jkboehme

Yet another manner in which to view TWI’s thought reform processes involves a study conducted in 1984 at the University of Oregon, the PISCES Study (acronym for Project on Information & Social Change). One of the cultic groups studied in this project was TWI specifically. The tabular data can most easily accessed in the appendices of the book, Snappping, by Conway & Siegelman. The project director was Dr. Carl W. Carmichael, Ph.D. Another noted researcher was Dr. Gary Cronkhite, Ph.D. The chief statistician was Mr. John C. Coggins. The hypothesis of the study was that cult indoctrination techniques produce deficits in [mental] information processing that should be identifiable at both cognitive & neurophysiological levels. On the cognitive level, cultic intense indoctrination was shown to produce such psychopathologic harm/damages as: PTSD, dissociative disorder, anxiety, depression, panic, insomnia, nightmares, unexplained anger, aggressiveness, & suicidal ideations. Specifically regarding TWI, the long-term detrimental effects noted were: anger, depression, loneliness, guilt, humiliation, insomnia, hostility to one’s personal family, fear of harm by the group, & violent outbursts. The cultic intense indoctrination practices were theorized to adversely affect various neurotransmitters in study participants. A decreased level of serotonin was logically inferred, the lack of which causes depression. Increased levels of opiate-like endorphins which can cause emotional numbing were also inferred. Increased levels of opiate-like enkephalins, which can induce the experience of cultic ‘floating’ and dissociative states were inferred as well. Certain enzyme levels were theorized to increase as well, most notably CALPAIN. This enzyme, calpain, when activated, can dissolve existing neuronal connections in the brain, as can various other neuromodulators. This activity takes place in normal “learning.” However, in the context of extreme cultic oppressive indoctrination, excess amounts of enzymatic calpain & other ‘learning/unlearning’ neuromodulators can loosen the synaptic fabric of the neuropil, opening the way to the actual dissolution of beliefs, & essentially destroy personally needful/useful/desirable/ neuronal synaptic connections (which define one’s true historical experiential self) & replace them with new, cult-generated synaptic connections (on both the microscopic individual neuronal level as well as the larger, mesoscopic neural population level = specialized neural pathways). Here again, in the PISCES model as well, one can see the personally undesirable production of a non-consented, unintended, pseudo-personality & pseudo-identity. At least 3 subsequent follow-up studies confirmed the findings of the PISCES study. :mellow: :unsure: :o :blink: :(

Actions, practices, behaviors, deeds, & conduct are regulated by law in the USA. Beliefs are protected as long as one doesn't ACT on potentially harmful beliefs. TWI as an operating strategy routinely utilized harmful & injurious conduct as standard practice. Now what does the law of the land say? See God vs. The Gavel by Dr. Marci Hamilton. In order to save your time, you will want to first focus on the two most pertinent chapters, which are chapters 8 & 9 (pages 203 – 272). Chapter 8: Boerne v. Flores {pp. 203 – 237 with Conclusion on pp. 235 – 237}. The net result of the Boerne decision was to foreclose religious’ entities arguments that religious motivation should absolve religious actors of neutral laws governing their conduct. The burden rests on the religious believers demanding exemption from a law to prove that the conduct sought to be immunized is not harmful to the society and individuals in it. In Employment Division v. Smith, it is seen that correct reading of the Free Exercise Clause is that an individual’s religious beliefs do NOT excuse him or her from compliance with an otherwise valid law prohibiting conduct that the State is free to regulate. Chapter 9: The Decline of Special Treatment of Religious Entities & the Rise of the No-Harm Rule {pp. 238 – 272 with Conclusion on pp. 271 – 272}. The elimination of religious sovereign power by definition made religious institutions private, and therefore on a more equal footing with other private entities. The constitutionally relevant question is NOT what is best for any ‘church’ – indeed that question is forbidden by the neutrality principle underlying the Establishment Clause. The proper question instead IS whether the liberty accorded is consonant with the no-harm principle. As the no-harm principle has developed over the centuries, it has become an insuperable barrier for the claim that the Constitution can or should place religious entities above the law. :) ;)

Actions, practices, behaviors, deeds, & conduct are regulated by law in the USA. Beliefs are protected as long as one doesn't ACT on potentially harmful beliefs. TWI as an operating strategy routinely utilized harmful & injurious conduct as standard practice. Now what does the law of the land say? See God vs. The Gavel by Dr. Marci Hamilton. In order to save your time, you will want to first focus on the two most pertinent chapters, which are chapters 8 & 9 (pages 203 – 272). Chapter 8: Boerne v. Flores {pp. 203 – 237 with Conclusion on pp. 235 – 237}. The net result of the Boerne decision was to foreclose religious’ entities arguments that religious motivation should absolve religious actors of neutral laws governing their conduct. The burden rests on the religious believers demanding exemption from a law to prove that the conduct sought to be immunized is not harmful to the society and individuals in it. In Employment Division v. Smith, it is seen that correct reading of the Free Exercise Clause is that an individual’s religious beliefs do NOT excuse him or her from compliance with an otherwise valid law prohibiting conduct that the State is free to regulate. Chapter 9: The Decline of Special Treatment of Religious Entities & the Rise of the No-Harm Rule {pp. 238 – 272 with Conclusion on pp. 271 – 272}. The elimination of religious sovereign power by definition made religious institutions private, and therefore on a more equal footing with other private entities. The constitutionally relevant question is NOT what is best for any ‘church’ – indeed that question is forbidden by the neutrality principle underlying the Establishment Clause. The proper question instead IS whether the liberty accorded is consonant with the no-harm principle. As the no-harm principle has developed over the centuries, it has become an insuperable barrier for the claim that the Constitution can or should place religious entities above the law. :) ;)

VPW stole concepts from Lamsa without proper attribution. plagiarism n 1: a piece of writing that has been copied from someone else and is presented as being your own work 2: the act of plagiarizing; taking someone's words or ideas as if they were your own [syn: plagiarization, plagiarisation, piracy]

Most excellent question, OM. Actually I have no interest in attacking TWI doctrine. My interest there is in regards to exposing Wierwilles plagiarism, fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, stealing, & lying. Threfore, I traced in history the proximate & remote, even ancient, sources of his plagiarism. My real interest is in seeing justice served on TWI / BOT / BOD / & top leadership for their unethical & probably illegal actions / practices / behaviors / deeds / conduct of exploitative manipulation, much of which lies in the realm of TWI's strategic coordinated programs of psycho-social packaged persuasion, designed by TWI to covertly induce 'waybrain.' Congratulations, OM, you have experienced an excellent take on TWI's efforts, in that some 15-20 years after having departed from TWI, you still would appear to be irrationally devoted to it, even though you have witnessed postings here @ gs for about 4-5 years. What gives, OM? :)

WhiteDove, MP3 received re SNS # 942 (12/03/1978) "The Current Psychological Hoax" Thanks, JKB :)

Aside from the above considerations regarding DM, I wonder if the following info might explain a few things as well. We know VPW had an interest in European history at least in the proportion and to the degree that it supported his contentions. I recall hearing VPW teach about his family’s history, being of the Huguenot persuasion. He said that at one time, before persecution forced his ancestors to relocate to Germany, that they lived in southern France in the area now known as Provence. The southeast area of Provence borders on Italy, one of its northwest Italian provinces being that of Lombardi. Aside from the Huguenots, another dominant religion in that area was that of Gnosticism, it main proponents in Provence being the Cathari, also known as the Albigensiens. Across the Pyrenees mountains that separate southern France from Spain is the city of Toledo, which was also a strong Gnostic area. Also, in both Toledo and Provence, there were Jewish Schools of Kabbalah (also, kab·ba·lah or kab·ba·la or ka·ba·la also ca·ba·la or qa·ba·la or qa·ba·lah). The Kabbalah is a body of mystical teachings of rabbinical origin, often based on an esoteric interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures. I recall VPW proclaiming that his teaching of the ‘word of God’ was drawing out people in America whose European ancestors had been ‘great believers who had suffered persecution.’ Due to VPW’s undisclosed fascination with the metaphysical and the occult, I think he overread the significance of DM’s Lombardi heritage. Aside from what WW quoted above, I think VPW irrationally factored in these considerations, culminating in his high regard for DM. Also, due to VPW’s narcissistic megalomania, & in view of his fascination with the occult, I would have to contemplate if he considered himself to be a descendent of the Merovingians. This was supposedly the dynasty in southern France, according to Holy Blood, Holy Grail, that was in the blood lineage of the marriage of Jesus & Mary Magdalene. Mary & her first child, Sarah, were supposedly secretly transported to southern France at the time of the crucifixion. This ‘holy blood & holy grail child,’ Sarah, supposedly gave rise through various marriages to the Merovingians.

