diazbro

Well yes that is definitely true. And many twigs had very fluid membership. People might show up twice in a row, disappear for a month, and come back later on. This didn't seem to be a problem especially when the twig leaders might also be changing frequently also. At times they tried to "take roll" but logistically it wasn't possible. The PFAL green card was the closest thing they had to get a head count but I knew people who would go to twigs for like a year and not take the class and nobody complained because of the aforementioned reasons. This changed at some point when HQ started deploying corps to specific areas. When they showed up there were lots of shakeups and people were pressured to sign greencards and if they did't follow through we were encouraged to "end our witness" which meant they were no longer welcome at twig if they didn't take (i.e. "pay" for) PFAL. This was a real shame because we had people at twig who just wanted to come and hang out and heara bible teaching. They would even kick in some money to the horn o' plenty. This was sort of a turning point where you had people leaving on a significant scale. After all here were people ,the corps, who were basically the same age as you (maybe even younger) acting like they were much older and demanding that you sign this card to prove your intent. To someone active in the 60s this was like a threat. It was like the "establishment" (a common 60s term) was now in place at TWI. So lots of people just laughed in their faces and left for other things. So the legalism that would be pefected under the reign of LCM was already there in TWI by the mid 70s. Yea there weren't these requirements in place so people could function like that. and in many cases it made for a much kinder form of leadership though after "training" things got worse and people were edged out and the "pros" would roll into an area and basically stifle the good growth. This was happening in the mid 70s which is why I claim that "TWI I" wasn't some paradise as some claim. I also noticed that many of the corps teachings started to emphasize the devil more and how if we didn't "shape up" as a country we could lose it. So there was this emphasis on "being sharp" and "taking a check up from the neck up". And they started relating our behavior to events in the world as if our adherence to "the word" could case misfortune not only in our lives but in that of others. This sort of grew over time and culminated with what i call the "America Awakes" era (76 or so) which was the Joyful Noise album. I've told Socks here a couple of times that while I liked the album and the music I didn't like having to listen to it 20 and 30 times a week or being strong armed into buying copies as gifts for people who already had copies. Of course anyone who was active at that time no doubt remembers the alleged attempt on the US government and how "doctor" had gotten this heavy revvy that there would be an overthrow attempt. So we had these prayer vigils and were asked to make sure our walk was right on and all that so God would protect us. Of course nothing happened and then it was like "thank god for doctor weirwille" who got the revelation about it and told us what to do to prevent it (prayer vigils). So it was clear that this thing was getting creepy. Nice trick huh. Create an impending false emergency and when nothing happens take credit for preventng it. I've got more to say about this but thats enough for now.

The 60s movement was an abundant source of idealistic youth that looked to find meaning at what was a very turbulent time. Unless you were aware back then its very difficult to understand what the climate was like. Lots of young people were looking for alternative lifestyles and checked out communes, religious organziations, mysticism, activism and maybe even overlaps between all of the above. Lots of groups prospered because of this not just TWI. My initial involvements with TWI were only after I had checked out the Krishnas, drugs, the occult, and even a group of so called satanists (they were so boring - bunch of guys who couldn't get laid so they smoked alot of guage and rapped about the "dark master"). In any case its not an accident that TWI grew because lots of people came to twigs because their friends invited them and there weren't as many strings at that time as there eventually came to be. You could float in and out without someone busting your chops about it. At least at first. There was a time when that honeymoon period would be over and then you were expected to fall in line with the typical way progression - PFAL, intermediate, supporting classes, advanced, WOW and so on. As people aged and considered college or considered returning to college, way leaders saw it as competition for the wow programs and corps programs so there were some definite teachings made about how the acquisition of "worldy knowledge" wasn't profitable or "the best use of time". Basically way leaders wanted to keep and energetic, mobile sales force for PFAL on the road at all times. You couldn't be a salesperson for PFAL if you were busy with school. One thing I do know is that if you had been to college then TWI was more than happy to tell people about it as if they had something to do with it. It made them look better to followers if someone who had been to a real university decided to fellowship with TWI. That was very hypocritical of course but thats not a surprise. And then they tried to setup that joke of a college to attract people who wanted to go to college. Now. I don't at all think that the Way of the late 60s or early 70s were somehow innocent or pure as some old timers would have you believe. Lots of *people* were innocenet and had no idea what TWI was about or what the expectations would be but TWI itself always had this quiet sinister thing going on. From my earliest twigs I had questions that would go unanswered or ignored and when I persisted I was either love bombed or pulled to the side and chastised for "bringing everybody down". So its not like it was some panacea or some perfect time. There were lots of deception and power struggling going on where people were jockeying for influence and control. If you didn't see it then it doesn't mean that others didn't. The sheer numbers made it such that leaders didn't have to worry so much if someone didn't come to twig. There were plenty of replacements. Plus its hard to control a twig of 50 (thats what we had one summer). If anything we dictated what we were going to do much more than the twig leader or any other type of leader. But as numbers stabilized and people got to know you at a particular twig the expectaions were there for you to advance in the way progression. And this was by 75 so its not like the control freaks waited till the 80s to show themselves. I had plenty of encounters with know-it-all corps types and self righteous Wows telling me that going to college or starting your own business before you went wow or took the advanced class was inviting the devil into your life. I know that lots of people from that time like to point to Elena Whiteside's book "the Way living in love" as some great document of TWI at that time but in my opinion and experience that book was a fictional story in that it conveyed a way experience that I never saw. And believe me I tried. Some people did space out and become total pollyannas about TWI so maybe for them it was like utopia. But it was only because they didn't take the time to notice the very corporate and business-like moves being made by TWI.

