chockfull

This is a sad tale. However, in this you are doing the same thing you accuse GSC posters of. You have no direct knowledge that anything on this site contributed towards the ex wife's accusation, confrontation, and divorce other than to say "the ex wife had to have read about it". Of course false accusations are possible anywhere - here, or even at the local fellowship. I know of 2 or 3 situations while I was in TWI where people were being falsely accused and the result could have the potential to split up a married couple - I quashed the accusations. But it's very real - the gossipping that happens within far exceeds the tales made up reported here. More people in TWI have been damaged by false accusers - as the whole environment promotes it. Digging up dirt on your brother makes you look more spiritual in the eyes of TWI. The sad part about this is that people who are in TWI can take something like this and use it to completely discount a large number of accurate accounts of abuse at the hands of TWI, broadly stroking over this site and posters as liars and someone with a grudge. It's interesting you pick the verse on talebearers - the slander that I have seen among the leadership and yes top leadership of TWI far exceeds anything I've seen on this site. And yet there is a blindness in TWI where you would never consider that a leader telling you "so and so is possessed", "so and so loves money more than the Word", "so and so hates TWI" is them being a talebearer, yet somehow that blindness allows for victims telling of their abuse to be labeled "talebearers". So to cut through that type of blindness, I'd ask - "were the Allens and January Barnes talebearers?" They have proven settlements against the abuse of TWI. And the pattern was proven enough that for every case like that there are others that never wanted the public exposure to prove that. The good we are doing here is exposing frauds like those running TWI. It's a scriptural commandment "be not deceived", such as in Matt. 7:22. This site and others like it facilitate that spiritual education and obedience to scripture with respect to abusive groups and cults. Collateral damage is a military term, not a spiritual term. Used as the latter, it is a moral and ethical excuse for performing evil. That is wrong, regardless of who does it. This site doesn't primarily exist to inject merriness into hearts. It exists to educate on staying away from cults. If you do that, you will maintain enough control over your life to inject a whole lot more merriness into your heart than you would if you lived under the thumb of "wicked and unreasonable men", such as those in leadership in TWI.

This is the single characteristic that is the most damaging cult behavior.

John. I hope all the light reading on this site has helped to balance out your perspective on things that you already know to be true. You know where the skeletons are buried so your position probably will never be threatened. But I'm sure somewhere deep down you may have a conscience, and surely that is starting to emerge by your no longer being completely satisfied to be a "watchdog" for those who don't stand for the truth. Maybe that's the reason behind the back door real estate dealings. Although to be honest, the real estate industry is pretty cutthroat lately - with harder stances on loan qualification, prices still inflated, and a soft economy it takes a lot of effort to sell anything. And most upper end security stuff would actually require you to live somewhere there is something worth protecting - like a bigger city. Cows and corn seem to watch themselves. Oh well, it kind of sucks to be stuck, but hey you brought it on yourself by selling out over years. See you around at the next place.

I think we need to have an additional session added on to PFAL called "What About Bob?"

He's the Trunk Coordinator

I'm reluctant to try and second-guess my life. As a young man, I wanted to do something in life that had meaning, beyond the mundane. Under those auspices I joined TWI. That led to me being strung along with visions of how my life was making a difference to God, built up greater and greater from the start. More classes, commitment, programs. Years of my life going wherever I was told and obeying what I found out later to be two-bit dictators like the man behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz. I found out that I had better Christian examples in my own parents who raised me than these false prophets and teachers running TWI. TWI taught me that I shouldn't waste my life pursuing second-rate causes. But after seeing how they lived who were telling me these things, what is more of a second-rate cause than selling out to be the curtain holder for the man behind the curtains? I resolved never again to allow my life to be used to prop up moral midgets. I can't change the past. And there's no crying over spilled milk. But if someone has the chance to forge their future without having to do what I did, do it.

