waysider

Fascinating subject I did some research on this subject when I was working as a covert agent for the CIA But seriously, yes, everything I've seen on this (Which is not much) suggests that they actually believe they are telling the truth. I suppose that only adds to the illusion of their honesty. I think there is even some evidence that there are physical abnormalities present in their brains. WordWolf , in one of his posts, referred to a practise they partake of called "confabulation" where they invent scenarios (fictional) that support their claims. Dramduie consumption has been shown to be a causative factor. :) OK-- Now maybe at this point, someone who actually has some knowledge in this area will chime in.

Skyrider I remember that healing session at ROA. I think it was in 1973. It was the year that The Rock came right after The Advanced Class. VPW announced that anyone needing healing was to come to the front. Then he made a call for all AC grads to come to the front as well and find someone to minister to. I did not participate because I felt that God would tell me himself if he wanted me to and that part was not for any man to decide. I did not see any great healings but did "hear" someone had thrown away their crutches. Afterwards I had very conflicted feelings concerning my decision not to participate. Did God tell me not to participate? Did God tell me but I wasn't listening? Did I have doubts about the whole scenario? In short, I came away feeling I had done the wrong thing and had let God down. A couple of years later, a friend who desperately needed a healing, came to the ROA in hopes of finding one. Instead, he passed away in the motel. I remember thinking to myself that if his healing was meant to be, that God would surely have had plenty of candidates to pick from all assembled in one place. To me, HE was the sermon because he was the one who made the effort to act on his faith. I think that many times "we" saw some of these people who needed true healings as some sort of trophy we could hold up and say"Look what God can do!." It was a self centered and selfish way to think and I'm sorry that I contributed to it.

Uh Oh! Sounds like a new visitor to "In The Kitchen". I don't lurk there too often 'cause I need to shed a few pounds. My grandson Cletus(That's his name) says"Geeze, Grandpaw, are you fixin' to have a baby?" I just tell him"Yep, and I think it's gonna be soon 'cause the little fella's already poked one of his legs out."

Just speak what's on your heart. "Let they who have ears to hear-----------"

ATTENTION WD! ATTENTION WD! Report immediately to "Name That Tune" in the GSC Reading Room. "They don't give a damn about no trumpet playin' band"

Watered Garden I don't think it's a derail at all. It further demonstrates how difficult it can be at times to see how many of these things are interconnected. I too have no idea what it was all about other than to condition us to think we were incapable of independent thought. I do remember P.J.(mens coordinator) was devastated by the incident. I often think of him and J.G. They were really two of "the good ones". There were other incidents like this one ,also, though not quite as severe. Do you remember having to pull an "all nighter" to cut sod and build a campfire circle? Then,of course, there was the Momentus-Like weekend that broke M.C. The year after you graduated, the big blizzard hit. Not only were the roads closed, you couldn't even tell where they were. Crews for the power company couldn't even get to non-functioning substations on snow mobile because the winds were almost 90 MPH. At the height of the storm, J** M**** insisted someone come to limb HQ and put cardboard on a window the winds had blown out. It was physically impossible. I don't think we even made it out of the apartment complex before we abandoned G.M.s' truck and hoofed it back home. We were glad to make it back to safety. Even though there was no power and we were snowbound for days, it was a welcome break from the constant stress of having our every moment controlled. Give my regards to that red headed guy you've been sleeping with.

I got my share of spankings as a child and it never helped ME! But seriously, is the heart of the discussion whether spanking is a viable disciplinary measure or whether the government has a right to intervene? Two seperate issues/ both worthy of study.

Wasn't it Perry Como who posed the musical question---- "Would You Like To Swing On A Star?"

