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Humberto joins the fold, though the disturbance currently around Cuba may be more likely to affect the US coast: George

Or Carl Perkins. Correct. George

The following makes more sense to me. Suppose a couple live in ABC-land. Then they decide to move to another country, XYZ-land. They live in XYZ for a while and have children there. Their children are XYZ-ers by birth. And so also will their children be. And so on. The family consolidates its interest in being citizens of XYZ. Later children may never know anything about their ancestors' original citizenship of ABC. In many countries nowadays, citizenship / nationality rights can be passed down one or two generations. The first children, and maybe the grandchildren, may have a legal right to claim citizenship in ABC-land. (Such rights don't usually go down beyond grandchildren.) After that, legal rights to return to ABC as citizens by birthright is lost. Now suppose that ABC-land is a generous country that is willing to accept anyone who wants to live there, regardless of background or original associations. All the wannabe new citizens have to do is swear an oath of allegiance. And that's it! ********* Now, suppose that XYZ-land is not a country but a way of life. A life of criminality, of dependency on benefits, of some other socially reprehensible set of actions. Maybe illiteracy, not seeing the benefit of learning to read and write properly. This can tend to be taught to children: their parents may teach them to truant school, steal, rob, be violent to get what they want. They may feel that they are "getting something" by depending on state benefits (often coupled with a life of petty criminality), or end up with an attitude of "entitlement" to things they have not worked for. Such families may become socially ostracised, thus deepening the attitude of whatever started such a lifestyle anyway. It's "normal," or even expected, to get sent to prison for periods. This is the "sins of the fathers" coming home for generations of later children. And again, it can be cancelled, broken away from. It takes a change of mentality, thinking patterns, and a willingness, a desire, for something different. A new life can be chosen. ********* Your life now is a result of choices taken by your parents - and their parents. It's not your fault, or your good, that you live in the country you live in, in the circumstances that you live in. You live in a rich country, with educational and healthcare facilities? Great, your good fortune; enjoy it, but you didn't earn it. You live in a poor country, where education is expensive and healthcare is expensive or hardly accessible at all? Too bad, your mis-fortune; but again, that wasn't your fault.

Welcome, Edgar. Nice you've decided to join us instead of just peeking round the door! You are very welcome here, and you may find some genuine "release from your prisons" that were built by the iron strictures of TWI. Neurodivergent? Good, you bring a different viewpoint. We're all ready to hear, discuss, consider. Have a cup of coffee while you're pondering what to think.

Edgar, that was no environment for a young child. Not even a teenager. You should not have been exposed to any of that. If there'd been anything you needed to know, your parents should have explained it to you gently, in an age-appropriate way. LCM's rants were legendary - for their vileness, foul language, filthy content, abuse of anyone he didn't like, denigration of those who'd left. As a role model, he was everything NOT to be. It's not even as if he was accurate in things he said! When you realise how many lies he told - you can feel completely justified in dismissing everything he said. If anything lingers in your mind - check it out yourself against what the Bible says (and doesn't say) and against reputable commentators. Most sermons are about 20-30 minutes long; any longer and you've lost the attention of your audience. Most university lectures are about an hour, with notes, and require and encourage students to study for themselves and then discuss in tutorials and smaller groups. To go on an egotistical rant for 2 or 3 hours is just that - an egotistical rant. Not teaching, educating, building the hearers up. I hope you were able to build some happier childhood memories. The children in the Way were most sorely abused.

