[MountainMom]

The leaders of the Wms and some members seem to be doing a lot of damage control because they are getting a well deserved reputation for destroying families.  They want to deny it, but the evidence states otherwise, in my strong opinion.  I talk to people on a daily basis whose relationships were damaged, some in seemingly irreparable ways.

Just today I heard a particularly heart breaking story.  A lady whose son is a member of the Wms has been hanging on to their relationship by a thread.  As is often the case, the son does a minimal job of keeping in touch, and she and her husband try very hard to keep contact.

As it happens, this son was very close to his grandpa on his Dad's side.  The grandpa's health was declining, and his grandson was well aware of it as he had seen pictures.  His grandpa passed recently, and one of the last things he said was, "Tell my boy _____ I love him!" The mother sent the son a message about his grandpa passing along with some pictures of him cuddling up with his grandpa on the couch when he was a child.  No response at all.  The father sent the son a message as well about his Dad passing.  No response there either.  It was very hard on these parents.

From what I have heard directly from members and from ex members is that they are discouraged from attending family funerals.  What kind of church does that?  If ever there was a time family leans on each other and needs support, it is in a time when you lose someone you love.  Not only do I feel terrible for the parents in this case, but I feel terrible for the son as well.  There are no re-dos in life for some things.  They will always remember that he wasn't there and that he didn't even respond to their messages when they needed him.  I know of some others who missed funerals of loved ones because they were in the Wms.  They regretted it very much.  Where is the concern for family here?  The Wms simply does lip service about family values being important.  Their words are empty because their actions don't match.