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Showing content with the highest reputation on 07/27/2009 in all areas

  1. Or perhaps old puke from last night's bad drunk. It's still fun to make fun of memories of them worshiping over the porcelain god and speaking in liquid screams. Shot 'o Drambuie anyone?
    4 points
  2. What happened to all my prayers? Ya know, before I ever heard of The Way, I had no idea my prayers were second rate. Then I got witnessed to and found out I had it all wrong. See, you can't actually talk to God like you talk to everyone else. You have to have this special language, that they speak in the land of Lo Shanta, or God won't have a clue what you're talking about.And, God can't talk back to you either unless you talk to yourself in this new language lots and lots every day. And you have to make a real effort to expand your vocabulary, too, or God will just keep telling you the same stuff over and over again. Heck, I've even heard people say they prayed to God for answers (without the Lo Shanta stuff) and, presto, someone from TWI appeared to invite them to Twig and sign them up for PLAF. But, how can that be if God can't understand your prayers in the first place? So then my question is this: What happened to all those prayers I said before I heard of TWI?
    2 points
  3. In my former splinter group (River Road Fellowship as led by V. Barnard) we did the whole, "We are a whole world unto ourselves, isolated in a rural area" thing and it $ucked bigtime. Every perception of truth was tightly controlled by the supposed Apostle. It seemed to me like over time things just got more and more warped. Eventually it was heresy to even question such "apostolic" blunders as him teaching the Lord would return in 1997, 2000, uh er...2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, and even the latest that I've heard on the grapevine 2011. Not to mention the oppressive atmosphere which led to such unfortunate things as teenage girls announcing in fellowship that,"I am married to the Christ in Victor." So while they constantly congradulate themselves among themselves it seems pretty obvious to me that they only grew more dangerous and absurd as time went on. And I really don't think they'd openly come around GSC to state their case either, but they'd say it was because of all they "unbelief" here at GSC I'm sure. But I am certain it is because that even though they imagine themselves to be winners that they would simply be confronted for what they really are. I feel justified in my concerns for Caleb and his fellows.
    2 points
  4. So without further response from Caleb is this how we are to see this exchange end? One young man takes a small step out of the Mississipi swamp and into a place where all his beliefs he must knew may be challeged. He gives an aggressive post with a direct threat while claiming he will be handling questions and conversations for months to come. And as soon as a teany little bit of heat arrives he steps out, omly to never be heard from again. OMG I would like to believe the young man is o.k., but nobody that knows anything is saying! Is he being shut in with a bunch of faithful for a patented TWI style "healing". Are they mad at us enough to foolishly desire to carry out the feelings of anger in the initial post? Is the young man strong enough to realize that our intentions were for his own good and it may be that his "manoGod" is the real villain? But even though v2p2 may well be carrying out that role I do personally feel compassion for a young man who himself has been indoctrinated into his supposed life's purpose. TOO MANY QUESTIONS, TOO FEW ANSWERS. IMO
    2 points
  5. 2 points
  6. Its not old news for all of us that gave our time & money for a rot hole place called THE WAY INTERNATIONAL that claimed to be a place of god. It wont be old news until no one is standing for or preaching their crap and that land in ohio is washed away . and only then will it be old news !!
    2 points
  7. Oh for Pete's sake, Oldies..........quit SPINNING and DANCING around the room. Wierwille BETRAYED his committed followers......most notably, the WOWs and the Corps. As a young and naive WOW, catcup's sister came face-to-face with wierwille's sexual motorcoach lusts and, when she refused, she was kicked off the WOW field. And, its well documented on the forums how wierwille went after the Corps women..!!!!! Can't you see the snare...??? With no accountability for his actions......and being in a well-protected, multi-tiered yes-men hierarchy, wierwille's TRUE COLORS CAME FORTH. What he was.......behind closed doors..... was his TRUE CHARACTER. Those public appearances were just showmanship......no more, no less. Wierwille BETRAYED "his" corps........he sold many of us down the river. He couldn't even keep his commitment to us regarding THE CORPS CHALET. He gave it to his top yes-boy......craig. There is a HUGE chasm between............freely serving God without compulsion as opposed to being manipulated by a con-man who winks with his eyes and speaks with his fingers (Proverbs reference). But hey.........if you, Oldies, want to stay deceived about "the good ole way-daze" have at it. Doesn't look like too many folks here are buying what you are attempting to sell.
