FreeFromCults

Why don't they leave?

Basically, it boils down to one thing: FEAR

1) Fear of what's outside the ministry after many years of indoctrination on how the world outside TWI is bad.

2) Fear of starting from scratch after many years spent and invested in the ministry.

3) Fear of having the family split apart.

4) Fear of losing friends in the ministry by being M&A.

Infinite fears.

It's ironic that while the ministry teaches against fear, it is the one that is instilling it on everyone.

Me, I left and escaped on my own despite having the fear from all these talks of losing protection from God when leaving the ministry, I didn't f***ing care by then: I felt that I just rather be free in the wilderness than being confined and enslaved in the ministry and I didn't bloody care if I was going to be M&A'd by leaving the ministry: they are not friends if they do that crap.

Hopefully Craig isn't driving a forklift at his Home Depot job.

Working at a Home Depot?

So much for his ranting about being qualified to work at a Fortune 500 Company.

I finally became a member of GSC after reading over this stuff on and off for several years. I am fully persuaded that everything condemning about the old leadership is true. It is frankly amazing to me that it happened though because I never had to deal with any of it. I never wanted to be in leadership and although I was asked to run Twig a number of times I always declined because I just wanted to learn Scripture, share it when the opportunity arose, play my music and support my family. So I was always at arm's length from it. I never went into the Corps, never went WOW, never went door-to-door witnessing, never got bullied into helping leadershio move into a new house, or anything like that. I knew something was wrong when a Branch co-ordinator wanted to see my pay stubs to make sure I was tithing, and refused my wife's gifts to their new baby because they felt they couldn't accept it when in their view I wasn't paying my bill to God.

But having said that, it really grieves me that there appears to be little or no forgiveness on this forum. Maybe some of you have given up on God, which would be no different than the world is in many respects, how unbelievers trash God because of the behavior of some Christians. And I don't mean to trivialize the trauma that I cannot even imagine experiencing at the hands of people we trusted. But I gotta tell you, if you don't already know: If you keep carrying this stuff around you are only compounding the problem and hurting yourselves.

Ephesians 4:31-32

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

And be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Those people spoken of in these verses include all the church, not just the ones we like. Those people who did these things to you were all your brothers and sisters. The fact that they behaved in an evil way didn't cause them to lose their sonship. We are not going to live the life spoken of in Ephesians if we cannot forgive. I don't think I would be reading the continual rehashing of all the pain, the constant blaming, the incessant vitriol, the never-ending condemnation and self-condemnation, the two decades of failure to cope, if there were some forgiveness. You guys can rise above it. You all still can speak in tongues. Christ still resides in you. What pleasure or satisfaction can there possibly be in staying in the frame of mind I read here?

I am blessed to see some posts from those who are successfully moving on and who hold on to whatever they got from The Way that was positive. The rest of us had better do that so we can let the ball and chain fall away. Because as long as we're still griping it's still around our neck.

I love you all.

Welcome to GS.

Now, let's agree to disagree because I don't exactly agree with your points:

First, I am not holding on to anything I got from the Way because I threw them away and did my own Burning the Chaff with TWI materials. Anything good that was taught at the Way was nothing but plagiarism from good ole Vic. I moved on over 10 years ago without anything to do with TWI and its offshoots and I've been better off ever since.

Second, I am still angry with the hypocrisy that TWI has done and their flip-flopping of doctrines as well as double standards that have hurt a lot of people.

Little to no forgiveness in this forum, what do you expect?

A lot of people were and are still deeply hurt by TWI. You can forgive TWI leadership, but like they really give a fly.

Also, what is so wrong with criticizing TWI as well as pointing the flaws in their doctrines?

You said hurting ourselves??? How about this... we express how hurt and angry we are to... LET IT OUT rather than keep it bottled shut inside of us as this is what exactly will compound and hurt more.

Forgive TWI??? Yeah... whatever.

Were you involved with a cult (TWI)?

Like they said: "If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck..."

I really think.. if someone "goes back".. and the phone calls and communication stops.. after a few failed attempts to take you with them, and they subsequently avoid you.. maybe they weren't the friend one thought they were.

More likely, they were never friends to begin with.

How twi changed my life?...besides missed opprotunities?

I suppose my twi experience made me more cynical and less likely to fall for "bible con jobs"...After leaving twi, I became more secure in my own belief system and less dependant on the reinforcement of other people or groups...I walked away with a pretty good bull s **t meter.

You pretty much said it better than I would have. I feel the same way.

In my case, I would not know if they're in or not.