The Vision and Direction documents that the Corps are under specify quotas. This includes number of new students taking various classes as well as percent revenue increase of the ABS. These quotas and progress towards them are dictated to be the topic of weekly calls at every level of TWI leadership. Some may be more or less dictatorial about the implementation of this. However, if they are doing the job that is specified of them in their position description they are absolutely aware of green quotas, are talking about it amongst their leadership on a weekly basis, and it never goes out of sight. And to be a "good employee" (which there is more pressure on this if they are drawing a salary from TWI), then this leads to delving into individuals and how much they are giving. They make placement decisions on where Corps go based upon how well they are able to implement increase which includes hitting green quota marks. So with all of the talk of a "kinder gentler" TWI, this is still what is happening behind the scenes. It has gone on this way for more than a decade. So if you want to be involved in TWI, then realize that will place you under this type of scrutiny with how much you are giving.

May take is that it is certainly a veiled threat, especially alongside of the statement "I have no friends when it comes to the Word". My translation: "If you ever cross me I will drop you faster than a sack of hot potatoes due to the fact I'm deludely thinking I'm staking my life on the integrety of the Word, and since God spoke to me directly and told me He would teach me the Word as it hasn't been known since the first century crossing me means crossing the Word." This is a false prophet (and subsequent following false prophets) setting themselves up for justifying megalomaniac behavior and ruling like a dictator in a similar fashion to Hitler and Stalin. In reality, it's not so much the integrety of the Word that's at stake, but the integrety of the people setting themselves up as teachers. If they are fake, what they teach is fake.

And don't forget your towel.

And corollary - "Did the Way become bigger than their own britches?"

In a lot of ways this was my wakeup call to see the reality of TWI. When people were committing acts and recommending courses of action towards others that were not only completely amoral, but also outside legal laws. Where I saw that people who should have been constrained by a basic good Christian conscience had none, and that their actions were only constrained by threat of legal action.

Closure - is that when the door actually does hit me in the @$$?

Blasphemy I say!!!! Although I will concede that Bob Parsons makes fairly interesting Super Bowl commercials.

It is really interesting having conversations with people when you know they have some form of inner dialogue going on at the same time wondering if their heads are going to explode or they are going to get possessed like in the exorcist just from being there talking. I like to throw out little comments referring in veiled terms to "la revolucion", and "the insurrection" just at random points in the conversation. As well as pretending to have a muscle tic once in a while. I guess that's kind of mean though and I should quit.

No, she would delegate it. Different psychosis.

Yes, that paranoid. And in many ways the worst of the three.

Cat, Thanks for the details and explanation. I feel the same way you do regarding fences. IMO TWI's attitude prevents mending fences - by sweeping things under the carpet, never apologizing, and never admitting the damage that their actions and attitudes have had and continue to have, fences do have gaping holes in them, and thus the cows still freely get out metaphorically. In reality, until they come to the place where they can admit their sin, they are a continual open conduit for the adversary to attack. And yes, I'm saying this in terms of their teachings so those that have ears can hear. These are those who say "Lord,Lord", but never really knew Him.

Congrats you guys. That's so awesome.

Yes, I agree. I didn't learn fast enough or apply the lesson that sincerity is no guarantee for the truth to the right places. And I learned that sincere people riding in on false authority claims from God have the potential to do the most damage.

Just finding this thread now. I don't get out much. :) Cool initiative. Count me in.

+100 for sheer awesomeness.

Catcup, I'd be highly surprised if you even saw any of the chief vipers around on wedding day. Probably just security with the mall cop friendly induced smile. And the TWI clergy doing the ceremony will probably be wearing a hypocrisy mask but you don't have to talk to them. Definitely it's the waybot guests that have the larger potential to have less tact. They probably need to go study Mrs. Owens etiquette book for a week before the ceremony and that will still not help them not have the condescending attitude that is taught by example and doctrine from the top down. The higher ups just know how to put on the mask better.

Me personally, I would not go. I wouldn't be vindictive though - maybe it's all they can afford, and TWI made them a good deal on the package. Send a gift & a card. The only exception were if it were my direct offspring - then I'd suck it up and go. I would not be vindictive or make a scene as that never pays, but would prepare the question for obnoxious people - "why is it you feel the need to use my offspring's wedding as an excuse for being an @$$?" just in case I needed it.

But can you dissect his tone? That's the main question.

From what I remember it wasn't pressure as much as convenience. If you live at HQ it's more convenient to bank there. If you didn't, then direct deposits go in on payday. If you want another bank setup, there is a wire charge as well as at least a day or two delay. Very few would choose to pay a fee every deposit and endure a delay just for the price of using their own bank.