    2 points
  8. God first hi everybody here what a person is saying another board here more he said another post can someone make heads or tails this person love Roy
    1 point
  9. God first hi waysider that would be the case but he or she already follower me to another board but the Atheism are just laughing at him but did I miss something is there something of value there I like of myself as a Gnostic but I believe it was dead religion so it fare game because may show here someday not he not a bad person highly religions and little puff up he call me a fool more than once and a few other people too I just want to make I read it right love Roy
    1 point
  10. Very amusing. I started using Stylewriter a year or so ago to tighten up the writing for my college papers. For an example of TWI-style writing, I'm posting some screen shots of JAL's last letter and what Stylewriter had to say about it. Here's a legend: Red sentences are any sentences over 35 words. Dark red words or phrases indicate passive verbs, cliches, overused words, or overwriting. Bold black words are confused words, misused words, confused hyphens
    1 point
  11. how this topic took a turn is nice and i like it very much, with everybody putting their thoughts out here and everybody else expressing their perspective about those thoughts, and i like it very much because it is good coversation to me. i really like how people can disagree without fighting and how even though people might disagree they see where we also agree and then we can see a clear path to communication, which is what conversation is for in the end or otherwise it would just be babbling and nothing would be understood i think. on the subjects of "true self" and "soul" i think that there is no one definition of these things or no one way to look at these things or no one way to find these things because these things are only for the person themselves to define, perceive and find these things as they see and feel right for themselves, so there's no "universal" self or soul to define or discuss. for me what i mean when i talk about these things is that i have learned to look into my own thoughts and feelings and perceptions to see if what i think and feel and want and don't want and all is from my deepest heart of identity or from what others expect from me or trained into me or demanded from me regardless of how i thought i should be. and how do i know if my own thoughts and feelings and perceptions are not just more of the behavior modifications of my lifetime? because i have my own personal experiences of the world now and i can draw from those things regardless of the training of my lifetime, and yes it is hard and it is very time consuming and it is draining alot of the time, but the more i do it the better i get at doing it so it takes less time and effort until i think that someday i will be true to myself as a natural way of being instead of something i have to stop and do. i sure do know that it slows life down quite a bit and at first i was very frustrated with it all because i felt life was going by me without my participation, but now that i am getting used to i have learned that nothing short of a life an death emergency needs an instant or quick action or reaction, so i feel that i am bordering on getting wisdom, which is something i really like alot and i feel like i am living my life for me and not for everybody else, which is a long long way from where i first started this process, and it's a good long long way for me.
    1 point
  12. ah, them! context is everything. I was just talking about them somewhere else, as a matter of fact. they are asleep. drones. I suppose some of them are so damaged by being raised inside they will never recover. they will abuse because they were taught to be that way. I don't know that I can say they're all abusers, though. you'd know better than I.
    1 point
  13. I wasn't giving them money when I took the new christian family whatever class.
    1 point
  14. I just don't see a difference between lcm and today's wayfers. What he deserves, they deserve.
    1 point
  15. well hell, they'll never take me back now!
