TrustAndObey

I don't think so much that there was a change to "accommodate" religion, as much as there is more awareness and examination in the process required to put your trust in someone/something than one normally would ever think about and closely examine when it comes to everyday things.. The process of learning to trust in something/someone in everyday life many times begins with unknowns, and a hesitant and cautious approach. But as you grow more aware, the unknowns start to disappear, you start to trust more, and soon you're doing flips into the pool from the 10 meter high-dive that before you were pretty scared to do before. Or you slowly begin that relationship with the significant other with no proof they will reciprocate or it will work out, but later on you're willing to marry that person. I don't think it is any different with religion. Just religion is examined to the Nth degree compared to other things. But it is the same. That faith/trust begins with many unknowns. So very little proof, except maybe the proof someone said it was so, and you take that first baby step. And it develops (or does not develop) from there depending on like everything else, whether it turns out to be trust worthy or not.. For me, I trust in God, not because I have no proof, but because He has time and again proven He takes care of me. But it didn't start that way, as many things in life don't..

lol.... Good one.. Where's the beef?!

What is faith?? I'm almost persuaded that is a pretty huge discussion in itself that we all have our own idea of.. If we are talking about "faith" or otherwise "pistis" in the Christian scriptures, it's entirely different than the "faith" or "believing" many associate faith with today.. The faith or "pistis" of the Christian scriptures is typically used for trusting in someone or something. Whereas today faith is more head/heart belief of a doctrine/precept rather than trust. At least, that's my take on it. What makes something "The Word of God"?! I actually despise those words these days.. So old fashioned English at the least, or more so informal.. It's like someone saying they read the words of brainfixed today while reading the forums.. Instead of just spitting it out in normal American english.. God said something.. People record what they believe "God" tells them.. What's to understand? Either this "God" said it, or He didn't.. I would take what anyone says with a grain of salt. The word "God" originally meant someone/something with "perceived" strength, power, and authority over them, be it a man, deity, alien, or statue. So speaking of any particular "God"'s words, and considering them as coming from a "God", really doesn't justify any intense awe and wonder unless you perceive this same same someone/something to have strength, power, and authority over you! So what again are we discussing?

While being on the WOW field just a couple monhts, and just a newbie in TWI, our Fam. Coord. received a huge stack of pamphlets describing many of the things mentioned here at GS.. That was '93.. Being a noob, I read it over, thought about it, looked around, didn't see any indication that any of it had any weight. Must be some Trinitarian making junk up.. Never saw any hint of it for a number of years.. Fast forward half a decade, in Corps training just a month, and all those pamphlets started making lots of sense.. Gee.. It actually could be real!! King okie resigns. Darn it!! It is real.. VVrrrroooommmm... BYE!!

Well, I do have to admit, I did love the actual Corps training.. Even enjoyed being full time Corps and having plenty of time to study scriptures and relax.. That was.. until I realized how much of a godless organization it was! And then later, how much wasted time on something not even useful! But, I feel the same about college.. All of it is useless book learning if you ask me and I wouldn't recommend that to anyone.. Go live life! You'll learn a lot more in the process.

Ain't that the truth... Remembering back on my days in TWI, I think I felt the same.. Human nature I guess.. Pride.. Ego.. They are attacking our beliefs! How dare they! We're right, their wrong, defend - defend - defend.. Oh wait. The Word needs no defense, so umm.. Attack! Anyways.. Yeah.. No sense in ruffling their pride, err I mean, feathers.

Tom, The spirit's been showing me the same thing this past year.. And I haven't found anything to prove otherwise.. One spirit.. GOD's Spirit. And ONE man, THE NEW MAN, not my new man, and your new man.. ONE "NEW" MAN, CHRIST, HIS BODY..

Sounds like just another peddler of illicit goods.. And if he received his information from the source the lawsuit claims, his goods are pretty worthless at that!

