T-Bone

Hi Brainfixed, I mentioned on another thread somewhere, one way of thinking about my experience in TWI has to do with being a predator, facilitator, or victim. Although I do think using such broad brush strokes can often lead to over generalization or tunnel vision – which may not be helpful in addressing an issue what this place does to me[/b]" thread]. However, it works for me in that it's just a starting point for sorting out details – and usually evolves into exploring other aspects of a problem. Since I've joined Grease Spot, I think I've become more aware of when I fall into black & white thinking. In my opinion, that works for simple moral issues like adultery, stealing, murder, etc. – ya know, it's either right or wrong! But applying black & white thinking to all my experiences or a big segment of my life on non-moral issues is not really giving a self-examined life due diligence. Anywho…after all that gosh awful long disclaimer bidness above – my 2 cents on the moral aspect of TWI – getting back to the predator/facilitator/victim thing – I fess up to being a very good facilitator when I was in TWI. I don't consider myself a victim, definitely was not a predator – and I'm only speaking for one facilitator – myself. A dictionary definition of facilitator is "one that helps to bring about an outcome by providing indirect or unobtrusive assistance, guidance, or supervision." In my case – I was an ignorant facilitator. Sure, I thought my money, time, and energy were helping to move "The Word" over the world. But in fact, I was supporting an elaborate system of predators, facilitators & victims. Perhaps a predator or their prey was more aware of their role than I was of mine. But anyway – that's what I get angry about – the years of giving my all to this rank crap-hole outfit thinking I was serving God…a misdirected, deluded life! ~~ Everyone here has a different perspective of TWI…some refer to it as a cult [as I do], some do not – so what?! What I think is interesting and illuminating are the ways people describe their experience…It's a funny thing…a few years ago I got over the fear of what others at work would think of my TWI experience – no longer afraid of that stigma – I began sharing stuff…certain twisted doctrines, the mindset, Corps program, vp's pajama party/doggy porn video extravaganza, WOW program, whatever. The company I work for prides themselves on process and good critical thinking skills are a big deal. And the vibe I pick up from my associates is respect for the clear thinking evidenced in my leaving TWI and sorting through the aftermath. One of my friends there is a seminary graduate – and he gives me some incidents from a mainstream church perspective – of pastors who can twist scripture to suit an agenda, not to mention scandals we all hear about in local news. It kinda helps me put some of this stuff in perspective with the bigger picture called reality. It is what it is – and it's a part of my life. ~~ I just can't lump my TWI experience in one general category. It's a unique & interesting section of the mosaic called my life. Good times? You bet! Lots of them! I mean genuine good times & bittersweet lessons too – not listing them all but a few that come to mind: – meeting my wife on the WOW field [so I married my WOW sister – ya gotta problem with that?!] – having fun, enjoying the camaraderie & developing my musicianship while in ministry bands [i'm forever grateful to Steve H for taking the time to "heal my wooden ear" – I could actually spot a sour note by the time I left in-residence…now if I could just play what I hear in my head…guess that's in the Advanced Class ]. – the deep friendships, funny or poignant moments of seeing the best in people come out during some pretty yucky times…must be something to that…don't think most folks are gluttons for punishment…I dunno – the indomitable spirit of man maybe… making the best of a situation or something. – developing a passion for reading – and not just the Bible. – learning by trial & error [mostly error] the practical side of life [yup, youth is wasted on the young – fortunately, my investment in the school of Hard Knoxville is paying off now – not only in being a smart consumer but hopefully…and more importantly a whole lot wiser in decision making on the big issues of life]. – understanding the role of perception. I've gone from believing equals receiving to believing equals perceiving. In other words, my belief system shapes my mental map of reality. Nothing earth shattering about that idea – it's just something to remember whenever I take stock of my life…it sorta asks the question "how does my mental map of reality jive with what's going on around me?" Instead of wasting time & energy by depending on some imaginary law of believing, wishful thinking, or trying to manipulate reality – I look at the obvious – what is seen by the naked eye [taking off the PFAL colored glasses as Oakspear puts it]…instead of spiritualizing everything all out of proportion. – As a Christian, painfully learning there is no viable substitute for having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That's all for now…love & peace T-Bone

That's way cool about your friend Ed & Norman Rockwell. I like his stuff a lot. And it sounds like you have a very interesting career. Ages ago, I was in a four year fine arts program - but dropped out after 2 years when I had this thought no one is going to pay me to make them a painting. Oh well...young, stupid, no ambition... guess I'll go join a cult.