    1 point
  16. ok, so your quote above, WD, (from here http://www.aallnet.org/committee/copyright.../firstsale.html or one of the other urls that has copied it) deals specifically with the issues of first sale as it relates to digital copies. I wouldn't consider their terminology the final word on what constitutes "first sale" since the article doesn't deal with the nuances of rights of exhaustion. that's why I suggested you try to keep up, because bending definitions to suit yourself is you M.O. and you're ignoring information that's already been provided. it would be better to consult with the copyright code itself: http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html#106 other transfer of ownership includes gifts, as established by case law. see http://www.altlaw.org/v1/cases/440377 paragraphs 11 and 34 therefore, we are back to the real issue, which is if twi "rented, leased or lent" the copy, they will have a signed contract stating those are the terms. otherwise, the copies were gifts, unless it can be demonstrated that they were stolen, in which case anyone twi accuses in court would have presumption of innocence and the burden would be on twi to prove that the tapes were stolen, provided the statute of limitations hasn't run out. it also might help to keep the statutes of limitations for ohio in mind, although if the tapes were given to individuals in other states the prosecution may have to take place in the court where the crime supposedly took place. Ohio limitations http://www.clelaw.lib.oh.us/Public/Misc/FA...imitations.html
    1 point
  17. you're still missing the point, OM. it isn't their property unless they have a written contract stating it is. copies were given away, and they are subject to exhaustion of rights the same way an item obtained by purchase would be. the only way to limit that is by contract, and the only way for a contract to be valid is if it is agreed to in writing. otherwise, twi could go back to the people who were given sets of tapes and now claim they were only loaned, or people could take back gifts at will. the law protects against that by requiring contracts as proof, and making seizure of property illegal without a warrant. yes, renting and leasing is allowed, but it requires a contract. you never rent equipment or DVDs without signing a contract, and your library card involves signing a contract. without a contract, you wouldn't be under any legal obligation to return equipment, DVDs or books.
    1 point
  18. Ebay's got rules about selling other people's (stolen) goods. I guess if I were going to plunk down $5k OBO, I would want to see a bill of sale that proves that person is the owner of said materials. As it is, my husband (boyfriend at the time) paid $100, which was about $75 too much for me to take the class. This appears to be the audio version he's selling. As it is, the guy doesn't appear to be hiding who he is (it took me about 2 minutes to find out) and he is open for questions. The only other thought I had was that he must think TWI people are keen discerners of the truth gullible. Where would he get that idea?
    1 point
  19. how did they specify it? is there a written contract signed by each person receiving the tapes, or a blanket contract filed somewhere signed by each borrower, as we do when we apply for a library card? what I want to know is if there is a legal contract. if not, then the physical transfer of the tapes from twi to an individual qualifies as "first sale" and twi's downstream rights to control are terminated. plus, anyone purchasing the tapes on good faith is not bound by any contract entered into by someone else with twi, so they are free to dispose of the tapes as they see fit.
    1 point
  20. Don't make the mistake of thinking that just because no one has answered your challenge that no testimonies exist. That would be a mistake in logic. What you should consider is that people are getting tired of you and WD promoting your own form of victim mentality and are just not willing to play the games anymore. If you want to consider yourself as "winning" then I guess that's fine - but in reality you are fooling yourself. This thread has been a bit disgusting to read. Two posters trying vehemently to promote their own victimhood (Oh poor me. I saw stuff and did stuff but I can't talk about it because I have no proof,) while they deny others the right to vent. Am I stupid enough to say that every account of rape is true? No. But even if only ONE person told the truth and then hundreds repeated it as if it was their own story - VP was STILL WRONG. Oh, and BTW, there is at least one example of VP's depravity that normally could be cited, but the new rules keep it from being talked about. You want an account? Go listen to the interviews with Kristen Skedgell on the first page. That is first hand. Do you "need" more examples? I'd say that one is more than enough. He was wrong. I don't need more examples of his depravity. If you do, perhaps that says something about you. It's bad enough that one young lady was manipulated by a man old enough to be her grandfather. Wanting or needing more examples is just perverse. I may be wrong - but that is my opinion.
