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At the most fundamental level, Wierwille sought to establish a loyal base of followers who would willingly supply financial support with consistent frequency. It was no mistake that "Christians Should Be Prosperous" was one of the first reading requirements. The foundational class on Power For Abundant Living (PFAL) was only the bait that lured people into the organization, with promises of newly found freedom and deliverance. The Intermediate and Advanced Classes, along with other classes, such as Dealing With The Adversary and Renewed Mind, were what set the hook and reeled us in. There was always an unofficial, undercurrent of teaching that flowed freely through the organization. Looking back, I believe it may have been done this way to distance the official organization from culpability. One of the concepts that seemed to gain a foothold quickly was the idea that, once you had heard "the truth", the devil would put a target on your back to keep you from spreading "the word". Bad things could happen to you if you ever left the hedge of protection that fellowshipping with likeminded believers provided. You could never go back to your old way of life. There were plenty of anecdotes being spread to fortify this thinking. One such example came straight from VPW when he brutally chastised the Way Corp, and one individual in particular, for the death of a Way Corp member who died in a car crash when he disobeyed the Man of God and left the HQ grounds, in violation of a directive not to do so. Supposedly, the believer's death was the result of defying revelation and walking out of fellowship... Well, you have to be En Garde! at all times, now, don't you? In the course of only a few short weeks or months, a new believer went from a feeling of exhilaration and liberation to a feeling of paranoia, always having to mentally sneak a peek over the shoulder to make sure the devil was still at bay. You could never contemplate leaving. You were trapped. When the subsequent classes failed to provide answers of how to deal with this, a feeling of hopelessness eventually replaced the original excitement. Being a promoter of PFAL is like being a drug dealer who gifts someone their first hit of heroin. The user goes from a euphoric rush to abject desolation. Staying addicted in hope of avoiding the inevitable is a painful act of futility.

Consider Saul/Paul. We understand him to be a really high-up Pharisee. Educated at the best places, absolutely steeped in tradition, with the greatest respect due to him due to his position. For way more than 20 years, he sat in judgment on others. He ordered the deaths (not just M&A'ing) of Christians. Hard to imagine even the start of his intellectual journey to the polar opposite in his thinking. He took several years out so as to evaluate all he knew. Likely that involved much study of scriptures: as Jesus said, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me" (John 5:39) - though the gospel of John may not then have been written, it's likely it had become oral tradition - so, search the scriptures to understand both the prophesies for Jesus's coming, and "the heart behind them." But what scriptures would Jesus have meant people to study? The OT scrolls! Likely also there were extensive discussions with people already involved with the new way of thinking, examining, evaluating and perhaps picking holes in that thinking (that was the tradition of teaching, and what Saul would have done at the feet of Gamaliel); trying out what people had told him to see if it "worked" both in practicalities of life, and in conjunction with the whole of what he knew. Later, perhaps, he made discreet attempts to contact some of his former colleagues on the Sanhedrin to run ideas by them and, who knows, perhaps even convert them to the new thinking (no record this worked). A lot of introspection for Saul too: where and how did he get it so wrong? What had he been badly taught? What foundational principles (or to use Mike's own language, what "postulates") were wrong? Saul knew he was absolutely and unquestionably "right" - and now he was finding he was dead wrong. A wise man wants to know where things went awry so as to avoid falling into the same hole again later. Many of us here have started on that journey or examination and re-evaluation; we're at different places in that journey. Some have even turned their backs on Christianity, on organised religion, on matters spiritual. Mike in particular is a huge proponent of PFAL and associated written material. Absolutely steeped in PFAL materials and traditions. I have no doubt that he is sincere in what he says and believes. Unfortunately for him, his sincerity is badly misplaced. And deeply regrettably, he does not search the OT scriptures to see what testifies of Jesus; he searches material collated millennia later, which purports to testify of Jesus, but rarely does; rarely references any OT material in this respect. How good would it be if Mike could have a "Damascus moment" that caused him to re-evaluate all he knows of PFAL! He could become such a skilled debunker that he would put T-Bone and WordWolf in the rear view mirror. Instead of hanging on to "postulates" that he cherishes, he could examine those to see if, where, they are awry. Stop building on sand, and build on a rock. Instead of "teaching" people here, he could reach out to all those PFAL grads whom he purports to know, and really show them the light. He could reach out to all those Pharisees still in TWI whom he purports to be in touch with, and show them what the scriptures really say. He could promote the Lord Jesus Christ and his accomplishments to the world and truly become the Ambassador for Christ that he is supposed to be.

Awesome posts guys! If one is to follow the official propognda put out by the way international then they remain blind to the obvious - TWI is about making MONEY - especially back in Vics day. They ran through those donations with reckless abandon all the way up to the lawsuits - So that includes Criag, Donna, Rosalie, et. al. Once the lawyers were involved they introduced legalese such as "private inurement" into the system. So yeah, it's still a gravy train for the inner circle - they have just kinda quited down all the illegal spending. They try to make it seem legit. Like Rosalie paying TWI $10 a pop to have the grounds department mow her property. Considering the size, she would have easlily paid $50 or more. But that punk butt $10 leaves a paper trail where they can say -- "See...I paid." So yeah, they paid their lawyers God knows what sort of $$ out of donations from their followers to learn how to get over on their own system and get away with it. How's that for your abundant swharing at work. One thing is for sure: most long standing way corps have nowhere else to go and really can't fit in very well anywhere else. They NEEED that headquarters lifestyle - they are too vested to do anything else.

