I sent my TC, BC, and LC an email telling them I had no desire to attend fellowship anymore and that I did not want any phone calls or visits from anyone. The BC emailed me telling me it was very sad, and asked if she could talk to me. I said absolutely not, and do not email me anymore.
I still had a boyfriend who was in. He brought lots of messages from these "loving" people. It didn't move me, and neither did the boyfriend. He became an ex boyfriend.
And I started to live my life after 20 years in TWI. I haven't had any pestilance, peril or sword, and I'm still alive. I'm actually happier today than I've ever been.
My husband talked to the LC--this was in the late nineties era where wives were not important. LC told us we would lose all our friends--and we were faithfully marked and avoided by all our near and dear TWI innie friends of over a decade.
LC also told hubby that we would lose the hedge of protection around our children, and that almost-almost!-had the power to keep us in. But somewhere deep inside we knew our children would be in less danger out of TWI.
We had some deep seated idea of what love was--and what we were getting in TWI was nothing like love.
Happy to say the kids are all fine, busy with school, not insane or druggies or pg or in trouble with the law. I do wish they would clean their bedrooms without a struggle, though. And when do they start earning money??? Prom was REALLY expensive.
I was told by the Limb Coordinator (over the phone) that, in addition to conducting 2 twig meetings a week, I was now also required to attend mandatory Twig Coordinator (TC) "meetings" every Saturday. I told him I wouldn't be able to attend, as I had things to do on the weekends. He told me if I couldn't make the meetings, I wouldn't be able to be a TC anymore.
After thinking about it for a week, I wrote a nice short letter resigning my TC position, and thanked him for the opportunity to serve. This also pretty much served as my exit from TWI.
I never heard from this particular LC again (trust me: my feelings weren't hurt. I forget how many LCs I was acquainted with, from my entrance into TWI in 1971-72 to my exit in 1987, but this one was the least personable and the most "corporate lackey" I had ever experienced.
and that includes Baab Moneyhands.)
I later heard (second hand) that I was accused of having a "spirit of bitterness". By that time, I no longer cared what they thought of me. :P
LC told us we would lose all our friends--and we were faithfully marked and avoided by all our near and dear TWI innie friends of over a decade
Sorry this is off topic, but I hope that you have taken time since you were out to redefine what "friends" are--it was so bastardized in TWI that it took me a few years to realize how clueless they were when it came to understanding even simple concepts and that I had to rethink every little thing...I have what I consider to be real friends now, not ones based on an artificial construct.
All the BS we were taught about "unconditional love" (which you only merited if you met certain conditions) is all humorous to me now because it was so profoundly absurd and f'ed up.
Good luck with getting the kids to clean up their rooms
I'll have to substitute the last words as they pertain to my little splinter group if you don't mind. The similarities are stunning when I read many of your stories.
I just got home from work to see my TC/ MOG's thug and his wife standing in my driveway.
They told me that my wife and one year old moved out that day. The truth would be that leadership made a deliberate decision to move her out after considering their options a long time.
They told me,"You aren't welcome at fellowship until this shameful situation is rectified." The truth would have been that they were hitting me as hard as they possibly could to see if I'd break.
As I walked away I said,"The lord has carried me through tougher things than this, he'll carry me through this too!"
Lisa, did this relate at all to what the POP said about Ricardo C and attempts to murder him?
This is almost unimaginable that DM, et al, had gone this far in their minds to justify their actions against twi believ
ers...
Is this for real?
Yes it was for real. That was why I was so scared to leave because maybe I could be born again of the wrong spirit. I know that Ralph's name was mentioned in the conversation with Donna's sister and a few others. They were marked as not really being born again of the right spirit. Athletes of the Spirit was such a big deal at that time and killing someone would be justified. I was scared years after I left - some of this had to do with having PTSD, but I was scared for my life.
I, and my family, had just moved back to the wife's hometown. This was by our own choice, and it was our own plan, so that our child could have grandparents nearby. No permission was asked of TWI, nor offfered; and no assignment was accepted.
The LC, who had been a "friend" for more than fifteen years; and even had years before been a guest in my house; turned out to be no friend at all.
That LC began speaking ugly and awful things behind my back to my ministry friends. Some of those friends had the decency to let me know.
A branch leader, working for me at the time (and who had also worked with me at hq for a long time), came to work one morning informing me that he had been instructed by the LC to quit his job with my company, he had been told to find another job. Why? He explained that the LC told him that I had become like the devil. So did he quit? Yes, . . . meaning that he quit being the branch leader. But he did stay with my company for another 10 years. (Maybe some posters here can guess what reminded him more of the devil?)
But to me personally that LC said nothing, not even when I asked him about it. (which I did do).
I guess that I and my family had been marked and avoided? (Even though I did not hear the term at the time, I learned about that for the first time when I started coming to greasespot cafe).
