waysider

Probably not but, it sure has a nice ring to it. :P

Hey, Garth, long time no see. You have a good point about opinions and science. A good part of the information available on the subject is just opinion and there isn't nearly as much scientific data as I'd like to see. The problem is, though, you have to call it something and "yo mamma" was already taken. So, we call that kind of stuff a "cult" and work with the specifics as best we can. Like you, I think the word "cult" is used too loosely to describe things that don't fit the criteria, flawed as it may be. That's why I emphasize the need to look at the criteria, the specifics of the abuse and manipulation being discussed and see if one's experience is similar to others. If it is, then we can discuss the similarities without giving it any sort of name.

Yes, it's relevant because it reinforces the importance of boundary recognition. We're conditioned to believe that those who are above us in authority will make the right choices. And, it's true, to a degree that we have to, especially in the ninth grade and early adulthood. As adults, though, we have to rely on our moral compass and past experience to arrive at logical, reasoned decisions. Sometimes people do these things because they didn't learn the correct lesson from previous experience and they perpetuate the behavior. Discussions like this help to break the cycle. (IMO)

I think it is important to look for and at the previously noted characteristics that define a cult before declaring a group or movement to be one. For example, Rocky Horror Picture Show is often referred to as being a "cult movie". But, upon closer examination, we find the defining characteristic of a cult to be missing. For the most part, when people leave the movie theater, they don't find themselves pondering the meaning of the film or subverting themselves to a charismatic leader or reveling in "special knowledge" or recruiting new converts. Like the horror movie ads said in the 1950's, "It's only a movie.".

Maybe that's it, they catch us at a moment of vulnerability.

Leave of absence/Dropped from active Corps (In other words, "tripped out")

Very cool!

I suppose so, Jerry, but it reminds me too much of how The Way used that technique to rationalize other obvious contradictions such as the six denials, etc.

It's always mealtime for lichen.

I think we should eat gravel. It's 100% natural and oh, so yummy.

Lots of misinformation and misunderstanding out there on both sides of the argument. It reminds me of some of the kernels of nutritional wisdom that used to float around The Way like they had been handed down on stone tablets...."Well, you know, Gr@ce Bl!ZZ says........"

Paid with bandwidth? No, thanks. The corner beer drive-thru doesn't accept bandwidth as legal tender. GMO's....Too big a subject for this thread.

I already cut off my satellite radio for a lot less than that a month. (And Lord knows I love my music.) So, I would pull the plug on FB, without a doubt.

I don't know. Even if you don't directly depend on it, the things you do depend on depend on it..Huh?..You go to get your meds at the pharmacy. The Rx has already arrived electronically....millions of such examples.. Pacemakers, defibrillators...not possible without the same technology that drives the internet.

To a large degree, this electronic revolution (on a large scale) has all happened in the short time since most of us graduated from high school.

I think the average person would be flabbergasted to discover how inextricably their life is linked to the internet. My mother-in-law, for example, has never used a computer...ever. But, she doesn't fully realize the role that cyber activity plays in her health care and finances. We're at a point of no return....Well, at least without catastrophic repercussions.

There were people at the local levels and in the close knit groups that cared about you, without a doubt. But, for the most part, the organization, itself, didn't give a rat's azz about anything outside of its own interests. Some people, after all these years, still can't seem to wrap their heads around that reality. These forums help bring that reality out of the shadows and into the stark nakedness of the light of day.

Even back in the early 1970's, when The Way was experiencing a growth peak, I was instructed, as a twig leader, to doctor my membership roster. We were given lists of people who had taken the class but had drifted away. We were to contact them and try to recruit them back. Even a phone conversation constituted a renewal of "active" status. Oh, wait, I forgot, The Way doesn't keep membership rosters. Riiight!

I need some clarification. I'm assuming we're not talking about the type that is blatantly obvious. Is that correct?

"With twi.....it was more like "What would the Apostle Paul do? Or Timothy?" ........................................................................... I think the same could be said for a large part of modern, mainstream "Christianity", especially those factions leaning in the fundamentalist direction.

Telling abuse victims they need to get over it is like telling poor people they need to get money.

So many times when I hear this subject come up, it seems like the person insisting on forgiveness is also asking for the questionable action to be forgotten. I think there needs to be some sort of mental demarcation that separates the act from the perpetrator. Are we supposed to forgive/forget the wrongful acts that are committed against us or the people who commit them? I, personally, think it's foolish to forget the wrongful acts. That would be like forgetting it was the fire that burned your hand. We remember so we don't make the same painful mistake again.

That's the part that seems to get lost in the conversation.

"All you had you wasted." Yep....That's me. Well, not the girl part, of course. :P

I'm one of the more fortunate ones. Of the several times I've moved, only four were to directly accommodate "the ministry". They were all within my first ten years and all within my home state, where I currently reside.