Don't forget VPW's plagiarism of Lamsa either: George M. Lamsa: Christian Scholar or Cultic Torchbearer?" by John P. Juedes http://www.empirenet.com/~messiah7/rsr_lamsa.htm (from the Christian Research Journal, Fall 1989, Volume 12 Number 2). George M. Lamsa's books and translations of the Bible have become a fixture in Christian bookstores across the nation. Lamsa published 21 books by the time of his death in 1975. Four of these, plus his version of the Bible, were published by A. J. Holman, a well-known Bible and book publisher. Currently, Spring Arbor distributes them to Christian bookstores nationwide. For nearly 50 years Lamsa was a popular speaker at conferences and churches, published the periodical Light for All, and spoke on the radio program "Lessons for Living." He also founded the Aramaic Bible Society and Calvary Missionary Church. Many groups and writers quote Lamsa as a Bible scholar. There are several reasons for Lamsa's popularity. First, his books are engaging and very readable. Second, his comments on the life and customs of Bible times are engrossing to twentieth century Westerners. Third, people are intrigued and awed by Lamsa's claim that he was reared in the same part of the world Jesus lived, thus participating in biblical customs and language, and is hence uniquely able to reveal the Bible's idioms, translate the Bible accurately, and disclose its true meaning. Lamsa's Christian readers commonly make the following charitable assumptions about his life and work: They believe Lamsa was an evangelical Christian teacher and that he accepted all the major biblical teachings held by the church. They think Lamsa absorbed a culture like that of Bible times which enabled him to accurately interpret Scripture. They further believe he held the Bible in high esteem and that he accurately translated it. In this article we will closely examine each of these assumptions with a view to gaining a clearer picture of Lamsa's work. This will enable us to better respond to the man and his claims. LAMSA'S TEACHINGS: BIBLICAL OR CULTIC? Anyone who closely reads Lamsa's books will notice that he seldom explicitly enunciates his beliefs. In fact, Lamsa stated that he purposely tried to avoid doctrinal, theological, and controversial matters and passages.[1] When he does deal with a controversial topic, he will typically mention some common views without stating his own. For instance, when he addresses Luke's account of angels at Jesus' ascension, he comments that many faiths hold to a belief in personal angels and demons, but he neglects to say that he himself does not.[2] Lamsa's motives and message are also made difficult to discern by his inconsistency: some of his writings seem evangelical, while others are far removed from the biblical faith. This may be due to an evolution of his thought away from biblical teaching or to adjusting his wording to his audiences' desires. We gain insight into Lamsa's true message and his approach to interpreting Scripture by reflecting on his upbringing. George Lamsa was born near the Turkish/Iraqi border about 1892 and lived there until about 1915. This area has been overrun by one warring country after another for centuries. Lamsa remembers thousands of his Armenian people being massacred, starved, or forced from their homeland by Moslems; he narrowly escaped death himself. Rival tribes were in constant conflict, highlighting their political, cultural, and religious differences. The history of Lamsa's Eastern church is full of divisions, including such competing groups as the Monophysites, Nestorians, and Jacobians. (This even led to alternate alphabets for their common language.) These experiences affected Lamsa's message and interpretation of Scripture in several ways. Above all, Lamsa sought a "new world order" in which "the light of the gospel would be shared, racial and class barriers would be eliminated, and national boundaries would be eliminated."[3] Accordingly, Lamsa interprets Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (in his book appropriately titled The Kingdom on Earth) as a commandment for world peace, international understanding, and the overthrow of enslaving governments by meekness and love. Lamsa founded the Christian Mohammedan Society in 1921 to pursue unity by emphasizing common ground. Lamsa's desire to unite nations into a universal state led him to avoid matters of dogma and make many concessions to the beliefs of other faiths, seeking the lowest common denominator among religions. On Salvation and Non-Christian Religions Lamsa attempts to unite world religions in part by eliminating the uniqueness of Jesus and His atoning sacrifice on the cross. He follows the lead of the metaphysical (or "mind science") cults by redefining sin as mere error or (at worst) evil, not as moral disobedience to the Creator which deserves punishment from Him. Salvation in Lamsa's view is simply knowing Truth and "understanding the good"[12] -- a view which reduces Jesus from the essential suffering Savior to the dispensable model man. Christ died, Lamsa says in his notes on John 3:16, to show us meekness and the existence of life hereafter, not to atone for our sins.[13] He thus contradicts the central theme of the whole Bible. Lamsa focuses on man as his own savior rather than viewing Jesus Christ in that roll. Therefore, he extols any prominent person, whether Christian or not, as one who has tapped God's power. Lamsa praised "humble prophets" like Isaiah and Jeremiah and "inspired men" like Marconi and Edison all in the same breath because "they relied on the hidden power, the power of God, the power of their indwelling self....one must be able to contact the spiritual forces, which are the only true power. All power belongs to God and comes from Him."[14] Lamsa's unbiblical views of sin, salvation, and God -- and his move to a metaphysical interpretation of Scripture -- helpedhim to reconcile differences between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (as well as other religions). He denounces as "ignorant" those teachers who claim the three religions are incompatible and adds: "The adherents of these three great religions believe in one God, the holy prophets, the Scriptures, resurrection, Judgment Day and the Life hereafter. On the other hand, a greater part of the differences between them are due to the doctrines and the teachings of men, and the traditions of the elders."[15] On the Psychic Realm Lamsa's views of healing, Satan, demons, and prophecy are closer to the psychic perspective of metaphysical teaching and occultism than a biblical orientation. Jesus, he infers, had no power to heal, but only spoke "a word of comfort"[16] which most sick people never received: "At times out of hundreds of sick persons who were brought to him only a few were healed, those who had faith in him. Others whose bodies were not cured left the place cursing and shouting insults."[17] Lamsa sometimes removes the supernatural elements from Gospel accounts of healing. For instance, he implies that Simon Peter's mother-in-law was not supernaturally healed, but her rising to work allowed her no time to think about her mild fever until it finally left her (Luke 4:38-39). When he does allow that a healing may have occurred, he attributes it to the faith, understanding, or behavior of the person healed rather than to Jesus Christ's inherent power. Lamsa implicitly denies the objective existence of a personal Devil and demons. "Demons," he says, is a way of referring to insanity, or wrong thoughts, desires, or practices.[18] "Satan," Lamsa suggests, refers to error or opposition in various forms, and cannot be an objective evil power because God is the only power in the universe.[19] Lamsa's translation usually uses the word "insane" instead of "demon" and "opposition" instead of "Satan." Lamsa spoke of psychic involvement in a speech at the Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.), a group which promotes medium Edgar Cayce and the pursuit of psychic phenomena. He encouraged use of the "talents" of Creative (psychic) Power manifesting through men and spotlighted his native Near Eastern people's claim to a "sixth sense": the ability to become aware of God through dreams, visions, intuition, and clairvoyance. He also spoke of their "seventh sense," a state of awareness "higher" than others, with which one can discern between good and evil.[20] Lamsa's metaphysical theology is man-centered. It is man, he says, who causes his own problems, creates his own healing, creates his world by his own prayer, discloses the unknown by his clairvoyance, and relies on the power of his own indwelling self. In contrast, the Bible emphasizes that relying on self rather than God is foundational to all our problems, and that the way, truth, and life are found only in Jesus Christ. LAMSA'S CULTURE: BIBLICAL OR NESTORIAN? Lamsa's claim to be the preeminent authority on the meaning and translation of the Bible rests on his claim that he "was born and reared in a region in the near East which had escaped modernization, a region where the custom, manners and idioms of the ancient Aramaic language are still miraculously preserved to the present day."[27] Even if it was true that the customs and place of Lamsa's birth matched those of biblical days, it would not automatically follow that he could accurately translate and interpret the Bible. Thousands of people shared Jesus' culture and yet misunderstood Him. Jesus' closest disciples repeatedly asked Him to explain His sayings and parables (Matt. 15:10-18), contradicted Him (Mark 8:31-33), and did the opposite of what He wanted (Luke 20:35-38, 49-51). Many others left Jesus because they found Him hard to understand (John 6:60-68). Lamsa and his followers display great naivete and/or egotism when they claim that Lamsa's Assyrian upbringing enabled him to interpret correctly. Nonetheless, the question remains: Did George Lamsa's early life match the culture of the Bible? This claim is debunked by two key points which Lamsa never understood: First, Semites (including Jews and Lamsa's own ancestors) have varied greatly in culture. Second, his own Assyrian culture changed over the centuries. The Bible and other ancient records describe Jews of different cultures. For instance, the Herodians were Roman in culture, educated in Greek, tolerant of all religions, and unfaithful to the Mosaic law. The Sadducees were politically Roman, but religiously temple Jews. The Hellenistic Jews (Acts 6:1) were raised outside Israel, spoke Greek, and were adjusted to life among the heathen. Aramaic-speaking Pharisees were lay leaders of Mosaic practice. The Essenes maintained a detached, communal, disciplined lifestyle while the Zealots sought to kill and overthrow the Romans. The customs and language of these groups differed even though they shared a common heritage, land, and time period. Lamsa's Assyrian people, in contrast, are descendants of none of these groups and have a different land, racial heritage, religion, customs, time period, language, politics, education, and neighbors. Asyrians are portrayed in the Bible as a race quite foreign to Jewish religion and customs (e.g., Isa. 28:11). The area of Lamsa's birth is called Armenia, Media, or Persia (Reza Shah changed the name to "Iran" in the 1930s). Armenia is 700 miles from Jerusalem (even though Lamsa calls Jesus his "neighbor"), far removed from Hebrew influence, but affected by Greek culture after Alexander the Great's conquest and 250 years of Greek rule. While Jesus Christ walked the earth, Lamsa's forefathers were Zoroastrian, a religion which enjoyed royal approval in Persia and honored many ancient Iranian gods, including the popular idol Mithra. They repudiated the Mosaic law and its accompanying moral code and culture. Among the few things Armenia had in common with Israel in Jesus' time were their mutual hatred of Romans and a similar language. They also had a very small number of residents whose ancestors were forced to leave Israel seven centuries earlier in punishment for rejecting God and His prophets. It would therefore be foolish to say that Lamsa's idolatrous Iranian ancestors were a carbon copy of devout Jewish/Israelite culture. The Evolution of Nestorian Culture What about Lamsa's Christian heritage? He claims to be both Assyrian and Nestorian. First of all, Nestorian culture did not even bud until the second century when many converts were made in Armenia, and it was not until the fifth century that it flowered as the Nestorian church formed. Strangely, Lamsa contends that his "biblical" culture survived unchanged from 4000 B.C. to the present.[28] Actually, his and every culture changes with time, locale, and especially contact with other cultures. Lamsa admits that in the last 2,300 years alone his people were overcome by the Greeks, Romans, pagans, Mohammedans, Mongols, Kurds, Russians, Turks, and British. Lamsa says that advancements in philosophy, theology, and other fields were "due to the combined labors of the Nestorians and the Arabs,"[29] that millions of Nestorians were forced t become Muslims,[30] and that European culture was "tearing the natural traditions of the [Eastern] people up by the roots"[31] already two generations before his birth. While some Assyrian customs may be ancient or similar to biblical customs(as several Mideastern cultures are), Assyrian culture is in many important respects different and has changed over the centuries. There are also many dialects of Aramaic. Dwellers in Jerusalem noticed Peter's Galilean dialect (Matt. 26:73), even though he lived only 60 miles away. These dialects -- both representatives of western Aramaic -- differ even more noticeably from the dialects of eastern Aramaic used at Edessa (home of the Pedangta) and Lamsa's homeland. Lamsa undoubtedly was an ambassador of Nestorian (not biblical) culture, with its unique alphabet, language, writings, customs, and church tradition. One prominent aspect of this culture is a strong anti-Greek bias which Lamsa manifests often. This bias stems from bitterness towards the largely Greek-speaking council which censured Nestorius. Lamsa damages his credibility by wrongly asserting that "the Greeks occupied the Holy Land for only seven years, and there were not a half-dozen natives of Palestine who learned enough Greek in that time to carry on a conversation."[32] He also claims that converts outside Palestine only spoke Aramaic, and that most references to "Greek" people were mistranslated and should read "Arameans" or "Syrians."[33] Lamsa asserts that Jesus and His disciples never heard Greek spoken[34] and that no portion of the New Testament was originally written in Greek, but was first translated after Constantine's conversion in A.D. 318.[35] He assumes the Greek translators were deceitful and ignorant, intentionally adding and deleting passages and wrongly translating many parts.[36] The only documentation Lamsa ever offers is a quotation of Josephus (Antiquities of the Jewsxx.12.1). While Lamsa takes him to mean that few Jews learned Greek, Josephus actually said that he himself lacked the precision and pronunciation in Greek which he desired. LAMSA: EVANGELICAL SCHOLAR OR CULTIC FIGURE? Lamsa considered himself to be the man God set aside and inspired for our times, and his followers still view him as such. One even senses in Lamsa's writings an implicit claim that he stands in the line of apostles with Moses, Jesus, Paul, and Mohammed. Lamsa explains his unique calling through editor Tom Alyea: "God had revealed to Lamsa his purpose and how it was to be done. It was a one-man job. In the Bible testimony is given that God spoke to man; however, it is not recorded where he spoke to a committee...Yes, only one man could translate the Bible from Aramaic. God knew it, and Lamsa knew it, and so it was."[49] Lamsa also attempts to establish scholarly credentials as a means of gaining acceptance. He claims to have been born about 1892, and to have acquired an A.B. degree equivalent in 1907 and a Ph.D. equivalent in theology in 1908 from Archbishop of Canterbury's College, Turkey.[50] He also claims to have graduated from Episcopal Theology Seminary in Virginia[51] and to have studied at the University of Pennsylvania and Dropsie College. Lamsa, however, appears to have exaggerated his academic credentials. First, he claims to have attained a Ph.D. at age 16, only one year after his A.B.[52] Second, there are no records of his graduation from a seminary, and his own writings suggest that he was never at any school long enough to attain any valid degree. Lamsa's writing style reflects his exalted view of his own mission and character. He usually writes embellished narratives or discourses, not documenting either blanket assertions or detailed comments. For example, he dismisses his lack of supporting evidence for his theory that the New Testament was originally authored in Aramaic by saying, "What is a fact needs no defense."[53] He assumes that his peculiar habits, culture, superstitions, idioms, and musings all match and illuminate Scripture, resulting in often incorrect or simplistic interpretations. By contrast, scholars in the fields of New Testament studies and Aramaic offer detailed evidence, accept criticisms, and yield much more cautious and informed conclusions. :blink:

