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Showing content with the highest reputation on 01/22/2023 in Posts

  1. The more I consider these myriad of tactics, the more examples come to mind. Understandably, the more one is isolated and immersed in this realm of control.... the higher the levels of abuse. That's why the corps program was the ultimate stronghold wierwille utilized to attain his narcissistic power and control over others. Everything about the corps program gave wierwille and corps coordinators access to twist and mold young minds. When you signed on the line to "be corps"... you entered the door of bait-and-switch. Generic terminology of the corps commitment was an accelerated *mission creep* bonanza. Young, committed minds surrounded by cunning leaders and peers was pressurized. Those who fell short were publically castigated for all to witness. The cult held absolute control over the daily schedule and could change it at any time. Keeping corps off-balance stripped individuals from any control over their daily lives or future. Edgy and dangerous exercises.... colon cleanse, hitch-hiking at dark, safety at work projects. Death came early for some....even then, wierwille did not adjust or change course. Some young corps girls were selected for wierwille's sexual delight and predatory nature. Resistance to wierwille's "advances" was enough to give her the bum's rush off twi-property. Corps were disposable. Dreams of "serving God" were dashed by one act of disobedience. Isolation, immersion, idolization breeds a world of absolute control over others. Twisted teachings like "the lock box" and "salt covenants" were weapons of control. Corps were used as slave-labor at Camp Gunnison and Tinney, New Mexico (and roa). L.E.A.D. replaced T.F.I. in California. Wierwille stripped John Svmmerville of his authority. Purging those who challenged vpw was evident throughout twi's history. Wierwille did NOT lead by example.... he flaunted his position to smoke and drink at will. By 1977, 1978.... dozens of elder corps were moving towards the exit doors. What's a cult leader to do? Change? LOL. Nope, move younger guys into those vacated positions. Damage control, damage control. Twi was a one-trick pony. Decades of carnival tactics for 8 years (1973-1981) of power and control. Even when transitioning to lcm and stepping down (1981).....wierwille detested giving away power. Wierwille wanted his son, Don, to lead the ministry.... but Don's teaching prowess was lame. So, martindale was chosen because he ALWAYS obeyed wierwille. Nothing about being God's servant. Twi was built on a man of the flesh and remains ungodly to this day.
    4 points
  2. ********* One could write a thesis paper on twi's tactics. I always find it interesting to study wierwille and the timeline of twi's "explosion of growth" between the years 1973-1980. As wierwille accumulated power and control over others, his tactics were tethered to two uncompromising positions: 1) the pfal class, and 2) the way corps program. Claiming spiritual authority from God, wierwille was relentless in subjugating his followers with tactics that can easily be categorized as emotional, psychological and spiritual abuse. Some cult experts have labeled these tactics as total thought reform of the individual. Wierwille spent years traveling the highways teaching a plagiarized version of pfal [stolen from Bullinger] trying to convert and recruit church people to join his ministry. It wasn't until he locked into "Family Camps" and targeting the youth that gave his efforts momentum that unleashed the 1970's decade of control. In studying these tactics, one can easily identify wierwille's narcissistic methods that are found in cult leaders the world over. Established spiritual authority.... called of God to lead others to enlightened truths. Build a framework of stair-climbing steps to attain this enlightened status. Isolation of the group from the evil, outside world. Us versus them. Allow enablers into the inner-circle. These "yes-men" will protect your flank. Travel with an entourage. It exudes an elevated level of importance and authority. A series of purges. Keep people off-balance and second-guessing themselves. ....... Load the language with words and phrases that only insiders understand. Anyone who bucks authority must be shunned and/or purged. Public character assassinations of one's reputation is a powerful weapon. Labeling one "possessed" scares the bejesus out of followers. Keeps them in line. Move in herds. Keep people in groupthink mode, no room for individualism. ....... Demand the tithe/abs to be in fellowship with God. Keep followers in meager, dependent state. Establish an outreach program that is "reaching the world with God's Word." Again, load the language making God's Word synonymous with pfal. Build the perception that hq is *home* further breaking ties with parents, family. Annual pilgrimage to hq's rock of ages is demanded. Strengthening bond. ....... Establish a two-tier spiritual authority structure. Way Corps are your "spiritual leaders." It's all a ruse.....because corps are NOT leaders, they're sycophant followers (suck-ups). Corps were subjected Stockholm Syndrome tactics and abuse others when given chance. Everything in twi became a herd-fest. Major events were an exercise of control. As followers grew older, married, had kids and responsibilities....reality broke these tactics. ....... Wierwille was infuriated that "his kids" were abandoning ship....thus, the corps letters. By hiding behind a cover of false humility (woe is me).... vpw was a huckster to the end. Not once, did I ever see wierwille do a "God-revelation" act to benefit the people. Hiding in the shadows, he built his mystique with enablers who amplified "his greatness." In the light of day, wierwille was nothing more than a country-bum fraudster. ....... In the end, his "kingdom" came crashing to the ground for everyone to see. Rival opportunists have been trying to mimic his tactics ever since. Irony of ironies that Mrs. Wierwille's book exposes vp's serial plagiarism and tactics. Twi continues its grip on the millions that were accumulated in the 70s. Only by isolating itself can twi continue to lay claim to its self-referential "greatness." ....... Peace to all who find the exit doors.
