waysider

This comes as a total shock. I'm so very, very sorry.

Well, he did have at least one thing--------our money----- and our blind obedience. Okay, so that's two things.

Yes. Any huckster worth his weight in wienershnitzle knows the value of a good schtick.

This is where you and I disagree. Before one actually took PFAL, the sales pitch IMPLIED that all you needed was PFAL. Once one finished PFAL, though, there was a seemingly endless array of classes that were needed for spiritual fulfillment. The granddaddy of them all was The Advanced Class. And, although these classes generated a healthy flow of revenue for Wierwille's Way, the purpose of them was to establish a dedicated core of followers who would consistently provide financial assistance to the organization. (abundant sharing) Regarding "learning to learn.": That's the primary function of college education, not the purpose of PLAF (The Wonder Class).

Nope. Only bumper stickers I ever had were the green ones that sported The Way's logo and a little blip about Biblical research, etc. I'm not really sure I understand how one can discuss The Way's stance on "Spirit teaching spirit" without referencing the class in which it was taught.

Do you mean "the revelation manifestations" as presented in Wierwille's Advanced Class on Power For Abundant Living?

-----and Sandra Ann Sullivan, who, because of the profound effect it had on her, is no longer able to offer personal testimony.

Hang in there, Doc. It really doesn't mean anything of any consequence. Speaking for myself, I hope you continue to post. I promise to read them all.

Shouldn't that be the ideal score for the "Cult of Zero" thread?

Ladies and gentlemen, it's been a DISGRACE for me to have perused those videos. Why, I know more about cheesy performances than he'll EVER know. I wouldn't go to Momentus, prophesy, research, leadership, CES, Stiffy, campfire sing-along with the Bible thing-a-ma-bobby church stuff with him either.

Carnival Prize

"A pony keg ought to do it.", said the horse.

----so the bartender says, "Sure thing, Pal. Should I make it a draught?"

I don't pay any attention to those button/ratings things. I think I'm a big enough boy now to make up my OWN mind how I feel about someone's posts. Anyhow, I believe they might have come as part of the package with the site. You know, like those extra screws you get every time you buy curtain rods.

Who was it that said, "The Way is like a bunch of kids playing church."?

What exactly is the quota for reality, anyway? It doesn't become "real" until 17 people say it? How about 37 or 53? So, what's the difference whether there are 3 first hand accounts or 3,000? This crap happened. Playing smiley face and saying "bless you, we sure love you." doesn't erase the past. It's just another way of "keeping it our little secret." Guess what, TWI! Your secret's NOT safe with me.

Now remember. This has to stay "our little secret". People might get upset and feel bad if you told them about it. You don't want to make people feel bad, now, do you?

Well, they were never quite as subtle as you.

"ugh" is right.

The turkeys. Had a big hen scurry across the road, in front of my work truck, early Saturday morning.

Yes, that is what I meant by the "pantomime". Thank you, excie, for having the courage to "out" the dirty old bastage.

I'm not very skilled at doing searches but there are references to these occasions on various threads discussing the CF&S class. There are at least two posters here who have posted about being personally present at one or two of these events. These are first-hand accounts. I think mid 1970s is the approximate time frame. Now, my memory is a bit fuzzy on this one, so I can't really say where or when, but I, myself, recall VPW describing this scenario and doing a bit of a "pantomime" of it. He said something about how there are people in remote societies who do this sort of thing to teach their children about "life". I think this is where he talked about how there is no better place than the family/household to teach these things. Maybe it was in an early version of CF&S or an AC. I don't really remember. I can still picture the little "pantomime", though. edit Sorry, excie----I didn't see you post before me.

My wake-up call came when I realized that all the nonsense Wierwille taught in the Advanced Class was coming back to bite his arse. He taught that alcoholism was caused by devil spirits yet he lived the life of an insatiable sot. He taught that addiction was caused by devil spirits yet he chain smoked like the tobacco growers' livelihoods depended on him. He taught that sexual predation was caused by devil spirits yet he gave date rape drugs to countless, unsuspecting, young women and then raped them in their semi-conscious states. He taught that cancer is caused by devil spirits yet he, himself, was felled by this very illness. Should I go on? The basic premise is on page 13 of the AC syllabus for those who are interested. So, this whole dichotomy of reality vs. spirituality presents itself as a bit of a dilemma. Either we were following a man who was virtually infested to overflowing with devil spirits or there really was no credibility to his teachings on these matters. And, if he had no credibility on the issues with which he considered himself to be an expert, did he really have any credibility on anything at all? That was a wake-up call of sorts for me. It happened here on GSC.

Well, here we are 35 years later, and some people are STILL shocked by this revelation. There is even one, that I know of, who still believes that the PFAL class was Theopneustos. :o

Things They Don't Teach You in School