Great post, Word Wolf! yeah, maybe TWI doctrine never attracted many computer geeks cuz they usually can spot a virus a mile away.

No big deal - I was tired of growing big & fat spiritually anyway. I mean geez, I’m up to a size 36 in the waist now – and that’s getting too tight.

Twinky made some good points which highlight a great feature of Grease Spot – the value of differing viewpoints. And I agree with her mentioning the whammy TWI does to one's critical thinking skills. The mental atmosphere in the world of TWI acts like a sedative to the powers of reason. We were encouraged to absorb rather than analyze doctrine & practice. Grease Spot is a great place to reactivate certain areas of the old noodle that we let fall asleep. When I first joined, I was amazed at how often something another poster said would resonate with me – not only that it would ring true for me but was like some kind of mental accelerant – that would get me thinking about other stuff…to question more…or realize how this related to that, a pattern, recognize a faulty assumption I had, etc. Any viewpoint differing from TWI's standards was unacceptable – and to even consider such thoughts was akin to playing with fire – you're putting your faith in jeopardy - at the risk of tripping out and/or becoming possessed by one or more devil spirits. Behold the incredible reign of TWI's intellectual tyranny…geez it was like the invisible fence they have for dogs – your mind would cringe getting close to the areas they roped off…."Nope! Don't go there! That's the world, full of nasty devil spirits & unbelievers." I said something about not using such broad brush strokes in describing my experiences on your "good times" thread. Another thread came to mind today – it's an old one – "Do You Throw Out the Baby with the Bath Water?" http://www.greasespotcafe.com/ipb/index.ph...st&p=355456 Maybe the thinking is that the broad brush strokes are a quick fix. But life is complicated - stuff is so intertwined - belief systems, experiences, relationships, feelings, yada yada - ya can't go into brain surgery with a chain saw - well...not without a license anyway. ~~ Sometimes discussions that analyze TWI stuff can go very deep – in terms of scope – meaning discussions may touch on more than just a particular doctrine or practice. And so my viewpoint, the sum total of my experiences & current belief system is in play as well. That's not a bad thing necessarily – as long as I'm aware of what's going on in the background. Probably this is obvious to some folks – but it took me awhile of coming here to figure out that when I was analyzing something about TWI – in a way I was also checking out my own current belief system. I don't think anyone can be totally objective – and believe it's safe to err on the side of caution – meaning my own beliefs can be suspect at times. But I will say this about Grease Spot – after leaving behind the groupthink of TWI – this place is just the opposite. And often I find some of my thoughts and feelings validated by what other Grease Spotters have expressed. It's the cure for the common groupthink! In other words – it gets you thinking ! After leaving TWI I had a crisis of faith at one point. Did I even believe in God or trust the Bible? Eventually I came to an affirmative answer on both…So, I figure in any critical thinking task there's always some assumptions – a standard, reference point, what have you…In regards to analyzing TWI doctrine - for me it's an assumption that there is a God and the Bible is inspired of God. That got me into reading commentaries, systematic theologies, and various biblical studies [the various authors coming from different backgrounds – and none affiliated with TWI, of course]. Not saying doing all that is even necessary – but for me it was cuz I enjoy reading the Bible. And it was a way to explore other viewpoints - which is also a big attraction of Grease Spot for me…Did I figure it all out? Nope - far from it. But I looked into things enough to satisfy my level of curiosity. I'm no preacher, have no congregation to impress – and I find myself leaning more toward actually being with my family and enjoying things I like to do [don't do as much Bible study as I used to – and so what!]. Now that's one way of looking at the doctrinal side of this picture – but there's more to tackle. Besides the practical application of doctrine – I can address experiences [good & bad], attitudes, mindset, or whatever that may have nothing to do with a certain doctrine but has everything to do with how my character was impacted during the process. I could be wrong – but I tend to think if you were an honest decent person going into TWI – and more or less held on to your personal integrity – you more than likely got out of there in one piece. I figure we were all compromised to some degree – I imagine the longer you stuck around the more everything took its toll. And I'm of the opinion there's hope for even the worst of sinners – drawn to "the dark side of the force" – if they truly want healing, forgiveness, closure, release from insanity, or whatever [and I'm not talking about some whitewashing salve for the conscience either] Grease Spot is as good a place as any to work some things out, connect, dialog, listen, think out loud... ~~ So what's my point and why did I reference the baby & bath water thread? I don't advocate throwing out both. I'm all for savoring the good memories and garnering lessons from the bad things… I'm saying it's work – often a lot of work – to sift through it all…to review the mental baggage, to call a spade a spade & call a cab when you need one :) . Grease Spot is a great place to meet fellow sifters [sounds like a program – "I went fellow sifters in 2009."]. Nuff said. love & peace T-Bone

