I joined the RCI in Brisbane in 1986 when I was 15, and left early in 1990. I had always believed in God growing up but was never really a church person, it was more a personal thing. I prayed a lot as a youngster, especially when I was in some kind of trouble. When I heard about the RCI holy spirit/tongues thing it sounded very appealing, that you could somehow be directly annointed by God and be protected from snakebites, poison, and have God work miracles through you like Moses and the apostles. I was able to speak in tongues on my first attempt, and it was a big deal at the time, but now I think its just a trick of slurring words and kidding yourself.

At first I really enjoyed the meetings, and had a good group of friends I used to hang out with. After a while though I used to look forward more to the breaks between the afternoon and evening meetings, than the actual meetings themselves. During the between-meeting time you would go grab some dinner and generally mix with everyone. It was pretty easy to make friends because you knew no one was going to tell you to get lost.

At the time I was attending there were about 300 or so people in the Brisbane assembly. A pretty good mix of people, and everyone was very friendly. The main pastor, Darcy Ryan, seemed reasonable to me in that he believed he was doing the right thing, but a couple of the others would had to have been the most arrogant, clueless bunch of bigots I have ever encountered. You had to address them as "pastor" such and such and they really made a big deal out of their position. Little big men on a power trip I suppose.

The main things that eventually put me off RCI and church in general were:

- Elitism. Us versus them. We're right, everyone else is wrong.

- Pressure to attend meetings. It has to be your top priority. And if you missed a meeting you got grilled why.

- The way former members were spoken of, such hate and malice.

- The arrogance of some of the oversight. (The ones I liked left before I did)

- The obsession with your private life, and the way they asked all sorts of personal questions like everything was their business.

- The way women were treated as second class to the men - not allowed to give talks etc.  Now I'm no champion for women's causes but this was a real boys club.

- The total lack of miracles & healings that they make such a fuss over. I never witnessed a single miracle. Zilch. You hear all the stories in the testimonies but I think its all hot air and exaggerations.

- If you disagree with any of the doctrines, the problem automatically has to be with YOU.

I think of that bible story where someone got mugged and was left bleeding in the street. All the "holy" people just ride by and ignore him, until a decent person actually stops and helps. I see the RCI as the fake holies who just ride by, speaking in babble and caught up in their own self righteousness. The decent ones eventually wise up and leave.

Anyway - enough rambling. if you want to have a good laugh, go see the movie "Life of Brian". Best scene is the one with Pilate, Biggus Dikkus (the highest wanking officer in Wome), the centuwions and the wowdy wabble. Centuwion, why do they titter so?

Biggus.

"Ooh, I think I'm about to have a cardiac arrest!"

"You lucky bastard!"

"He's not the Messiah! He's a very naughty boy!"

But the best quote must be:

"Well I say he's the Messiah and I should know, I've followed a few!"

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I joined the RCI in Brisbane in 1986 when I was 15, and left early in 1990.

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There seems to be a lot of us ex-RCIs here in Bris Vegas (even if some of us are Mexican immigrants).

Anyway, in keeping with the new spirit of the forums...  WELCOME!!!

or general Darcy that guy was such a nazi. honestly.

These guys really believed their stuff though hey. So did i until studying the alternative interpretations at pleaseconsider... thanks to all the guys there. man that church was full of itself... and their no compromise gospel... it was so narrow minded that you couldnt swing a mouse in there. I have given up trying to explain things to people in this church (I thought that was my purpose when i left - there are better things to do with time). God himself has to reveal it to them. People were praying for me for ages to get out. I heard the call.

42 is an interesting number in numerics, Douglas Adams said he just picked it at random though. (yes i still like bible numerics.... some of the gemetria stuff may be a bit iffy and it is used to justify things that just dont exist... I mean try and add up the greek letters in mark 16, you will go mad, ive tried.)

The legalism inherant in their salvation doctrine has a trickle down effect. Everything becomes dependant on laws or 'guidelines' to inform lifestyle. Meetings become taditional, worship becomes rigid, prayer becomes routine, witnessing becomes a dreaded chore, telling testimonies become lifeless.

Rules and legalism lends to a rigidity of no compromise attitudes that erode the very essence of what we are keeping His commandments for. It's one thing to have a no compromise stand as long as your stand is not a tunnel-visioned and arrogant one. Red lights and giveway signs save lives but don't let anyone tell you what to think while waiting at them.

Well obviously the poster is going to be deluded enough to think we banned him\her because they are "telling the truth none of us want to hear". It will fuel the persecution complex thing. However, this is not a set up for having spiritual gun battles with revivals. Maybe there could be a separate forum for that. It is quite fun when occassionally one drops by and says something that we can critique, but I think you are right that it is not much use if they just repeat stuff from www.trf.org.au or www.youngies.net ---- we all got told this anyway.

Incidently, many Revivals have rejected bible numerics, which is why it is not an essential doctrine. Just like bi. The only thing Revivals can agree on is the particular interpretation of the holy spirit infilling --- and if they don:t agree on this, well, they leave of course. It is a very disunited unity that is so insecure that when I was almost about to leave, it was severely discouraged from talking about things like numerics, bi and eschatology.

Having said this, numerics are interesting and please, if anyone is interested, then they should do independent research on it ---plenty of stuff on the net,　 just do not take things at face value. numbers cannot lie, but the reading of numbers most certainly can, or at least mislead. the quran has interesting numerology too btw as has many things. It is all in the occult too.

