Nope.......not once.
Cults, like twi, do their level best to always keep "their people" in submission. Dependence was the name of their game.......not INDEPENDENCE. To offer advice/counseling that one "should seek the Lord in prayer".....is to relinquish control of that follower (to seek the Lord). With each passing year, wierwille devised a set of one-liners that he accentuated over and over again. Along with the "man of God DOCTRINE".......he commandeered the authority of one who speaks for God (yeah, right). Slick, deceptive con. And, all of his lieutenants marched in lockstep.
But hey......that's what cults do.
What were all those cult buzz-lines back then?
It's the Word, the Word.....and nothing but the Word.
Lift Lists? Sure.....with vpw and trustees at top of list.
VPW quote......"If you're wrong, I will tell you."
The Word = bible verses filtered thru twi's classes and material
Corps Research Papers......had to be sanctioned by "research advisors"
Corps Research Papers......had to be rooted in pfal material, not "new" stuff
Not once......did any corps leadership direct me to "seek the Lord in prayer" concerning corps assignments, department issues, courtship/marriage, etc. We were simply railroaded to obey leadership.....always. Heck, even as late as March 2017.......Moynihan, Fort and Horney refer .....2. Eliminate the “absolute” power of the current self-appointed board. THAT was what it was like at hq back in 1980-1984 as well. Wierwille had absolute power to pull all the levers of power at his command.
The Way International WAS and IS a cult......using the subtle power of spiritual abuse.
In twi, they looked at prayer.....in terms, of Lift Lists. Mechanical, contrived, obedience.
Looking back.....I can hardly believe how crazy and controlled it really was.