    1 point
  21. II Samuel 11:2 And it came to pass in an eventide, that David arose from his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing (rachats) herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. verse 8 And David said unto Uriah, Go down to thy house and wash (rachats) thy feet. II Samuel 25: 41 And she [Abigail] arose, and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, Behold, let thine handmaid be a servant to wash (rachats) the feet of the servants of my lord. Psalm 26: 6 I will wash (rachats) mine hands in innocency:---------- ************************************************************* David spied on her from the roof!! In addition, this word is not exclusively used in the sense of "taking a bath". That's an extrapolation derived from our current usage of the word "bathe".
    1 point
  22. we don't know that she was naked. doesn't say she was in a tub. she might have been washing off dust and sweat in a basin once it cooled off. nothing suggests she was acting inappropriately. in fact, I'd venture a guess that she was acting with discretion, having waited for the evening. how was she to know that David stayed home from the war and slept all day, then stumbled upon an opportunity to indulge in some voyeurism?
    1 point
  23. Potato, Let me ask you a sincere question. Do you think that holding fast to faith in Jesus is equal to being afraid of looking at other points of view? You didn't say that. . . . so, I assume nothing here, :) I am just curious about the wording. I went to 3 excellent and diverse colleges. . . . one of them a women's school. . . spent nearly year at Oxford and have met every kind of person imaginable. I have lived with a family from India who were Hindu. I have been lucky to travel a bit. . . . meet some well known figures. Hubby met the former president of South Africa. . . We have met more than one famous politician from both sides of the aisle. CEO's to homeless and prisoners. While my daughter was growing up, she celebrated most Jewish Holy days at one time or another. My son, before he was homeschooled, went to an independent progressive school, which roots were based in the celebration of spiritual diversity. Meaning, each faith was equally explored and respected. He was surrounded by those of different faiths. . . in turn we were as well. He has been Bar Mitzvah's and Solstice celebrations. Hubby built a "sacred circle" once for a woman who wanted a place in her backyard to celebrate her faith and to display her Godesses. I sat in there with her as she explained to me all she was trying to express. More art than anything spiritual, but still, she believed it. I have been to Temple many times. We have more than one gay friend. Hubby goes and shovels out our friends in the next town. . . they are older and disabled. . . a married lesbian couple. Friends. I have shopped at Harrods and the Salvation Army. Had meals with very well known theologians and apologists. Coffee with Rabbis and visited Buddahist Monks. I have been to a monastary outside of Gloucester England. Celebrated Mass there. Heck, we even know a famous 60's icon. My mother practiced witchcraft when I was growing up. My father is an atheist who takes every opportunity to mock religion. We have worked hard on behalf of the persecuted church. Been to the UN. We were friends with a Muslim family whose daughter was in grade school with my son. Well, until their son killed my other friends rabbit with acid. . . long story. I was in a cult. :) The list is long. I wonder if you think that because one holds fast to faith they are closed minded? It isn't a religion. It is not theology. It is not biblical principals. It is faith in a person. Actual, real, and alive. It is similar to a marriage. It is a love relationship and a monogomous one at that. But, consider being happily wed, deeply in love, fufilled and nurtured, satisfied and complete. Also, assured and supplied for. . . lacking nothing because of this person. Think about being so loved everyday, known completely and still accepted. We all strive to be better people. . . right? Think about this person knowing exactly how to gently teach you to be better, and being able to work these lessons into your life. Think about a someone so close. . . He dwells in you. In your heart. Someone so perfect and shines so gloriously you actually worship this person. This person never grows cold to you or loses that love for you. He is faithful and perfect, and doesn't change. He always loves you and is always there. He brings you joy and comforts you in sorrow. He promises we can spend eternity with Him. That our relationship will never end. He promises to ready us for this. Then think about how tempting it would be to shop around for something better. Especially if you already have and never found anything so perfect. It wouldn't be tempting. Not in the least. But, that doesn't mean you can't be friends with others, or love them. Who is going to be the ones you are very close to? The ones who also know Him. You are able to share the worship and adoration you have for Him with those who also know Him personally. H equips us to love others by being so loved. This would mean, others of all backgrounds. Even those who persecute you. If we have finally found that which satisfies that hunger in us. . . and He has proven Himself worthy of our faithfulness. . . by being faithful. . . . He has shown Himself and He is worthy. . . So worthy God has made Him Master over ALL things. . .such devotion and single-heartedness is not really out of line. . . . all the while I know my attempts to reciprocate pale in comparison to His. . . yet He accepts them. . . .and we commune. . . why would look anywhere else? Moreover, He will never become boring or disappointing or frustrating. . . because there is no greater treasure conceived than the Son of God. My ability to savor this inexhaustible treasure is not even limited by my human weakness. So, I am already spoken for. I don't have to look anymore. Just as the Father delights in His Son. . . so do we. We delight with God in His glory. Call me crazy. . . and it wouldn't be the first time :) but I am sticking with Jesus. . . He hasn't let me down yet! Oh and Mark, this is what they show you in the churches you say the gospel is missing in. . . . sorry, but that is an amazing and misguided statement.
