Calflor

Totally agree...that could be part of the legal strategy in this case. The money, time and effort to defend one's self can be staggering. The plaintiff may in fact simply be looking for some type of negotiated settlement with the defendents. Too bad we don't have the same laws as in the UK where plaintiffs are made to pay a defendent's legal expenses when the plaintiff loses. This would put an end to bogus lawsuits. Lawyers have lobbied hard against any such legislation. Who benefits most from a lawsuit such as this? The lawyers

I pulled this off the website expertlaw.com "Another big issue is that defamation cases tend to be difficult to win, and damage awards tend to be small. As a result, it is unusual for attorneys to be willing to take defamation cases on a contingent fee basis, and the fees expended in litigating even a successful defamation action can exceed the total recovery." If this were some famous highly successful author, minister or celebrity there might be sufficient damages to afford the expense of pursuing legal recourse. In this case there appears to be none of the above. Is it being done for principle or hurt feelings?... because the monetary damages would appear to be minimal. Good attorneys will always forwarn a client about the difficulty of winning such cases. Really good attorneys that could possibly prevail in a case like this will charge in excess of $500 per hour in Indianapolis Indiana. The risk versus the reward in this case seems extremely high with a low potential payoff. This guy would be better off buying $500 worth of quick picks on the Hoosier Lottery.

Just what we all need, fabricated problems on top of all our "real" problems.

Having grown up in Central Indiana I miss many things, however snow is not one of them. The north side of Indy and Carmel is one of the nicest places in America to live for families, IMO. I miss the Colts, Bob and Tom, the trees, nice people, traffic that I could avoid by taking some country road around it and homes that are affordable. Having spent the past year in South Florida and the two years prior to that in Southern California, I have learned to appreciate all the things I had in Indiana.

Personally, I do not want, nor IMO need to have a class/instructor help me with my cognitive dissonance. As far as I can tell, I am not insane and do have a fairly logical mind...so I will deal with this on my own, thank you very much. Also, these so called life instructors are doing it mostly for the money and the enlargement of their own egos. Dr. Phil is a prime example, IMO...condescending pseudo psychology is his game, but it has made him mucho dinero. Put that together with spiritual abuse and what do you have? A religious cult.

The real "irony" here is that these people (CES) promoted a class (momentus) to confront people with "reality"...most of us face reality on a daily basis with jobs, families and real life responsibilities...and these folks want to teach us about facing reality...really?

Mastering the art of small talk reallly breaks down barriers. The best salesmen I know really know how to use it to their advantage by getting to know clients. Being well read in current events, sports, etc. can be a tool that opens people up to talk about the weightier (sp) things of life. People who charge out of the gate with some heavy agenda without taking the time to get to know me is a real turn off. What is wrong with a conversation about the recent Super Bowl? The Colt's coach Tony Dungy is a real cool guy that has used football as a stage to communicate his Christian beliefs. He does it with class, IMO. TWI, as in most things has it wrong here too.

Great point Inkernet. Acknowledging reality was viewed with scorn in TWI. You were chided as "walking in the flesh" by your 5 senses. Most biblical accounts of miracles did not leave out the harsh realities those delivered were facing at the time. In TWI even the slightest mention of reality was a negative confession.

Definitely agree this book was poorly written...in the we (John, Mark and John). Beyond that it was kinda like hearing one of JAL's long winded teachings that just went on forever. I do however agree with the conclusion and certainly no stone went unturned. I would recommend it for insomnia.

If I were MG, I would not waste any resources on this, particularly in the state of Indiana. I waged a legal battle with my siblings over our family business in Hamilton County Indiana with very little success. The only way I was able to expedite my case was by hiring the judge's campaign manager, who coincidently has his office on the north side of Indy (near the JAL/CES stomping ground). So, if anyone out there needs his name, PM me...however I would not throw good money after bad if it were me. I have been there and done that. Defamation is not easy to prove. This would be a civil case and the only thing recoverable is money...and just how much do these people have? I wish I would have sucked it up, wiped my tears and moved on sooner than I did. At 50+ years of age there is not enough time play this card. I would say to MG...go buy a bucket and some squeegies and get your a$$ to work.