Ive learned to put on my readers. I used to accept things at face value and that led me to rush headlong into TWI, way corps, etc. To be clear though, there are a lot of things I learned in the way corps/way corps training that benefit me to this day. However, in the big picture I could have had similar experiences without signing my life over to be heavily micromanaged for four years. But - yes - today I check everything out and really try to poke all kinds of holes in whatever I am into.

Imagine if TWI was an insurance company. They would need a clever advertising slogan, something like, "Come on home. We don't suck quite as much as we used to". Or maybe a crazy mascot like Tic (VPW's dog) dressed up in a Halloween-style devil costume, complete with a doggy sized pitchfork. I think they're already in good shape for a jingle. They could use that "Renewed Mind Is The Key" mess.

The further into twi you got, the more powerful "the adversary" became, and the less-powerful God Almighty's protection became. A single thought and "the adversary" could get you, but for God to protect you, you needed to tithe, and do increasingly-longer lists of things, and skipping any one of them would negate His protection. So, the more you gave to twi to get the same coverage against :"the adversary". Consider it "adversary insurance", or consider it "protection money" if you wish.

Waysider’s post on another thread - here - very much relates to this thread as well - I thought I’d repost it here: Waysider Friday October 28th, 2022, approximately 7 AM: At the most fundamental level, Wierwille sought to establish a loyal base of followers who would willingly supply financial support with consistent frequency. It was no mistake that "Christians Should Be Prosperous" was one of the first reading requirements. The foundational class on Power For Abundant Living (PFAL) was only the bait that lured people into the organization, with promises of newly found freedom and deliverance. The Intermediate and Advanced Classes, along with other classes, such as Dealing With The Adversary and Renewed Mind, were what set the hook and reeled us in. There was always an unofficial, undercurrent of teaching that flowed freely through the organization. Looking back, I believe it may have been done this way to distance the official organization from culpability. One of the concepts that seemed to gain a foothold quickly was the idea that, once you had heard "the truth", the devil would put a target on your back to keep you from spreading "the word". Bad things could happen to you if you ever left the hedge of protection that fellowshipping with likeminded believers provided. You could never go back to your old way of life. There were plenty of anecdotes being spread to fortify this thinking. One such example came straight from VPW when he brutally chastised the Way Corp, and one individual in particular, for the death of a Way Corp member who died in a car crash when he disobeyed the Man of God and left the HQ grounds, in violation of a directive not to do so. Supposedly, the believer's death was the result of defying revelation and walking out of fellowship... Well, you have to be En Garde! at all times, now, don't you? In the course of only a few short weeks or months, a new believer went from a feeling of exhilaration and liberation to a feeling of paranoia, always having to mentally sneak a peek over the shoulder to make sure the devil was still at bay. You could never contemplate leaving. You were trapped. When the subsequent classes failed to provide answers of how to deal with this, a feeling of hopelessness eventually replaced the original excitement. Being a promoter of PFAL is like being a drug dealer who gifts someone their first hit of heroin. The user goes from a euphoric rush to abject desolation. Staying addicted in hope of avoiding the inevitable is a painful act of futility. Edited 3 hours ago by waysider = = == =

Since Bruce Metzger is referenced in this this thread, it seems appropriate to post this video here. Recordings of his lectures are rare - I've only heard one other. I think many here will find this edifying and informative. Though Metzger is a serious scholar, it's clear from his voice that he's a devout believer, but he's not preaching - there are no histrionics. The lecture is from 1989. Fascinating.

We who were young in the 1970s and 1980s in TWI know what love bombing is, don't we? We know/knew it as a sales technique for a religious multi-level marketing enterprise. But with the advent of the #MeToo movement, observant scholars and essayists started recognizing it as an insidious scheme to win the loyalty and affection of the object of one's sexual attraction. “Love bombing, unlike real love, is a self-centered, anxious pursuit, with the singular goal of acquiring someone because it boosts the bomber’s ego,” Craig Malkin, clinical psychologist and author of Rethinking Narcissism, told HuffPost. “It’s not about care or compassion or tenderness..."

I'll give this a bit of a twist... Dating someone to get them to take PFAL.

Rocky, good article and that book looks interesting too...Your post brought to mind wierwille’s phrase of how we can “love the unloveable “ - which for me now looking back often meant do whatever it takes to get that person to sign up for the class... and if they’re not interested in taking PFAL then drop them like a hot potato....that’s where I draw the line on how much to love the unloveable ha ! “Love the unloveable “ seems like a rather silly naive notion to me now - if someone is truly unloveable then why am I focusing my “affections” on them? To have answered that question honestly back in the day might have been painfully revealing . I guess back then I was so naive and idealistic...and overly simplistic and shallow to think the cure-all for everyone is PFAL...as the pep talks often used to go for motivating us to get someone signed up for the class - - sort of along the lines of “if you really care about someone you want to help them - and there’s nothing better than PFAL that can really help them.” I agree with the article that “love bombing” is a way to manipulate someone - to get them to do what you want, like sign up for the class...it was NOT a genuine unselfish love - but rather self-serving...I could be a real azzhole to my family all day long but boy could I turn on the charm if there was a new person at fellowship! Maybe folks will see me getting them to sign up for the class !....What hypocrisy!