That's too bad about Teresa, I used to know her in twi when she was in highschool, we were about the same age, we hung out periodically, I liked her, she was a nice, normal girl...it sounds like she's changed a lot.
I think a lot of us have suffered shades of, to full blown Post Traumatic Stress since we departed from Twi...The more information I get which uncovers the darkness of what was really going on at that time, the more the light of that knowledge chases any residual bad effects away. Â
I used to have bad dreams about twi, I rarely get them anymore after finding greasespot.
The main reason that I'm posting on this thread is because I simply wanted to say...Catcup!...Where have you been?...it's about time that you posted! Your imput is valuble here...haven't seen you in awhile...I would hope that you will be posting more oten!
...The last words said to me?..."If your no longer willing to send the ABS to Hdqrtrs, we can no longer allow you to be a twig coordinator"...
...The last words said to me?..."If your no longer willing to send the ABS to Hdqrtrs, we can no longer allow you to be a twig coordinator"...
...I laughed all the way out the door.
that reminds me, a family in my twig wanted to know what to do with their ABS ...
No wonder these splinters started up ... people were already trained to give money through the mail .. now it just had to be redirected ... You get a group of 100 to keep giving to establish a new splinter, and you have some real money. A lot of folks gave maybe $5000/ year. Multiply that by 100 and you have a half million a year.
Holy cow ... they could have sent me through a real seminary for that :)
I wonder if the splinters are revealing their finances ... or are they even collecting ABS and teaching the tithe?
I wonder if the splinters are revealing their finances ... or are they even collecting ABS and teaching the tithe?
I know the geerite's are ABSing the same way Twi did, except after the obligatory 15% to geere, it's up to the TC to decide where it goes, it stays with the fellowship or goes elsewhere...many send a large % to their LC.
I know the geerite's are ABSing the same way Twi did, except after the obligatory 15% to geere, it's up to the TC to decide where it goes, it stays with the fellowship or goes elsewhere...many send a large % to their LC.
Well when I left ... no one said anything to me. I met with two guys that Ralph mentioned walking out of that Dec '86 meeting ... we met through the night after they got back, then I had a TC meeting the next morning ( I had no sleep at all LOL) where the LC from MS came in a gave some "off the word" bs teaching ... and I never went back ... never called them ... just told my twig and a few others that asked what had gone down.
But imagine Gear collecting that kind of money ... and he doesn't have an HQ to support ... good grief. People are nuts.
Every now and then I come up with plans in my head to get my entire
family kicked out of the way. That is the only way they would leave.
Unfortunately, for families it is a little tougher these days to get kicked out because they lob the ball back into your court and say, "Hey if you have a problem with the way we are doing things or what we teach, then leave." That doesn't always go over so well when you bring that idea up to the spouse.
In my little splinter group it was a long and painful process, but I just kept speaking the truth to the best of my ability over the course of years until they kicked me out without just cause.
I have no doubt that they've twisted things until nobody could see straight, but my conscience is clear at least. But the PTSD has been a real bear at times.
Groucho - your last words made me laugh loudly and startle my cats. What to do with the ABS...huh, that's all they care about?
Jeff - they moved your wife and babe out and nobody not even your wife let you know?????
Copenhagen - hard when the whole family is still stuck in the rut. Try tucking the wrappers from GSC's Fairtrade coffee amongst their belongings. Give the spies something to condemn them for (as if they need an excuse!)
Thank for the response Twinky, yeah that's what they did.
Leadership portraid it as fighting the devil and my wife agreed with them.
I kept pointing out bad Biblical workmanship, false prophecies, and a real twisted view of what church leadership should be.
So they completely wrecked my life behind a very convincing "false portrait" of Christain love and goodworks, I fear fooling themselves most of all.
I still worry about how many people they could ruin by convincing them to submit to the leader who considers himself an Apostle, but I had to point out repeatedly was a false prophet.
Recommended Posts
Nottawayfer
I sent my TC, BC, and LC an email telling them I had no desire to attend fellowship anymore and that I did not want any phone calls or visits from anyone. The BC emailed me telling me it was very sad, and asked if she could talk to me. I said absolutely not, and do not email me anymore.
I still had a boyfriend who was in. He brought lots of messages from these "loving" people. It didn't move me, and neither did the boyfriend. He became an ex boyfriend.
And I started to live my life after 20 years in TWI. I haven't had any pestilance, peril or sword, and I'm still alive. I'm actually happier today than I've ever been.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Bramble
My husband talked to the LC--this was in the late nineties era where wives were not important. LC told us we would lose all our friends--and we were faithfully marked and avoided by all our near and dear TWI innie friends of over a decade.
LC also told hubby that we would lose the hedge of protection around our children, and that almost-almost!-had the power to keep us in. But somewhere deep inside we knew our children would be in less danger out of TWI.
