waysider

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.

It's just a guess on my part, really, but I don't think you'll have much luck finding people on this site who are interested in promoting The Way or PFAL. Good luck to you just the same, though. I'll be believing for you.

I thought about responding to this but I'm running late for class set-up and I'm on the refreshment crew.. I need to wash the lipstick stains off those disposable styrofoam cups so we can get another 12 sessions out of them.

Move The Word = Sell PFAL. Word Over The World = Run lots of classes. Even today, when I hear people talk about how they're still moving the word, what they really mean is they are promoting the contents of PFAL.

Well, it was all done by revelation so, I'm thinking the revelation must have changed. :P

I love a parade!!

Wierwille said in CF&S that some sort of spiritual bond takes place between the participants of intercourse. Maybe that's it. We all feel a special bond to each other because we all got screwed by the same sleazy con game. Did that sound bitter? Oh, Lord, I hope that didn't sound bitter. :biglaugh:/>

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....Hey, buddy, ya got the time? I'm not bitter. I'm not even sure I ever was. Disappointed, disillusioned, angry...maybe. Bitter? I don't think so. It is what it is and it was what it was. We all got sucked into a crazy scam. Oh, yeah. I forgot "embarrassed". Definitely embarrassed.

Blinding light, oh light that blinds.....

Maybe we're all just on the same bus?

I agree.

This thread is about the spread of cult and cult-like groups and organizations in today's society. it's not about anyone's particular, specific beliefs regarding God, the Bible, the devil, VPW, fundamentalism, inerrancy or political tendencies. Cults and cult-like groups come in all sorts of different shapes, sizes, colors, flavors....you name it. What we're talking about is how to identify them and safeguard ourselves and others from the traps and pitfalls they so often present. The aforementioned subjects are not off-limits but are misplaced in this thread. The preferred approach in discussing such things is to find another thread that is more focused on them or to simply start a new one so this one can continue in the intended direction.

A big part of professional sports is pushing the legal limit, doing as much as you can get away with. Good sportsmanship, sadly, is no longer relevant.

I just come here for the coffee and donuts.

Well done.

No, I wouldn't consider that a cult. There may well be tangential groups whose participants subscribe to cult-like mindset and behavior but I don't think, as a whole, those items, in themselves, represent cult behavior. Take water, for example. Having worked in the water industry for many years, I can tell you that the average person hasn't a clue that we are on the brink of a very real water shortage. If big money oil and gas concerns continue to call the shots on fracking, we may see the tip of the iceberg in our lifetimes. It can take up to 25 million gallons of water to run one fracking well over the course of its viable lifetime. Much of that is rendered unsuitable for future use because it is laced with toxic chemicals and sealed underground, out of sight. Meanwhile, we're teaching our kids to use less water to brush their teeth, retrofitting toilets and installing faucets with quantity limiting features. That's like trying to bail out the ocean, one drop at a time. So, what I'm saying is that this one particular problem (and there are many others) requires serious investigation and action. Some people, of course, will associate themselves with cult-like thinking and align themselves with radical thinking groups in the process.

Bienvenido.

In other words, you don't know and don't care. You've invented your own definition to suit your preconceived idea. Why bother even posting? If you don't understand what a cult is, how can you possibly contribute anything meaningful to the conversation?

Did we really need session #7 to convince us to avoid reason and logic? More and more, I'm starting to think that's something that's built into human nature. Wierwille just capitalized on it. It's like teaching an animal to do tricks. You just get them to do things they're predisposed to and make it appear that you're in control.

That we did, my friend. That we did.

I never celebrated Uncle (he wasn't MY uncle) Harry Day in the literal sense. (I never attended one of the bon-fires.) I did, however, relinquish possession of far too many things under the guise of this controlling and ludicrous Way tenet.