    1 point
  24. Okay........you did some twi work days..........so? YOU are the one who pounds the gavel for accuracy. YOU are the one who pounds the desk to cite authority. YOU were spouse corps..........YOUR nametag designated it. YOU were spouse corps. Are you ashamed of that? And.....if you don't like that designation, how about Post-Program Participant. Sorry, WhiteDove.....you can't have it BOTH ways. You can't state inaccuracies.........and be accurate. <_<
    1 point
  25. Now why would we want another case when you've already declared that "the context was VPW."?
    1 point
  26. Their testimony stands!..I agree 100 %.... First hand tetimony is only dismissed when the testamony is proven to be invalid...sorry Whitedove...you lose again. ...but you must be getting used to that by now.
    1 point
  27. ok, I had to go back and read some of your posts, because I seriously don't get your line of questioning. you were on staff, you were involved during the lcm trainwreck. yeah, it's unbelievable that anyone would join during those years. I think I got involved before what became known as "the fog years", but only superficially. it was after I accidentally married someone with a personality disorder that I got sucked into the twi machine. I guess you maintain disbelief that people get lured into twi's inner circle of hell, like a pedophile luring a child with a tale of a lost puppy, but yeah, people are that naive, or they're willing to ignore the warning signs because IT'S A LOST PUPPY FOR CHRIST'S SAKE!
    1 point
  28. Not at all Dove, It`s just that I don`t use second and third hand opinions of other people to call into question posters veracity or to try to obstruct their testimony as to their personal experiences in twi. Pretty silly to accuse me of not wanting you to post your 2nd and 3rd hand information here at gs, when you have been doing it for years. What you DON`T like is that someone has challenged you on the hypocracy of insisting that there be documentation, and a legal conviction in order for someone to be guilty of a crime, when you yourself have no personal knowledge or experience of what you claim others are lying about. People are assaulted every day, murders go unsolved, that doesn`t mean a crime wasn`t committed. That doesn`t mean it didn`t happen, or the damage inflicted wasn`t real. No, we will never bring these guys to legal justice in THIS world, but one of the things we ARE permitted to do is discuss our experiences, call into question the morals, ethics and beliefs that led these criminals to believe that this was acceptable to do to people. In so doing, maybe begin the healing process and grow beyond the toxic doctrine that empowered them, and kept us enslaved.
