About the Way

Thus Saith Paul

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 02:21:03 +0000

The "nostalgia for research" article/thread prompted me to contemplate the significance of "inerrancy".

The Way Ministry focused primarily on study of The Pauline Epistles. This was a precedent that was established early in the PFAL class via the introduction of Biblical administrations (Dispensationalism), the concept of observing "To Whom It Is Written" and the idea behind all people belonging to three specific categories. ("Jew, Gentile or Church of God") In addition, it was established early in the PFAL class that what "Holy Men of God" spoke or wrote was tantamount to words directly from God, himself. Thus, we were to consider the contents of The Church Epistles to be equivalent to words from God (Holy Men Of God Spoke.), directly to us (To The Church of God), At one point during the course of the Fellow Laborer program, we were to read Ephesians a minimum of once a day. Then, we were to rehash it at our night twigs every night. Given the rigidness of the schedule we observed, this didn't last long nor were people very consistent in their diligence. That, however, is probably fodder for another topic.

Here is were it gets sticky. Using the aforementioned criteria, it became an accepted "given" that whatever Paul said in Ephesians, Corinthians, etc was the same thing as God saying it directly to us. Suppose for a moment, though, that Paul was, perhaps, the VPW of his day. (So often, people would put forth the inverse idea that VPW was the Apostle Paul of our day and time.) Even now, years after his death, with the advent of the internet and the plethora of information it puts at our fingertips, some people still aren't able to see that VPW was really a con-man. People in the first century did not have access to resources that could prove or disprove Paul's legitimacy.

We have heard people say that it's God's will we all speak in tongues (one example) because God said so in "His Word". Did He? Or, was it Paul who made that statement? Question five, of "listening with a purpose", in session eleven, poses the question, "Is it God's will that we all speak in tongues?" According to the answer key, the correct answer is "Yes". But think about it. Who really said "I would that ye all speak in tongues."? Wasn't it, in fact, Paul? Did he really say that "to us" or to a specific group of people two thousand years ago? There are many, many more examples of places where you could insert "Thus Saith Paul."

What if Paul was really a forerunner of what we now call "con men"? What if Paul was the VPWFHDAT? (VPW for his day and time) It certainly shines a very different light on the importance and "inerrancy" of The Epistles.

Like-Minded versus Lockstep Legalism

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:34:46 +0000

During my twi tenure (1974-1998).....being "like-minded" on the simple tenets of Christianity seemed to evolve into monk-style legalism. The days of "D0nnie Fug1t and his guitar" blissfully reaching hundreds upon hundreds with a message of God's love and forgiveness somehow, later, morphed into beady-eyed zealots wanting everyone to uphold twi-traditions and Burn the Chaff events honoring Uncle Harry with fervor.

By ratcheting up rhetoric......"like-minded" became LEGALIST-minded.

One of my biggest criticisms of the way corps ~~training~~ indoctrination was that the CLONING aspect trumphed any individuality, any originality. I adamantly disagreed that "christ-in-you" was some type of assembly-line production of all things wierwille. Just because wierwille liked German short-hair dogs, did that mean that those were the best dogs to own? And yet, how many brown-nosers mimiced vp?....along with cgeer, I know four others did.

At one time, twi inspired bull-fighting rodeo clowns, athletes, orchestra musicians, writers, cartoonists, inventors, physicians, medical personnel (healing arts), military leadership, architects, tradesmen, etc. etc. For a couple of years, a tent at rock of ages was erected for the sale and distribution of believers' artwork, music tapes, books, subscriptions, goods, etc. On the threshold of INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM and CREATIVITY (gosh, can I saw that?...haha), twi squashed it like a bug!!!

At least, back in THOSE YEARS.......there was an ebb and flow of enthusiasm and individuality!!

Twi never advanced past the pyramid system. All eyes had to be focused on wierwille. All classes had to be wierwille-sanctioned. All policies had to be sterilized by twi doctrine.

Like-minded really meant closed-minded or cult-minded. Twi has never gotten off its reservation since around 1982. All control measures are to keep the money flowing into twi's coffers. The legalism of the day trumphes all suits......hearts, clubs, and diamonds (in the rough).

Will twi ever find its way out of their religious legalism? I don't know. It's been almost thirty years and thousands of teachings haven't seemed to bring a ray of light to their darkened demise.

Does anyone remember.. a little anecdote in pfal..

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:11:07 +0000

It was over "eli eli lama sabachthani".

If I remember correctly, herr vicster claimed that all the bibles from the bible clearing houses that went to the east said "for this purpose was I spared".. and the ones destined for us poor deluded westerners said "why hast thou forsaken me" merely to sell bibles. the "translators" admitting that what lamsa and herr vicmeister claimed were indeed true..

I just wonder.. is there one single bit of evidence supporting this claim?

Ex-bigwig survey

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:11:44 +0000

I think it is a fair question. I'd like to see some honest responses.. but I'm not entirely holding my breath..

cmon. You're just talking to a Squirrel. Can't be harder than talking to the Almighty..