Well if its an offshoot who is collecting the ABS ? *laff* I've heard GSCafe characterized as an offshoot of sorts and it could well be though ,speaking in general, its perlious for one to assume that all here have the same attitudes and opinions about the way experience or the post way experience. That is we might have been in the way at one point but to assume much else beyond that could result in some conflict. In splinters I suspect that uniform behavior is required and that being "likeminded" is still a rigid expectation. Here at GS that isn't the case. Sure there have been people who still want to make appeals to others based on way teachings or cliches but its not generally very effective. Back on Waydale I think it was more effective only because people were still very much in touch with their way training and thought every one else should be too. Having spoken with splinter members its clear to me that some people have relaxed a bit but not enough to convince me that those splinters are sufficiently different from TWI to warrant my interest or time. Of course their idea of relaxed expectations is laughable: "Well we aren't forced to come to fellowship. I mean we do it because we want to ya know. No one notices if we are there or not". Yea right. That is total BS and everyone knows it. They keep score just like they did in TWI. And try introducing some different theology in the mix and see how long you are tolerated.

yes well I think that they make good decompression chambers for those leaving TWI. I never went the splinter route having left TWI prior to the formation of any splinters. I've been invited to a few and heard some tapes by CES (they were just like Way tapes) but never went. I think people leaving TWI take some solace in the splinter groups because it gives them a place to hang out before they take on "real life". Obviously some people will remain with the splinter so for some , these splinters fill the void that TWI previously did. I cannot say that any of these splinters are "bad" because I've never spent time in any of their "fellowships" but the similarities between their stated beliefs and those of TWI are so similar that I don't want to even bother. I know people who are strong supporters of various way splinter groups and as long as they don't bug me about coming to their "fellowships" then I don't bug them about not being able to let go of Way teachings. The only time I get bothered by people is when I see some former wayfers who think its their job to "rescue" everyone by inviting them to a splinter. "What ? You aren't attending fellowship anywhere ?". I let them know very quickly that its none of their business if and when or where I go to church and that next time they get nosey I won't be nice about it. This approach seems to work to repel advances by W ay teaching die-hards. this is basically why I don't socialize with former Way people because when I have it seems like people get some kind of contact high and get nostalgic about the "good ole days" and then someone wants to have a "believer's meeting" or sing some songs from the Way songbook. BLEEEECCCCHH ! Spare me the trip down memory lane.

I found these gems about marriage and the need for independence within that arrangment as a I was re-reading Kahlil Gibrans "The prophet": See http://www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/mideast/propht.htm On Marriage Then Almitra spoke again and said, "And what of Marriage, master?" And he answered saying: You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore. You shall be together when white wings of death scatter your days. Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God. But let there be spaces in your togetherness, And let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together, yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