Weatherman Willard Scott was ahead of me going through airport security - and for some reason they put him through the ringer. That surprised me - I thought I looked more like a terrorist than he did. Tonto & I were at a Blue Man Group show in Las Vegas - sitting behind Tom Petty & his wife - who they singled out of the audience to get her involved in some of their schtick on stage. On another vacation, Tonto & I were on line waiting to get into Conan O'Brien's Late Night show a few years ago [in same building as SNL studio]. Right behind us were some ladies talking excitedly about all the celebrities they've spotted on their trip to NY so far. While they're talking Colin Quinn from SNL comes walking down the hall, being friendly to the folks in line for Conan. He engages these ladies - and it sounded like they've been big fans of his for years - got someone to take a picture of him with them. As he continues on - I overhear one of the ladies say to the other "Who was that?" to which the other lady replied "I don't know." ....which brings me to my great claim to a brush with fame - during the warm up of Late Night, Conan came up into the audience - I was sitting on an end chair of an aisle - he turned to me and shook my hand thanking me for coming to the show.

I was in Family Corps 11 [as a parent] and so would strongly agree with Word Wolf's points. Our son was in the Mini Corps and after we left TWI he developed a HUGE rebellious streak in him a mile wide!...hmmmm...I wonder if the Nazi-Parenting skills we all mimicked while in residence had anything to do with that ...damn ya know it does!!!!! Some may say payback is hell - but I love him for it and it's one of the great qualities I admire in my son - he is the man I should have been in TWI...don't know how long I'd have lasted before they gave me the boot though . Seriously though...it's just awful what child rearing practices TWI promoted...my heart goes out to the kids impacted by this regime.

Geisha, you reminded me of one of my many odd WOW experiences - this one I like to refer to as the "clash of the titans". I witnessed to a guy on the bus. He acted real interested in what I had to say. He invites me over to his home - he and few other guys lived in a house not too far from the Row House of my WOW family...Yeow - I walked into a trap - or something. They were Moonies. Talk about going around and around the goofy go-round :wacko: . In all fairness I'd have to say it was a stand-off...neither cult scoring any points....well, here I am at Grease Spot in this day and time and hour, far from the maddening crowd...wonder where my Moon friend is.

Hampshire, my wife could probably nail down the time period - but I'm thinking we did this somewhere between 83 and 85...I admire the folks on this thread that have expressed a natural way of spreading the gospel - as you have done... Sorry all, if I sounded so sarcastic in my post - I don't mean to offend - just want to vent I guess...I think all the years of having leadership cramming it down my throat not to waste time with people who are not interested in PFAL made me one very calloused snob.... hmmmm...thinking about a whole different issue now - how I'd be so charming, understanding, patient & forgiving trying to attract new people to twig and take the class - and yet I could be a royal a$$hole to the wife & kid....ok - back to this thread... Maybe I'm just a rank unbeliever now...so burned out on witnessing and the group-think mentality - I don't belong to a church, don't think I ever will...I'm so screwed up doctrinally - not even sure where I stand on certain things so I don't want to spread my screwed-upness around...so who cares - tell you something I feel real good about now - devoting a lot more of my time & energy to my family...and going to bed at night thinking "ok, I wasn't a royal a$$hole to my family today...now that's a great accomplishment".