My Grandpaw told me about that show. :blink:

Belle said: "If they had told everyone we needed to come to HQ immediately for a "spiritual emergency", how many of us would have gone? My ex and I would have moved heaven and earth to get there for the "spiritually important event of the year" and by then, it would have been too late." Funny thing is, that exact thing happened in Fellowlaborers in,I think, 1977. We were awakened at about 3am on a week night(We all were required to hold down secular jobs so this was really quite a big deal.) We were told we had 20 minutes to report to limb HQ. It was a 30 minute trip to get there so everyone was "late". We sat in silence for what seemed like a very long time. (This was at the same time as the conspiracy hooplah.) The limb leader then entered the BRC and told us all to go back home, the program was cancelled. He told us we were not living up to our commitment and our tardiness was just another example of our inadequacy. Of course, at the 5:30am FL meeting we were told the program was "back on" and we had better walk the chalk if we wanted it to continue. There were an awful lot of yawning Fellowlaborers by the end of the next day. Sleep deprivation is a very effective tool for controlling people.

Hi muffinsmom. I wish I could help you but I don't know them. There is a thread on "True Friends" on the "About The Way" forum right now. How's that for irony? There is also a prayer forum you might want to post in. Lots of times people visit it and pray but don't post. Well, OK, they post with "The Big Guy" but I think you get my drift. Welcome to GSC. Do you like old movies, tv shows or songs? Stop by "The Reading Room" and test your memory.

I Googled it so I can't answer but I do know that when the seats are all empty, you can let the roadies take the stage.

I think the distinction should be: 1. Were you willing to die for? 2. Were you willing to kill for? I'll go first 1. Probably, at some point. 2. Nope. Never.

Is a Presidents' Cabinet anything like a Liquor Cabinet? Just wondering.

If you Google "slack key guitar" and then click on Wikipedia, you can find a whole bunch of "slack" tunings. Or, do like the guys from the delta, tune to open D or G and add capo as needed.

Tom Strange------The F1 (Dassault Mirage F1) is a fighter jet, so when you hear of a terrible accident involving an F1 you naturally assume---------

Nandon----I don't think you are alone in that thinking. That attitude was quite prevalent at the time of the Bicentennial(1976). Conspiracy theories were rampant. I even remember some teachings from the OT that would have "supported" that train of thought, misguided though they were. In Fellowlaborers, we even had a special work detail to destroy all the mimeograph plates for the mailing list of the state newsletter so that "they" would not have access to the names of believers in our state. Yep. The Illuminati, the U.N., the Catholic church, The Anti Defamation League, the boogie man in the closet. They're all out to get you and stop Da Verd from going over the world. Better to take our own lives like that record in the OT than to surrunder to "the enemy". Wish I could remember that section of scripture. It's the one where the people took their own lives and when the enemy finally gained access to the city they found no one left alive. It's hard to believe I bought all that crap. P.T Barnum would have been thrilled to make my acquaintaince.

Roger that.

I believe it was Nick Lowe who sang: "All men are liars-------and that's the truth."

I've been tossing this one around all day and still nothing. I'm going to "Gurgle" it and disqualify myself.

DO DO DO DO DO DO DO DO DO DO Huh? Oh, sorry. Meant to post that on "Name That Tune".

Potato-------I think your post was quite relevant. Motivation is really the essence. The exact year is only secondary(though many who went corps at about the same time seem to share common aspects of motivation.) I never went corps. I went Fellowlaborer for two years and then went back for a third year. (That's a pretty wacky story all in itself.) The reasons seem to be very similar, though I had hopes of returning to my hometown after graduation to serve there. Life takes some crazy turns. Thirty two years later and 150 miles away, I'm probably as close to being "back home" as I'll ever get.

Omniscient--------Having infinate awareness,understanding and insight. The Merriam Webster Dictionary God is "all-knowing".

It sounds like yet another concept similar in nature to "Numbers In Scripture". It might be intersting to look at from the standpoint of seeing what methods he employed. (regardless of the conclussions he drew)

Why did Lincoln free the slaves? Because he clearly understood the profoundly devastating effect that doing so would have on the economy of The South. With no workforce to keep the economy afloat, submission was inevidable. It was military strategy at work, plain and simple. Just my opinion.