waysider

So often I have heard people say of Wierwille, "He taught me the greatness of The Word." Like what? So much of what he "taught" was bogus, plagiarized or just plain faulty research, that it's almost laughable----except it's really not funny.

I think if you will allow yourself to look at this honestly, you will see that it was really a form of bait and switch. First, he reeled suckers into the class with the lure of an abundance that he CLEARLY portrayed as being material in nature. Then, he switched the definition when people started to question his promises.

So what was this "abundance" he saw "unbelievers" manifesting that he, himself, wanted?

You know, it just occurred to me that Wierwille might have been subconsciously using this to rationalize the time he sexually abused his own daughter. (Or, at least, claimed that he did.)

And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Herr Victoid, son of Erma, son of Ernst, brother of Rueben, brother of Hairylegs, father of J.P. Puffenstuff , grandfather of the anointed messiah who will come to be known as Victoid Jr., and kin to the Wierwillonians of Hoopyville. Thus saith the Lord, "Victoid, bring me 6 faithful followers who will bring in 66 more faithful followers who will bring in 666 more faithful followers, etc. etc., etc. (Thou gettest thine picture.) and the snow gates of Heaven will burst forth with a black snow such as has n'er been seen since the last time black snow was seen. And upon thy petroleum distillate dispensing alters, I , the Lord of MLM, will reveal myself."

Has anybody here seen my brother Bobby?

Rosanna------Toto

It's all so much easier to understand when you just accept it for the multi-level-marketing scam that it was.

It's a closed group. If you are on FB, someone can bring you in as a "friend".

I have no idea what it really means. In fact, if you look at the context here, abundance isn't the focal point, anyhow. But, here's food for thought: If the abundant life referenced in John 10:10 is, in fact, something spiritual in nature, what was it Wierwille supposedly saw in the "unbelievers" that he perceived as "abundance"?

So, then, how does that align itself with the teachings that said the abundant life was spiritual in nature? Here, in session #1, he's promoting it, in part, as material abundance. Later, that definition fell by the wayside.

Power For Abundant Living Introduction The Abundant Life Jesus' proclamation as recorded in John 10;10 is the foundational Scripture for this book. ...I am come that they [believers] might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. This verse literally changed my life. My wife and I began in the Christian ministry, plodding ahead with the things of God; but somehow we lacked an abundant life. Then one time I was especially alerted when I read from the Word of God that Jesus said He had come to give us a more abundant life. I was startled into awareness. As I looked about me at communities where I had served and among ministers with whom I had worked, the abundant life was frequently not evident. In contrast to these Christian people, I could see that the secular world of non-Christians were manifesting a more abundant life than were members of the church------- Sooooo---- Non-Christians were manifesting a "more abundant life". We, on the other hand, shouldn't hope to have the "abundant life" unless we renewed our minds, spoke in tongues much, gave at least 15% of our incomes to "The Ministry, devoted our lives to doing the work of "The Ministry", and so on and so forth. And there you have it, right there in session #1. What was I thinking?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFSlYyK1G2Q

Extra! Extra! This response just in from Meeester Leeender:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBRaO5rx3hU

Oh, Heavens! I sure hope he doesn't get "downsized" because of the reduced workload this will cause.

Yes, that's the party line that was pushed in Dealing With The Adversary and subsequently parroted throughout "The Ministry". It certainly doesn't reflect my personal experiences, though.

I remember telling my first twig leader about my literary diet-----I think he might have braced himself in case I started spewing green ooze ala The Exorcist. Well, this was prior to that particular movie's release but I think you get the gist of it.

Didn't I make you feel like you were the only man?

Nothing quite so mystic, I'm afraid. I was just a big fan of anything esoteric or existential, back in the day.

Are you, perhaps, thinking of Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for All and None.?