waysider

Heh! Reminds me of those three headed goats that just happen to be born in some remote Tibetan village. That stuff never seems to happen in Chicago or Hoboken or Detroit or some place where people actually have the resources to document them.

Undershepherding....designed with one goal in mind...to keep people (and yourself) in a hyped up state so the indoctrination process could become deeply rooted. Don't let them stray too far away from the herd. They'll start to consider things from a rational point of view and possibly move on with their life. Can't have that. Doesn't fare very well for the financial health of the organization.

I think they're missing a golden opportunity. They could be marketing bottles of "holy water" from the illustrious fountain of living waters.

No, I'm not saying that at all. In fact, there is no reference to God in my post. Animals kill. (bears, lions, tigers....) You don't need to factor God into the process to understand it.

I don't know if anyone really has a definitive answer to this. It would seem to me, though, that evolutionary processes would eventually weed out specimens with a genetically predisposed reluctance to kill.

What??? You mean I'm the only one who uses a real photo?

Well, he was wrong in his teaching of the image of himself, as well. So, what else is new?

Projecting a few years into the future, I wonder what program survivors will call their support site. Today, we have the Greasespot Cafe. Maybe they'll call theirs the Podunk Truck Patch.

May the circle be unbroken....or at least not seriously damaged.

What if we get to Hell and find out it's not really there?...Well, we would have had the best time going. Dat's Riiight!

"Our foundations are rooted in the principles taught in the Power for Abundant Living series and the Way Corps principles as enumerated by Dr. Wierwille ....." Golly...based on a class that's been shown to be an error filled work of plagiarism and the principles of a drunken sexual predator, who, according to his own teachings, was riddled with devil spirits. Doesn't it just break your heart to realize you can't join right this very minute?

It's less than 2 months away! S.O.W.E.R.S 2012 If you start now, there may be still time to get all those dechomai's and lambano's penciled into your Bible. And don't forget..... "Any volunteer may be dismissed at any time and/or program cancelled at sole discretion of those charged with oversight."

Can we all agree these so-called "leadership training programs" were oppressive/repressive? If I learned anything at all, it's that the human spirit is surprisingly resilient and can rebound from adversity in ways we might never have expected.

John I know you're just kidding......but, that's sick.

edit

Aren't the singing ladies really robots? :P "Chuck E. Cheese Over The World" (C.O.W.)

Driving without insurance wasn't illegal yet, way back then.....but it sure was stupid....unless, of course, you were "believing" everything would work out fine.....which it always did.... <_< Somebody "borrowed" my car, once, and drove it all the way to Columbus (25 miles or so) in 2nd gear! Naturally, God healed my transmission.....uh huh ...Praise the lord!

Perhaps I should clarify this post. I was commenting on a specific program, not "the ministry" in general. In the program (read: commune) we had several mandatory funds. There was a fellowlaborer fund, which paid rent and utilities, a house fund, which covered individual house expenses, such as dish soap, toilet paper and the like, and a food fund (Manna fund), which covered the expenses involved with our food co-op. We had a community garden that supplied our vegetable needs. We were also expected to share freely of our pluralities. So, if you had a car and weren't using it one day, you were expected to loan it to someone who needed it. (It's not hard to understand how this aspect was subject to abuse by people who always seemed to be more "needy" than others.) We also had to "abundantly share" to support the limb facility, just like everyone else in the state. Even our time was considered communally owned, though we were permitted some individual time on Sundays to wash clothes and run errands. This is what I meant by the socialism aspect. At the same time, we had absolutely no voice in how these funds and rules were developed or administered. Our time was strictly controlled. We were not free to pursue hobbies or outside interests. We were not permitted to fraternize with or date anyone outside the program. We were told when to get up, when to go to bed, what to do, what not to do, when to eat, what to eat, and how to eat. None of these items were up for discussion or questioning. Obedience ruled the day. This is what I meant by the authoritarian aspect. Edit: So, when I hear people talk about how much they learned in the program, I have to wonder exactly what it is they think they "learned".

Happy 4th to you as well, Kit.

Yeah, I remember that. He also said that, through the week, "the adversary" would look at what he had written and then work to turn the congregation against it/him so that the message would be poorly received on Sunday morning. Personally, I think he was just trying to rationalize his own laziness and lack of preparation.

So much for "The New, Dynamic Church".

Three years in a Fellowlaborers program. It was a hybrid mix of authoritarianism and socialism. I'm not saying that aspect of the program was either good or bad. I'm simply saying that's what it was.

"None of us are free if one of us is chained none of us are free."

This is the part I don't understand. If I find out there is no more beer in the fridge, it would make me want to enjoy the one in front of me, not spill it down the drain.

Isn't it amazing? You see people go on anti-socialism tirades, on facebook, and then turn right around and extoll the virtues of whatever Way commune their experience included.