The Commandments of Men

Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: "These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. And in vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." Matthew 15:7-9 NKJV

I stumbled across a blog by a man named Lewis Wells titled, Commandments of Men. After a bizarre situation where a fundamentalist family removed their daughter from marrying this man just prior to their wedding date, Wells takes a painful look at hyper-fundamentalist groups and the strange teachings they hold and act upon. Especially examined are the Patriarchy, Quiverful and Courtship movements. Wells demonstrates the emotional and spiritual abuse common in these groups and links to other sources dealing with similar things.

In my own Christian life, I have been exposed to similar types of groups, and have been directly involved with legalistic groups who have mastered the art and science of promoting men's commandments with equal or greater emphasis than God's word. So, Wells' site strikes a chord with me, and I can to some degree emphasize with him, his experience, and the experience of so many others who are trapped inside destructive religious systems, whether the victims know it or not. If you have an interest in learning about the dark side of fundamentalism, I encourage you to give Wells a read.