Bible numerics is great fun... very cool to see God's signature on his stuff; and you can go as deep as you like with it... Sometimes though when you dig too deep you just get mud. Has anyone actually tried getting a calculator out and doing the math on some of these gemetria theories? I couldnt get some key arguments to add up. Some of the surface stuff is very obvious and amazing (i've made quite a few numerics discoveries that have blown me away but other times (Mark 16... case in point) numerics can be used to justify an argument that cannot be authenticated unless you are a mathematical scientist with a broad imagination.

They preach this in the hope that no-one will actually study greek number theory to try and work it out for themselves. I shrugged and thought.... "duh, I spose they know wat dey are talkin bout" and I preached whole heartedly that 2+2=4 and therefore Revival churches are right about everything. Who can argue with that logic?

Readers... life (especially eternal life for that matter) is too important to leave in the hands of men's theories. Don't be scared to have a mind of your own, even if you are as stupid as me (stupidity is relative of course... did you know I was the humblest guy in the world? True!) ... what was I saying? Oh yeah... don't be scared to try and work the bible out for yourself... strip away the opinion of man... the theology; the tradition; the jugements; and the assumations and you might end up finding a loving God; a simple salvation message; and a life that has a lot less guilt and condemnation.

I dare someone (apart from Ivan Panin... 'cause he's dead) to show me how Mark 16 adds up as has been preached to the numerically ignorant.

To the booted poster, standing up for what you believe is great, you're going to need that attitude later when you start openening up to the word... you're preaching to the choir.. but the choir left town... can still read this?... because I've been exactly where he is. I was a passionate and ignorant Revival crusader... ahh, to be young and insane again!

I also spent many long years sitting in Brisbane meetings.  My partner and I were also involved with the ministry and found ourselves quickly on the outer because we couldn't sit back and shut up as the other oversight ( what a perfect name for them now thinking about it ) would pick people out of the congregation, target them and and bully them relentlessly( usually at the lowest time in their lives)  until they conformed or left or were thrown out.  I was soon labeled an outspoken out of control wife and my partner a weak man who couldn't control his harpy .  The fact was we were probably the happiest couple we new, until the Brisbane lurgies decided to turn their attention to us.  I was brought up in the RC and was horrified when we moved to Brisbane under D'Arcy's rule.  What a complete git. Horrible little Nazi, but thats an insult to Hilter as he actually was intelligent.  I have been out now for 7 years.  I still can't bear the thought of attending any form of christian meetings.  After 20 years of having complete faith in the RC doctrine, then to find it all a lie hit hard.  I do thank those years for the dearest friends I still have in my life.  Ex RC people make the best mates.

I was reading the comments by Biggus, and saw a lot of similarities in the behaviours of Revival Centres and my old church, Christian Fellowship Church Ministries International (an abusive church located in the United States, based in Waukegan, Illinois).  We have a lot in common when it comes to sharing experiences.

The main things that eventually put me off RCI and church in general were:

- Elitism. Us versus them. We're right, everyone else is wrong.

I saw the same exact things in CFCMI, an abusive church here in the USA.  The leaders held an attitude that THEY had the answers, and no one was allowed to question them.

- Pressure to attend meetings. It has to be your top priority. And if you missed a meeting you got grilled why.

In CFCMI, that occurred to - especially with the single men in the church.  They were flamed for even being late to the building every night!

- The way former members were spoken of, such hate and malice.

Same here.  CFCMI often badmouthed former members, claiming thet were all going to hell.

- The arrogance of some of the oversight. (The ones I liked left before I did)

I have seen this too, especially with Edward J. Thomas, the senior pastor in Norfolk, Virginia.

- The obsession with your private life, and the way they asked all sorts of personal questions like everything was their business.

L.R. Davis, the CFCMI founder, asked the men all manner of personal questions, mostly centering around masturbation and homosexuality.  Davis was himself a sodomite, and would later end up in prison for raping men and boys.  Thomas would take private counseling sessions and use them as topics for his sermons - then he would ask if it was okay.

- The way women were treated as second class to the men - not allowed to give talks etc.  Now I'm no champion for women's causes but this was a real boys club.

CFCMI isolated the single men from everyone, - married men, women, and children.  They were restricted from dating and marriage.  Everything the single men did had to be cleared by the pastor.

- The total lack of miracles & healings that they make such a fuss over. I never witnessed a single miracle. Zilch. You hear all the stories in the testimonies but I think its all hot air and exaggerations.

There have been very few miracles in CFCMI.  Most of them come as the result of the prayers of the few sincere folks who worship there.  If the leadership repented of their sins, then there would be a greater move of God.

- If you disagree with any of the doctrines, the problem automatically has to be with YOU.

There was a good bit of this in CFCMI.  L.R. Davis started as a United Pentecostal Church preacher until his homosexuality got him in hot water.  After he bailed out of the UPCI (instead of owning up to his sins), he launched CFCMI.  He began changing doctrines to cover up the lack of God's moving in the ministry; he even changed the doctrine of the salvation formula in 1979 to justify what was going on, claiming he received a "new revelation".  Thomas admitted from the pulpit in 2002, but no one ever challenged him.  This shows how some of these organizations can brainwash people and lead them astray.