Since I left TWI, I pretty much lost contact with anyone related to TWI.

There were friends who left TWI before I did and made contact, but couldn't get together as our lives went separate ways. They have their own things and I got mine plus I moved out of the state and then moved across the country.

Now speaking hypothetically:

If a friend of mine goes back to TWI, I cannot prevent him/her. All can tell the person is "it's your decision. my doors will always be open for you, but I am never going back to TWI so it is up to you if you want to remain friends or not. " and I'll leave it at that.

Since I pretty much escaped, I have to say that I left into the night, but not silently.

I just left a letter to the Way Corpse roommate saying I don't want to be part of the ministry anymore, then pack my things when he was not home and left without saying a frigging word. I didn't even let them know where I left to (for what? so I get harassed) nor let them talk to me into coming back (if they M&A'd me, I didn't give a s**t either).

I left around the time that the legalistic kangaroo courts of the mid-90's started. I was present in one of those stupid sessions where a friend of mine was being reamed. Inside of me, I thought to myself "you can be next."

I just had enough with all that and other BS's at the time that I just pack up and left. Of course, I did not leave that Way Corpse roommate to foot the bill in regards to the apartment rent. I left my part of the rent in advance for the last 3 months of the lease although I was broke: I just did not want anything to do anymore with TWI, I just wanted to move on to be free.

Now, over 12 years later, I can safely say I did not become a greasespot as Loy Boy wrongly predicted as always.

Kill for TWI?

No f***ing way. I am glad I did not stay there long (3 years is more than enough) enough to be around people who'll go to that extreme.

I bet that ex-CIA guy must feel like a real fool now that Martinfail is defrocked.

Now, for those who are willing to kill for TWI, let me ask you a few questions:

When you get arrrested, will TWI help you bail out of jail?

Will TWI help with your court costs and help you stay out of prison?

or

What is the possibility TWI will deny ever condoning your actions?

EVEN, what is the possibility will just M&A and cut ties with you in order to save their own arses?

Kill for TWI? Yeah...Right. They are not worth going to jail for.

60 freaking years old, eh?

Well Loy Boy, here's a B'Day song for you:

CRAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

CRAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

CRAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG LOSER!

CRAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

A sneak preview of forthcoming events, can't tell you how I got this info so don't ask.

Specially announced over the Cafe megaphone but not yet announced within the walls of Zion:

The theme for the next ministry year at TWI, to be announced on October 5, 2008, is (drum roll):

Serving the Lord with Gladness

It still boils down to Same S**t, Different Day.

I threw away all my TWIT material the moment that I left. I also did my own Burning the Chaff, burning all TWIT related items including a photo of the board of trustees at that time (Loy Boy, the Donald and The Allen).

Thank God for freedom of choice and freedom of religion.

Amen!!!

Thank God for all the freedom of choice and freedom of religion that TWI never gave us and wanted to take away from us.

That's exactly the point that I got to... I thought, "If this was being under God's umbrella of protetion, it couldn't be any worse outside of it."

Good Call!

More like Good Thought!

As we found out, it's a heck of a lot a better outside of it.

Is it due to willful ignorance or what?

Absolutely!

They sure live by the saying "Ignorance is Bliss."

I'm pretty certain that the WAYGB still monitors us here at the cafe. :)[/color]

If WAYGB is monitoring the site, I wish I can flick the birdie at them.

Going back to the topic, if the person is still in TWI, that's his/her prerrogative and their lives. They are adults and mature enough to make their own decisions just like we made our decision not to be in TWI.

BTW, to the TWI security who's reading this: "F-U and F your organization."

A few months later, in August 2001, I was confronted by Horrocks, his wife, and our local fellowship coordinator with a sheef of printouts of my posts as "Twyril" on Grease Spot Cafe. A few days after that, Horrocks called me from Missouri, informing me that I was no longer welcome at Way fellowships because I "didn't believe that the Trustees were leading the ministry in the right direction".

You know Oak:

Although you had to go thru that stupid kangaroo court, you are better off now being out than being in it and possibly going thru a few more stupid Kangaroo Courts.

Me... I left, more like escape and I never gave them the satisfaction of having me in their stupid Kangaroo Court. With all that scare of being out of protection from God if being out of TWI, I preferred to take on chance on that than being a slave of them.

I have read many threads on the negative aspects of being involved in twi, but have you thought about where and what circumstances you may be in if you hadn't been involved?