    1 point
  29. actually, you have quite often used logic to try to prove PFAL is god-breathed by referring to the teachings of vpw himself. now, vpw said this: he claimed himself that the keys he's reveal would work with a mathematical exactness and scientific precision, so the rules of math and science must apply. your position "PFAL is god-breathed" is exactly the problem posed by the liar paradox. thank you for explaining that much more clearly and beautifully than I ever could :)
    1 point
  30. I mind as well just walk up to wayfers and say "flying spaghetti monster, now go away"
    1 point
  31. The random snow squall argument is a bust. Not a cloud in the sky. Wrong time of year. No supporting records. Plus, according to TW:LIL, it was a "phenomenon" which means it could not have been a naturally occurring event anyway. So a random squall would not qualify as phenomena. And, if it was possible for it to be a naturally occurring random squall, why would he be so amazed at it anyhow? So, the possibility of it being a random squall is a moot point. Not even worth considering. The only thing left is phenomena. But Wierwille himself taught that the fleece deal in the O.T. was a one time event and that you can't order God to give you a sign, order up phenomena. Well, if he was right about that, he disproved his own snowstorm. If he was wrong, and he really saw it, the snowstorm would contradict his teaching on the subject and thus flush his credibility down the crapper. But personally, I like Groucho's take on it the best.
    1 point
  32. C'mon you guys...the guy was drunk every day by noon...he screwed young girls and copied other people's writings word for word... do you need a roadmap? There was no snowstorm, he lied...plain and simple.
    1 point
  33. the only way I know of to get to newspaper archives is call the local historical society or public library. they can usually help you get to the right place... but, it costs some money to get a researcher to go in and copy everything for you, or a couple of days of your time to scan microfiche (unless they've been digitized and are available to order on CD). it's been a while since I did that kind of research. I don't see this as reinventing the wheel. Juedes' article with citations doesn't seem to be complete, and it would be nice to see what can be put online for everyone to see.
    1 point
  34. 1 point
  35. Wow, Potato, that's a bit of a turn-round. Musta been after they got really scared by LCM's shining example. No, wait, his example was to mate everyone in the household. I have a dim recollection somewhere (CFS??) of VPW saying that some rules applied when we were younger but not necessarily when we were older. You tell a five year old not to do something (for his own good - like not crossing the road alone) but you don't need to tell a 25 year old, who has by now learned how to cross safely. I think the inference (don't think it was explicit) was that sex was out for young kids/ teenagers but for adults it was a normal part of life. Sound familiar, anyone?
    1 point
  36. I took every class except dealing with the adversary (I took the lcm version defeating the adversary). for some reason I don't remember lcm's version of christian family and sex, although I know I took it. I do remember the coulter's class. it was so awful it was one of the 4 events that led to my decision to leave twi. one thing I do remember is that syllabi changed regularly. grads were supplied new syllabus pages and directed to throw away the old ones. I don't remember how long my cfs syllabus was, but eventually I'll dig it out of my garage and find out.
    1 point
  37. I see four ads, three for bagpipes and one from the way expose by jl. there were all kinds of music and theatre things going on at the family tables when I first went to RoA, but lcm destroyed all of that within a few years.
    1 point
  38. has anyone transcribed the video class?
    1 point
  39. TWI proably celebrated Christmas during the 60's but by 1975 follwed JW and WCOG(Armstrong) theology with Alexander Hislop and Ralph Woodrow's books on Babylon Mystery Religion/2 Babylons. Add on Lamsa, Pillai, Errico, Bullinger, Ernest Martin, Schoenheit's One God and One Lord. This does not include VPW;s spin zone/paradigm/interpretation of these other author's.
    1 point
  40. Maybe Grandpa Sr. but there lies grandson in Miss. The nightmare continues. Let's pray VPW the 2nd doesn't marry anyone named Dorethea/Dotsie my bad(no disrespect to his grandmother intended).
    1 point
  41. John and Yoko, 1971. "So this is Christmas And what have you done? Another year over And a new one just begun."
    1 point
  42. no, it's another example of a cost that should have been counted as a business expense and paid for by twi, along with the cost of stamps and money orders.
    1 point
  43. Now I would have loved seeing Wierwille, Martindale, and/or Geer getting that "squid pie" .
    1 point
  44. You need to read what's written on the page. I wasn't referring to my situation specifically. I was referring to the cost of food, gas, and wages in general, and how the cost of weekly mailing ABS could affect the average person working for minimum wage. You were saying it was no big deal and I was quantifying the accumulated costs. If you want to spend money on coffee and you figured out a way to keep the costs down that worked with HQ, more power to you. Other's didn't feel they had choices. I don't believe in the tithe now and I didn't then, either. I believe charity begins at home, particularly when I saw OPM being squandered on Harley tours.