"i was isolated and homeschooled through elementary school one of my first memories was pushing my bike in my neighborhood thinking about whether i was possessed or born of the wrong seed. and thinking about how important it was and how i think about it all the time." [lcm was obsessed with the subject, eventually. I'm not sure which subject was more his biggest concern- "the wrong seed", or homosexuality. Either way, once he got on a roll, you were in for a long diatribe, with lots of angry yelling, bad language, and not much sense (neither scientific nor Biblical.) ] "i also remember sitting on the floor at the mandatory monthly phone hookup. and craig martindale had been going for so long. his teaching was vile hate speech and spiritual warfare against the "homosexual onslaught" and i looked at the clock. and i knew teachings were supposed to be 45 minutes. but it had been longer. and i couldn't get up because all the adults were watching and where would i go." [Yeah, lcm had a lot of leeway. If he wanted to run long, everyone let him, even if anyone else would be in trouble for doing it. He was allowed a double standard. If the subject was "the wrong seed" or homosexuality, you were in for a long ride.] "i told a friend that homosexuality was wrong. he asked what that means? and i said i don't know. his mom didn't let him hang out with me anymore." [Yeah, lcm could go on for hours that something was wrong, but never spend even a minute explaining WHY it was wrong or what was wrong with it. (It's not like he knew, after all.) Any competent Bible teacher can at least provide some reasoning. It may be wrong, but it at least exists.] "it's a bit sad though but we didn't stay in twi proper for too many more years. but that group. in the craig era (the great apostle had died before i could remember). i can't think of anything good i got out of it." [80% of twi present took off in 1988-1989, when lcm demanded an oath of loyalty from the staffers, the corps, and so on. One person who knew him contacted him and said it sounded like lcm wanted people to follow him BLINDLY. lcm replied point-blank that it was what they were already doing. He was incorrect. The other guy invited lcm to kiss something, and hung up the phone. Anyone who refused to sweat an oath to follow lcm was kicked out and their reputations smeared. lcm made a blanket accusation about them serving their base appetites rather than serving Christ. It backfired. Local people everywhere knew the leaders who left. They knew a little about lcm, but they knew he was talking nonsense. 4 out of 5 twi'ers at the time left with their local leaders. This led to all the splinter groups. Meanwhile, lcm now had a group more willing to follow him off a cliff than he had before, even if it was a much smaller group. lcm got a LOT crazier. Eventually, the group began to hemorrhage members again as individuals got sick and tired of being sick and tired or miserable all the time, and jumped ship. That doesn't count all the people lcm kicked out whenever he had any doubts about them. I doubt there was much good in the lcm era at all. "The great apostle"? Oh, yeah. The plagiarizing rapist. Yeah, he died in 1985. He was an alcoholic and a chain smoker. He died of cancer. According to him, he got the cancer from the bright stage lights used when filming pfal over a 2-week period. In case you don't know, bright studio lights do not cause cancer and are not a risk factor for cancer. Otherwise, you'd hear about performers dying of cancer after spending months working on Broadway, London's West End, Corrientes Avenue, and so on. You hear nothing because it was a lie. The man refused to take responsibility for the consequences of his own actions. He smoked a lot- exposing his lungs and his eyes and skin to carcinogens- for hours a day, every day. He drank a lot- weakening his immune system by drinking lots of alcohol every day, a LOT across a week. He maximized his chances of exposure, whether or not he meant to do so. When he got cancer, he invented a virtuous reason he got it- he got it from the bright lights filming pfal (which is impossible, since people exposed to brighter lights for longer periods do not get cancer.) He went around saying he gave up his eye for God, which is a lie from the pit of vpw's ego. He could be considered "an apostle" because he redefined what it meant to be an apostle until it could be applied to him, then hinted around until some people started to say that about him. He put forth he was "great" for decades. In reality, he was excellent at promoting himself, and was moderately good at plagiarizing. At everything else, he seemed to have been purely mediocre despite his own claims. If anyone should get credit, it should be the teachers he shamelessly ripped off.]