George M. Lamsa: Christian Scholar or Cultic Torchbearer?" by John P. Juedes http://www.empirenet.com/~messiah7/rsr_lamsa.htm (from the Christian Research Journal, Fall 1989, Volume 12 Number 2). George M. Lamsa's books and translations of the Bible have become a fixture in Christian bookstores across the nation. Lamsa published 21 books by the time of his death in 1975. Four of these, plus his version of the Bible, were published by A. J. Holman, a well-known Bible and book publisher. Currently, Spring Arbor distributes them to Christian bookstores nationwide. For nearly 50 years Lamsa was a popular speaker at conferences and churches, published the periodical Light for All, and spoke on the radio program "Lessons for Living." He also founded the Aramaic Bible Society and Calvary Missionary Church. Many groups and writers quote Lamsa as a Bible scholar. There are several reasons for Lamsa's popularity. First, his books are engaging and very readable. Second, his comments on the life and customs of Bible times are engrossing to twentieth century Westerners. Third, people are intrigued and awed by Lamsa's claim that he was reared in the same part of the world Jesus lived, thus participating in biblical customs and language, and is hence uniquely able to reveal the Bible's idioms, translate the Bible accurately, and disclose its true meaning. Lamsa's Christian readers commonly make the following charitable assumptions about his life and work: They believe Lamsa was an evangelical Christian teacher and that he accepted all the major biblical teachings held by the church. They think Lamsa absorbed a culture like that of Bible times which enabled him to accurately interpret Scripture. They further believe he held the Bible in high esteem and that he accurately translated it. In this article we will closely examine each of these assumptions with a view to gaining a clearer picture of Lamsa's work. This will enable us to better respond to the man and his claims. LAMSA'S TEACHINGS: BIBLICAL OR CULTIC? Anyone who closely reads Lamsa's books will notice that he seldom explicitly enunciates his beliefs. In fact, Lamsa stated that he purposely tried to avoid doctrinal, theological, and controversial matters and passages.[1] When he does deal with a controversial topic, he will typically mention some common views without stating his own. For instance, when he addresses Luke's account of angels at Jesus' ascension, he comments that many faiths hold to a belief in personal angels and demons, but he neglects to say that he himself does not.[2] Lamsa's motives and message are also made difficult to discern by his inconsistency: some of his writings seem evangelical, while others are far removed from the biblical faith. This may be due to an evolution of his thought away from biblical teaching or to adjusting his wording to his audiences' desires. We gain insight into Lamsa's true message and his approach to interpreting Scripture by reflecting on his upbringing. George Lamsa was born near the Turkish/Iraqi border about 1892 and lived there until about 1915. This area has been overrun by one warring country after another for centuries. Lamsa remembers thousands of his Armenian people being massacred, starved, or forced from their homeland by Moslems; he narrowly escaped death himself. Rival tribes were in constant conflict, highlighting their political, cultural, and religious differences. The history of Lamsa's Eastern church is full of divisions, including such competing groups as the Monophysites, Nestorians, and Jacobians. (This even led to alternate alphabets for their common language.) These experiences affected Lamsa's message and interpretation of Scripture in several ways. Above all, Lamsa sought a "new world order" in which "the light of the gospel would be shared, racial and class barriers would be eliminated, and national boundaries would be eliminated."[3] Accordingly, Lamsa interprets Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (in his book appropriately titled The Kingdom on Earth) as a commandment for world peace, international understanding, and the overthrow of enslaving governments by meekness and love. Lamsa founded the Christian Mohammedan Society in 1921 to pursue unity by emphasizing common ground. Lamsa's desire to unite nations into a universal state led him to avoid matters of dogma and make many concessions to the beliefs of other faiths, seeking the lowest common denominator among religions. On Salvation and Non-Christian Religions Lamsa attempts to unite world religions in part by eliminating the uniqueness of Jesus and His atoning sacrifice on the cross. He follows the lead of the metaphysical (or "mind science") cults by redefining sin as mere error or (at worst) evil, not as moral disobedience to the Creator which deserves punishment from Him. Salvation in Lamsa's view is simply knowing Truth and "understanding the good"[12] -- a view which reduces Jesus from the essential suffering Savior to the dispensable model man. Christ died, Lamsa says in his notes on John 3:16, to show us meekness and the existence of life hereafter, not to atone for our sins.[13] He thus contradicts the central theme of the whole Bible. Lamsa focuses on man as his own savior rather than viewing Jesus Christ in that roll. Therefore, he extols any prominent person, whether Christian or not, as one who has tapped God's power. Lamsa praised "humble prophets" like Isaiah and Jeremiah and "inspired men" like Marconi and Edison all in the same breath because "they relied on the hidden power, the power of God, the power of their indwelling self....one must be able to contact the spiritual forces, which are the only true power. All power belongs to God and comes from Him."[14] Lamsa's unbiblical views of sin, salvation, and God -- and his move to a metaphysical interpretation of Scripture -- helpedhim to reconcile differences between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (as well as other religions). He denounces as "ignorant" those teachers who claim the three religions are incompatible and adds: "The adherents of these three great religions believe in one God, the holy prophets, the Scriptures, resurrection, Judgment Day and the Life hereafter. On the other hand, a greater part of the differences between them are due to the doctrines and the teachings of men, and the traditions of the elders."[15] On the Psychic Realm Lamsa's views of healing, Satan, demons, and prophecy are closer to the psychic perspective of metaphysical teaching and occultism than a biblical orientation. Jesus, he infers, had no power to heal, but only spoke "a word of comfort"[16] which most sick people never received: "At times out of hundreds of sick persons who were brought to him only a few were healed, those who had faith in him. Others whose bodies were not cured left the place cursing and shouting insults."[17] Lamsa sometimes removes the supernatural elements from Gospel accounts of healing. For instance, he implies that Simon Peter's mother-in-law was not supernaturally healed, but her rising to work allowed her no time to think about her mild fever until it finally left her (Luke 4:38-39). When he does allow that a healing may have occurred, he attributes it to the faith, understanding, or behavior of the person healed rather than to Jesus Christ's inherent power. Lamsa implicitly denies the objective existence of a personal Devil and demons. "Demons," he says, is a way of referring to insanity, or wrong thoughts, desires, or practices.[18] "Satan," Lamsa suggests, refers to error or opposition in various forms, and cannot be an objective evil power because God is the only power in the universe.[19] Lamsa's translation usually uses the word "insane" instead of "demon" and "opposition" instead of "Satan." Lamsa spoke of psychic involvement in a speech at the Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.), a group which promotes medium Edgar Cayce and the pursuit of psychic phenomena. He encouraged use of the "talents" of Creative (psychic) Power manifesting through men and spotlighted his native Near Eastern people's claim to a "sixth sense": the ability to become aware of God through dreams, visions, intuition, and clairvoyance. He also spoke of their "seventh sense," a state of awareness "higher" than others, with which one can discern between good and evil.[20] Lamsa's metaphysical theology is man-centered. It is man, he says, who causes his own problems, creates his own healing, creates his world by his own prayer, discloses the unknown by his clairvoyance, and relies on the power of his own indwelling self. In contrast, the Bible emphasizes that relying on self rather than God is foundational to all our problems, and that the way, truth, and life are found only in Jesus Christ. LAMSA'S CULTURE: BIBLICAL OR NESTORIAN? Lamsa's claim to be the preeminent authority on the meaning and translation of the Bible rests on his claim that he "was born and reared in a region in the near East which had escaped modernization, a region where the custom, manners and idioms of the ancient Aramaic language are still miraculously preserved to the present day."[27] Even if it was true that the customs and place of Lamsa's birth matched those of biblical days, it would not automatically follow that he could accurately translate and interpret the Bible. Thousands of people shared Jesus' culture and yet misunderstood Him. Jesus' closest disciples repeatedly asked Him to explain His sayings and parables (Matt. 15:10-18), contradicted Him (Mark 8:31-33), and did the opposite of what He wanted (Luke 20:35-38, 49-51). Many others left Jesus because they found Him hard to understand (John 6:60-68). Lamsa and his followers display great naivete and/or egotism when they claim that Lamsa's Assyrian upbringing enabled him to interpret correctly. Nonetheless, the question remains: Did George Lamsa's early life match the culture of the Bible? This claim is debunked by two key points which Lamsa never understood: First, Semites (including Jews and Lamsa's own ancestors) have varied greatly in culture. Second, his own Assyrian culture changed over the centuries. The Bible and other ancient records describe Jews of different cultures. For instance, the Herodians were Roman in culture, educated in Greek, tolerant of all religions, and unfaithful to the Mosaic law. The Sadducees were politically Roman, but religiously temple Jews. The Hellenistic Jews (Acts 6:1) were raised outside Israel, spoke Greek, and were adjusted to life among the heathen. Aramaic-speaking Pharisees were lay leaders of Mosaic practice. The Essenes maintained a detached, communal, disciplined lifestyle while the Zealots sought to kill and overthrow the Romans. The customs and language of these groups differed even though they shared a common heritage, land, and time period. Lamsa's Assyrian people, in contrast, are descendants of none of these groups and have a different land, racial heritage, religion, customs, time period, language, politics, education, and neighbors. Asyrians are portrayed in the Bible as a race quite foreign to Jewish religion and customs (e.g., Isa. 28:11). The area of Lamsa's birth is called Armenia, Media, or Persia (Reza Shah changed the name to "Iran" in the 1930s). Armenia is 700 miles from Jerusalem (even though Lamsa calls Jesus his "neighbor"), far removed from Hebrew influence, but affected by Greek culture after Alexander the Great's conquest and 250 years of Greek rule. While Jesus Christ walked the earth, Lamsa's forefathers were Zoroastrian, a religion which enjoyed royal approval in Persia and honored many ancient Iranian gods, including the popular idol Mithra. They repudiated the Mosaic law and its accompanying moral code and culture. Among the few things Armenia had in common with Israel in Jesus' time were their mutual hatred of Romans and a similar language. They also had a very small number of residents whose ancestors were forced to leave Israel seven centuries earlier in punishment for rejecting God and His prophets. It would therefore be foolish to say that Lamsa's idolatrous Iranian ancestors were a carbon copy of devout Jewish/Israelite culture. The Evolution of Nestorian Culture What about Lamsa's Christian heritage? He claims to be both Assyrian and Nestorian. First of all, Nestorian culture did not even bud until the second century when many converts were made in Armenia, and it was not until the fifth century that it flowered as the Nestorian church formed. Strangely, Lamsa contends that his "biblical" culture survived unchanged from 4000 B.C. to the present.[28] Actually, his and every culture changes with time, locale, and especially contact with other cultures. Lamsa admits that in the last 2,300 years alone his people were overcome by the Greeks, Romans, pagans, Mohammedans, Mongols, Kurds, Russians, Turks, and British. Lamsa says that advancements in philosophy, theology, and other fields were "due to the combined labors of the Nestorians and the Arabs,"[29] that millions of Nestorians were forced t become Muslims,[30] and that European culture was "tearing the natural traditions of the [Eastern] people up by the roots"[31] already two generations before his birth. While some Assyrian customs may be ancient or similar to biblical customs(as several Mideastern cultures are), Assyrian culture is in many important respects different and has changed over the centuries. There are also many dialects of Aramaic. Dwellers in Jerusalem noticed Peter's Galilean dialect (Matt. 26:73), even though he lived only 60 miles away. These dialects -- both representatives of western Aramaic -- differ even more noticeably from the dialects of eastern Aramaic used at Edessa (home of the Pedangta) and Lamsa's homeland. Lamsa undoubtedly was an ambassador of Nestorian (not biblical) culture, with its unique alphabet, language, writings, customs, and church tradition. One prominent aspect of this culture is a strong anti-Greek bias which Lamsa manifests often. This bias stems from bitterness towards the largely Greek-speaking council which censured Nestorius. Lamsa damages his credibility by wrongly asserting that "the Greeks occupied the Holy Land for only seven years, and there were not a half-dozen natives of Palestine who learned enough Greek in that time to carry on a conversation."[32] He also claims that converts outside Palestine only spoke Aramaic, and that most references to "Greek" people were mistranslated and should read "Arameans" or "Syrians."[33] Lamsa asserts that Jesus and His disciples never heard Greek spoken[34] and that no portion of the New Testament was originally written in Greek, but was first translated after Constantine's conversion in A.D. 318.[35] He assumes the Greek translators were deceitful and ignorant, intentionally adding and deleting passages and wrongly translating many parts.[36] The only documentation Lamsa ever offers is a quotation of Josephus (Antiquities of the Jewsxx.12.1). While Lamsa takes him to mean that few Jews learned Greek, Josephus actually said that he himself lacked the precision and pronunciation in Greek which he desired. LAMSA: EVANGELICAL SCHOLAR OR CULTIC FIGURE? Lamsa considered himself to be the man God set aside and inspired for our times, and his followers still view him as such. One even senses in Lamsa's writings an implicit claim that he stands in the line of apostles with Moses, Jesus, Paul, and Mohammed. Lamsa explains his unique calling through editor Tom Alyea: "God had revealed to Lamsa his purpose and how it was to be done. It was a one-man job. In the Bible testimony is given that God spoke to man; however, it is not recorded where he spoke to a committee...Yes, only one man could translate the Bible from Aramaic. God knew it, and Lamsa knew it, and so it was."[49] Lamsa also attempts to establish scholarly credentials as a means of gaining acceptance. He claims to have been born about 1892, and to have acquired an A.B. degree equivalent in 1907 and a Ph.D. equivalent in theology in 1908 from Archbishop of Canterbury's College, Turkey.[50] He also claims to have graduated from Episcopal Theology Seminary in Virginia[51] and to have studied at the University of Pennsylvania and Dropsie College. Lamsa, however, appears to have exaggerated his academic credentials. First, he claims to have attained a Ph.D. at age 16, only one year after his A.B.[52] Second, there are no records of his graduation from a seminary, and his own writings suggest that he was never at any school long enough to attain any valid degree. Lamsa's writing style reflects his exalted view of his own mission and character. He usually writes embellished narratives or discourses, not documenting either blanket assertions or detailed comments. For example, he dismisses his lack of supporting evidence for his theory that the New Testament was originally authored in Aramaic by saying, "What is a fact needs no defense."[53] He assumes that his peculiar habits, culture, superstitions, idioms, and musings all match and illuminate Scripture, resulting in often incorrect or simplistic interpretations. By contrast, scholars in the fields of New Testament studies and Aramaic offer detailed evidence, accept criticisms, and yield much more cautious and informed conclusions.