I remember some Way Mag article about going witnessing [and if memory serves me right – it had some line in it like "Honey, throw the kids in the back of the truck - we're going witnessing" – I dunno…it was something spontaneous by a family anyway]…It was after that article came out – that of course, our local leadership had to follow suit. Oh crud! Nights of gathering at someone's house – organizing a few adults to watch the kids and everyone else heading out to bars, clubs, bowling alleys, door-to-door, street, etc. I recall some of the ladies complaining about spending some time fending off pick-up artists. I don't think most of the folks enjoyed doing these bozo blitzkriegs – myself included. But being a Twig leader at the time, I had to keep up a good front and act like I was into it. I put on a twig face - like this :) . And then someone got the idea to ratchet up this marvelous time waster [maybe from the same article…dunno…it's been so long ago] – it escalated into "revelation witnessing". Incredible! Now we had even more pressure...pretend like we're water dowsing for dummies [hey, everything after its own kind - it's in the Class fool!] . A bunch of us would circle up, close our eyes and quietly speak in puns to ourselves – and then one of the guys in my group [Jack] said "I see a man wearing a belt buckle with the name Bill on it". Odd – that night Jack [or the rest of us] never did run into anyone named Bill or wearing a belt buckle with the name Bill on it. But I bet he was nearby! To use a Get Smart line – "missed it by that much".

I really like your post! In my opinion that's a healthy approach. I can't lump everything in one basket….even looking at the worst of my experiences – maybe I can turn Kool-Aid into lemonade by digging a little deeper - giving thought to what lessons I've learned. As a kid I burned my fingers playing with matches – that certainly help form my super cautious attitude toward any situation that has risk of a potential fire hazard. So too, I continue to work on critical thinking skills after leaving TWI.

A guy got me signed up for the class using the benefits on the back of the Green Card – just your typical salesman techniques. I thought all I needed was the class…one time…but you're encouraged to take PFAL again and again…and keep your nose in the collaterals. That's part of what kept me involved for as long as I was - chasing after the elusive benefits listed on the back of the Green Card. The "good times", the more abundant life, everything you could ever need & want was all wrapped up in a convoluted package – your continued involvement with TWI AND of course mastery of PFAL [two things that will never be fulfilled, mind you]. It's embarrassing to admit it – but bottom line is - I was stupid enough to buy into that BS! At some point in this process, as you work your way up the hierarchy – even if you have the best of intentions – you've figured out the way to succeed in this outfit is to absorb the bullchi+ rather than analyze it - and that makes you "qualified" to deceive others. Delusion begets delusion. I think there may be a combination of many things that entangled folks – some good, some bad. Developing genuine friendships would be one of the good things for example – and we all could list a bunch of stuff on either side. One thing I've noticed since I joined Grease Spot – as time goes by, I use less of a broad brush stroke when thinking about my experiences…I dunno a more thoughtful approach maybe – using a finer brush…more detail. I like how Chockfull put it – see my next post.

I’d say so – with that demon like snarl and super human ability to quickly pounce on anyone who crosses her path…...oh... er…you were referring to her dog…sorry…my bad.

I didn’t go to Woodstock but I was there in spirit. I did go Family Corps but eventually left in the spirit of freedom. Oh yeah, I saw Hendrix set his guitar on fire at a New York concert…and I got to set my Hendrix albums on fire on Burn the Chaff Day.

So weird…talk about people going their separate ways…He and I were in the same WOW Branch, 75/76 in DC…So weird…and so sad.

In PFAL, the image of Christ is nothing more than a decoy [or to put biblically - a wolf in sheep's clothing] to lure sheep into the clutches of the wolf. I think the real Jesus' mission was/is about saving souls and has very little to do with material benefits. I think vp's brand of so called Christianity is a genie-in-the-bottle snake oil gimmick – whatever you want/need in your life, PFAL can provide it... PFAL is not Christ-centered and a "successful" grad becomes more self-centered. PFAL takes the place of the absent Christ. Christ is absent because he wasn't invited. And the greatest secret in Way-world today is that PFAL is just as good as the Bible. It remains a secret because "successful" grads are so indoctrinated that they can't distinguish between the two. vp and all the other health & wealth "ministries" have done a remarkable job of morphing Scripture into a sales brochure for their pet doctrines.

I did not address the Christ question in my post, cuz I'd get into a whole other vein. I'm assuming the statement in the thread title was posed with good intentions, but even so…or maybe it's just me – but it hit me as reminiscent of the manipulative mind games & hypocrisy that TWI was/is so proficient in. But ok – I'll tell you what I think Christ would ask of me – "After all the high moral standards and how to deal with sin & the sinner that I've talked about in the Gospels …and especially remembering the priority of loving God & neighbor with all your heart, soul, mind & strength – are you just going to stand there and let someone whitewash over the gross iniquities of TWI?"