Never been to Burgerville, but as a former California resident who is now dislocated to Burger Hell (South Florida)...what I wouldn't give for a Double Double with grilled onions, fries and a large Coke from In and Out? In and Out is really an LA/So Cal thing, San Diego/aka Low Cal, Northern California/aka No Cal, Las Vegas/Never will be Cal and Phoenix/Wanna be Cal will never do, In and Out should have stayed out of those markets.

When people practice an addiction for 30 years or more, it gets harder to overcome. You don't see many smokers, alcoholics or drug abusers delivered after years of addiction. It's not impossible to overcome, but for the most part addictions result in destroying lives, way ahead of the addicts appointed time. It is sad, but the same is true for cult addiction.

Spiritual freeloaders...playing church...f'ing with peoples lives... and donors, stop enabling these people with your moolah!

Vegan XTC, JAL's father was the top guy at Lilly Endowment in Indianapolis. The Lilly Endowment is charitable trust set up the Eli Lilly Company. I have heard that Mr. Lynn was involved in purchasing the former Indiana Way Home on Westfield Blvd in Indy. Mr. Lynn was certainly finacially able to purchase the home on his own. The Lilly Endowment is one of the top 5 endowments in country and as such is under much public scrutiny. The Lynns were very supportive of their son JAL, but the senior Mr. Lynn was a very professional guy. I am confident he did not get to where he was professionally, by giving the endowment's money away to a religious cult his son was involved in.

I went to a few CES fellowships early on...I always liked John Lynn. But then I had a daughter...I could not expose her to the weirdness (momentus/personal prophesy). We took her to the Methodist Church and exposed her to loving and kind people without all the oddities and interference in our lives. On a related note...JAL's parents are some of the most wonderful people I have ever met. They were extremely sucessful people, highly respected in the community. It always gave me hope that their example of normalicy would one day be practiced by more believers who had the privilege of getting to know them. They were truly one of the great family's of my early TWI years.

At first in the late 70's I chalked up the occasional indignity to stupid people, not disimilar to stupid people I had encountered thoughout my entire life up to that point. However, as time went on and it got worse, I came to the conclusion that TWI placed incompetent individuals in postions of power and control based soley on their zealous adherence to their stange doctrine. People who I would have never given the time of day in the real world and now having to take their arrogant holier than thou attitude just became too much, so I got out. Slobbering nerds trying to stick their tongue down my wife's throat...no thank you!

It has been many years out of the way, so I don't recall hearing "it is better to ask for forgiveness that to ask for permission", but I have heard this phrase used in the business world many times in the past few years. When I first heard this, I kind of accepted the logic even though something didn't sit right with me. It seems to me that it is becoming standard practice in a lot of circles, to the point where there is no respect for rules or law. It appears to been taken to an the extreme that says "if you can do it and get away with it's okay". Something is wrong in Denmark!

When I saw this guy interviewed on TV, I knew he was lying at least about the meth. I worked in California and Missouri in factory settings that saw more than it's share of meth usage. In California we drug tested all new applicants, however in Missouri we did not. We started a factory in a small town 70 miles east of Kansas City that was ravaged with this problem. My bosses had moved this factory there with much help from the state of Missouri. The town had severe economic problems, so we received an economic package to hire locals. Many would have never been hired if we had stricter hiring standards. I saw several employees literally handcuffed and taken off due to failing drug tests required by their parole officers. If I were to characterize their bad behavior, it would be lying, deceit and denial. This is one powerful drug that really takes hold of it's victims...they will lie, cheat and steal to get this high. Ultimately, it destroys people's lives...it doesn't matter if you are one of the elite and powerful or live in a trailer.

I have always had dogs and cats...was looked down on because of it. It was just one of the many reasons I never went WOW or Corp...I made commitments to my pets, that I would love and take care of them all their lives. The so called MOG can have expensive trained hunting dogs, but I can't have a lab or cocker spaniel? All of my dogs and cats have a special place in my memories and my life is richer because of it. Hypocrits! To this day, I gravitate to people who love animals. Krysilis, In the late 70's and early 80's I did. But, I could see where things were headed...a day when I wouldn't, so I got out while the getting was good in 1984.