I'm almost sure East Texas wouldn't be my home and my life as it is. Simply put, I like where life's journey has taken me so far. :)

Jim

If I haven't been involved with TWI then, I'd finished college a lot earlier, gotten a job earlier and possibly, I would have owned a house and lived somewhere different from where I'm living now and I possibly would have a family of my own by now.

Where would I be today if I stayed with TWI?

Probably not living where I currently live right now.

Probably not owning a house nor a new car since I would have to give a big chunk of my hard-earned money to ABS 3 times a week.

Probably not having a close relationship with my relatives and immediate family.

Probably not romantically involved with the girl I am currently with.

Probably have not met the great people (since I left TWI) who are still are my friends.

To sum it up, I think it is a wise decision that I left TWI over 12 years ago. Otherwise, I would have wasted 15+ years of my life instead of the 3 yrs that I was involved.

Being a Nazi sympathizer doesn't necessarily make one a member of the Nazi party.

I believe he's more of a sympathizer.

Nazis are not the only ones who are anti-semitics. There were quite a bunch before the rise of Nazism. As another poster said, Czarist Russians and Communists (go figure ... considering that Karl Marx was a Jew) were also anti-semitic.

After 12 years from leaving TWI, I kept nothing from PFAL. Why should I keep a plagiarized material? Why do I need to keep a memento or reminder of an organization that practices spiritual abuses and claims to do it in the name of God?

New theme?!?!?!?!???

You're right Belle, it's the same as the old theme. :blink:

So much for originality and creativity.

Oh wait, they don't have any originality and creativity. The people with the most originality and creativity are all gone.

Hello everybody!

I know of SCORES of situations boob and doody covered up......not just for the dancing prez, but for the founding one too!!!.......and they knew plenty, well before the "early '90's!! she wasted a lotta abs getting her degree in "counselling"!!........she's an absolute disgrace to both the word and the practice!!!

Interesting, it clearly shows what type of hypocrites they are as they kept mouthing off "The love of money is the root of all evil...blah...blah...blah". For someone who has a lot of money to take ABS money to get a degree, what a shame and disgrace in every sense.

As close as they were to those two serial sexual predators i mentioned, how come when the dancing prez was "tossed", they came out "smelling like a rose"??

where's the "genuine spiritual suspicion" regarding their involvement with king okie??.......they contracted one of the most severe cases of "optharectalitis" in the history of the disease by having their heads stuffed so far up the "athlete's arse"!!!.........is that why rosie shipped 'em off to england??......too much dirt in their "lockboxes"??

....boob is one of biggest loser's you'll ever meet!!......spineless, gutless wimp!!!.......

spineless, gutless wimp is putting it mildly. He's a big bullying coward that likes to throw his weight around acting tough to the low-ranked believers, but when someone stands up to him, he hides behind someone's skirt for protection. Sounds familiar to those who know him well, eh?

marked and avoided his closest and oldest "friends" in his attempt to achieve new depths of service to his hero mog!!..........i'm glad they're out of this country........england beware!.........

as i mentioned before on this thread regarding young bri bri,......no "new hope" from him........rotten gene pool, both "spiritually" and physiologically!.......sheesh!

As I mentioned also in regard to Booby Bri Jr on becoming leader... Same S**t Different Day.

New leader, eh?

Same S**t Different Day.

More like Same S**t Different Person

Hello everyone,

On a scale of 1-10, how mean do you think I was today to the 2 JWs at my door?

My only regret was not saying, "Hey, guys, get a life! Don't you work all week! What are you 2 doing walking around trying to convert new JWs so the JW HQ can collect more tithes?"

But, I didn't. They said they wanted to talk to me today about the Bible. Noticed they were wearing their Sunday shoes, shined, nice longsleeved dress shirts, pants, and ties. It's 85 degrees today. I said, "No thanks, I've already been in a cult."

"Which one were you in?" they asked.

"The Way International," I said.

Scanned the Bible in closest one's hand and saw a WatchTower hanging out. Then asked, "Which one are you in, Jehovah's Witnesses?"

"Yes, we are in JWs, but we're not in a cult..." Big smiles.

I cut them off, "Well that's great, have a good afternoon." I felt good as I shut the door.

My reasoning: I've already spent more time with cults than I care to think about and there is just no more of me to give. I just don't have time for it.

Honesty feels good. Was I mean to them or is it good for them to hear it straight?

Nope... You weren't mean to them. You were straight in your response. I would have been meaner: I would have said, "Well that's great, have a good afternoon and go kiss your mothers' behind".

JW's are so much more full of it than TWI. Leaving TWI for JW would be like jumping from the frying pan into the fire.