do the things she asks of him, he will go to hell, and that she cannot associate with him.

She told him to seek backed child support from his father, mind you, my husband is 32 years old. Being that he has a good relationship with his father, he did not, and therefore she has said he is not her son anymore!

She also told us what to name our 1st born son, and because we did not do what she said, she followed with even meaner things to say.

Lately, she has been sending things to the house that say to my husband: she wishes he were dead, that she hopes he loses everything in life that means anything to him, and that she "hates" him.

She also has said mean things about myself and the baby.

I am worried that she will hurt us. Is there anything in Arnold Murray's teaching that would lead to her to believe she could hurt us? and it would be okay under her religion?

Desperately seeking help in this matter

XXXXX

----- Original Message -----

Sent: Friday, May 23, 2008 11:11 AM

Subject: Re: sheperd's chapel

Sorry, to hear about that. No, actually, I'm sure Dr. Murray would not approve. He may have some pretty off the wall teachings but he is a decent man.

What it is, is that your mother-in-law has become haughty as a result of believing she is the "elect" and is making up her own righteousness (though I too believe I am elect, if you follow the biblical doctrine of election you should understand that you are chosen by God, but not because of any works you have done, right now your mother-in-law thinks that she is elect because she "stood against Satan" in the world that preceded this one, true election creates humility for having been chosen by the grace of God).

I have met people like this, not just chapel students, but certain people when they get certain religious ideas and begin to believe that they are somebody, they get real uppity.

If you think about it, it is a cliché about religious folks, that they become self-righteous hypocrites.

Do you know understand the ins and outs of how she is violating the scriptures? If you do not then I would be glad to fill you in, I do not know If you can handle it, it is very difficult to talk people out of such delusions, but perhaps she could be persuaded to be a little more gracious.

----- Original Message -----

Sent: Sunday, May 25, 2008 5:33 PM

Subject: RE: sheperd's chapel