waysider

If mowing grass, cleaning toilets and scrubbing floors could really build spiritual acumen, the leaders should have been falling over each other for opportunities to grow. Instead, what we witnessed was a glowing example of what a toxic, hostile workplace should look like. They were nothing more than a bunch of bullies, despite their ability to smile and say, "God bless, you're the best.".

Welcome First one is on the house Here ya go!

"..it looks like most everyone who's paying attention has gotten the memo." And then there are those who have gotten the memo and refuse to consider it. They must be the ones who took session #5 to heart. ("Never allow yourself consider....")

..............OR...................

Protocol....yes Spiritual....no Everything in The Way was judged by its supposed "spirituality". The whole thing was no more "spiritual" than the flying monkeys that vexed Dorothy. "Oh, Toto, do be careful. There might be a devil spirit in your water dish."

I never knew anything about this incident until I read it here. It makes me wonder what else they may have hidden from us. I'm sure there must be plenty.

Interesting. If you try to google SOQI, you'll get page after page after page of ads, claiming it cures everything from love handles to liver cancer.

:eusa_clap:

There may be a pinch of Stockholm Syndrome in the recipe.

Yep, it all sounds eerily familiar. The first two years I was in FellowLaborers of Ohio, we had no T.V., house phone, newspaper, etc. I guess it wouldn't have mattered, though, as they controlled everything we did from 5 AM until midnight. Then, it was *lights out* and *no talking*. Fifty grown-up people in a commune, living like a bunch of fifth graders, all eating the exact same meals and singing campfire songs at every chance we could. We were required to hold secular jobs through the day and were supposed to use that as a springboard to witness. Leads were turned over to local leadership for followup. Anyhow, at my secular job, there was a lot of buzz on Monday mornings about a new T.V. show called Saturday Night Live. (I think the actual name may have been slightly different at first.) I felt like some kind of social outcast and was ashamed to admit we didn't have a T.V. or that it came on after my curfew. It was bad enough trying to explain why I lived in a townhouse with five other people and all my neighbors lived that way as well. There was a pay phone at the local truck stop (The Wayside Truck Stop....see the connection to my GSC name?) if you could ever find time to get there and didn't mind having your conversations out in the open for everyone to hear. Oh, there were so many things. Shopping for a used car, I had to make sure the trunk could hold all the PFAL equipment. (Never mind if I actually liked the car or if it was green, blue or chartreuse.) Looking for a new apartment? Well, it must have ample parking for maximum fellowship attendees and be tolerant of Sing-Along-The Way clatter and cacophony. Interviewing for a job? The schedule had to be such that it would never, ever interfere with Way functions. On and on and on and on. I think the most insane restrictions were those that involved who we were allowed to date or marry. No, there was no written edict mandating the rules but they were clearly understood. (Two believers come together in marriage for the purpose of jointly promoting PFAL and The Way) It doesn't matter who you marry because, don't cha know?, "any two believers can make a marriage work". Ugh. So, then you leave it all behind and you wonder where you will go to fellowship, how you will Abundantly Share (tithe). You absolutely must find a place to give all your money or God will cut you off like a gangrenous big toe. Lots of culture shock. Yes, indeed. Too much to ask an outsider to understand though deep inside you wish they could.

"You're always welcome at The Way." :o

"It's not that they're intentionally chased off, it's that they get tired of being ignored and under-rewarded, so they find a better job with more respect elsewhere." Sometimes they do get chased off, intentionally set up and fired. The only explanation I can think of is that the incompetent bullies are afraid their deficiencies will be exposed so they eliminate anyone who can potentially expose them. .

I've never fully understood this concept but I know it's very real. We see it frequently in the corporate world, as well. Oftentimes, the most competent people are the very ones who are subjected to bully tactics and forced to move on. Meanwhile, the narcissists and psychopaths seem to find their way to the top and are rewarded for bad behavior.

Yeah.....but ours were THE BEST!

"Students told investigators earlier this year that their classes were a sham, they lived in substandard conditions and Miller forced them to work at the college or his home for little pay, according to court documents. If they refused to work, the students said, Miller threatened to deport them." "A criminal complaint filed earlier this year states Miller forced students to work at the college and his home sometimes for more than 40 hours a week and for as little as $25 per week." Read more HERE.

If it's a "closed group", only members of the group can see it.

Hmmmmm.....Maybe

Oops! I thought I read 6 months. My mistake. This is serious. Seek help immediately. Don't even stop to shower or brush your teeth. Try to stay calm and, most importantly, avoid all air travel.

I wouldn't call that obsession. I would call it a heightened interest. Lots of people do it. Six pocket knives in a six month stretch is far from an obsession, it's just a collection. It all sounds pretty normal to me. I mean, that's how everyone is, back on my home planet, Mars.

Hmmmm I do enjoy watching stuff get "blowed up". Bwaaahaha!

What does that mean? (Within the context of this thread)

I suppose, if she had thought deeply enough, Dorothy might have identified some good times she and Toto had while in OZ. There were some good times in The Way, too. That doesn't negate the fact that the whole thing was a sham. Wierwille was the man behind the curtain. He had no special powers aside from his abilities as a con artist. We were living inside a mythical kingdom. The kingdom fragmented and it's subjects continue to hobble onward in places like Mississippi. Life would be so much easier if we could just click our heels 3 times and be done with it. Instead, we click the send key and continue to solve the puzzle and offer support to each other.

edit: Too far off-topic.

Is there a teenage boy in this world who would deny their existence?