    1 point
  45. Twi is SMALL POTATOES........because everything they do is SELF-SERVING, SELF-GRATIFYING and SELF-PRESERVATION. Twi does nothing for society. They bury all their "talents" in a hole and claim that they are "believing" God. Twi is a fear-based corporation.....captivated by fear of losing it all.
    1 point
  46. A lot of people started out with that same notion - we are really reading the Bible. Wow! This group has come up with some great stuff and presented it in a way that I've never gotten in a church environment. I really felt I was in more of a give and take environment. That was my hook. I personally never got the whole "Father in the Word" thing; too much like the pope. But I really liked the idea of studying the Bible in depth and discussing what I read. Ironically, the more I studied, the more I realized how many people were restricting their "study" to what happened to be taught in the tapes and discussion was limited to agreement with the teaching or how to practically apply whatever was taught. There was no evaluation of the accuracy, or determining whether some "private interpretation" on the part of the teacher had been used. I remember saying to my husband that I thought we were in a research and teaching ministry, but the lack of independent research and independent thought was unsettling. I thought I was joining a group of believers who were seeking to be smart about the Bible and therefore smart about life, but they really weren't using their heads in many areas of their lives. Ironically, many of those people were being rewarded by leadership and being made leaders, or made to feel important in other ways. Those of us who wished to remain independent were subtly (or not so subtly) told to toe the line, especially once LCM was at the helm. Once LCM took over, the whole leadership vetting process was a study in what not to do. Unfortunately, every splinter group out there has chosen to emulate LCM's openly yes-man mentality.
    1 point
  47. There are so many variables: when you got in, when you got out, who the leaders were, whether you were a leader or a well-respected long-term believer, were classes being run, how much money you were contributing. They all have a bearing on whether your memories were good, bad or indifferent. Another factor is how much you had invested in believing it all was right; what kind of things you would consider insignificant and were willing to put up with. I agree, in general, with the premise of this thread, that the longer you were in, the greater the indoctrination and the greater the attempts at control. However, the same actions could be perceived in vastly different ways, depending on one's mindset. For example, in the mid-nineties, local leadership made it their business to criticize several aspects of my personal life, and put a lot of pressure on me to change. At the time I accepted this interference, believing at the time that a leader had the right and responsibility to correct "error" in this manner. In hindsight, I now believe that the leader's actions were wrong and that I was wrong to allow it. For most of us who have left TWI there is a line that gets crossed. For some the line was crossed during PFAL and we never really got involved. For others it was the so-called loyalty oath letter, for still others it was actions of local leaders or a realization that there were doctrinal contradictions. But the line usually just didn't pop up from nowhere one day. There was a continuum: at one end was "this is great" and at the other end was "I'm outta here".
    1 point
  48. Kit......yeah, some took pfal but were more focused on their goals and stayed grounded. Others, like me...... followed "the leader" into the indoctrination process of "committed service for God." In hindsight.........I see the many RED FLAGS. Heck, there were several flying back in "the good ole days"..... the hype, the celebrity-mog status, the undocumented snow-on-gas-pumps, the inresidence isolation, the money-spending constraints while inresidence, the stifling of showing emotion, etc. Back in the 70s......witnessing to bring others to a twi-fellowship was tough. Imagine TODAY.......the internet, the ex-way community, lawsuits, re-written twi history, the ousted martindale, pathetic involvement, an aging following, top-heavy staff personnel, etc. etc. The short stay might be NO STAY at all.
    1 point
  49. Here are 2 words I would like to throw into the mix:Brain Washing. Oh,sorry,Brainwashing is only one word. Never mind, back to the discussion of why memories often vary.
    1 point
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