The goal of the anti-debt stance has always been to keep a large mobile sales force for TWI ready to go anywhere at anytime. If you have a mortgage you can't pick up and move. If you are paying off car notes or education loans then you need steady employment and cannot afford to take jobs at McDonalds or a gas station because Way leaders have asked you to move for the 3rd time in a year. This is the same reason they didn't like people going off to college. It was competition for the WOW and Corps programs. Its not like they hated education its just that they saw people going to college as a lost salesperson for TWI. TWI has never wanted people to settle in - they want you to be able to go on the road at a moments notice and you couldn't do that if you were tied down to a given locale. They knew this so they tried to come up with a "biblical" teaching to keep you free of long term financial obligations (except to TWI). How convenient for the Way management that this means you could easily be relocated... But its an old organization that is populated by old people who have an old message that doesn't mean squat to the youth of today. Who wants to be like 50 or 60 years old and relocating to some new city because someone asked you to ? And who would allow themselves to be put through that at age 50 ? Only a Wayfer...

I did encounter some Corps who seemed to be decent enough and didn't exhibit that arrogant sense of entitlement and self importance that later came to mark so many of the leaders and those who wanted to be leaders. Still I can say with total confidence that my most negative experiences while in TWI all involved encounters with Corps people trying to tell myself , others, or our fellowship what we should be doing. Seems to me that once HQ sent the "pros" into a given town then things turned sour and people left and classes stopped running because the Corps were busy "cleaning the household of the chaff" - and all this while the average joe believer were cleaning their homes , fixing their cars, and babysitting their kids all free of charge. And these people would still whine about "Attention to detail" and how someone's car or house wasn't clean enough. I'm like " Sorry your highness - in between working a full time job and going to ministry functions 4 times a week , (not including classes), and fixing your car engine, and cleaning your basement I might have forgotten to pick someone up for fellowship." Is this everyone's experience ? I don't know. Thats what the forum is for. People can pipe up with their 2 cents worth and I'm sure we all have different experiences and while I did meet some nice Corps people that doesn't change the fact that all the provocations I experienced in TWI were initiated by Corps. I will NOT rewrite my personal history to make someone else feel better. If you went Corps and you felt like you were a good person then excellent but I know of many Corps who were total suckups and simply wanted to dominate and control everyone they could. Your mileage may vary....

No I know no one who went back though in all honesty I do know some people who would were TWI to issue even the most basic of apologies. Some people invested so heavily in TWI that having a life outside of that framework has been an extremely difficulty task for them despite the realization that TWI was a really bad place. They connect with the nostalgia and good times they had as idealistic young people and allow this to color over the reality that TWI is in it for the money. I also know some folks who would head back were TWI to once again adopt VPW's "works" as the primary teaching tools. Once again I think its just desperation to take the trip down memory lane but they'll tell you that they haven't been able to make sense of life outside of TWI. This is tragic indeed but its important to point out that there are indeed people who would return albeit on certain conditions.

Well lets see what Ambrose Bierce has to say about some related issues:

I do not question your personal experience as it is , after all, your experience. On the other hand I do know that personal myths and systems of belief lead individuals to encounter things much differently than someone else. Also use of non-english words shouldn't provoke fear. After all its just another language. In my view those words and the corresponding music weren't sinister or evil at all. It was a a take-off on opera. Frankly that section used to make me laugh if anything. In general I liked the song (radio over play has lessened my enthusiam for it) but even in my Way daze I never considered it to be a pathway to possession. I do recall that some local way leaders were really incensed over two songs that mentioned the devil - one was Cliff Richard's "Devil Woman" which was some of the most weak, harmless, sugary pop music you ever heard but one night at family night it was mentioned as if it were a "song from the pit". The other was the SuperTramp song "Goodbye Stranger" where the line goes: You can laugh at my behavior That'll never bother me Say the devil is my savior But I don't pay no heed Man the leaders just grilled anyone who liked that song but they didn't even take the time to read the lyric in context. The guy never says that "the devil is my savior" just that other people might say that but he wouldn't care. But no they wanted to have a teaching out of it.

I suspect the section to which you are referring is: Easy come easy go - will you let me go Bismillah! No - we will not let you go - let him go Bismillah! We will not let you go - let him go Bismillah! We will not let you go - let me go Will not let you go - let me go (never) Never let you go - let me go Never let me go - ooo No, no, no, no, no, no, no - Oh mama mia, mama mia, mama mia let me go Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me for me for me "Bismillah" is the opening word in the Qu'ran (Koran) and literally means "In the name of Allah." It is not a reference to the devil. The only reference to Beelzebub is the statement "Oh mama mia, mama mia, mama mia let me go Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me". I suspect this means that because he has done all these bad things (killed a man) that his fate is pretty bad and deserving of the torment that only the devil can provide ? But nowhere do I see any incantations or anyone "Calling on" Beelzebub. To the extent that one believes that Islam is devilish I suppose that "Bismillah" *could* be interpreted as some negative reference but I never got that impression from this song. The story line in the song has a tale of someone doing wrong and he is sufferring as a result. I don't see anyone summoning the devil or asking to be possessed.