George M. Lamsa: Christian Scholar or Cultic Torchbearer?" by John P. Juedes http://www.empirenet.com/~messiah7/rsr_lamsa.htm (from the Christian Research Journal, Fall 1989, Volume 12 Number 2). George M. Lamsa's books and translations of the Bible have become a fixture in Christian bookstores across the nation. Lamsa published 21 books by the time of his death in 1975. Four of these, plus his version of the Bible, were published by A. J. Holman, a well-known Bible and book publisher. Currently, Spring Arbor distributes them to Christian bookstores nationwide. For nearly 50 years Lamsa was a popular speaker at conferences and churches, published the periodical Light for All, and spoke on the radio program "Lessons for Living." He also founded the Aramaic Bible Society and Calvary Missionary Church. Many groups and writers quote Lamsa as a Bible scholar. There are several reasons for Lamsa's popularity. First, his books are engaging and very readable. Second, his comments on the life and customs of Bible times are engrossing to twentieth century Westerners. Third, people are intrigued and awed by Lamsa's claim that he was reared in the same part of the world Jesus lived, thus participating in biblical customs and language, and is hence uniquely able to reveal the Bible's idioms, translate the Bible accurately, and disclose its true meaning. Lamsa's Christian readers commonly make the following charitable assumptions about his life and work: They believe Lamsa was an evangelical Christian teacher and that he accepted all the major biblical teachings held by the church. They think Lamsa absorbed a culture like that of Bible times which enabled him to accurately interpret Scripture. They further believe he held the Bible in high esteem and that he accurately translated it. In this article we will closely examine each of these assumptions with a view to gaining a clearer picture of Lamsa's work. This will enable us to better respond to the man and his claims. LAMSA'S TEACHINGS: BIBLICAL OR CULTIC? Anyone who closely reads Lamsa's books will notice that he seldom explicitly enunciates his beliefs. In fact, Lamsa stated that he purposely tried to avoid doctrinal, theological, and controversial matters and passages.[1] When he does deal with a controversial topic, he will typically mention some common views without stating his own. For instance, when he addresses Luke's account of angels at Jesus' ascension, he comments that many faiths hold to a belief in personal angels and demons, but he neglects to say that he himself does not.[2] Lamsa's motives and message are also made difficult to discern by his inconsistency: some of his writings seem evangelical, while others are far removed from the biblical faith. This may be due to an evolution of his thought away from biblical teaching or to adjusting his wording to his audiences' desires. We gain insight into Lamsa's true message and his approach to interpreting Scripture by reflecting on his upbringing. George Lamsa was born near the Turkish/Iraqi border about 1892 and lived there until about 1915. This area has been overrun by one warring country after another for centuries. Lamsa remembers thousands of his Armenian people being massacred, starved, or forced from their homeland by Moslems; he narrowly escaped death himself. Rival tribes were in constant conflict, highlighting their political, cultural, and religious differences. The history of Lamsa's Eastern church is full of divisions, including such competing groups as the Monophysites, Nestorians, and Jacobians. (This even led to alternate alphabets for their common language.) These experiences affected Lamsa's message and interpretation of Scripture in several ways. Above all, Lamsa sought a "new world order" in which "the light of the gospel would be shared, racial and class barriers would be eliminated, and national boundaries would be eliminated."[3] Accordingly, Lamsa interprets Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (in his book appropriately titled The Kingdom on Earth) as a commandment for world peace, international understanding, and the overthrow of enslaving governments by meekness and love. Lamsa founded the Christian Mohammedan Society in 1921 to pursue unity by emphasizing common ground. Lamsa's desire to unite nations into a universal state led him to avoid matters of dogma and make many concessions to the beliefs of other faiths, seeking the lowest common denominator among religions. On Salvation and Non-Christian Religions Lamsa attempts to unite world religions in part by eliminating the uniqueness of Jesus and His atoning sacrifice on the cross. He follows the lead of the metaphysical (or "mind science") cults by redefining sin as mere error or (at worst) evil, not as moral disobedience to the Creator which deserves punishment from Him. Salvation in Lamsa's view is simply knowing Truth and "understanding the good"[12] -- a view which reduces Jesus from the essential suffering Savior to the dispensable model man. Christ died, Lamsa says in his notes on John 3:16, to show us meekness and the existence of life hereafter, not to atone for our sins.[13] He thus contradicts the central theme of the whole Bible. Lamsa focuses on man as his own savior rather than viewing Jesus Christ in that roll. Therefore, he extols any prominent person, whether Christian or not, as one who has tapped God's power. Lamsa praised "humble prophets" like Isaiah and Jeremiah and "inspired men" like Marconi and Edison all in the same breath because "they relied on the hidden power, the power of God, the power of their indwelling self....one must be able to contact the spiritual forces, which are the only true power. All power belongs to God and comes from Him."[14] Lamsa's unbiblical views of sin, salvation, and God -- and his move to a metaphysical interpretation of Scripture -- helpedhim to reconcile differences between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (as well as other religions). He denounces as "ignorant" those teachers who claim the three religions are incompatible and adds: "The adherents of these three great religions believe in one God, the holy prophets, the Scriptures, resurrection, Judgment Day and the Life hereafter. On the other hand, a greater part of the differences between them are due to the doctrines and the teachings of men, and the traditions of the elders."[15] On the Psychic Realm Lamsa's views of healing, Satan, demons, and prophecy are closer to the psychic perspective of metaphysical teaching and occultism than a biblical orientation. Jesus, he infers, had no power to heal, but only spoke "a word of comfort"[16] which most sick people never received: "At times out of hundreds of sick persons who were brought to him only a few were healed, those who had faith in him. Others whose bodies were not cured left the place cursing and shouting insults."[17] Lamsa sometimes removes the supernatural elements from Gospel accounts of healing. For instance, he implies that Simon Peter's mother-in-law was not supernaturally healed, but her rising to work allowed her no time to think about her mild fever until it finally left her (Luke 4:38-39). When he does allow that a healing may have occurred, he attributes it to the faith, understanding, or behavior of the person healed rather than to Jesus Christ's inherent power. Lamsa implicitly denies the objective existence of a personal Devil and demons. "Demons," he says, is a way of referring to insanity, or wrong thoughts, desires, or practices.[18] "Satan," Lamsa suggests, refers to error or opposition in various forms, and cannot be an objective evil power because God is the only power in the universe.[19] Lamsa's translation usually uses the word "insane" instead of "demon" and "opposition" instead of "Satan." Lamsa spoke of psychic involvement in a speech at the Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.), a group which promotes medium Edgar Cayce and the pursuit of psychic phenomena. He encouraged use of the "talents" of Creative (psychic) Power manifesting through men and spotlighted his native Near Eastern people's claim to a "sixth sense": the ability to become aware of God through dreams, visions, intuition, and clairvoyance. He also spoke of their "seventh sense," a state of awareness "higher" than others, with which one can discern between good and evil.[20] Lamsa's metaphysical theology is man-centered. It is man, he says, who causes his own problems, creates his own healing, creates his world by his own prayer, discloses the unknown by his clairvoyance, and relies on the power of his own indwelling self. In contrast, the Bible emphasizes that relying on self rather than God is foundational to all our problems, and that the way, truth, and life are found only in Jesus Christ. LAMSA'S CULTURE: BIBLICAL OR NESTORIAN? Lamsa's claim to be the preeminent authority on the meaning and translation of the Bible rests on his claim that he "was born and reared in a region in the near East which had escaped modernization, a region where the custom, manners and idioms of the ancient Aramaic language are still miraculously preserved to the present day."[27] Even if it was true that the customs and place of Lamsa's birth matched those of biblical days, it would not automatically follow that he could accurately translate and interpret the Bible. Thousands of people shared Jesus' culture and yet misunderstood Him. Jesus' closest disciples repeatedly asked Him to explain His sayings and parables (Matt. 15:10-18), contradicted Him (Mark 8:31-33), and did the opposite of what He wanted (Luke 20:35-38, 49-51). Many others left Jesus because they found Him hard to understand (John 6:60-68). Lamsa and his followers display great naivete and/or egotism when they claim that Lamsa's Assyrian upbringing enabled him to interpret correctly. Nonetheless, the question remains: Did George Lamsa's early life match the culture of the Bible? This claim is debunked by two key points which Lamsa never understood: First, Semites (including Jews and Lamsa's own ancestors) have varied greatly in culture. Second, his own Assyrian culture changed over the centuries. The Bible and other ancient records describe Jews of different cultures. For instance, the Herodians were Roman in culture, educated in Greek, tolerant of all religions, and unfaithful to the Mosaic law. The Sadducees were politically Roman, but religiously temple Jews. The Hellenistic Jews (Acts 6:1) were raised outside Israel, spoke Greek, and were adjusted to life among the heathen. Aramaic-speaking Pharisees were lay leaders of Mosaic practice. The Essenes maintained a detached, communal, disciplined lifestyle while the Zealots sought to kill and overthrow the Romans. The customs and language of these groups differed even though they shared a common heritage, land, and time period. Lamsa's Assyrian people, in contrast, are descendants of none of these groups and have a different land, racial heritage, religion, customs, time period, language, politics, education, and neighbors. Asyrians are portrayed in the Bible as a race quite foreign to Jewish religion and customs (e.g., Isa. 28:11). The area of Lamsa's birth is called Armenia, Media, or Persia (Reza Shah changed the name to "Iran" in the 1930s). Armenia is 700 miles from Jerusalem (even though Lamsa calls Jesus his "neighbor"), far removed from Hebrew influence, but affected by Greek culture after Alexander the Great's conquest and 250 years of Greek rule. While Jesus Christ walked the earth, Lamsa's forefathers were Zoroastrian, a religion which enjoyed royal approval in Persia and honored many ancient Iranian gods, including the popular idol Mithra. They repudiated the Mosaic law and its accompanying moral code and culture. Among the few things Armenia had in common with Israel in Jesus' time were their mutual hatred of Romans and a similar language. They also had a very small number of residents whose ancestors were forced to leave Israel seven centuries earlier in punishment for rejecting God and His prophets. It would therefore be foolish to say that Lamsa's idolatrous Iranian ancestors were a carbon copy of devout Jewish/Israelite culture. The Evolution of Nestorian Culture What about Lamsa's Christian heritage? He claims to be both Assyrian and Nestorian. First of all, Nestorian culture did not even bud until the second century when many converts were made in Armenia, and it was not until the fifth century that it flowered as the Nestorian church formed. Strangely, Lamsa contends that his "biblical" culture survived unchanged from 4000 B.C. to the present.[28] Actually, his and every culture changes with time, locale, and especially contact with other cultures. Lamsa admits that in the last 2,300 years alone his people were overcome by the Greeks, Romans, pagans, Mohammedans, Mongols, Kurds, Russians, Turks, and British. Lamsa says that advancements in philosophy, theology, and other fields were "due to the combined labors of the Nestorians and the Arabs,"[29] that millions of Nestorians were forced t become Muslims,[30] and that European culture was "tearing the natural traditions of the [Eastern] people up by the roots"[31] already two generations before his birth. While some Assyrian customs may be ancient or similar to biblical customs(as several Mideastern cultures are), Assyrian culture is in many important respects different and has changed over the centuries. There are also many dialects of Aramaic. Dwellers in Jerusalem noticed Peter's Galilean dialect (Matt. 26:73), even though he lived only 60 miles away. These dialects -- both representatives of western Aramaic -- differ even more noticeably from the dialects of eastern Aramaic used at Edessa (home of the Pedangta) and Lamsa's homeland. Lamsa undoubtedly was an ambassador of Nestorian (not biblical) culture, with its unique alphabet, language, writings, customs, and church tradition. One prominent aspect of this culture is a strong anti-Greek bias which Lamsa manifests often. This bias stems from bitterness towards the largely Greek-speaking council which censured Nestorius. Lamsa damages his credibility by wrongly asserting that "the Greeks occupied the Holy Land for only seven years, and there were not a half-dozen natives of Palestine who learned enough Greek in that time to carry on a conversation."[32] He also claims that converts outside Palestine only spoke Aramaic, and that most references to "Greek" people were mistranslated and should read "Arameans" or "Syrians."[33] Lamsa asserts that Jesus and His disciples never heard Greek spoken[34] and that no portion of the New Testament was originally written in Greek, but was first translated after Constantine's conversion in A.D. 318.[35] He assumes the Greek translators were deceitful and ignorant, intentionally adding and deleting passages and wrongly translating many parts.[36] The only documentation Lamsa ever offers is a quotation of Josephus (Antiquities of the Jewsxx.12.1). While Lamsa takes him to mean that few Jews learned Greek, Josephus actually said that he himself lacked the precision and pronunciation in Greek which he desired. LAMSA: EVANGELICAL SCHOLAR OR CULTIC FIGURE? Lamsa considered himself to be the man God set aside and inspired for our times, and his followers still view him as such. One even senses in Lamsa's writings an implicit claim that he stands in the line of apostles with Moses, Jesus, Paul, and Mohammed. Lamsa explains his unique calling through editor Tom Alyea: "God had revealed to Lamsa his purpose and how it was to be done. It was a one-man job. In the Bible testimony is given that God spoke to man; however, it is not recorded where he spoke to a committee...Yes, only one man could translate the Bible from Aramaic. God knew it, and Lamsa knew it, and so it was."[49] Lamsa also attempts to establish scholarly credentials as a means of gaining acceptance. He claims to have been born about 1892, and to have acquired an A.B. degree equivalent in 1907 and a Ph.D. equivalent in theology in 1908 from Archbishop of Canterbury's College, Turkey.[50] He also claims to have graduated from Episcopal Theology Seminary in Virginia[51] and to have studied at the University of Pennsylvania and Dropsie College. Lamsa, however, appears to have exaggerated his academic credentials. First, he claims to have attained a Ph.D. at age 16, only one year after his A.B.[52] Second, there are no records of his graduation from a seminary, and his own writings suggest that he was never at any school long enough to attain any valid degree. Lamsa's writing style reflects his exalted view of his own mission and character. He usually writes embellished narratives or discourses, not documenting either blanket assertions or detailed comments. For example, he dismisses his lack of supporting evidence for his theory that the New Testament was originally authored in Aramaic by saying, "What is a fact needs no defense."[53] He assumes that his peculiar habits, culture, superstitions, idioms, and musings all match and illuminate Scripture, resulting in often incorrect or simplistic interpretations. By contrast, scholars in the fields of New Testament studies and Aramaic offer detailed evidence, accept criticisms, and yield much more cautious and informed conclusions.