    4 points
  3. You're describing confabulation via confirmation bias. You literally decide anything you want, because of your narcissistic paranoia that your adversary is "out there", and decide that whatever you like is evidence. That's how revelation you describe works. You've given no test that might disprove your claims. You've lowered the basketball hoop and invented a new move. Growth does not happen in the real world without repeated failure and pain. You've provided a painless safe-space for yourself. Enamoured by the faux-intellectual reasoning, you're blinded to the real world. When tested against reality you can't see failure. You live in a fantasy. Your research produces nothing of value to anyone but yourself. When VPW received "revelation" he was lying to cover his own cowardness. He was too weak to compete against more competent individuals. So he used "revelation" to f_ck with the heads of overly trusting others. His leverage did not stand on its own. And neither does yours.
    3 points
  4. "Someday we’re going to find a manuscript that verifies this." "“We probably won’t find a manuscript in my lifetime that verifies this, but my spiritual awareness tells me what the original has to say.” ========================= Well, most people will look at this, if not through the lens of adoration of the speaker, and say that this is obviously an attempt by a person to disregard all the available evidence and claim something for which no evidence exists, allowing them to make ridiculous claims that contradict Scripture. When lcm said this stuff, his go-to phrase for pulling stuff out of his sit-upon was "You'd know this if you worked The Word on this." In vpw's case, it was the manuscripts that nobody's ever seen that somehow still support vpw's claims even if they have been read by nobody and there's no proof they even exist. Their existence is all predicated on the "spiritual awareness" of a plagiarizing rapist who lied and claimed to hear from God, who plagiarized the works of many others and still flubbed it often, who listened to conspiracy nuts then turned around and reported what they said and pretended it was Divine Revelation that told him, and got his "doctorate" from a degree mill. Once all that is known, what kind of credibility does the speaker have? That's right- none at all. It was all smoke and mirrors. But when we didn't know any better, that nonsense played a LOT better because we trusted someone untrustworthy and thought we could trust him.
    2 points
  5. thanks Rocky ! interesting stuff - one quote "The mind is the brain in action"
    1 point
  6. Does THIS pattern sound at all familiar?
    1 point
  7. Your defense mechanisms are working in overdrive. I never met wierwille so I have nothing to like or dislike, never knew the man. What I attack is his false persona and the decades long cover-up to hide his ACTUAL crimes and malfeasance. That which is crooked cannot be made straight. So while wierwille very well may have repented on his deathbed or before of his sins or not...and I dont care about that one way or another because thats between him and Jesus Christ. His legacy and doctrines are fair game and the fruit left behind is putrid. You are back to saying wierwille was a great man of God because Mike Almighty says so. Your credibility is nill on account of posts just like this. But please keep posting such ridicoulous garbage. You serve as a repellant for anyone who might get caught in wierwilles web of lies. I wish I had read your posts before giving my life to the way international but GSC didnt exist back then.
    1 point
  8. Once you discover Santa Claus isn't real, you can't ever make yourself believe again, no matter how hard you try. Some people choose, instead, to ignore reality and refuse to believe he isn't real.
    1 point
  9. "truths already known spiritually?" Gosh Mike. Really? How would they have become known in the first place?
    1 point
  10. Or perhaps Mike doesn't have an answer and is trying to figure it out as he goes? That would make sense to me, if true. But if it's not Mike's intent, then yes, he's articulating some rationalization as to how he imagined it took place.
    1 point
  11. Mike, was there EVER a standard against which to measure Victor's hunches? How do "spiritual" hunches constitute a biblical research ministry, or a teaching ministry claiming to be founded on the "integrity of the Word?" On what, really, was the fellowship aspect of the organization based? Didn't Victor, in PFLAP teach something about having a center of reference for learning anything? Why did he feel compelled to send Cummins to Germany to look for that manuscript in the first place? I can go as far as relying on "first thoughts" and what a minister FEELS led to do when ministering to a person in need... for example perhaps, of physical healing. But what, besides something mentioned already, a sense of confirmation bias, is a follower of Victor's ministry supposed to rely on when the storms come? Like when a person's core beliefs are challenged? Consider Matthew chapter 13. I never understood the verses following 13:10. But since I've written news and a blog, I have learned the REAL reason people use parables is to make it easier for the reader or listener to understand what the writer/speaker actually means. So, why wouldn't Cummins have been tasked with figuring out why Jesus made sense when speaking in parables, but NOT when he answered his disciples' question about his rhetorical methods?
    1 point
  12. "I heard a complaint, circa 1977-78, about the research department from 2 associates or members of that department, just a month or two before they were kicked out of the 7th Corps. They told me that VPW was manipulating things and not doing valid research. " Sure sounds like what was just documented. It's remarkably straightforward. He appealed to the authority of what was written in IMAGINARY DOCUMENTS. That's "not doing valid research" to say the least. (To say the most, it's champion-level Bullshirting to pull that and get away with it.)
    1 point
  13. If you understand narcissistic personalities, it's no great mystery. Among the traits narcissist have are: 1. Testing boundaries to see what they can get away with. 2. The need to tell on themselves. Saint Vic was just testing his boundaries with his audience. Usually when a narcissist confesses it's through projection, by blaming others for what they're doing. This, however, is a case of straight up admitting it and hoping no one will notice.
    1 point
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