chockfull

I don't think I could globally say one way or another if all tongues in TWI were real or counterfeit. The group is counterfeit. Yet God looks on the heart and works with people where they are at.

On a national and policy level? Muslim extremists. On a local level and on this forum? the small insignificant group of people HQ'd in Hickville, OH. Why? Because the small insignificant group continues to sell snake oil, suck people in, and leave their lives empty carcasses after parasitically sucking the life out of them. And there's virtually no place to expose them outside of this site. Which alerts people.

nah, you're sweet, excie.

Didn't Mike G*d*** work on this project too? I seem to remember him going back to school at U of Chicago for Aramaiac studies prior to him leaving twi. Sorry if I'm asking about someone who might not want their name associated. But those are cool interlinears, and some of that work influenced other stuff that's finding it's way into good Bible software now.

There was this one time, like, when I stopped in 7-11 for an icee, that I was just standing there and I heard this voice saying "I will teach you the Word like it hasn't been known since the first century", and I like shook my head in disbelief and closed my eyes and then opened them, and it was snowing so thick I couldn't even see the gas pumps. Then I like was really confused, and I heard the same voice saying "That will be $1.39 please" in an Arab accent and I opened my eyes again and saw this man with a towel wrapped around his head, and I said "Jesus?" and he said, "no my name is Abdul but I have a brother named Jesus that looks a lot like me". It was then I realized I better steer clear of those energy drink icee's or I might be in danger of starting my own cult. Seriously, though, I've learned to recognize the still small voice of God in a rainbow, in the laugh of a little girl, in a sunset. He is magnificent and wonderful and a very loving and gracious Father to me, who doesn't deserve Him.

And all of this vast experience in evaluating collection methods so as to be able to train new hires is compressed into the year 2009? Well at least he hasn't forgotten how to hype something up.

a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Now why does this sound to me like the intro to a trailer for a movie? Two women ..... can't really hide their affection ...... in each other's pockets .... free to move ...... A forbidden love ...... they let him purge the place ...... now they've finished the job ....... Tell me this hasn't been going on for years ....... Is this really "biblical research"? ....... Is this really "Moving the Word over the world? ......... Come see .... the epic saga ....... Brokeback Farmlands........ [Queue the banjo music in background]

Actually, there's all sorts of things to ask. Like how exactly does this work, in terms of baseball analogies? pitcher, catcher, 3rd baseman? bat boy? Are they going to exchange jewelry after a certain period of time of knowing one another? Like the 2 that lived with RR? One bed on vacations? Or don't do any of this "so the ministry is not blamed"....? What % of single women are we going to shoot for in leadership positions?

WordWolf, I think you have very perceptive insight into the inner workings of WHY. Things do not happen in a vacuum regarding people. There is an inner cause for everything. The destruction that manifest within eventually was reflected out. Then the aftermath is left, and people sweep it under the carpet and live on in its wake.

Hi tagalong, Actually functionally the Way sticks to more of "the Word of the BOD is the Will of God" more than their professed motto. Romans states "let your love be without hypocrisy", where the Greek word represents the two masks actors would put on in Greek tragedies. If the Way's motto is "the Word of God is the Will of God" yet how they function is "the Word of Rosalie is the Will of God" then this is a perfect representation of how the Word and the Way differ. The Way functions no differently than VPW's old criticisms of the RC church - their priorities are 1) Pope ex-cathedra 2) traditions of elders, 3) Bible. As far as you seeing little edification here, perhaps the function of the site is different than blowing sunshine up people's rear ends. In that, it might be similar to the book of Ezekiel or some of the OT readings. You know, in the Word of God? Read Ezekiel and tell me how edified you feel. And yet it is truth. Truth is what heals people's hearts, not ignoring sin latent within an organization. Not a Christian scientist like convincing the mind only to look on the positive side. Not a sweeping under the carpet of behavior so perverse you can scarcely speak of it. You could say Ezekiel "talked about people" too. Mostly about the leaders of Israel. With respect to the power available in the name of Jesus Christ, and confessing Rom. 10:9,10, perhaps you and I live in different worlds. I see the Word being taught on TV, in churches, in Bible studies, in small groups, in communities all over where I live. And yet to see that I had to be delivered from the spirit of error wrapped up into the elitist doctrine of the Way International. Jesus was asked when he walked the earth "who is my neighbor?" Looking around me at the quality of the Christians I meet, and then considering the quality of what is really lived by those in TWI, I see no basis to look down my nose at any Christian, or to snidely comment "they haven't learned the Word we have". Yes, and they are blessed not to. The version of the Word learned in TWI can be summarized in the verse "knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth". The elitists in TWI are puffed up. So, tagalong, "Who is your neighbor?" If you judge them harshly, be ready to be judged by the same standards when Jesus Christ returns.

Yeah - completely illogical. This is the same argument as trying to make all Jews equally responsible for the death of Jesus Christ. No, it's the d@mn leaders. The Sanhedrim voted for it, with a couple of noted exceptions.

Absolutely. I've heard this term many times, and it illustrates the egotistical elitism of the group. It communicates that somehow only the most devout of Christians in their personal lives are worthy of being witnessed to by TWI and joining their organization. When in reality the antics of TWI's leadership would have gotten them kicked out of most Christian organizations on the face of the planet, especially the ones with any form of democratic non-dictatorial government.