Well I recall the remarks about using "profane sources" or something like that in PFAL. And I distinctly recall being dumped on for wanting to go to college instead of WOW. Thankfully I never gave in to the bull$h*t about education being "worldly knowledge" and how education was loaded anyway since satan could put down any version of science and history he wanted. Some of these hardliners tried so hard to keep people from leaving the way lifestyle they would say anything to keep you in. I was always amazed at how people who , just six months before were jobless and on the down and out could stand there in front of you and be arrogant enough to lecture you on what was the "right thing to do" or "christian maturity". TWI was full of those types of personalities. In terms of secular stuff I also recall that they had it in for rock music and were pushing that book "the Marxist minstrels" as if it applied to all pop music. I remember after I went to a concert some of the wows told me that it was idolatry and that all rock musicians were into idolatry. IT was like talking to your parents except it was coming from people your age or younger so it was quite odd.

Way brain is usually accompanied by WaySpeak but not always. Obviously the catch phrases that go along with the way experience can trigger bad memories in ourselves and others: "is it available","needs and wants parallel","only god can create","be vigilant", "abundant sharing","the absent christ" On the other hand long after I abandoned wayspeak (at least I think I have) there are still periods wherein I might look down on organized religion though I usually catch myself and try to cut that part of my thinking loose. I've been out since 83 so its not such a hard thing to do anymore. I suppose that attempting to control it in yourself and in others is a different thing. for others well let them rave on about "the hope fo glory" or "receive, retain, release". If someone is still that immersed in the way experience then chances are you couldn't talk sense to them anyway. I usually just avoid talking to them and move on. They get the message of course though they don't much care for it. As I've mentioned before I think that the waybrain relapse is most likely to occur when you meet someone in real time who was in the Way. For some reason people get a contact high off it and start to move down memory lane which might lead to a sympathetic, "the way we were" kind of view. But thats very dangerous because it lets nostalgia and yearning for the "good ole days" overlay the reality of the experience. I know. Some of the old timers talk of "blessed times" but ever since I was involved (early 70s) there were *always* intrigues and plots going on. The fact that others didn't notice it doesn't invalidate the fact that I did. That book "the way living in love" by E. Whiteside was a great work of fiction. I never saw TWI mentioned in that book. Sure I saw people trying to emulate it and act is if life were some utopia but the reality was much,much different. But some were like totally brain washed by it and were convinved to mold their reality , even if it meant rewriting their history , to conform with that book. The reason I mention all this is because I do encounter people of the TWI I who are still very much in love with that time and expect others to be also. They simply refuse to believe or acknowledge that Vic was scamming on young women or that the power struggles (Heefner, Doop, VPW) were "that bad" or that VPW was really stealing his material from others. 9 times out of 10 its these folks that will surprise you with their use of and unabashed devotion to wayspeak and waybrain. Much more so than someone who might have just left say 2 or 3 years ago. You won't see it here so much but in person you do.

The sad reality is that many former way people still hold on to some of the more arcane teachings including the myth of the holocaust or the "Ancient Babylon Religion" book that I hear the author withdrew. Its frustrating when I encounter former Way people who talk like the only thing wrong with TWI was the fact that it feel apart at the top because of power struggles. They still feel like what was taught was right on and god breathed and all that jazz. When I run into these types its like talking to a brick wall. Its not going to changethem and you will only get tired and frustrated trying to get them to reconsider way teachings such as the myth of the holocaust. Then I realized that lots of these people had no real exposure to other churches or even formal education beyond high school (if that) so TWI was their primary source of not only religious instruction but "science" and "history". It became their school in effect so for them to throw all that off would be a lot of work on their part. Its amazing how many "experts" on science, lnaguage, and history there are coming from TWI. They take what they leanred from VPW or LCM and speak it like its authoritative and laugh and mock people who have gone to real schools and actually put in the time and hard work to learn things. But as long as they romance their Way experience or deify VPW or look at like thorugh those Way colored glasses then they will never relent on their belief that things like the holocaust never happened.