We had some deep seated idea of what love was--and what we were getting in TWI was nothing like love.
Happy to say the kids are all fine, busy with school, not insane or druggies or pg or in trouble with the law. I do wish they would clean their bedrooms without a struggle, though. And when do they start earning money??? Prom was REALLY expensive.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Kevlar2000
Ron,
I read your response about 15 minutes ago.
I'm still cracking up. :lol:
It's one thing to experience this type of asinine, bullying, dominating behavior when you're "in",
But with the passage of time and the gaining of perspective, it becomes even more ridiculous!
Who did these people think they were, anyway? Like they could actually stop you from doing whatever you wanted to do!
We were suckered, screwed and scapegoated by these frakers for far too long.
You were having problems obeying. You left California without permission.
ooooooOOOOOOOooooH! :P
*snort* *chuckle*
---------------------------------------------------------------
My exit was pretty mild compared to some.
I was told by the Limb Coordinator (over the phone) that, in addition to conducting 2 twig meetings a week, I was now also required to attend mandatory Twig Coordinator (TC) "meetings" every Saturday. I told him I wouldn't be able to attend, as I had things to do on the weekends. He told me if I couldn't make the meetings, I wouldn't be able to be a TC anymore.
After thinking about it for a week, I wrote a nice short letter resigning my TC position, and thanked him for the opportunity to serve. This also pretty much served as my exit from TWI.
I never heard from this particular LC again (trust me: my feelings weren't hurt. I forget how many LCs I was acquainted with, from my entrance into TWI in 1971-72 to my exit in 1987, but this one was the least personable and the most "corporate lackey" I had ever experienced.
and that includes Baab Moneyhands.)
I later heard (second hand) that I was accused of having a "spirit of bitterness". By that time, I no longer cared what they thought of me. :P
Link to comment
Share on other sites
mstar1
Sorry this is off topic, but I hope that you have taken time since you were out to redefine what "friends" are--it was so bastardized in TWI that it took me a few years to realize how clueless they were when it came to understanding even simple concepts and that I had to rethink every little thing...I have what I consider to be real friends now, not ones based on an artificial construct.
All the BS we were taught about "unconditional love" (which you only merited if you met certain conditions) is all humorous to me now because it was so profoundly absurd and f'ed up.
Good luck with getting the kids to clean up their rooms
Ok back to the thread
carry on...
Edited by mstar1Link to comment
Share on other sites
Sushi
And who would be doing the judging of crazy, Catcup?
Btw, good to see you.
Edited by SushiLink to comment
Share on other sites
JeffSjo
I'll have to substitute the last words as they pertain to my little splinter group if you don't mind. The similarities are stunning when I read many of your stories.
I just got home from work to see my TC/ MOG's thug and his wife standing in my driveway.
They told me that my wife and one year old moved out that day. The truth would be that leadership made a deliberate decision to move her out after considering their options a long time.
They told me,"You aren't welcome at fellowship until this shameful situation is rectified." The truth would have been that they were hitting me as hard as they possibly could to see if I'd break.
As I walked away I said,"The lord has carried me through tougher things than this, he'll carry me through this too!"
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Lisa
Yes it was for real. That was why I was so scared to leave because maybe I could be born again of the wrong spirit. I know that Ralph's name was mentioned in the conversation with Donna's sister and a few others. They were marked as not really being born again of the right spirit. Athletes of the Spirit was such a big deal at that time and killing someone would be justified. I was scared years after I left - some of this had to do with having PTSD, but I was scared for my life.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
wing
"You're gonna be a greasespot. . ."
Well, ok, I'm just kidding.
My leader didn't really talk to me at all.
I, and my family, had just moved back to the wife's hometown. This was by our own choice, and it was our own plan, so that our child could have grandparents nearby. No permission was asked of TWI, nor offfered; and no assignment was accepted.
The LC, who had been a "friend" for more than fifteen years; and even had years before been a guest in my house; turned out to be no friend at all.
That LC began speaking ugly and awful things behind my back to my ministry friends. Some of those friends had the decency to let me know.
A branch leader, working for me at the time (and who had also worked with me at hq for a long time), came to work one morning informing me that he had been instructed by the LC to quit his job with my company, he had been told to find another job. Why? He explained that the LC told him that I had become like the devil. So did he quit? Yes, . . . meaning that he quit being the branch leader. But he did stay with my company for another 10 years. (Maybe some posters here can guess what reminded him more of the devil?)
But to me personally that LC said nothing, not even when I asked him about it. (which I did do).
I guess that I and my family had been marked and avoided? (Even though I did not hear the term at the time, I learned about that for the first time when I started coming to greasespot cafe).
Link to comment
Share on other sites
now I see
Lisa,
That's too bad about Teresa, I used to know her in twi when she was in highschool, we were about the same age, we hung out periodically, I liked her, she was a nice, normal girl...it sounds like she's changed a lot.