Really.. if you never post here, your vote on the poll would still have some relevance..

come blow your own horn

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:43:59 +0000

i'm putting this discussion here because it has a lot to do with the way international in my life because the way international made fun of charities and giving to charities or doing charitable work so much that i saw a lot of people being very hard hearted about giving and would tithe and give offerings only if they were "operating believing" to get something back from god like he was a geenie in the magic lamp to command or something, not like giving was a gift to the giver more than it was a gift to the receiver, but anyway this also has a lot to do with being asked "where is the compassion" and feeling like i was in the way international again and being cornered and badgered into making myself accountable to somebody else's definition of acceptability and that somebody else had no clue about me and my life whatsoever, and i had the feeling that some others felt the same way, so i thought about what if people had the chance to blow their own horns a little bit?

so even though i don't get on here or anywhere else and shout it from the prayer forums or any other forum or anything, i go to hospice and i also go to the "welfare" hospitals and sit with "unclaimed" people that have no visitors or support outside of the hospital staff and stuff like that. it's something i started doing when i grew up after experiencing up close and personal all my life how the way international abandoned sick and dying people after having isolated them from friends and family for decades. and it's hard work a whole lot of the time because people are dying and are very sick and when i'm the only person they have to talk to or am the last person to hear their last words, well that's hard a lot, but it's also a place of honor in their lives that they will let me in like that, and it's like very holy and i get to see glimpses of what i can only imagine might be the closest thing to a supreme being i'll ever get and it's scary and it's holy and it's moving and it's draining and it's hard and it's intimate and it's beyond the sum total of them and me every single time. so that's my horn to blow. what's yours?

how many exoduses were there?

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:07:42 +0000

there's the fog @86-87
lcm dethroned @2000

okay that's two, were there others? Was there a big one in 82-83? or in the 70s?

lcm's teaching style in his class

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 01:12:19 +0000

Remember lcm's foundational class we were obligated to take? There was one scene, I don't remember which segment, but he started to get worked up like he'd usually do, and then bit his tongue, nodded his head and paused and gave a quick smirk, then moved on. It seemed everyone watching either started to laugh or at least smiled. People back then lived for lcm's rants. Here he was trying to be more controlled. Why?

I think the rank and file answer is so he doesn't scare the new people too much. New people are stupid and not thinking spuritually yet. Normally, we're not getting to the depth of something until faces are red and spit is flying.

Was the class filmed after some of the sex scandals came to the director's attention? I know rosie, her q-tip holiness, was a major player in filming the class. So who was in charge of the class lcm, or rosie? Another?

New front page article: Nostalgia for TWI Research Raises Questions

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:55:56 +0000

Penworks has written an article that was just posted on the Greasespotcafe Front Page

Please feel free to use this thread to discuss it.

PFAL 77

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:04:46 +0000

TheHighWay, on 15 March 2010 - 06:10 AM, said:

Twinky... I remember hearing that Craig started out teaching in front of a live (albeit silenced) audience and then decided to stop.

Quote

As I recall, when he taught Defeating the Adversary it was in front of a live audience (I was there) but decided to do the subsequent classes without an audience. That's just my rememberance though...could be wrong.

Rather than detract from the threads about lcm's teaching "style", I was wondering something about PFAL 77 . I was there, and it was supposed to be a "re-make" of PFAL, but then that notion got shut down and we (the folks in attendance) were told that it was "just for us only". Anyone have a clue as to why this happened, or what the reasons for it were? If I recollect correct, docvic certainly DID look uncomfortable teaching PFAL in front of a live audience. Not that it matters, but I was curious about this after reading the other comments about "aborted classes".

Ten Years of Rivenbark

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:27:52 +0000

Nearly ten years ago, martindale was edging towards his "public confession" and twi-lawyer ousting as the second president of twi. As some speculated and posted......Rosalie and Donna envisioned craig's demise and, rightly, anticipated that his sexual predation would be his downfall.

If that is true......then Rosalie and Donna wanted to be at the helm. They wanted to push and pull the top levels of power at twi. Clearly, Donna was absolved from any wrong-doing (contrary to all preceding policies....ie Ananias and Sapphira....that joined guilt to BOTH husband and wife) by friend and accomplice, Rosalie.

Okay........so they got "the power." Now what? Ten years of micro-management? Ten years of secret shopping sprees? Ten years of "best friends forever?"

By all accounts.......twi is bleeding profusely. State and local fellowships are shrinking/consolidating and the economy is likely to increase the hemmorhaging. Class outreach is dismal. Inresidence corps participation is abysmal. Twi is struggling to inspire and hire others to fill staff positions long regarded as a privileged prize.

So, Rosalie........what's the plan?

Some say that you've enshired wierwille "in all his glory" to remind twi's followers of its identity. And, you've scripted the Sunday Teaching Services to keep all in lockstep with your rhetoric and policies. And, you've had to cut some slack on staff hours, policies and nannystate-control heeding lawyer advice. And, even though you HATE it.....you keep that sweet southern smile. Besides, there's always shopping in Chicago or wherever.....to surmount the mundane realities of wayworld.

Like any politician or cult-leader.....you could probably hold "the gavel" for another ten years, right? I mean, heck....you've clawed and scaped your way to "the top" and why give it up now? Sure, John Rvpp is chomping at the bit to be the next prez, but he can wait his turn. You did.

Besides.......look at all you've done these last ten years!