Flow7

Sure, Would love to, ... just let me know who the weenie is who you would like to roast. (Just kidding!)

Hello Peruser, good to see there are others of us here in Northern Virginia. I am sure there are probably many more. I've been here since 1997. Great place to live except for the traffic! MCarroll, please send regards to your sister and BIL in CA and also your husband and kids. Johnny Lingo and Likeaeagle try this for Bruce http://www.cabsf.org/Home%20Fellowships.htm God bless, DFL

Sorry this is so long, so please forgive my rambling,but I have read with interest many of the threads and have grown to respect, empathize with, and anxiously await many posters on this forum. Certainly, the range of feelings and ideas span the entire emotional and ideological scale. I became involved with TWI in 1971 when I was still in high school and left in 1989. It was a long and enlightening process and dominated my adolescent and early adult life. As such, many of my beliefs, attitudes, and my lifestyle were molded while I was actively involved. Given that history, I offer my (with the emphasis on MY) opinions, observations and insight. There is no such thing as an objective opinion, since an opinion is exactly that; a subjective viewpoint on any given topic ? it may be right or wrong ? but is nevertheless an individual perspective. This is not written as an apology for any actions that harmed or hurt anyone ? and there were many. Sin is sin, but the consequences and effects vary considerably. Most people and events are multi-dimensional. History is replete with infinite examples of bad people doing good things and vice-versa. Alleged sexual deviants, dipsomaniacs, and megalomaniacs founded our country, but we are historically kind to them because their good outweighed the bad. Judas Iscariot is remembered only for his betrayal of Jesus. All of these people are ironically complex but are singularly defined by (associated with) their major accomplishments or deeds. I believe my years with TWI were mostly enjoyable because I was told very early on to never ever follow a man or a ministry. Instead, I was to study and believe for myself. If I ever found anything better or more profitable to me, I was told to follow it instead. I remember VP saying that if the Way Ministry ever got in the way of moving the Word, he would can the whole thing. (Please remember, these are my thoughts and memories ? I know he lied about many things and hurt many people.) Well, it took many years, but that simplistic ideology began to visibly change and I began to see some of the decay and corruption within the ?household?, but that did (does not) negate the positives that I also learned. The hurt is so deep (as many have attested to) because the trust was so complete. Hearts and lives are delicate commodities and we very rarely allow ourselves to readily trust anything ? it is a survival defense mechanism. When we do, we become vulnerable to outside influences ? for both good and bad. I did not personally see the overt corruption, nor was I taught to ever mistreat other people. I cannot forgive VP for the harm he knowingly did to those who trusted him with their lives (thankfully, that task is for God and God alone), but that does not negate everything that I learned while in TWI (This is not a defense of doctrine or lifestyle). We are the sum of our pasts and we cannot escape what happened to us, but as evidenced by the varied responses and the range of emotions, there are degrees and stages of our individual introspection. If you believe you are a good person now, then at least some of that is because of your past. It?s good to be able to talk about it.