waysider

I think the one at HQ wasn't wearing a filter.. came out of packs of Kool shorts.

Isn't that the gist of everything he supposedly did? No way to prove or disprove...how convenient.

She's Just My Style.....Gary Lewis and The Playboys http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9ntCcf9Ewk Baby, baby As you stand holding me Whispering how much you care A thousand violins fill the air

I remember this incident being cited in PLAF (The Wonder Class). Wierwille used this technique frequently.....belittling others to make himself look good. And, he was very good at making ambiguous statements and allowing you to draw your own conclusion, which in reality, was actually a conclusion he was coaching you to draw. In this case, the conclusion was that he had some sort of great knowledge of the "manifestations".(if I remember correctly.)

Oh, sure. It comes with a "double your money back" guarantee.

It will all come together for you when you take The Advanced Class. P.S. (You probably need to speak in tongues more and get your believing up.)

I still think VP was blowing hot air when he tried to make everything have a second tier, spiritual meaning. "Oh, sure, it says 'Thou shalt not kill' but what it REALLY means is....." Whatever happened to means what it says and says what it means?

I never saw any hearts...black OR white. Same thing with ministering. Put your hand on their shoulder and.....nuttin' Oh, wait, my leg hurts. Yeah, that's it. "God, thank you for healing their Polio, right now...." Uh Huh.

Oh, my!

I don't remember where I heard it but it must have been before it was detailed in the book because I remember going to the county fair in the early 1970s and trying to do the same thing to some Bha'i's who had a booth there. We also tried to see if they had black or white hearts.

If I remember correctly, Wierwille said something to the effect that they stood outside the fortune teller's tent all day and prayed/believed for her to leave. Sure enough, she eventually packed up and left. It's a good thing she did, too. It's a known fact that business drops off drastically after closing time.

That's because you've discovered its true usefulness. (snicker)

Skyrider's response was referencing Wierwille's resignation being accepted by unanimous vote of the Consistory.

I'm not certain but I think that may be from Victor Paul Wierwille: Born Again To Serve by Dorothea Kipp Wierwille HERE

Anticipation My father sits at night with no lights on, his cigarette glows in the dark.

I think we're all kind of saying the same thing. One of the main techniques they brought in from the Dale Carnegie class is to listen to what people are telling you and use that to identify their "needs". Then, show them how the class can "meet" those particular needs. So, yeah, in that sense, they are searching for your vulnerabilities so they can target them correctly, using the appropriate bait. They recognize that everyone (as Twinky said) has vulnerabilities.

From the W&U syllabus "The basic reason we witness is to help people into the classes on Power For Abundant Living......" "We should witness every chance we get." "I suggest you read How To Win Friends and Influence People..." "Every person and every situation will be different." ------------------------- So, it's like fishing on a lake you're unfamiliar with. You troll from the boat to see if there is any chance of activity. If not, you move the boat, change the bait and adjust your other variables, such as hook size, depth, etc. --------------------------------------------------- "Some people's reasoning and beliefs are based on: Emotion, feelings, experience, and social conformity, not logical truth." ---------------------------------------------------- "If you've got their attention, begin undershepherding....or....excuse yourself." -------------------------------------------------- So there you have it. They troll for anything that ventures to give a nibble. They adjust their methods to whatever kind of "fish" happens to be biting on a particular day. --------------------------------- I just don't think you can allow yourself to think it's your fault they reeled you in.

There were some good people, some good experiences, some good things that were taught. By and large, though, the whole thing was really a big sham.

Looking back at my own experiences, I think it's pretty hard to predict who'll be drawn into a cult. All sorts of people got sucked into the Way vortex, from hippies to blue collar workers to people with advanced academic degrees. Who a cult will target and why is a whole different matter.

Home Is Where The Heart Is

Jai Guru deva Om (Praise to the Teacher)

Something that I think has escaped us on this thread is the way VPP defined fornication, adultery, etc. According to VPP, only the spiritually underdeveloped still think these are terms relating to the physical realm. Nope, these are spiritual terms. In fact, in the Advanced Class, he even said there was a spirit called the spirit of whoredom that plays a role in people committing "spiritual adultery and fornication". Silly us, thinking adultery was some sort of function involving the human body. Sheesh!

"the problem I have with the religion is.. when things go "wrong" so to speak, out come the excuses. Idiom of permission, various euphemisms." Bingo! Can't find an explanation for God's actions in Job? No problem, we'll just invent one. Maybe call it the idiom of permission or something. Man's mind works in such a way that it doesn't fancy entertaining unresolvable problems for long periods of time, especially problems that are counter-purpose to previously held beliefs. ..Enter cognitive dissonance.