"Hi." [WordWolf: Good evening.] "I was raised in twi." [Ouch! During lcm's reign of terror, yet! After the 1988-1989 exodus, he only got crazier! And we were done with him BEFORE that!] "Did splinter groups." [A lot of us did. I think of the splinter groups as "airlocks." Although more than a few people stayed with them- or are with them now- more people went from them to the rest of society, whether other churches or out of churches.] "An atheist for a lot of years- no faith left." [Well, I think that's understandable. twi can chase people away from Christianity, especially during the lcm years. I'm not an atheist, so I don't think that was the way to go. Then again, what does my opinion matter? If that's where you are in your life, that's where you are. We're both welcome to post here, independently of that, and I appreciate it.] "I'm neurodivergent." [I sometimes question how many of us are undiagnosed, but would show up as neurodivergent if tested. But most people don't have any kind of testing for that sort of thing. I could make an argument that I should be tested. Then again, it wouldn't really change my life even if I had another label. I'm odd for one reason or another, and which reasons don't really matter. But I don't consider neurodivergency to necessarily be a bad thing. Depending on the context, I think it can be a strength. Then again, what does my opinion matter?] "i found this site helpful early on definitely but didn't post." [Sometimes we hear that most of the people who read here never post. We're glad to be helpful either way.] "year later now. looking forward to getting to know folks." [Well, if you're ready to post now, then welcome! Nice to have you aboard. Please mind your manners and avail yourself of the amenities. (Enjoy what we have to offer.)]

"BLUE SUEDE SHOES". (Elvis the Pelvis.)

Is the great apostle "dr." victor wierwille?

Glad you're here, Edgar. Welcome.

thanks i hadn't thought about that until recently. it doesn't bother me but jeez. not a healthful learning environment for sure

Hello, Edgar. Welcome aboard.

To me, it's no wonder you consider yourself atheist after the childhood description you left on another thread.

So sorry you had to go through that Edgar.

i was isolated and homeschooled through elementary school one of my first memories was pushing my bike in my neighborhood thinking about whether i was possessed or born of the wrong seed. and thinking about how important it was and how i think about it all the time. i also remember sitting on the floor at the mandatory monthly phone hookup. and craig martindale had been going for so long. his teaching was vile hate speech and spiritual warfare against the "homosexual onslaught" and i looked at the clock. and i knew teachings were supposed to be 45 minutes. but it had been longer. and i couldn't get up because all the adults were watching and where would i go. i told a friend that homosexuality was wrong. he asked what that means? and i said i don't know. his mom didn't let him hang out with me anymore. it's a bit sad though but we didn't stay in twi proper for too many more years. but that group. in the craig era (the great apostle had died before i could remember). i can't think of anything good i got out of it. does this resonate with anyone?

hi, i was raised in twi did splinter groups. an atheist for a lot of years -- no faith left i'm neurodivergent i found this site helpful early on definitely but didn't post. year later now. looking forward to getting to know folks.

Incorrect (That would have been: "One, two, three o'clock, four o'clock rock.) George

Rock Around the Clock Gonna get it to the rafters Watch me now Jody's gonna get religion All night long

Been busy the last couple of days but had to post this... running through my head... "can't sleep, can't stop my brain..." nice photographs there too...

This show is not a current show. HOWEVER, a current show can be considered either a sequel or a spin-off of this show. If you're paying attention, there's at least one continuity error if you do, since two characters, in effect, switch ages, the older becoming the younger. The current show has had more than one season, and has had fast-food promos and tie-ins with it from one chain. The original show may be well-known, but it is NOT a recent show by any reasonable standard for "recent". The original show is famous. It has had at least one cartoon series, and at least one theatrical release. Which show is the original show? (Or, which show is the current show, I will accept either answer.)

"Well, it's one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, now go, cat, go!" George

"It's a getting closer, Going faster than a roller coaster, Love like yours will surely come my way." George

Offering up my turn. Free post.

Too many irons in the fire right now. Free post, anyone?

Let me ask you this. Let’s assume you are a father, or mother, you have children, and have instructed them they must clean their room everyday. You further demand that if they fail to do so they will be punished by having to sleep in the cold basement with no blankets forever. And this punishment will be passed down to their linage, also for eternity. Does this seem fair to all their children? But because you are loving, you throw in a caveat, that if they write you a letter asking you to forgive them every time they fail to clean their room, they will be absolved of their transgression, and can get back into the comfort of their bedroom. This goes on for the rest of their lives of your entire linage. Does thhis make sense?