I dunno that I see it that way Ham... But hey, sounds like a good twist of plot for a movie.. (Err.r.. Only for cultys of course).. Personally, I think they actually thought their MOG status, and "Wer're the ONLY way" status would be enough to force people into submission, so they could have these people do anything they wanted. And if anyone had any resistance to what they wanted (and they felt they were weak [incapable of starting an uprising with others]) then they were fair game. I remember a poor couple once, I really felt bad too being a part of it all, but the Branch and Limb Coords got on to them because their house had too many boxes piled up and lots of stuff scatted throughout their house. Sure, it didn't look neat or anything, but it wasn't like they had fellowship their. Just lots of stuff and they piled it into an extra bedroom with some overflow.. And since they were in my twig, I had to join the uppetys in demanding they clean up their house. Purge those damn boxes and old junk they don't use, cuz we were spiritually clean, and they couldn't be even physically clean until that was done... BBaaarrfffffff... I was forced to even carry out a house inspection a couple times on these folks.. Talk about awkward.. These guys are double my age, and I'm telling them they better let me see how clean their house is?! Yeah, it was only cause they knew that couple would either bend to their will (which was their purpose), or leave and be purged. Thankfully many ultimately had the balls to be purged. (Unfortunately, it wasn't this couple... It saddens me even today... RUN FOLKS.. RUN!!!!)

Sounds like some great advice!!! Pure, genuine, love.. You care for her, so show it!

You must have, cause I can't say I knew any that really enjoyed it.. So few would show up to go.. And those that did always had to have a big "pep" talk prior. Yeah, selling a class. Trying to persuade others to check out your fellowship.. Sounds like a cult to me.. Sounds like the opposite of genuine love and care for someone. Only care was you got what you wanted, Them coming to your big gig! But I sure did my fare share. Hated every moment. Ok, well maybe not every. Since I knew I wasn't going to actually "help" someone, I'd make it a game and see how stupid I could make the person look just so they wouldn't like me and run away.. Now that was fun..

Does Rosalie's dog count as one?

I'm sure there are plenty that come here that are active in the Way, just to see what's being said and may even forward things they find to their leaders (and on up it goes), but I don't know of any that Linder (outside his mini-me counter part) that would actively be "monitoring" as part of the TWI duties. Course, putting your name out there is bound to get someone whose in and knows you to start talking.. Maybe some MOG wanna be, suckin up to their TWIT leader..

Maybe it's just me, but I think she was very charitable in that she ousted LCM.. At least I was thankful she did that!

Yup, I wanna be like rascal now...

Other than Linder.. I don't have a clue.. All WayGB used to be consolidated to the top few in Safety/Telecom - none in Computer Services or any other Dept at HQ, and since the top have changed and Linder remains, I don't know.. Definitely not Rico, or Longley, or Fredrick, or the [alleged] lesbians, er I mean.. Da Presidentes'

Yeah, that pretty much summed up my thoughts.. Took me two agonizing years thinking, how they hell can I be thinking ^%@$. My leadership says that ain't true, so why does my brain not agree.. I just don't see it. I mean, I see it in the scriptures what I think, but they said no, so I must be wrong.. Must be me!! Error.. Error.. Does not compute... Took someone else in the same place as I (since all unbelievers or exWayfers wouldn't understand!) seeing the same thing as I and actually vocalizing it, before I'd even give that error some extra light, and then... DOH.. I've been had!

I was reading an article recently about some sisters that were physically/emotionally/ possibly sexually abused by their parents, but were in their 40s and still able to sue (and they ended up winning a $2.3 million lawsuit over that..).. The article stated: "Despite the length of time since the abuse, the jury determined the sisters could legally bring the suit. The statute of limitations for a civil suit is two years, but jurors determined that the sisters became aware of he nature and extent of their injury only within the last two years, during therapy. " Made me wonder if TWI could still be liable after all?!

While no one was cleaning cotton, they sure enjoyed having us maul the cottonwood to death. They had nothing left after all the pine was split, so out came the cottonwood.. Yeah, go at that for a couple weeks! lol..