Here's what I did with what I know…The TWI turmoil in 86 got me started on a long journey of reexamining everything. It's been a combination of reflecting on certain personal experiences, exploring various systematic theologies and dialogs with folks at Grease Spot. I put two and two together and came up with something a lot more shocking than four crucified. I was deceived by a great con artist who was also a sexual predator! Every horrific story I heard from vp's victims was like a slap in the face to my prideful ignorance – one of the many intellectual deficits hidden by a cloak of invisibility, the TWI mindset. His toxic immorality was always there – right below the surface. You could catch a glimpse of its shadow through the depraved & ungodly ideas he'd spout off in teachings and casual meetings. His statements like "Anything done in the love of God is okay" or "I've so renewed my mind that _______ [fill in the blank with any type of activity] doesn't bother me" say a lot for him being a sociopath. His degenerate views expressed in the CF & S class were taken to the Nth degree by his example around Corps. I've talked here before about being at one of his pajama parties in residence, where he showed Family Corps [including teenagers] his favorite porn video as he added commentary with the above listed statements. What am I doing with what I know – warning others!

Ah, the infamous Blue Cheese book by Cheez Whiz. It takes a really sharp person to rightly divide this stuff...and I wanna tell ya - on Corps Night you could always bank on a few exceptional individuals to cut the cheese.

Hi Cockfull, I like the Left Behind series too – except I’m left behind at about book 7 – I was borrowing them from a guy where I used to work and I don’t work there anymore…I don’t agree with every detail of how they flesh out everything – but hey, it’s makes for entertaining reading. Even if some things are not “accurate” to what will actually happen – I enjoy a story that challenges me to think about the bigger issues of life. Maybe that’s why I’m a big science fiction fan. Even as a kid I loved a sci fi story that got me to think on a larger scale. Like “The Invisible Man” – what would you do if you had the power to go anywhere and find out the secrets of men? The book also made the point that power corrupts…But hey, I digress…I don’t really think anyone has got the whole scoop on Revelation – I’m just taking it all in myself, hoping for the return of my Lord…and if I’m wrong and wind up in the midst of the great tribulation at least I’ve got some commentaries with the appropriate viewpoint that may be helpful on the details I ignored. Yeah Twinky – I can appreciate that to a degree I guess…but that’s why I threw in the blessing mentioned in Rev:1:3. I think a reader can draw so much from the book regardless of their viewpoint. Though some symbols & events may be tough to impossible to interpret, the great themes such as God’s sovereignty, the battle between good & evil or the interesting way events in heaven & on earth are intertwined [noted especially in Bullinger’s commentary] I tend to think would bolster one’s faith.

They never got into the book of Revelation while I was in residence [Family Corps 11]. Reading this thread, I pretty much attributed its avoidance due to the "for our learning" TWI bias as you were saying – but have been thinking a little more about it and wonder if there's more to it than that. I find it odd though, vp had no qualms teaching from the Old Testament & Gospels [with that "written for our learning" qualification] to illustrate something about how to operate the manifestations of the spirit, "law of believing", or any of his other pet doctrines – but ignored Revelation. I have about 36 commentaries on the book of Revelation – and by no means consider myself an expert on it - just saying it's one of my favorite books of the Bible and enjoy checking out what others have written about it. Even if a reader is in the same camp as TWI on much of the Revelation events happening after the Rapture of the church – there's a blessing associated with anyone who reads the book & takes it to heart [Revelation 1:3]. A number of the commentaries I've read were written by folks who believe as such. I can't think of any reason why vp would shy away from the book – other than his vacuous mind. I dunno…maybe a man that plagiarized like it was going out of style, was weak in critical thinking skills, and fabricated self-promoting legends was afraid to jeopardize his God-revealed-His-Word-to-me-like-it-hadn't-been-known-for-centuries status by actually studying/teaching the book of Revelation "line by line and word by word" . But really I don't think he had anything to lose – his loyal masses would have eaten it up like candy anyway…The more I think about it though – Corps Night Teachings were just a reinforcement of PFAL hokum – it didn't matter what book was covered – somehow it always came back to the "greatness" of what's in PFAL…Ah ha! Maybe that's it! The events of the book of Revelation will happen after the rupture of the PFAL church. …another thing - since we're discussing Corps Principle # 2 – I have such a vivid memory of lcm barking at us in his typical authoritative growl that we should base our Corps research paper on something from PFAL instead of trying to re-invent the wheel…Corps Principle # 2 is really receive reinforcement training in PFAL so as to be able to con others.