Oh hell yes. This would definitely require some explanation now wouldn't it ? Also in the CF&S class there were those pics of penises and "teachings" on slang terms for genitalia and various sexual acts. Why was that in there ? Most people knew plenty of these and we were there ostensibly to learn about what God had in mind relative to sex. Not to hear sex-fiend Vic get tingly while telling us about "dirt road". I recall an elderly woman sitting in on that class and she was thoroughly embarassed not just for herself but for everyone in the room. She was disgusted that someone would have to go so low as to show sex pics and discuss slang as a way to educate us on God's plan for physical love. I agreed with her %100. It wasn't our fault that Uncle Vic like to perv out and talk dirty. Slight change of subject here but I recall that around 78 or so people were warned to guard their AC syllabus from others because a wayfer had been judged to be insane by a court because the person believed the content of the syllabus. The story was repeated frequently enough to get me to consider that it might be one of the many Way urban myths but whatever it was clear that TWI leaders didn't want people to be talking about what they had been teaching in the AC. Also TWI clearly wants an income stream from PFAL or any class it has rights to. Free distribution and exhibition of the material deprives them of money. That they no longer support PFAL as their premier educational tool is beside the point. Its part of the Way holdings so they want to get paid whenever its shown. But I do feel that the copyright issues draw out that TWI are major hypocrites. They want a site shutdown since they own the copyright but that didn't stop them from vanity publishing VPW's stolen works (that was the only way he could get published). Next time some VPW devotee starts saying copyrights don't matter then I'll direct them to this thread so they can see that to TWI copyrights most certainly do matter though apparently only only when it serves the interests of TWI.

Its okay for TWI and (its founding member) to violate and ignore copyright law when it suits their purposes but the moment someone does it to them they consider it a problem ! They can't have it both ways. A recent VPW devotee posted at Gspot that PFAL is basically "God's word" so "the laws of man" don't apply - that is copyright laws and plagiarism don't apply. But then why would TWI oppose the exhibition /redistribution of PFAL if this was truly the case ? If its "the word" and it can bless someone then why not let it be viewed the world over to promote "the accuracy of Gods word" ? VPW stole from others and violated copyright law when he self-published his "works" and passed them off as his own. A lot of that material is in PFAL. Of course TWI profitted from sales of those books and the class itself but morally and ethically , not to mention legally, TWI owes the original authors of those works. But they will never pay them of course.

Well perhaps I was coming down a little heavy handed. I realize that churches discuss politics all the time and that its only natural for a given church to seek government which is as congruent as possible with the tenets of that church. And members of these various churches will take an interest in the spiritual direction of the country. As far as I know (though I'm not completely sure) the IRS forbids non-profit groups and churches from making campaign contibutions though churches can certainly encourage individual donations via its members. How often someting like this done I don't really know. I suppose what concerns me about churches being politically active as a collective is that they could very well fight for legislation and policies that make it difficult for other (perhaps competing or niche) churches to emerge or flourish.

Here is my opinion on any religious organization and respective "church" representatives who feel compelled to state political views in public and expect the american public to be receptive: You should first WILLINGLY ABANDON your tax-exempt status and ONLY then do you get to moan on about politics. Hicks like Jerry Falwell and gloryhounds like Pat Robertson need to acknowledge that their money is the result of tax free donations so why the hell are they whining about the government ? Ironically TWI heavily criticizes any and all organized religions yet they (TWI) owes a huge debt to them for keeping "churches" expempt from tax. VPW,LCM, and RFR have all moaned about the US government yet its the US tax policies towards churches that has faciltated TWI's accumulation of wealth ! Tell you what. Lets elect some officials who recognize that churches make millions and don't kick a dime back to Uncle Sam. These "churches" turn around and invest in real estate, the stock market, and whatever else they want without concern that the IRs is gonna get some of it. Yet these are the same people who complain that recipients of welfare shouldn't be able to vote. Its the same thing. Its cool if you express your political views as an INDIVIDUAL but the moment some designer suit wearing, capped tooth, manicured "preacher" starts trying to express political views of "the church" then he becomes a TOTAL HYPOCRITE ! Pay taxes as a church and THEN you get the "right" to be politically active.

