potato

I didn't promise to be nice

CK is most decidedly not Christian. his arrogance makes him sound almost exactly like a less educated version of LCM. HCW, I appreciate you sharing your life and perspective.

good! does that mean you'll get bored and go away? you'd probably be a decent person with some intensive therapy and medication and maybe a remedial English class. however, you come across as delusional, ignorant, and mean... in short, a perfect candidate for twi leadership. you should go apply. you go change twi if you think it should be changed... er, "saved"... instead of criticizing others for not standing. if you know vpw's mind so well, why don't you go carry out his mission?

CK, your meds aren't working, dear. go spend some quality time with your therapist.

if I put in my pseudonym, I'm "macho basher". my real name renders "rocky pounder". darn, those are decidedly uncool.

great stuff t-bone and pipes!! thanks for the website, pipes, I am definitely interested in this.

personally, I'm very sad for CK because his parents raised him to be delusional and he can't picture a world where their fantasy isn't real, or they didn't and he should be on medication. either way, he needs deliverance, which I don't think I'll waste my time praying for. since his heart seems pretty hard I can't see a way to soften it and I even doubt God could, even though I should believe in the possibility.

wow, that's cool. I never read that... but that makes total sense and explains why my former marriage sucked me dry and why my association with twi felt empty after a while. both parties overdrew their accounts to a shocking degree.

wow, I would have been so embarrassed!! in spite of the laugh, you reminded me of some very unpleasant memories. I'd wiped away the AC "twig" I was in, and now it's back in all it's unpleasant glory. what a waste of time that was.

much of what vyctorya911 describes was my life, too. I also got very sick from the stress, but it was depression and it almost killed me. when I left my ex, I started to get better. some things happened lately that took my health back quite a few notches, but not that low again and this time I fought back and part of the fighting was leaving twi for good. twi is a good place for some severe personality disorders to flourish. I was subject to some very self-serving and cruel people. not as blatantly cruel as vyctorya's experience, but close. people still in it say it's changed, but I've challenged a few lately. if they can continue to sweep their sins under the carpet, it's rotten to the core. a religeous body that hides loves power. a religeous body that self-examines can heal people. very few do that, and I respect it when I see it. I have no respect for twi.

I think we did, but I didn't stay in long enough for it to make an impression, apparently :)

I can supply the end of that sentence, having lived it... "mean" "demanding" "emotionally abusive". some are nice but uninvolved, and some are simply "nosy" and "meddling". to your other question, the reason that you can't find addresses or phone numbers is because they don't want people contacting them unless they're prescreened and stamped with someone's approval so their time isn't wasted. you can't even call their HQ. they don't want to talk to you unless you're committed.

moryan, I'd seriously consider not going to a twi fellowship if I were you. they'll act nice and sweet with the sole objective of finding your weaknesses... you seem smart enough to withstand it, but my question is why bother. your girlfriend sounds very emotionally invested in twi, and that means your relationship with her will always revolve around twi. she will view you and your character and your beliefs through twi-colored glasses. I was in for 20 years. I just got out a few months ago, and one of the things that helped me get out was at the tail end of my three-year process, I was seeing a very nice catholic man.... I felt like I was living a double life because I didn't want the twi people to know about him. why? because I didn't want them to get involved and ruin it for me. if they knew about him, I'd be constantly harrassed about bringing him to fellowship and getting him to take the class... so my question to myself was, why would I want to bring him to something that I don't believe in myself? it took 6 months beyond that to get brave enough to cut the ties with twi. btw, I've raised my kids to understand santa is pretend. I think it's important for them to know the difference between fantasy and reality. that was my belief before twi because of my childhood experience, but it's not for everone... just another perspective on something.

wonder what happened to CK... I kinda figured he wouldn't respond to HCW... too much Truth. maybe his head exploded.

I hope your brother can understand it's not stupid to you. if he's shrugging off your feelings because they're so "nice", then you've got things to sort out with your brother. bottom line is, you have had a relationship with these people, they proved themselves to be not of the character you want in friends, you don't have to be nice to them. you can treat them like any other customer... let them sit where they sit, don't go talk to them. you're not their server, so you're under no obligation to acknowledge them beyond saying "excuse me, I'm sorry" if they're in your way or if you bump into them. jealousy pangs are understandable. sounds like there was some conditioning there to seek their approval... a lot like a dysfunctional family. leaders molded and shaped ("raised up") people to be what they wanted, and we craved their approval and praise because then we'd know we're godly people... actually, makes us sound more like dogs.

I'm not gonna flame ya, I like ya... but, how many prisoners look at the prison and say, man, I want to live there! I'm gonna run our and commit some crimes so I can enter the holy land!! I kinda think your experience after depends on how you got in and how long you stayed. some of us need to hang around the gate for a while because it's a big scary world out there. prisoners transitioning to the outside are often terrified and feel like they don't fit in and end up wishing they could go back.

<mature> coolchef... lawsuit :( </mature> <immature> ice cold water, though... </immature>

yeah, TWIts do believe it's a magic gift card to whatever they want. if they believe hard enough, they already own it so God has to give it to them. I read over it in the amplified version http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?searc...amp;version=45; 1NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, [a]the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. 2For by [faith--trust and holy fervor born of faith] the men of old had divine testimony borne to them and obtained a good report. 3By faith we understand that the worlds [during the successive ages] were framed (fashioned, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose) by the word of God, so that what we see was not made out of things which are visible. all the people in between... then 39And all of these, though they won divine approval by [means of] their faith, did not receive the fulfillment of what was promised, 40Because God had us in mind and had something better and greater in view for us, so that they [these heroes and heroines of faith] should not come to perfection apart from us [before we could join them]. it's beautiful. it's not a magic gift card. we don't see God but we believe and that belief (or faith) gives us strength to carry on and live for him when we can't prove he exists. it gives us strength to do great things (in God's sight, not men's)

I don't blame you for not wanting to talk to them. I think if I saw my former FC's and had to talk to them, I'd probably just tell them why I don't want to talk to them: a. they backed up my abusive ex at every turn b. they lined their pockets with other believer's slave labor c. they constantly talked about people behind their backs in short, not the kind of people I choose to associate with, and no I don't forgive them for it. they can ask God if they want forgiveness.

I can see great value in life insurance. in a way it's like a high-risk long-term investment for me. my ex is court-ordered to carry it. my great hope is one day I'll wake up to the news he's considerately terminated his life by way of some freak accident and I'll finally, by way of his policy, have money to raise my kids with and pay off the debt he stuck me with. I also would like to have a policy of my own so that if I kick off unexpectedly, my sister can put it in trust for my kids' college. if I'm around to sue my ex for his share, they'll get to go. if not, life insurance will take care of it for them.

as someone newly out, HCW, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing your experience and perspective. vpw was dead just shortly before I joined, but I things were alluded to that you have made more clear. no wonder TWI was so rotten. all the good people in the world can't balance the effects of a megalomaniac who is given free rein.

I seem to remember, or have a very strong impression, that TWI's attitude toward hospitalizations, surgery, illness changed somewhat drastically when Donna had so many problems with one of her pregnancies that she needed constant medical monitoring. once the MOG's offspring was at issue, the Word regarding monitoring our health changed.

agreed. someone I know who I will never name has submitted articles over the years solely for the purpose of backing up a theory s/he wants to influence someone with. it's pretty darned funny. some of them are still in there.

I remember the no insurance teachings, too. insurance companies were out to steal money we should give to the ministry, and it was negative believing to submit to such worldly idiocy.

oh it's good, dmiller. it is VERY GOOD!