Some of the tribes in Africa will not allow picture taking as their spiritual beliefs indicate taking their picture may capture their soul. Here, in modern TWI, we note similar behavior in picture taking. TWI members in like behavior shun picture taking for fear that a picture may capture their soul in association with someone less committed to TWI than they are. Or that their soul may be captured at a moment where they are associated with someone who later "cops out" thus preserving their association in time for others to recognize. Another public service entry for the journals of superstition in social anthropology. We should do stick drawings to help illustrate.

When the actual truth is closer to "do you agree with LCM, or is he possessed?" and the answer is obvious. Like Jesus said of the Pharisees, they call darkness light, and light darkness. That's true gaslighting for you.

hahahahahaha. This is so classic. TWI has huge amounts of doctrine, songs, policies all centered around interpreting the word "present" as in contrast to "past" when the true interpretation of the word is "with you" or "in proximity to". Great example of making the scriptures say whatever you want them to so you can promote your own agenda.

Unfortunately for TWI, most people with teeth, a car, a job, and a modicum of rationality also have a home, a mortgage, and a short tolerance for drivel about a twisted interpretation of "debt" and how you should remain renting for the bulk of your adult life.

It would still be a licktatorship - one where butchy looking women raise themselves up to power.

The Way International and Muddy Waters Muddy Waters was the father of Chicago blues - played with great soul and feeling. Much of modern rock and roll comes from the influence of blues such as this, as well as modern blues itself. TWI's exactly the opposite. An asphyxiating legalistic dictatorship that sucks the soul out of everything they touch in exchange for a false authoritarian hierarchy they call the household of God. One - played with soul. Other - sucks out soul. Any questions?

A little light. No they aren't taught to completely disassociate themselves with kids in schools who aren't members, at least at this time. They are not as isolationist as the Amish or Jehovah's Witnesses where they withdraw from society or have no involvement in extracurricular things like sports / etc and are expressly forbidden to have friends outside TWI. What they are taught is an elitist interpretation of the "body of Christ". Instead of a view of this as all Christians worldwide as a body, their interpretation calls into question how any 2 body parts could work together if they are not "likeminded". In a human body, the brain, hands, eyes, etc. work together in harmony. So by TWI logic, and a vast stretch of the figurative language intended in the epistles there, they say that the REAL "body of Christ" is TWI and its members. Another concept you will hear is the "family of God" vs. the "household of God". TWI jargon will say "in the household" or "not in the household" with respect to labeling people. People "in the household" they will say you can trust with your heart, or they will say like you observed "they are my REAL friends", etc. Now to be fair some of what you heard may just be emotional hype because the girl went to OH for 2 weeks along with other TWI members from around the world, met many people, was excited, and made a bunch of new friends that she can link on MySpace and Facebook. However, another part of it is fundamental error in what is taught and commonly believed. It makes members what I call spiritual elitists, or spiritual snobs. Which was exactly how the Pharisees acted.

Here's another tidbit of information. The Way Corps through the thriving years of the ministry (late 70's - 86 when VPW died) had hundreds of Way Corps participants. After that numbers dwindled - more recent years there have been 10 - 15 people total, including married couples with children. And some of them get kicked out before graduating. There is a large problem among the non-married Way Corps that the single women outnumber the single men to the tune of about 7 to 1. For a while there they had some policy because of this that a married Corps girl could marry a non-Corps guy with the stipulation they would both go through the Way Corps training. So marriage and children due to the biological clock of a young woman is a major concern with respect to her what they call "spiritual goals", or desire to enter the Way Corps. Any potential mate would be scrutinized and evaluated in light of his desire and ability to do the same thing. That is probably a higher level of pressure they would put on a bf/gf situation than normal even. With numbers being what they are, the young woman has few choices. Anyway, that's a little more of the false reality there affecting your gf. Hope that helps. There are scriptures that talk about what benefits to an individual trials bring. You are building strength to be a good Christian husband, which is different than being just a husband without God in your relationship. Trials build patience and character. We all have our own.

brainfixed your post has a lot of exactly what was wrong. Actually so many parts of TWI are exactly that.: obedience is more important than health and well being. The problem with this distortion is that it communicates that God is like a strict authoritarian entity, who you absolutely obey without question. In my opinion and experience God is a lot more involved with reaching out to me where I'm at.

yes, I hear what you're saying. I was only speaking w/r to genuine healings. What you are describing here is more of a scientology-like false healing, where it's a delusional fantasy in the head as opposed to a genuine real healing. I also definitely have seen this in TWI on more than one occasion. doojable, Good stuff - I really like your last 2 posts a lot. This is so amazing to me. Real genuine healings like this so many times have God's special signature on them that is such an absolute personal message to the healed. That ain't no mental fantasy.

People like this always inspired me to develop a case of what you see in Jack Black's "School of Rock" called "stickittothemaneosis". When I would develop this, I would always go around to different leaders, smile, and say "You're the man!!!" They would always take it as a complement.

I remember one confrontation session I was subjected to. The funny part was I did not concentrate on or pay attention to any of the words being said. I was more intrigued by the color changes on the person's face. It was like a chemstry experiment. We had flesh color, to a little pink, to bright pink, to bright red, to purple, to a bluish shade of purple. I remember wondering whether I would get to experience a complete blue shade, while thinking to myself "wow - that's pretty wild - I've never seen anyone's face turn that many colors before". Of course, thinking back on it I wonder if I would have shared some of my thoughts out loud if I would have seen that blue color accompanied by asphyxiation.