Brain Fixed, I can sure relate to some of the feelings you've expressed. What has worked for me is developing critical thinking skills – or however you want to refer to them – analytical thinking, reasoning…whatever. Not saying I've arrived, got it all figured out or discovered some profound truth…but since I left in 86, I've gained a lot more self-confidence, tightened up on my embrace of reality, and have weeded out a lot of the mental baggage from TWI-ville by giving as much thought to my own belief system as a smart shopper does in buying a car or house. ~~ I view life as a journey. Not saying I've succeeded all by myself, 100 % healed or understand everything about my experience – but even though my wife, friends & medical professionals helped me work through stuff from before & after TWI – it still boiled down to my perception of reality. Every person's mental map of reality is different – for some folks it's VERY different – the typical TWI mindset plotted everything outside of the New Knoxville Gnostics' frame of thought as unchartered waters with the label "here be dragons". But if we're talking about reality here – I'm of the opinion that a lot of folks' maps will look similar – in that they have similar points of destination: success, marriage, family, happiness, career, etc. and similar routes drawn out how to get there [work hard, dating, passionately pursuing a desire, etc.]. I think TWI sold folks a bogus reality map. "Look at these great destinations! You can go here, here and there and we've got all the secret shortcuts mapped out for you so you'll get there in half the time & effort." I still have on file an old flyer from NY promoting PFAL. It has a drawing of a young lady with such a look of hope & expectation on her face, and the words by her image "You can have whatever you want." I was a Christian LONG BEFORE taking a gosh-awful long detour through TWI. And I remain a Christian today. But shortly after leaving that labyrinthine loony bin I experienced a crisis of faith that shook me to the very core of my beliefs. Asking myself such a basic question like "Is there a God?" can be such a long & arduous process…and the best I came up with was "I think so." A thousand apologies to the greatest salesmen in the world, if my experience takes the zing out of Christianity. But since I left TWI, the journey has become much more interesting…True, the "know that you know, that you know, that you know" false confidence crap & the wishful thinking [aka, the magic of believing] provided some degree of comfort & entertainment. But thankfully – at some point after my escape I realized I had been stuck in a holding pattern over real life…going through the motions again and again, trying to manipulate reality, spinning my wheels but thinking I'm really going places…venturing outside this self-imposed prison is quite an adventure. It takes courage, patience, self forgiveness & acceptance…I love exploring…well, you made a good point: "…i don't understand how after being in a cult and seeing how false all these "magical" things were how is it a person keeps trying the same things over and over again when a person knows it didn't work out the first time? and maybe i'm just being dense." At least you were smart enough to realize the repetition of failure as cause to examine the mindset and break the repetitive cycle of disappointment. ~~ I like Dooj's line "…the best revenge is a life well-lived." That strikes a big note on this thread. Maybe it's a testimony to the indomitable spirit of man or some sort of resilient thing in us that enables us to bounce back stronger from such experiences.

Corps principles regurgitated, revised & rejected: Corps principle # 1 Acquire an inept perpetual sense of hokum. Remember the integrity of absurdity is always at stake. If there's not a devil spirit behind every tree, believe God to put them there. Plan B: ask yourself what would Harry Potter do? Plan C: may the Force be with you. Corps principle # 2 Receive training in the whole array of smoke & mirrors so as to be able to con others. When lacking documentation resort to saying: "I remember when Doctor taught this verse to our Corps." Corps principle # 3 Physical training making your body the vehicle for the man-o-gawd when he's got his vehicle parked out back. And as for you guys, make sure the Way Bumper sticker is in pristine condition on your old clunker-of-a-WOW-mobile. Corps principle # 4 Practice mooching off other folks so you don't have to waste time working at a real job…and remember The Way in your will. Corps principle # 5 Go froth at the mouth in a royal hissy fit, any time someone complains about you getting all up in their bidness. You're Corps dammit!

I think you've got a good point there, Potato. I like the way you put that – TWI's constructs. Our mindset assumed anything from TWI was okay. We assumed the Corps principles were the standard of excellence and based on something real. The Corps program was just a reinforcement of PFAL, played out in a Gestapo-like setting. It was all about being assimilated into the system – your life became their property. vp said "The Word" takes the place of the absent Christ; I say the Corps program takes the place of having a life.

yeah what Rascal said!