If this is true then its actually pretty interesting. If , as catcup proposes, this represents pre-emptive giving on the part of TWI in order to stop or suppress potential individual donations, then it would be clear that Way leaders might be concerned that followers have cultivated a spiritual conscience that includes concern for those outside of TWI. So they , as leaders, have to act like they care to prove to their followers that they aren't as bad as "the copouts at Gspot claim". So the donation (if it in fact occurred) would be merely a token gesture designed primarily to: 1) stop way followers from giving money to outside sources and 2) to convey the idea that Way leaders give a damn about those outside of TWI (which in my experience is COMPLETELY untrue) (As a side note: I remember when Way leaders routinely dismissed the misforutne of native american indians as the consequence of "devil spirit worhship". Oh right ! Maybe it had something to do with european greed ?) The fact that they aren't being specific about when and how much they donated implies that they don't wish someone to follow up with the various tsunami relief accounting agencies to verify it. Perhaps one could do this anyway to determine if TWI even really donated anything at all so why don't they just come out with the specifics. From a PR point of view it would be an obvious thing to include on their website (if in fact they actually donated). I don't know at all the accounting processes associated with donations to the tsunami relief fund but surely there is a central agency for it which perhaps could verify the donation ? Some donors might request anonymnity though why would TWI do that when they could get credit for it ? And finally. If this contribution did in fact occur perhaps some who is more savvy about IRS rules pertaining to "churches" and non profit organizations can answer these questions: Does the TWI have to declare this donation ? do they get any financial benefit for doing so ? And since its a non-profit situation aren't there disclosure rules which must be followed ?

Thanks TH. After reading your post I do recall some of those references you made. Sounds familiar. This thread has lead me to think about some other things I hadn't considered in a while. An interesting idea about the devil and his minions is the concept that he is successful as a result of his secrecy. This was taught in the Dealing With The Adversary class but the concept predates TWI. I'd heard the idea mentioned when I was kid. Its also an idea which is famously detailed in C.S Lewis' "The Screwtape Letters" wherein a senior demon provides a series of advice letters to a junior demon on how to capture souls. Sort of like a "Dear Abby" for demons. It would be a particularly ingenious strategy. Get people to think of you as a inept comical figure in a red suit and a pitchfork. As long as they have this image of you then you are free to move about mostly undetected. On occasion the devil could terrorize people by making his presence known in an obvious fashion and then quickly recede back into the shadows leaving those unfortunate souls to babble on about what they saw which might lead others to conclude that that person is totally nuts. It would be quite a thing to explain to someone else. For those who hold the more serious view of the devil its still frustrating because you might never be totally sure what human impulses and behavior are natural and which are authored or encouraged by satan. Even for the devout christian there is always some paranoia about this - "am I being tempted ?". Some christians are not only vigilant about this they are hyper-vigilant which leads them to be "on guard" all the time. They see dread, intrigues and spiritual plots everywhere. Worse they have to be "on guard" against their loved ones , the media, and even society at large. Its not wonder that some of these people are so wrapped up in mistrust and bitterness. you would be too if you thought that some "lion" was "waiting to devour you". This outlook would not make for peaceful living. On the other hand I've observed that the more grounded christians tend to focus on the postive aspects of the christian life. e.g. the accomplishments of christ and what it means in terms of personal liberation and destiny. They don't get bogged down in all the "devil talk" that so plagued the Way lifestyle. If you can believe what the bible has to say about the devil then you can also believe what it has to say about God. So there are many verses to support the concept that Christ delivered people and provided salvation which negates the devil's power. Why then does the way focus on the power of satan to the point of obsession ? Of course we now recognize that Way leaders talked so much about devil spirits as a method to instill fear and neutralize the common sense mechanisms. Keep people in fear and they will remain close to TWI and its teachings. It worked for quite a while. As some people have pointed out , the Way's fascination with the devil could simply be a result of them following orders from their REAL leader....This assumes of course that you believe in such things.