I think a lot of us have suffered shades of, to full blown Post Traumatic Stress since we departed from Twi...The more information I get which uncovers the darkness of what was really going on at that time, the more the light of that knowledge chases any residual bad effects away. Â
I used to have bad dreams about twi, I rarely get them anymore after finding greasespot.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
penworks
Ditto to this by shellon:
"I was now able to do whatever I wanted, whatever the hell that was. But it was mine!"
1987. It felt grand to be my own "cause" from then on...
peace,
penworks
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Catcup
I'll leave that up to yoush Sush!
Miceta Seeyas2
Just running through the cafe on my way through history comps and psych experiments....
Does the name Pavolov ring a bell?
Link to comment
Share on other sites
GrouchoMarxJr
The main reason that I'm posting on this thread is because I simply wanted to say...Catcup!...Where have you been?...it's about time that you posted! Your imput is valuble here...haven't seen you in awhile...I would hope that you will be posting more oten!
...The last words said to me?..."If your no longer willing to send the ABS to Hdqrtrs, we can no longer allow you to be a twig coordinator"...
...I laughed all the way out the door.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
rhino
that reminds me, a family in my twig wanted to know what to do with their ABS ...
No wonder these splinters started up ... people were already trained to give money through the mail .. now it just had to be redirected ... You get a group of 100 to keep giving to establish a new splinter, and you have some real money. A lot of folks gave maybe $5000/ year. Multiply that by 100 and you have a half million a year.
Holy cow ... they could have sent me through a real seminary for that :)
I wonder if the splinters are revealing their finances ... or are they even collecting ABS and teaching the tithe?
Hi catcup :)
Link to comment
Share on other sites
now I see
I know the geerite's are ABSing the same way Twi did, except after the obligatory 15% to geere, it's up to the TC to decide where it goes, it stays with the fellowship or goes elsewhere...many send a large % to their LC.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
rhino
Well when I left ... no one said anything to me. I met with two guys that Ralph mentioned walking out of that Dec '86 meeting ... we met through the night after they got back, then I had a TC meeting the next morning ( I had no sleep at all LOL) where the LC from MS came in a gave some "off the word" bs teaching ... and I never went back ... never called them ... just told my twig and a few others that asked what had gone down.
But imagine Gear collecting that kind of money ... and he doesn't have an HQ to support ... good grief. People are nuts.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Yanagisawa
I just drove away one night knowing I'd never come back.
I felt like master of the universe. Unsure of what to do next - but sure I'd think of something.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
copenhagen
Every now and then I come up with plans in my head to get my entire
family kicked out of the way. That is the only way they would leave.
I look foward to that day and I would not go with out telling them
how i really feel. I would make sure I was never welcome again...
copenhagen
Link to comment
Share on other sites
TheHighWay
Love the way you put that !!!!
Link to comment
Share on other sites
lindyhopper
Unfortunately, for families it is a little tougher these days to get kicked out because they lob the ball back into your court and say, "Hey if you have a problem with the way we are doing things or what we teach, then leave." That doesn't always go over so well when you bring that idea up to the spouse.
Edited by lindyhopperLink to comment
Share on other sites
copenhagen
You got that right lindy.
They do not want to bee seen as the bad guys.
Where there is a will there is a way out,
I just have.not found it yet.
copenhagen
Link to comment
Share on other sites
JeffSjo
In my little splinter group it was a long and painful process, but I just kept speaking the truth to the best of my ability over the course of years until they kicked me out without just cause.
I have no doubt that they've twisted things until nobody could see straight, but my conscience is clear at least. But the PTSD has been a real bear at times.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
GrouchoMarxJr
Wasn't he a corps coordinator?
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Twinky
Groucho - your last words made me laugh loudly and startle my cats. What to do with the ABS...huh, that's all they care about?
Jeff - they moved your wife and babe out and nobody not even your wife let you know?????
Copenhagen - hard when the whole family is still stuck in the rut. Try tucking the wrappers from GSC's Fairtrade coffee amongst their belongings. Give the spies something to condemn them for (as if they need an excuse!)
Link to comment
Share on other sites
JeffSjo
Thank for the response Twinky, yeah that's what they did.
Leadership portraid it as fighting the devil and my wife agreed with them.
I kept pointing out bad Biblical workmanship, false prophecies, and a real twisted view of what church leadership should be.
So they completely wrecked my life behind a very convincing "false portrait" of Christain love and goodworks, I fear fooling themselves most of all.
I still worry about how many people they could ruin by convincing them to submit to the leader who considers himself an Apostle, but I had to point out repeatedly was a false prophet.
(edited to remove a very badly placed capital D.)
Edited by JeffSjoLink to comment
Share on other sites
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.