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The original premise of the thread was that TWI's doctrine on the nature of God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit served to isolate way followers from the rest of Christianity. (Indeed, some people would not even consider TWI Christian because of this doctrine.) The payoff to followers while inside the group was a feeling of superiority over the rest of the Christian (we sometimes added "so called") world. We understood something about the nature of God that eluded almost everyone else. They were ignorant and/or deceived. Let's be honest with ourselves about the appeal of that insider knowledge. It feels good. It allows you to over look other less appealing aspects of participation. When people eventually decide to leave TWI, and most do, if they have internalized this idea that Jesus Christ is not God, it is difficult if not impossible to find somewhere they feel they can belong. They cannot find a "church home" they feel comfortable in. Is the Trinity a better explanation of the nature of God? I don't know. But choosing to believe or at least allow the possibility of a trinitarian God opens up many more possibilities for fulfilling Christian fellowship and experience.

Yeah - there's a lot to your post, Rocky – - great input! makes me think of how we all got caught up in VP's grand delusion. And I'm reminded of two incidents – which when placed side by side reveal how shallow and phony a life I lived for the ministry. Incident 1: It was about a year or so before I took PFAL or even got involved with TWI. it was late at night. I just got home (lived with my parents). I was wired and freaking out - having a bad acid trip. My mind was all over the place and I could not complete a thought. I was so afraid my parents would see me like this – and was that their voices I hear upstairs talking about me now? I don't know why I did this but I prayed to Jesus Christ. I just said "Jesus Christ help me!" and for some odd reason shortly after that I began nodding off to a peaceful night's sleep…it was the most rapid - yet calm - coming down from an acid trip I've ever experienced.. . I didn't even have to listen to the Allman Brothers, drink orange juice or anything. To this day I still love the SNL skit with Dan Aykryod doing an impression of Jimmy Carter talking down a guy having a bad acid trip .….oh yeah, I did quit doing acid after that…and not long after that I weened myself off pot too. Incident 2: Four or so years later…I'm witnessing at a college campus – see a young man staring at posted announcement of a lecture by this guy who can levitate himself. Not to be outdone by levitation - I launch into the Way Living in Love story of God talking to VP – God would teach VP the word and VP would then teach it to others. Here's the silly thing about this incident – the guy came to our Twig and took the class! It's awful how I feel now – if I could find him I'd try to talk some sense into him if he's still with TWI. i have to admit that is really pathetic – instead of witnessing about a real answer to prayer I received during a personal crisis (and had nothing to do with PFAL, VP or TWI i might add) – I witness about VP. Come to think of it – I don't recall sharing many incidents of something real, some miraculous benefit that actually happened to me as a direct result of me applying what I learned from PFAL. I gave testimony to second hand miracles – alleged miracles at that. I've told you before I am not good at sales; but I could quote from the promotional video….anyway that's one of my many embarrassing stories of being caught up in VP's grand delusion. Ughhh…. no wonder it's fizzled out – how far can folks go on someone else's delusion?

EXACTLY..... For the first 5 or 6 years, I had a zealous excitement for the rock of ages. I expected to see joy, healing, deliverance, walking and leaping and praising God. YET.....it didn't happen. And, especially that year when wierwille announced a healing service would be held that night in the big top. I had high expectations of the possibilities. So, when the time came....and wierwille called for those who sought deliverance to come forward, he stayed at the microphone and summoned the advanced class grads to come forward to minister. Wierwille and his top-tier leaders stood on stage and watched the proceedings. Religious hierarchy smug..... The cRock of Ages became a smugfest of trivial pursuits for the little people. The smug of golf cart drivers darting hither and yon....while the crowds walked in the rain and mud. With each passing year, more mothers with babies and toddlers attended......yet, twi was stuck on stupid. In the 1980s, the teenagers were bored out of their wits......still, the spiritual elite provided little except a teen stage in the west woods. Oh my God.....the clueless are in charge!?! Who organizes an event to do THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN? Answer: Wierwille and his cult. Gawd, I miss those days of suit, tie and bible while walking thru a muddy cornfield toward a hot, humid, hard seat in a big top oven.

The social need for belonging was an underpinning to twi's growth. The rock of ages could have been a fun, exciting, social gathering ALL DAY LONG with a 90 minute teaching series in the evening. But no......the "ruling lords" had to leverage their control of spirituality from the flag raising to family table teachings to corps promotional meetings. What a crock! By 1981, I loathed the roa-religiosity and brain-numbing gurus. Same ole, same ole,.....year after year. C'mon, people......how many of us went to the rock of ages to see friends, family, and loved ones? Did the fanfare, the twi-infomercials and the bloviating on main stage add to that experience? Not really. Do I remember ANY SPECIFIC TEACHING? Nope. Do I remember certain people and the social stuff? Yep, I sure do.