If I were to ask one question of Stanton members, it would be this: Did Merie ever make herself right from her withdrawal for sowing seeds of discord and causing division?

Here is her letter of withdrawal from 1958. (Mainline churches actually leave a paper trail for their disciplinary actions, unlike Stanton COC, which prefers to keep its business under the cover of secrecy.)

To me, this is the question that strikes at the root of the tree of the Stanton sect. According to Merie’s own teaching, the mainline churches didn’t “lose the candlestick” until sometime in the mid-70’s. This means her withdrawal was put into place by a church that even she recognized. Now remember that by Stanton COC teachings, even unjust withdrawals need to be honored until the church obtains a “new understanding” from the Holy Spirit.

So their own teachings undercut the authenticity of the sect. Spring Valley, much less Stanton or any of the others, should have never been started, and should not then currently exist, by virtue of the fact that Merie was withdrawn from the entire time she was starting and building her little sect.

Remember, a sect is simply a division. Isn’t it obvious then that the basis for her withdrawal was accurate? She actively sought to divide the church, and succeeded in that effort.

Even if the things she was saying were right (which they weren’t), by their own standard, she should have kept quiet until the church came around to the correct view. Furthermore, she would have been guilty of murmuring if she vocalize any dissent. She should have humbled herself during her withdrawal and sought to “make herself right.”

But no. Stanton’s own rules for others don’t apply to themselves. This is the height of Pharisaism, and the kind of unrepentant hypocrisy that has no defense.

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