Well this must first be verified of course. As we know its now a common practice for TWI to distribute specific information (usually false) in specific locales in an attempt to "smoke out" innies posting on Gspot. If the false info appears on Gspot then they can localize and refine their search for the person and confront them. It also seems to me that TWI would publish this info on their website in order to maximize the publicity. Why would the donate money and keep quiet about it especially to a cause that would make them seem to be charitable in the eyes of the public ? I think it would be very dangerous for Way leaders to mention such a donation to its followers because it conveys the idea that its acceptable to donate to organizations other than TWI itself. In the 70s and until I left in 83 TWI worked extremely hard to pound in the concept that your ABS money needed to go directly to TWI. There was no other choice if you wanted to receive God's blessings. It seems most odd that they would change their pitch. Of course , as mentioned, it could have been an attempt by Way leaders to appear to be compassionate to the misey of others. Also , there is no guarantee that they actually made the contribution. Its easy for them to stand up and say things while lying about it. In my opinion Way leaders are very accomplished at deceiving followers to keep them in line.

There were lots of free benefits for the way leader - babysitting, car repair, house cleaning, taxi service, cooking, general manual labor. And make no mistake. The leaders expected these things and if they didn't get it like they wanted they would gripe about it. Also it was a one way street (no pun intended). You might bust your a$$ fixing a car or cleaning a house for the limb leader but would he do the same for you ? The answer is a resounding and definite "NO" ! You weren't even supposed to ask. Here is the kicker - we all know this and we all know that many of us willingly provided these services yet there are many former way leaders who deny that they were the recipients. Thats what gets me mad. They should at least be honest about it. (Perhaps thats one of the reasons that many exWay leaders don't post here ?). You have lots of people who worked their tails off in service to these leaders yet they won't own up to it. What is up with that ? Well. Obviously they don't like to admit it - that they were pompous, self-absorbed jerks sponging off the rank and file who worked jobs, ran twigs and classes AND "serviced" the various MOGs and their families. I suppose that were I to be one of these leaders (former or present) I would be ashamed of myself for exploiting others. Any one with a conscience would. I admit it that I was a sucker for various MOGs and bought into the "humble servant" role. The very least they could do is admit that they benefitted from it and also that they never responded in kind. It would go a long way in setting things right.... But I don't expect that to happen...

RFR taught at a nearby Limb meeting around Easter. This was perhaps 77 or 78. I had never heard of her nor had many of the people there though we were assured that she was a "great woman of God" by the local leaders many of whom seemed ambivolent about the arrangement. It was as if her presence represented a last minute change and she was thrust upon the Limb and she had to be accomodated. I don't know this to be true but that is the impression I got. We were all expecting someone else to teach. Some of the area people didn't look happy about the change. Anyway her teaching was unremarkable. She talked down Easter as a counterfeit and spoke of Penetecost as the day we should be celebrating. Nothing new really - just a regurgitation of standard Way teaching on Easter. Her teaching style was very dry and she made no attempt at humor (even standard, corny Way jokes). It was a rainy day and I found myself drifting off frequently. I don't think RFR's rise to power had anything to do with her public speaking skills or her mastery of "the word". Over the years (in and out of TWI) I've encountered individuals who are excellent manipulators of people and they have an acumen for positioning themselves correctly such that when the time is right they can step into positions of influence and power. Non-coincidentally they tend to be accomplished at schmoozing the right people which typically involves the development of a close relationship with a "target". The purpose of this is to get information that will later become useful. Of course while its happening the "target" feels lucky to have such a "close friend" in whom they can confide. ("No one understands me like you do. I can always count on your support"). These manipulators are loyal to no one except themselves. They usually are successful to the extent that they "move up" but it comes at a cost. Eventually people do recognize them as the manipulators they are.

Interestingly I rarely heard the word "exorcism" used while in TWI except in reference to a verse or ,of course, the movie "The Exorcist". This is what I remember from my way teachings. Also I don't necessarily believe all of this any more - just pointing out what I recall. Most of the time the activity of "casting out spirits" was part of "ministering" to someone during which the manifestations could reveal the presence of a spirit(s) and what to do about it (them). "word of knowledge", "word of wisdom", and "discerning of spirits" might all be employed to determine the correct course of action for the given situation. I recall being taught that an exorcism (as depicted by the movie) was an indication of weakness and the activity of charlatans (priests). No "true son of god" would would have to bargain with the devil or chant rituals to get them to leave. Once a believer was instructed to cast out the spirit and he/she did it with authority then it was all supposed to be over very quickly. Like in the cases where Jesus Christ expelled demons. There was rarely prolonged conversations. Of course there was the comment "Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting" in Matthew 17:21 that suggests that some preparation might be necessary. Still the expulsion by Jesus was instantaneous whereas the disciples couldn't help in that situation.