OM, I will leave it to those gsers inclined to habituate the doctrinal forum to enlighten us all on the 'true doctrines of Christianity.' My concerns do not lie in TWI doctrine, but in their unethical actions / practices / deeds / behaviors / conduct. Please read the following very closely, OM. Therefore, as disappointing as it is for some ex-twi to realize, the vast majority, if not essentially all, of the information in B.G. Leonard's class regarding the so-called 9 (supernatural) “manifestations” (of holy spirit), has its origins in non-biblical sources, and therefore the same goes for VPW's PFAL & LCM’s WAP. Of the TWI materials directly unrelated to the “manifestations” per se, essentially all of these TWI teachings are once again seen to be contaminated by TWI’s metaphysical, proclivities and spin: twi’s bizzare hermetic “christ” of hybridized pagan mythological origin; twi’s heavy emphasis on its confabulated version of the “mystery;” TWI’s strange obsession with the Pauline Epistles over all other biblical writings, which epistles are regarded by many academics as being of strong Gnostic character; & others too numerous to mention. There is nothing new under the sun. VPW / TWI knowingly utilized wholesale metaphysical repackaging of scripture. VPW’s hermetic “new ‘light’” regarding the scripture in general, and the “manifestations” in particular, was & is recycled arcana. VPW realized the deep intrigue & interest that the Arcane would generate, as it always has, for its ancient roots lie very deep in the subconscious mind of all of humanity. VPW was not searching for power for abundant living, nor was he searching for the supposed long lost truths of the first century. His goal was to become wealthy by whatever means. His objectives were met by marketing the Arcane with a biblical façade. The entire “ministry” was & is a scam, consisting of the exciting bait of western esoteric spirituality, with a subsequent switch to fear-based hyper-legalism. The bait of course had to have a grand illusion of grace and love, in order to facilitate not only the initial recruitment, but also to enhance the hellish downward spiral into mind-bending way-brain. The entrapment of twi members, which was purposefully and strategically designed, employed techniques/practices/deeds/actions/behaviors of unethical packaged persuasion. The “beliefs” were really irrelevant to Wierwille’s purposes, it’s just that the Arcane with a Biblical façade was the easiest for lazy VPW to develop & market. OM, perhaps you are not your own (true historical self), just maybe you were bought with a price, you were forged with the non-consented mental manipulation of a homiletics’ master. Determine what need the Arcane fills in your life, & you might discover an explanation for your irrational devotion to the Hierophantic Hermes of our time, your ‘father’ in the metaphysical ‘Word,’ Herr Vierville. :blink:

Once burned, twice shy. Hinsight is 20/20.

Please read the following very closely, OM. As disappointing as it is for some ex-twi to realize, the vast majority, if not essentially all, of the information in B.G. Leonard's class regarding the so-called 9 (supernatural) “manifestations” (of holy spirit), has its origins in non-biblical sources, and therefore the same goes for VPW's PFAL & LCM’s WAP. Of the TWI materials directly unrelated to the “manifestations” per se, essentially all of these TWI teachings are once again seen to be contaminated by TWI’s metaphysical proclivities and spin: twi’s bizzare hermetic “christ” of hybridized pagan mythological origin; twi’s heavy emphasis on its confabulated version of the “mystery;” TWI’s strange obsession with the Pauline Epistles over all other biblical writings, which epistles are regarded by many academics as being of strong Gnostic character; & others too numerous to mention. There is nothing new under the sun. VPW / TWI knowingly utilized wholesale metaphysical repackaging of scripture. VPW’s hermetic “new ‘light’” regarding the scripture in general, and the “manifestations” in particular, was & is recycled arcana. VPW realized the deep intrigue & interest that the Arcane would generate, as it always has, for its ancient roots lie very deep in the subconscious mind of all of humanity. VPW was not searching for power for abundant living, nor was he searching for the supposed long lost truths of the first century. His goal was to become wealthy by whatever means. His objectives were met by marketing the Arcane with a biblical façade. The entire “ministry” of TWI was & is a scam, consisting of the exciting bait of western esoteric spirituality, with a subsequent switch to fear-based hyper-legalism. The bait of course had to have a grand illusion of grace and love, in order to facilitate not only the initial recruitment, but also to enhance the hellish downward spiral into mind-bending way-brain. The entrapment of twi members, which was purposefully and strategically designed, employed techniques/practices/deeds/actions/behaviors of unethical packaged persuasion. The “beliefs” were really irrelevant to Wierwille’s purposes, it’s just that the Arcane with a Biblical façade was the easiest for lazy VPW to develop & market. OM, perhaps you are not your own (true historical self), just maybe you were bought with a price, you were forged with the non-consented mental manipulation of a homiletics’ master. Determine what need the Arcane fills in your life, & you might discover an explanation for your irrational devotion to the Hierophantic Hermes of our time, your ‘father’ in the metaphysical ‘Word,’ Herr Vierville. ;) :)