I have to admit, after a few of these reproof experiences I would do my damnest to avoid these people...and even better I reveled in not obeying any of their petty bs. I remember on one occasion, a leaders meeting at my house, the phone rang, I answered it instead of just letting the answering machine get it. The LC proceeded to reem me for answering the phone at my own house during an important meeting. It just made me more committed to disobedience. I never again agreed to having any more meetings like this at my home. When the top brass showed up at your home, they made you feel like you were the guest. These people who didn't have a pot to pi$$ in would walk in your home like it was theirs. The real owners who worked their a$$es off to live there were given little respect by many way big wigs.

I moved from Redlands California to Miami Florida a year ago in November via Ishpeming Michigan (where my wife's brother and mother live...long trip!)...anyhow, I went to see a friend in Escanaba on the opening day of deer season...it snowed like crazy that day and I barely made it back to Ishpeming that night. It snowed 2 ft or more the two weeks we were there. The real pastime is bar hopping...we went to at least 10 different bars in Ishpeming one night while stumbling around in the snow...best of all, I haven't seen a $20 bill go that far since the 70's.

Thanks Rascal! Actually, I am not sure it paid great dividends for me with the LC. The next year we were sent a Corp couple. After setting them up in a house and getting a job for the guy. We gave up the fellowship to them, then never went once to their twig. They viewed us as spiritual lightweights and really never bothered asking why we never came to fellowship. It didn't take long to run off all the other faithfull from our old fellowship. They left after 3 years with little success. They were mostly adept at putting their hands out...other than that they didn't have much use for us...nor we for them. I know the Word says..."The Love of God thinks no evil"...but there were some who just rub you the wrong way.

In the early 80's I had been running a twig in a small midwestern town for a few years when we were sent WOWs...long and short of it, I was not allowed to have any influence with "LCs WOWs". One of the WOWs had history of heart problems. She became very ill and needed to be taken to the hospital. I called the LC and told him I was taking her to the hospital, he proceeded to tell me I was interfering with his WOWs and he would make the decision to let her go to the hospital. He was 50 miles away and had not even come to visit her...anyway, I said F this jerk I'm taking her to the hospital. The Dr. said she needed immediate IV dose of antibiotics and fluids to prevent her condition from worsening. None of this mattered to the LC, he was more worried about the Dr. calling him a cult leader than the girl's condition. He immediately came over to my house after visiting the hospital and reemed me for taking her to the hospital. Being a product of the rebellous 70's (one reason I got involved in the first place), I told him to F off. Even, better the girl wanted to leave the field and go back to NY after getting out of the hospital. I bought her a 1 way plane ticket. She was very sick and wanted to go home to her family, who wanted to take care of her. To this day I believe I did the right thing for her.

California Hwy 1 south of Big Sur there is an outdoor restaurant (not great food) but the views and air are out of this world. The restaurant is called Nepenthe(sp?) and it sits in the giant the redwoods overlooking the Pacific Ocean 1500 ft below. The air is usually crisp (low 60's) but if the sun is not shrouded in fog it is very warming. The fragrence of the giant trees makes the experience even more surreal. Another favorite is US Hwy 287 going west out of Riverton Wyoming towards the Grand Tetons. You come up over a hill some 40-50 miles east of the Tetons and all of a sudden these spectacular moutains jump up out of the ground at you...it takes your breath away. Going out of the Northeast gate of Yellowstone on US Hwy 212 from Cooke City Montana to Red Lodge Montana is a stunner also. I could go on, but that will do for now.

Great story dMiller...I too am from Indiana originally...went to that other school in Indiana (PU). I took the class in 1976...it was a kinder gentler TWI...still a tad bit wierd, but at least tolerable. Many may not know that Bloomington Indiana (more particularly Bean Blossum) is a hotbed of Bluegrass music. Isn't Bill Monroe from there?