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Good points, Rocky. Here we go again. Another rodeo at GSC........another troll hiding in the shadows of inference and innuendo. Notice this person NEVER gives any information or substantiating facts about their own life, but follows around a poster trying to sow discord. Gawd..........thru the years, we've seen lots of these. Most often, there is a wierwille-apologist nostalgia underneath the cloak. Perhaps, TLC would like to share what *really* is behind his posts and why he comes here? Or.......watch folks, another side-diversion coming in 3-2-1...........

Cult Survivors: The Duality of Life Those of us who have extricated, or are still in the process of extricating, ourselves from the cult entanglement of the way international know all too well the challenges we've overcome and still need overcoming. We are cult survivors......having the resilience, fortitude, and perseverance to reclaim our individual sovereignty. The cult experience may have grasped chunks of years from our lives, or disconnected us from precious family relationships that took years to repair, of which, many never did, or stole careers, opportunities, and dreams from our lives........but hopefully, should not and/or will not define us. Here at GSC, we gather to share our stories and reach out to help others and in doing so, help ourselves as well. Our mission is to "tell the other side of the story"...... In some ways, I think that I've contemplated this twofold reality since 1981.....when I was faced with that crossroad's decision, my fiancé or my parents/family [i.e. - future vs past]. The cult was formidable in not allowing both to co-exist in continuity or harmony. That extreme position defined it as A Cult. Thus, from that moment during my deprogramming..... or now, viewed as cult-intervention........."the duality of life" was embedded, and there to stay. My cult experiences hold "places in my heart" that I deem personal moments. Yes, I was in a cult, but in these snapshots, the cult is not there. Also, I was listening to the "music" that moved me..........to "live and move and have my being." [Acts 17:27,28] And, when children entered our lives.....I could not totally regret my cult involvement, else I wouldn't have my wife or these two unique sons. More later.........but a h/t to chockfull. .

GSC is a very diverse place with many beliefs and attitudes being represented, all the way from Christian to Wicca to Taoism and so on. The most appropriate place to discuss those beliefs is in the doctrinal forum. However, the main purpose of GSC is to expose the reality of what was taking place and continues to take place within The Way. Before the site was reformatted, that was stated clearly on the front page. Perhaps you haven't been here long enough to remember that. It does appear to me, as indicated by some of your responses, JJ, that you haven't had the opportunity to explore some of the areas of discussion that have appeared here over the years, such as speaking in tongues, the Advanced Class, the law of believing and many more topics. If there is a specific area of concern in the videos you've posted, perhaps you could start a thread in the doctrinal forum to narrow the discussion a bit.

The cult was formidable in not allowing both to co-exist in continuity or harmony. All the dots connect back to wierwille. The cult was formidable in NOT allowing both......1) personal life and 2) "ministry" involvement......to co-exist in continuity or harmony. Why? Because wierwille had set down those markers in his teachings and classes......"spirit is thicker than blood".....followed by derogatory jabs of "earthly family." Cunningly and strategically, a wedge was driven to separate me from my past life......my background, my upbringing, my friends and family. With each step further into this cult-forest, it became harder to find one's way back. Time and again, wierwille inserted a duality......two parts......1) good and 2) bad. Of course, your "earthly family" is only good.......IF......they, too, take the class and join the cult.......so that everyone in your family can go wow, corps, and gather together once a year at the roa. Remember that 1977 film "Changed" and the Strauhal Family being so intricately re-connected because of the cult.......filmed by Bud Morgan. No. More. Duality. The. Family. Was. Now. All. Together. In. The. Cult. Just thinking about that "Changed" film......gives me the heebbiejeebbies. The strauhal family all took pfal.......and presto, the family united. Harmony. In. The. Home. The WOW commitment stated it upfront.....NO leaving the wow field and going home for the holidays. And, it was damn near impossible to even be "given permission" to go to your grandmother's funeral. How f**king benevolent of them. OMG. And, the corps indoctrination was laced with countless teachings on keeping your hands to the plough and don't look back. Stay salted. Heck, it was outright implied that being with your parents at Christmas could get you possessed. Be strong. Stay vigilant. Just don't let anyone talk you out of this cult......er, the word.

If there were no GS then there would be one less resource for people to recover from the negative impact of the Way International. One of my relatives has a rare disease, OT - tremors. There are only a handful of people diagnosed with this disease across the world. She had great deliverance over the course of the last couple years when these folks got together and shared their stories, they even had a retreat. Hearing similar stories helped her to adjust to her disease, feel not alone, and since the two meetings she talks about them a great deal. Just seeing another human adjust to the condition and live a 'normal' life helped her so much. Like her, we who have experienced TWI also have a rare disease. I will be the first to admit I am damaged from it. The experiences there have affected aspects of my entire life into today. There aren't many people in public that can relate to me regarding this experience. it affects a lot in my life. I could ignore, that, suppress that, or admit it and heal and adjust. But admit it or not, my 'normal' life is a lot like my relative trying to adjust. To me the real heroes of The Way International experience are not the ones in lofty places, with condescending attitudes, being installed with pomp and ceremony into the highest offices of the organization that is growing less relevant every year. Not those who bury their heads in the sand, "thinking no evil" like the 3 monkey statue shows. Not those who use others to advance themselves. Not the enablers. No, the real heroes of The Way International are found on these pages. Those who tell the truth. Those who expose the lies, the control, the manipulation. Those who share real life drama about escape and adjustment. Those who say what everyone is thinking in the audience but are afraid to express to anyone - yes the STS sucks. Like every Way production. Boring, read teachings, whitewashed messages, all lies. The truth is what happens behind closed doors, where they are meeting out of fear. If you want to see a real hero from the Way experience, go look in the mirror. It's you. You survived. You told the truth. You, my friends on Greasespot, are the true heroes, not the moral midget being installed as President or any of his Pharisee buddies. Or any of the various hucksters selling versions of lies for their own profit. You are the true heroes. Even if you're damaged like me.