So what were the sources for VPW's plagiarism that he so skillfully presented via rhetorical grandiloquence of his trance-inducing homiletics? As WW as pointed out in another thread, obviosly Leonard, Stiles, & Bullinger. As we dig the sources of TWI a bit deeper, we see that VPW's kantian rose-colored glasses were, well, much more so metaphysical than biblical. The works of Leonard, Stiles, & Bullinger were the proximate sources for vpw's plagiarism. TWI, in a doctrinal-theoretical sense, falls into the "Word of Faith" movement. The quasi-proximate source of this movement can be traced to E.W.Kenyon, the progenitor of the extant 'word of faith' movement. Kenyon was educated at the Emerson College of Oratory, formerly the Boston Conservatory of Elocution & Dramatic Art, & prior to this it was a component of Boston University, the Monroe School of Oratory, founded in 1872 by Dr. Lewis B. Monroe, a Professor @ BU. When BU closed the Monroe School after Dr. Monroe's death, it was Charles Wesley Emerson who resurrected the school, hence the Emerson College of Oratory. {Interesting how 'oratory' and 'homiletics' have such a nice alignment & harmony}. Emerson had served as a minister of the Congregationalist, Universalist, & Unitarian denominations. He studied law but did not complete his degree ostensibly due to health reasons. However, to buff his image, he did receive a bogus medical school degree from the Eclectic Medical College of Pennsylvania, which was not a medical school at all, but merely a diploma mill that sold diplomas en masse to all comers.{Smacks of vpw's bogus doctorate from Pike's Peak diploma mill}. Charles Emerson was a collector of religions, an eclectic in the truest sense of the word. His religioius ideology was a veritable smorgasbord of the numerous sources underlying New Thought Metaphysics: Sumerian-Egyptian-Greek-Roman pagan mythology, Platonism, Neoplatonism, Kaballah, Indian Upanishads & Vedas, Arcane Esoteric Spirituality, Gnosticism, Swedenborgianism, Theosophy, & American Spiritualism (Andrew Jackson Davis, followed by the Fox sisters, & later Arthur Ford), to name only a few influences. New Thought Metaphysics had its more proximate origins with Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, who was influenced by a traveling Frenchman, Charles Poyen, who was lecturing in New England on the topic of Anton Mesmer's hypnotism (aka, "animal magnetism"). Mesmer's influences derived from the revitalization of the arcana in Europe at the time, the arcana tracing back to ancient pagan mythologies. Therefore, as disappointing as it is for some to realize, most (? nearly all) of the information in B.G. Leonard's class regarding so-called supernatural 9 maninfestions, has its origins in, well, uh, non-biblical sources, and therefore the same goes for vpw's pfal & lcm's wap. There is nothing new under the sun, just a bit of repackaging, bringing glorious 'new light' to a current generation who is unfamiliar with the ancient arcana. It is the charismatic, oratorical, homiletic skills of the new pseudo-spiritual entrepreneur, to market his or her counterfeit product, via covert deceptive recruiting, onto the transiently vulnerable & hurting souls who have the misfortune to be around when the mind-bending 'new light' arcana is spewed forth. Nothing like eyes-wide-open trance induction and conversational naturalistic trance induction to 'set you free' from your true historical self and identity, & begin the hellish journey into the non-conscented oppression of a cultic pseudo-self and pseudo-identity, which override and displace your true historical self. I should state that the arcana, as such, are just the arcana; just call them what they are & not lie about its origins. BUT when Teutonic Furher Vierville endeavors to conceal the arcana as "...the Word as it has not been know since the First Century..," I have a problem with the the fraud, misrepresentation, & lying. If the jar say its pickles, but there is in actuality mayonaise inside, then what we have is really mayo, & vice versa. Afterall, VPW said so in pfal, even our father, who art in fountain, hollow be thy name...... :o

So what were the sources for VPW's plagiarism that he so skillfully presented via rhetorical grandiloquence of his trance-inducing homiletics? As WW as pointed out in another thread, obviosly Leonard, Stiles, & Bullinger. As we dig the sources of TWI a bit deeper, we see that VPW's kantian rose-colored glasses were, well, much more so metaphysical than biblical. The works of Leonard, Stiles, & Bullinger were the proximate sources for vpw's plagiarism. TWI, in a doctrinal-theoretical sense, falls into the "Word of Faith" movement. The quasi-proximate source of this movement can be traced to E.W.Kenyon, the progenitor of the extant 'word of faith' movement. Kenyon was educated at the Emerson College of Oratory, formerly the Boston Conservatory of Elocution & Dramatic Art, & prior to this it was a component of Boston University, the Monroe School of Oratory, founded in 1872 by Dr. Lewis B. Monroe, a Professor @ BU. When BU closed the Monroe School after Dr. Monroe's death, it was Charles Wesley Emerson who resurrected the school, hence the Emerson College of Oratory. {Interesting how 'oratory' and 'homiletics' have such a nice alignment & harmony}. Emerson had served as a minister of the Congregationalist, Universalist, & Unitarian denominations. He studied law but did not complete his degree ostensibly due to health reasons. However, to buff his image, he did receive a bogus medical school degree from the Eclectic Medical College of Pennsylvania, which was not a medical school at all, but merely a diploma mill that sold diplomas en masse to all comers.{Smacks of vpw's bogus doctorate from Pike's Peak diploma mill}. Charles Emerson was a collector of religions, an eclectic in the truest sense of the word. His religioius ideology was a veritable smorgasbord of the numerous sources underlying New Thought Metaphysics: Sumerian-Egyptian-Greek-Roman pagan mythology, Platonism, Neoplatonism, Kaballah, Indian Upanishads & Vedas, Arcane Esoteric Spirituality, Gnosticism, Swedenborgianism, Theosophy, & American Spiritualism (Andrew Jackson Davis, followed by the Fox sisters, & later Arthur Ford), to name only a few influences. New Thought Metaphysics had its more proximate origins with Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, who was influenced by a traveling Frenchman, Charles Poyen, who was lecturing in New England on the topic of Anton Mesmer's hypnotism (aka, "animal magnetism"). Mesmer's influences derived from the revitalization of the arcana in Europe at the time, the arcana tracing back to ancient pagan mythologies. Therefore, as disappointing as it is for some to realize, most (? nearly all) of the information in B.G. Leonard's class regarding so-called supernatural 9 maninfestions, has its origins in, well, uh, non-biblical sources, and therefore the same goes for vpw's pfal & lcm's wap. There is nothing new under the sun, just a bit of repackaging, bringing glorious 'new light' to a current generation who is unfamiliar with the ancient arcana. It is the charismatic, oratorical, homiletic skills of the new pseudo-spiritual entrepreneur, to market his or her counterfeit product, via covert deceptive recruiting, onto the transiently vulnerable & hurting souls who have the misfortune to be around when the mind-bending 'new light' arcana is spewed forth. Nothing like eyes-wide-open trance induction and conversational naturalistic trance induction to 'set you free' from your true historical self and identity, & begin the hellish journey into the non-conscented oppression of a cultic pseudo-self and pseudo-identity, which override and displace your true historical self. I should state that the arcana, as such, are just the arcana; just call them what they are & not lie about its origins. BUT when Teutonic Furher Vierville endeavors to conceal the arcana as "...the Word as it has not been know since the First Century..," I have a problem with the the fraud, misrepresentation, & lying. If the jar say its pickles, but there is in actuality mayonaise inside, then what we have is really mayo, & vice versa. Afterall, VPW said so in pfal, even our father, who art in fountain, hollow be thy name...... :blink:

Ever wonder why VPW would often open the Advanced Class teaching of the ‘revelation manifestations,’ especially ‘word of knowledge’ & ‘word of wisdom,’ with the account in Numbers of the ‘copped out’ Prophet, Baalam? Ever wonder why VPW opened PFAL with “…the thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…?” I think these are excellent examples of 'Freudian slips' by VPW, in the sense of VPW’s guilty conscience breaking through the bogus teaching to proclaim, as it were, “I, V. P. Wierwille, am not only a copped out prophetic apostle in our day, time, & hour, but furthermore I am a pseudo-spiritual thief, with the aim of selfishly pleasing myself, even if it means that I steal from you, that I might even have to kill you, or that I may in fact permanently destroy your ability to know, trust, & love ‘God.’” ;)