Half a God ??! I don't even think we knew who God was! Or we had the wrong God all along. They taught you must believe!! Believing equals receiving.. Yeah, what God does that?! Oh, the YOU GOD! And the off shoots haven't figured it out either.. CFF still teaches the believing junk.. STFI/CES goes a step further.. Their God is just like you, only a little smarter. He makes mistakes since he's not all knowing, but since he knows more than us, he makes better decisions, just not always the right one! Who could trust that God?! Yeah.. I know I got suckered into ignoring the "other" side of God that doesn't bark when I believed He should be barking!

While many can do without it.. The cable companies in my area are now requiring it. Their modems/Lan and entire infrastructure utilize and in fact require it. Installs at homes that don't support it, won't be receiving cable internet without upgrades! So it's coming.. Who knows how long before we all must bow!

Guess ya no longer need help.. That's good! ;) But just in case you ever run into this, it's good to know some basic things about a network. The first being that for most, if they connect to the internet, then they connect to a LAN. If you have a router, then you have your own LAN at your house, or even if you have just a cable modem, then you connect to your cable/ISPs companies LAN/MAN. A router does just what it's name says, "routes" packets/information between 2 networks (in this case, your local LAN at home and your ISPs network which somewhere connects you to the wider 'internet'). Some routers allow multiple computer connections some only one. But either way, if you have a router - you have a LAN at your house and it is necessary for you to connect to the internet. Most routers these days have firewalls which keep your LAN at your home isolated from the rest of the world as long as it's enabled and it should keep the majority of creeps off your computer as long as you "safely" browse the web. If you don't want on a LAN, either disconnect the cable or disable the "network connection" under "network properties". The fact that you plug the computer into a network device at home places your computer on your LAN. It may not have all the "settings" needed to talk on the LAN, but it's on there. Then it is a matter of network configuration. To access the internet you need the network adapters drivers and the TCP/IPv4 protocol, and some may also need the TCP/IPv6 protocol for ISP access. That's all the typical home internet user would need. The others are extra, "Client for Microsoft networks", "File and Printer sharing", "QOS Packet scheduler", etc... are typically not used unless you share files and folders or you connect to a Microsoft network, or you need QOS, but these are not used by at least 80% of the population not that they couldn't but most wouldn't know how to use it. Just think of a LAN like the old fashioned party line phone service. You have a cable from your computer typically to a place on either a router or a network switch/hub. Anyone other devices (computers/printers) connected to that router/switch are on the same party line you share. And not everyone can talk at once and be heard. But that Party line is what is considered a LAN (local area network). Well.. we could go on and on. But I'm sure it would be boring and there's plenty of guides online.

While mine may not have the actual winking face picture, it does have the ; and the ) together which makes the image of the face appear.. ;)

It probably is too high compared to current #s.. Especially since Gunnison moved Corps training to HQ, I doubt there's but a handful left, and at HQ, I don't have a clue.. There were over 400 late 90's, and was dropping quick after LCM and now they are putting more Corps on the field to make up for the "locals' that left.

I know there are plenty of deceived in local fellowships.. At HQ, mostly either the decievers or those who realize something is wrong but are waiting for hell to freeze over for that change! On a more serious note.. I was honestly thinking just how many believers there have got to be left.. Maybe those from different states would have a clue about how many actually showed up for the last limb meeting they were in? Or maybe some from the last Adv. Class Spc. has a clue? Last I knew (many years now in early 2000s..) HQ had a little over 350 adults Gunnison had less than 50 adults Ohio as a Limb had ~ 150 adults Colorado as a Limb had ~ 100 adults Most other states I knew had less than 100 easy.. Calif ~ 80 Oregon ~ 50 Arizona ~ 75 Nevada ~ 40 New Mexico ~ 50 Texas ~ 70 Louisiana ~ 30 Oklahoma ~ 40 Tennessee ~ 40 How about any other states?? I know some were "empty" and the believers asked to move to a neighboring state.. Can't remember which ones now..