Per WW's excellent synopsis re the sources of plagiarism for vpw's pfal: "In 1953, vpw finds out about BG Leonard, and pushes his way into BG Leonard's CTC Gifts of the Spirit class, which Leonard permits. vpw takes this class twice, bringing several people with him the second time. vpw then went off for a few months by himself, then told Leonard that he'd like to run Leonard's CTC Gifts of the Spirit class locally for his congregation on a one-time basis. Seeing the benefit to other Christians, Leonard agrees. vpw then runs the first of "his" PFAL classes, and takes a photograph of that class. He tells the students that this is "his" class called PFAL, with NO mention of Leonard's class from which 100% of the content has been directly lifted. The students have no reason to think he's lying. vpw sends the photograph to Leonard and said tells Leonard that this is a photo of the class that took Leonard's class on a one-time basis that was run locally. Leonard takes vpw at his word, and has no idea that vpw continues to run Leonard's class with vpw's name on it, defrauding both Leonard AND the students. To this day, many students STILL think this was was vpw's class, even when evidence is introduced to the contrary. Later, vpw added the contents of JE Stiles' work on "Gifts of the Spirit" and Bullinger's work on the Holy Spirit as well as "How to Enjoy the Bible", and expanded the class into a class that was the sum of the 3 men's work-Stiles, Bullinger and Leonard-rather than just Leonard. vpw later makes a few offhand comments here and there that the material in the class is not original, but its compilation was. (However, as it was constructed, vpw could have been sued by copyright holders for Bullinger, Stiles, and Leonard. Leonard found out but chose not to prosecute.)" _________________________________________ I think it would be good to clarify that the works of Leonard, Stiles, & Bullinger were the proximate sources for vpw's plagiarism. As mentioned before, TWI, in a doctrinal-theoretical sense, falls into the "Word of Faith" movement. The quasi-proximate source of this movement can be traced to E.W.Kenyon, the progenitor of the extant 'word of faith' movement. Kenyon was educated at the Emerson College of Oratory, formerly the Boston Conservatory of Elocution & Dramatic Art, & prior to this it was a component of Boston University, the Monroe School of Oratory, founded in 1872 by Dr. Lewis B. Monroe, a Professor @ BU. When BU closed the Monroe School after Dr. Monroe's death, it was Charles Wesley Emerson who resurrected the school, hence the Emerson College of Oratory. {Interesting how 'oratory' and 'homiletics' have such a nice alignment & harmony}. Emerson had served as a minister of the Congregationalist, Universalist, & Unitarian denominations. He studied law but did not complete his degree ostensibly due to health reasons. However, to buff his image, he did receive a bogus medical school degree from the Eclectic Medical College of Pennsylvania, which was not a medical school at all, but merely a diploma mill that sold diplomas en masse to all comers.{Smacks of vpw's bogus doctorate from Pike's Peak diploma mill}. Charles Emerson was a collector of religions, an eclectic in the truest sense of the word. His religioius ideology was a veritable smorgasbord of the numerous sources underlying New Thought Metaphysics: Sumerian-Egyptian-Greek-Roman pagan mythology, Platonism, Neoplatonism, Kaballah, Indian Upanishads & Vedas, Arcane Esoteric Spirituality, Gnosticism, Swedenborgianism, Theosophy, & American Spiritualism (Andrew Jackson Davis, followed by the Fox sisters, & later Arthur Ford), to name only a few influences. New Thought Metaphysics had its more proximate origins with Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, who was influenced by a traveling Frenchman, Charles Poyen, who was lecturing in New England on the topic of Anton Mesmer's hypnotism (aka, "animal magnetism"). Mesmer's influences derived from the revitalization of the arcana in Europe at the time, the arcana tracing back to ancient pagan mythologies. Therefore, as disappointing as it is for some to realize, most (? nearly all) of the information in B.G. Leonard's class regarding so-called supernatural 9 maninfestions, has its origins in, well, uh, non-biblical sources, and therefore the same goes for vpw's pfal & lcm's wap. There is nothing new under the sun, just a bit of repackaging, bringing glorious 'new light' to a current generation who is unfamiliar with the ancient arcana. It is the charismatic, oratorical, homiletic skills of the new pseudo-spiritual entrepreneur, to market his or her counterfeit product, via covert deceptive recruiting, onto the transiently vulnerable & hurting souls who have the misfortune to be around when the mind-bending 'new light' arcana is spewed forth. Nothing like eyes-wide-open trance induction and conversational naturalistic trance induction to 'set you free' from your true historical self and identity, & begin the hellish journey into the non-conscented oppression of a cultic pseudo-self and pseudo-identity, which override and displace your true historical self. I should state that the arcana, as such, are just the arcana; just call them what they are & not lie about its origins. BUT when a Teutonic Furher Vierville endeavors to conceal the arcana as "...the Word as it has not been know since the First Century..," I have a problem with the the fraud, misrepresentation, & lying. If the jar say its pickles, but there is in actuality mayonaise inside, then what we have is really mayo, & vice versa, afterall, vpw said so in pfal, even our father, who art in fountain, hollow be thy name......

I don't know if vpw possessed the degree of depravation of jones or koresh, but it wouldn't surprise me. I think it was probably a matter of the circumstances around vpw didn't irrationally compel him to totally succumb to his intrinsic paranoia. However, martinpuke is another study. I think he most definitely would have progressed to the jones & koresh level had he remained in power. :unsure:

Yeah, & the moneyhands even had R*m*na Ha*nig B*don living with them ~ 08/1992 to 08/1993. I wonder what services she provided for B*b, whether herself, or by way of procuring, just as in her sold out committed service to martinpuke. Was that B*b that said, "Spread the word, the word is legs?" :o

Belle, I totally concur with your take on the corn wizard, vpw!!!

VPW's primary aim was to selfishly please himself, even if that meant stealing, killing, & destroying. If someone managed, some way, some how, in the midst of this junk, to get spiritually blessed, as long as VPW got his selfish needs met first and foremost, then he could tolerate it. Typically, those that were benefited in twi were benefited in spite of Wierwille, not because of him. The rank and file, pure-hearted twi members were the ones who exhibited the genuine love of God. B)

Redux of Snapping, TWI, & Jonestown All that follows is my opinions on these matters. It’s quite obvious that TWI/Wierwille/Martindale did everything in their power to ‘explain away’ the fact that TWI was & is a harmful organization, regardless of the nomenclature utilized to describe TWI: high-demand religious group, alternative religious movement {ARM}, new religious movement {NRM}, totalitarian authoritarian sect, or just plain old cult. To me, this indicates the unmistakable criminality of Wierwille, Martindale, & other top TWI leadership. They knew exactly what they were doing. In fact, TWI’s coordinated programs of covert psycho-social exploitative manipulative persuasion were strategically designed to destabilize & unfreeze a person’s true historical identity & replace it with TWI’s bogus ‘renewed mind,’ aka the TWI cultic pseudo-self & pseudo-identity. This destabilization process was neither haphazard nor accidental, but was purposefully strategically designed to do exactly what it did to most of us, whether by abrupt personality change or a more gradual mental invasion. Read the Jonestown similarities in Seductive Poison, by Deborah Layton. And, interestingly enough, the manner in which TWI approached this process, is essentially outlined in TWI’s original Dealing with the Adversary class and Martindale’s 1992 release of Defeating the Adversary class. The secret of TWI’s success in their covert packaged persuasion of us was & is the deceitful secrecy of their interventions. The value {to Wierwille, Martindale, top leadership} & delusion of TWI’s counterfeit ministry is increased by the nearness of the likeness to a genuine ministry. TWI is always adapting, in a chameleon-like fashion, to changing legal, political, social, & circumstantial concerns. TWI is parasitic of the genuine love & pure-heartedness of the people it deceives into joining its ranks. Ever wonder why VPW would often open the Advanced Class teaching of the ‘revelation manifestations,’ especially ‘word of knowledge’ & ‘word of wisdom,’ with the account in Numbers of the ‘copped out’ Prophet, Baalam? Ever wonder why VPW opened PFAL with “…the thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…?” I think these would be examples of Freudian slips, in the sense of VPW’s guilty conscience breaking through the bogus teaching to proclaim, “I, V. P. Wierwille, am not only a copped out prophetic apostle in our day, time, & hour, but furthermore I am a pseudo-spiritual thief, with the aim of selfishly pleasing myself, even if it means that I steal from you, that I might even have to kill you, or that I may in fact permanently destroy your ability to know, trust, & love ‘God.’” :blink:

Redux of Snapping, TWI, & Jonestown All that follows is my opinions on these matters. It’s quite obvious that TWI/Wierwille/Martindale did everything in their power to ‘explain away’ the fact that TWI was & is a harmful organization, regardless of the nomenclature utilized to describe TWI: high-demand religious group, alternative religious movement {ARM}, new religious movement {NRM}, totalitarian authoritarian sect, or just plain old cult. To me, this indicates the unmistakable criminality of Wierwille, Martindale, & other top TWI leadership. They knew exactly what they were doing. In fact, TWI’s coordinated programs of covert psycho-social exploitative manipulative persuasion were strategically designed to destabilize & unfreeze a person’s true historical identity & replace it with TWI’s bogus ‘renewed mind,’ aka the TWI cultic pseudo-self & pseudo-identity. This destabilization process was neither haphazard nor accidental, but was purposefully strategically designed to do exactly what it did to most of us, whether by abrupt personality change or a more gradual mental invasion. Read the Jonestown similarities in Seductive Poison, by Deborah Layton. And, interestingly enough, the manner in which TWI approached this process, is essentially outlined in TWI’s original Dealing with the Adversary class and Martindale’s 1992 release of Defeating the Adversary class. The secret of TWI’s success in their covert packaged persuasion of us was & is the deceitful secrecy of their interventions. The value {to Wierwille, Martindale, top leadership} & delusion of TWI’s counterfeit ministry is increased by the nearness of the likeness to a genuine ministry. TWI is always adapting, in a chameleon-like fashion, to changing legal, political, social, & circumstantial concerns. TWI is parasitic of the genuine love & pure-heartedness of the people it deceives into joining its ranks. Ever wonder why VPW would often open the Advanced Class teaching of the ‘revelation manifestations,’ especially ‘word of knowledge’ & ‘word of wisdom,’ with the account in Numbers of the ‘copped out’ Prophet, Baalam? Ever wonder why VPW opened PFAL with “…the thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…?” I think these would be examples of Freudian slips, in the sense of VPW’s guilty conscience breaking through the bogus teaching to proclaim, “I, V. P. Wierwille, am not only a copped out prophetic apostle in our day, time, & hour, but furthermore I am a pseudo-spiritual thief, with the aim of selfishly pleasing myself, even if it means that I steal from you, that I might even have to kill you, or that I may in fact permanently destroy your ability to know, trust, & love ‘God.’” :o

My opinion of these matters: “Word” over the world my as*! The hermetic, plagiarized ‘word of wierwille’ hardly went anywhere. Perhaps 100,000 people even ever took foundational pfal; of those, perhaps 20,000 were ‘active’ at any one time {my estimates}. Don’t have the census info in front of me, but presuming the USA population was ~ 275 million in ~ 1985, then 100,000 / 275,000,000 = 0.0003636 or 3.6 hundredths of 1% of people in the USA ‘had a chance to accept or reject the word of wierwille.’ The percentages globally would of course be even less. If 200,000 people worldwide took the pfal class, presuming a global population of ~ 3,000,000,000 in the Fall of 1995 when martinpuke promoted the ‘present truth’ of this grand lie, the percentage would be even less @ 0.0000666 or 6.7 thousandths of 1%. As many gs posters have documented, the ‘word of wierwille,’ being of the ‘Word of Faith’ category, derives from E.W. Kenyon whose influences were significantly hermetic in nature, i.e., pagan mythology. The so-called ‘Law of believing,’ ‘believing images of victory,’ ‘prevailing pictures of power,’ twi’s mystery, twi’s hybridized ‘christ,’ & other twi bs too numerous to mention, are all part and parcel of the hermetica, with a little gnosticism, pentecostalism, & fundamentalism thrown in for good measure. What a bunch of crap-ola!!! :o :blink: :(